m0xY Productions co-producing the short inspired by a Carmelita McGrath poem with Blue Pinion Films
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2015 (St. John’s, NL) – The Joy Awards, managed by the Linda Joy Media Arts Society out of Halifax, NS have announced 2015 recipients, and a short film being co-produced by Joshua Jamieson and Ruth Lawrence called Waiting Outside… has won the NL Joy Award.
The 2015 award benefits include $7,500 in rental services from Atlantic Studios Cooperative, $2,000 in post-production services and $500 towards production equipment rental from the Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Cooperative, and $1,200 in script consultations by John Doyle. The award is open to residents of the province and past recipients include Roger Maunder, Christian Sparkes, and Jordan Canning.
“When I found out, I had to re-read the letter four or five times. I genuinely didn’t believe what I was reading at first, and my mom was sitting next to me at the time trying to figure out what was going on,” Jamieson said. “To be in the company of these past recipients, including my co-producer Ruth, is a privilege. I have deep respect for my fellow Newfoundland and Labrador filmmakers. It’s truly an honour, and a wonderful reassuring vote of confidence for this project, and for me as an arts practitioner.”
The short film, which has been endorsed by the Canadian Cancer Society-NL (CCS-NL), focuses on a single father who is fighting for his life while striving to make the best possible one for his eight year old son. Of the project, CCS-NL said “we feel the film will present a relatable and realistic life situation through its main characters, and will further support and encourage an important public dialogue surrounding the circumstances and challenges those living with cancer may face,” in their letter of support.
The script for the film was inspired by a poem of similar name, Waiting Outside Clinic 2B, which appears in Carmelita McGrath’s book Escape Velocity (Goose Lane Editions). The script is currently in its third draft, and will continue to evolve prior to the eventual production phase which will take place sometime in 2016.
“My previous film work has been documentary-based; this was my first foray into writing an original script for screen and it felt daunting,” Jamieson continued. “But I’ve been guided and reassured by Ruth throughout the process, we’ve been able to bounce ideas off one another to make it stronger. I also had the opportunity to get feedback from award winning producer/director Gia Milani who did All The Wrong Reasons – it was an excellent exercise to refine the script further. I think the consultations with John Doyle resulting from this award will lead to a rock solid shooting script that we will be ready to go to production with.”
Also on board for Waiting Outside… are Brad Gover (cinematographer) and Darryl Couch (animation/editor), both of whom worked on Jamieson’s Just Himself: the story of Don Jamieson. Musician and film composer Rozalind MacPhail joins Jamieson for the first time on this project, and she has scored films for Lawrence and many others in the past. She recently performed a live score for Ingrid Veninger’s He Hated Pigeons at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival and at the Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina.
“I can’t wait to bring this film to life, to highlight brilliant locations like Bowring Park in the city of St. John’s, and to tell these stories. I hope the film will inspire its audiences to rediscover the value of life’s little moments, and to make the most of each one,” Jamieson added.
The production, thus far, has been supported by the City of St. John’s through its arts grant program, some members of the corporate community, and private donations. Additional funding partners are expected to come on board in the near future, and details on how to make contributions to the production can be found at www.waitingoutside.ca. Private contributions are processed using Square to ensure they are secure.
“Ruth and I would like to emphasize our thanks and appreciation to the Linda Joy Media Arts Society, their staff and the jury for the award. We would also like to acknowledge fellow filmmakers who were in consideration for the award, and wish them every success with their projects,” Jamieson concluded. “We look forward to working with Atlantic Studios Cooperative, NIFCO, and Mr. Doyle.”
MEDIA CONTACT:
Joshua Jamieson
Email: jjmoxy@gmail.com
Waiting Outside... 
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