BCFC Director Mark Ratzlaff’s Pitch for Beauty Mark Takes 2011 MPPIA Short Film Award |

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December 8, 2011

For Immediate Release December 8, 2011

Director Mark Ratzlaff’s Pitch for Beauty Mark

Takes 2011 MPPIA Short Film Award

Vancouver, Canada – Mark Ratzlaff edged out the competition between five talented filmmakers to take home the fifth annual MPPIA Short Film Award on December 4 at the 2011 Whistler Film Festival.

Ratzlaff’s pitch for the short film project Beauty Mark came out on top to secure the valuable industry award following five extremely well executed pitches. In addition to Ratzlaff, the four filmmakers who advanced from a wide field of applicants to pitch in Whistler were: Brianne Nord-Steward (No Return), Amber Ripley (Mermaid in a Jar), Ana Valine (Happiless) and Liz Van Allen Cairns (Withering Heights).

“Our five finalist directors all delivered compelling pitches for projects that show real promise,” said jury moderator Andrew Williamson, Head of Production and Digital Media at Lark Productions. “This was not an easy decision, but ultimately the jury agreed that the combination of Mark Ratzlaff’s script, vision and pitch best articulated the story he intends to tell with his short film.”

“We look forward to seeing Mark Ratzlaff bring Beauty Mark to the screen at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival,” Williamson added.

The jury for the 2011 MPPIA Short Film Award included Prem Gill (Director, Content,Telus Optik TV); Maureen Levitt (Creative Development, Superchannel) and Nathan Morlando (Director, Edwin Boyd).

“The MPPIA Short Film Award is one of the largest filmmaking prizes in Canada,” said MPPIA Chair Peter Leitch. “We are very pleased to be able to assemble the support and resources to help one of BC’s talented filmmakers take his or her career to the next level.”

Leitch added, “I want to thank our Award jury for their generous participation. I would also like to thank British Columbia Film + Media, the Whistler Film Festival and the BC production

community for their ongoing support of this initiative – without them the Award would not be possible.”

A partnership initiative of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association (MPPIA), British Columbia Film + Media and the Whistler Film Festival to support the career development of emerging BC filmmakers, the prestigious Award comprises $15,000 in cash plus in-kind services up to $100,000 for the production of a short film project. The Award was established to celebrate the contribution of film and television to the growing creative economy in British Columbia

The completed MPPIA Short Film Award project will screen at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival.

The Motion Picture Production Industry Association of BC (MPPIA) is a member-based, non-profit society established in April 2002 to grow, diversify and promote a competitive and sustainable motion picture production industry in British Columbia.

British Columbia Film + Media is a non-profit society established by the provincial government in 1987. It has the mandate to expand and diversify the film, television and digital media sector in British Columbia.

The Whistler Film Festival Society (WFFS) is a charitable, not for profit cultural and educational organization committed to promoting, developing and celebrating a strong film industry in Western Canada, and to showcasing the best films from Canada and around the world.

The MPPIA Short Film Award is made possible by the above organizations as well as the generous support and contributions of the British Columbia motion picture production community.

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For more information contact:

Leslie Wootton

MPPIA Communications

Motion Picture Production

Industry Association of BC

604.983.5980

ErikaKumar

Administrator, MPPIA Short Film Award

British Columbia Film + Media

604.736.7997

ekumar@bcfm.ca