MFM moves dates for awards ceremony

Music and Film in Motion plans to move its annual music and film awards night to May 10, 2008 from their usual night in mid-September just before the Cinefest movie series.

"We have been talking to Cinefest staff, and we thought it best to move the date of our event. It used to be complementary to Cinefest, but we are now big enough to stand on our own now," said executive director Denis Landry.

In May 2008, MFM will be adding two new components to the awards program.

The first component is a grassroots industry conference and a music and film showcase. The showcase will allow music finalists to play more than one song and Best Film finalists to screen more than one minute of their film submissions, as currently happens during the awards ceremony, said Landry.

In addition, aboriginal musicians and filmmakers will be included in the 2008 event.

"Two of our most under-represented arts groups here in Northern Ontario, francophones and aboriginals are being addressed by our new programming. Last year we included francophone artists. This year we have expanded to aboriginal artists," said Landry.

Landry is asking residents to make nominations for the awards. The deadline for submission is Nov. 16. The film categories are Best Film, Best Director, Best Film Editor,Best Cinematography, and Best Screenplay. The music categories are Best Album, Best Songwriter, Best Engineer, Best Presenter, and Best Vocal Performance.

Eligible submissions must have been released between Jan. 1, 2006 to Nov. 16, 2007. Artist eligibility includes having been born in Northern Ontario, having been a resident of Northern Ontario for a period of at least five consecutive years, or having lived for a period of eight consecutive months in Northern Ontario during the period of Jan. 1, 2006 to Nov. 16, 2007.

MFM is located at 96 Larch St., Suite 200. Phone 674-9954, fax 674-9990 or visit www.thinknorth.ca .