Mystery of the Secret Room has been nominated for two Golden Sheaf Awards: Emerging Filmmaker and Animation. I am soooooo thrilled! Thanks to the Yorkton Film Festival!
See the full list of nominees here.
Mystery of the Secret Room (Trailer) from NFB/marketing on Vimeo.
Crocuses played in four festivals in March in Canada and the U.S.:
We’re so happy that audiences are seeing this film. Thanks to the programmers! You can learn more about Crocuses here.
Crocuses was the winner of the RBC Michelle Jackson Award. The director mentor was Anita Reilly McGee. It was produced by Latonia Hartery of LJH films. And, the uber talented Ian Vatcher was the cinematographer.
Crocuses stars Sheilagh Guy Murphy, Paula Morgan, Emily Corcoran, Kyle Snow, Mike Daly and the show stealing Maggie Deming Emily Deming Martin.
My short animation Mystery of the Secret Room produced by the National Film Board of Canada is playing at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival Saturday OCT 22 at the LSPU Hall at 7 pm. Tickets can be bought here: http://rca.nf.ca/box-office/purchase-tickets-2/
Exec Producer/Producer Annette Clarke, Associate ProducerJon Montes, Animation Supervisor and Art Direction Claire Blanchet.
Check out the trailer. Music by the wonderful Jeff Johnston
Mystery of the Secret Room (Trailer) from NFB/marketing on Vimeo.
My short animation Mystery of the Secret Room is premiering at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax next week. Check out the link to see the trailer. There are so many people to thank when it comes to this project. But, first and foremost, I have to thank Annette Clarke and Jon Montes who always push me further than I think I can go. Animation Supervision and Art Direction by the fiercely talented Claire Blanchet.
Mon Sep 19, 2016 | 2:00PM NFB Showcase: Shorts Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane Theatre 2
Thursday, Sept. 22 | 9:15PM Reel East Coast Shorts, Program 6 Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane Theatre 3
Here is the gorgeous trailer. Music by Jeff Johnson.
Mystery of the Secret Room (Trailer) from NFB/marketing on Vimeo.
The National Film Board marketing team did an incredible job on the press kit for Mystery of the Secret Room. You’ll find it here.
And, I’m absolutely in love with the poster Perfect Day did for the film.
The first film I ever wrote will be showing at Raw Refrains, August 9th at 7 pm. It will play at the Abbey Café at Monastery Spa, 63 Patrick Street, St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Kalem Mahoney will be the songwriter for the evening, Emily Bridger will be reading from her new work and Catherine Marshall will be exhibiting her artwork.
We shot my RBC Michelle Jackson Award film “Crocuses” from July 31 – Aug 2nd. I had an incredible crew of focussed, smart and creative people.
The whole production ran without a hitch due to the even hand of Latonia Hartery. It was a ton of work and I am so deeply grateful for her time and generosity.
Ian Vatcher was the director of photography. And, Deb Vatcher was the production designer. They made the film look incredible.
The RBC Michelle Jackson Award film is for emerging directors. It’s a huge opportunity and I learned so much! Thanks to Anita McGee, the director mentor. And a huge thanks to the St. John’s International Film Festival for the award.
On June 17 at 1:30, my animator and collaborator, Claire Blanchet, will be joining me to talk about storytelling and animation. The focus will be my short film Mystery of the Secret Room, see schedule here: http://www.womensfilmfestival.com/2016-scene-heard-schedule/
Ellie Yonova’s documentary about artists Luben Boykov and Elena Popova received a green light for production in May by the National Film Board of Canada. The producer is the amazing Annette Clarke. I was the story consultant on the proposal.
An incredible artist in her own right, Ellie is the perfect person to tell this story.
My episode for the web series Sex in Cars was shot on March 20. It stars Alison Woolridge and Brian Marler.
Sex in Cars is a web series developed and directed by Justin Simms. He asked several writers in the community to write scripts. The instructions were simple, write something that involved sex and a car. Other contributors are Ed Riche, Emily Bridger, Mark Hoffe, Dave Sullivan and Justin.
The series should be out in the fall.
In the Fall, I wrote episode 2 (The Atlantic Bastion) for Hors Circuits, a French television program produced out of Newfoundland by Sibelle Productions. I worked with a great team, including Xavier Georges (producer), Christian Sparkes (director), Allison White (producer), Scott McClellan (cinematographer) and Justin Oakey (director).
It’s a documentary mini-series about forbidden and inaccessible places starring Lou Poirier.
Thanks to Phillip Lewis for this fabulous post on my animation The Mystery of the Secret Room http://blog.nfb.ca/blog/2015/10/14/madness-animation-mystery-of-the-secret-room/
I am this year’s winner of the RBC Michelle Jackson Filmmaker Award. I’m absolutely thrilled and grateful. This award was founded by St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival in honour of filmmaker Michelle Jackson. It is sponsored by the RBC Foundation. Plus a whole host of other organizations and people who support the arts and know the importance of telling stories.
From Aug 5-13th, I am on the Writer in Residence in Bird Cove/Plum Point on the Great Northern Peninsula. Thanks so much to the 50 Centuries’ Interpretation Centre and Dr. Latonia Hartery, lead archaeologist for the area. Latonia is also an accomplished filmmaker. I’ve been learning so much about this magical place from her.
Thanks to the Overcast and Mark Hoffe for the great interview. The Magic and Mystery of Storytelling: a profile of writer and filmmaker Wanda Nolan
Our short film Four Sisters is playing at World Storytelling Day in Mt. Pearl, March 20, at 7:30
It was released in 2010 through the incredible Picture Start program (NIFCO). It was the first film I ever wrote; directed by Dana Warren and produced by Lynn Andrews.
Nice to see it out there again.
DANNY will be featured as a special presentation at HotDocs! It is a part of the Scotia Bank Big Ideas Series.
SCREENING
Bloor Hot Docs Cinema Sat, Apr 25 6:30 PM
Tickets: $22
I was the researcher and story consultant on the project. I worked with a great team: Justin Simms and Bill MacGillivray (Directors), Annette Clarke (Producer), Jon Montes (Associate Producer) and Chris Darlington (Graphics and Animation).
I’m teaching two screenwriting workshops on the West Coast of Newfoundland.
These workshops are offered in conjunction with the St. John’s Women’s Film Festival, Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Cooperation (NFLDC), Memorial University and the College of North Atlantic.
We got the best present this Christmas. The National Film Board green lit The Mystery of the Secret Room and we start production this week. The film tells the story of a little girl who turns into a super heroine to save her Mom from depression. It’s an adventure story that speaks to the challenges of dealing with mental health issues and the lack of support for all those involved.
I’m working with the amazing Claire Blanchet (animator) and the unstoppable Annette Clarke (producer). I’m so grateful and thrilled to tell this story.
Danny, a documentary by the National Film Board about politician Danny Williams, starts its Arts and Culture tour across the province today. Whatever your politics, it’s worth a watch. Besides focusing on Danny, the film uses his life to talk about the history of Newfoundland and Labrador and its complicated relationship with Canada since joining the country in 1949.
I was the researcher and story consultant on the project. I got to work with a great team: Justin Simms and Bill MacGillivray (Directors), Annette Clarke (Producer), Jon Montes (Associate Producer) and Chris Darlington (Graphics and Animation).
It’s official. Claire Blanchet is the animator for my short film (in development with the NFB), The Mystery of the Secret Room. She’s been story boarding for the last several weeks but today contracts were signed so we’re feeling legit!
Claire did the incredible stereoscopic film called End of Pinky. The film premièred at TIFF and was named on the Toronto International Film Festival’s annual top ten list.
It’s been amazing working with Claire. Her vision and sensitivity are so inspiring. Feeling incredibly blessed.
The table read of my feature The Magic of Boxer Connors was received well. Carsten Knox from Flaw in the Iris said, “[Nolan’s] script, in its current draft form, is already better, both funnier and more gripping, than many I’ve seen made in the region in the past decade.”
Thanks to the AFF, director Josh MacDonald and the great group of actors who presented the script.
Thanks to The Overcast for the article about my upcoming table read at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax!
I am reading at the Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve August 23, 2014.
My screenplay The Magic of Boxer Connors will have a live, staged full read-through at 2014 Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax in September. Grateful to the Atlantic Film Festival. They play an important role in fostering Atlantic Canadian screenwriters.
The uber talented and generous Elisabeth de Mariaffi named me as a writer to watch for on Canada Writes.
Read my Cuffer story, Providence.
Short listed for the 2013 Cuffer Prize
2013 a good year on the page – mentioned in a 2013 summary of the Arts in Newfoundland and Labrador. “Nolan’s writing shows remarkable restraint and sophistication; it’s a very clean piece of writing.” (Chad Pelley for The Telegram, Dec 2013)
Honoured to have read at the inimitable Louise Moyse’s Moore-Gallant: A Docudance
A Q&A on the Newfoundland & Labrador Arts Council website about receiving the CBC Emerging Art of the Year Award. I’m more articulate than this conversation would suggest :)
Wanda Nolan wins CBC Emerging Artist of the Year Award (May 2013)
Local artists shine at arts awards gala (The Telegram May 2013)
Video profile of CBC Emerging Artist of the Year nominees (2013). Amazing company here.
The Magic of Boxer Connor by Wanda Nolan winner of the Script Development Award: $10,000 in development financing from Astral, sponsored by Telefilm Canada & Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund (Sept 2012)
Interview and reading on CBC’s Weekend Arts Magazine (WAM) for my Cuffer Win (2012)
Feature story on Salty Ink Blog Two Awards, and the Book’s Not Even Written Yet: Why Publishers Ought to Line Up for Wanda Nolan’s Work in Progress
Wanda Nolan wins the 2012 Cuffer Prize
Her Story by Wanda Nolan, Women in Television and Film (WIFT) Atlantic (Jan 2013)
Four Sisters receives an Honourable mention for the A&E Short Filmmakers Award in partnership with The National Screen Institute (2012)
Four Sisters website. Our short film has finished its run. It was the first script I ever wrote and I learned so much.
Wanda Nolan 
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