For those of you new to the blog or just tuning in, as we approach the announcement of our winner of the 2009 CSSC at this year’s Yorkton Film Festival Golden Sheaf gala, we thought it would be aproppo to introduce you to several of our nominees and 13 finalists.
Again, in no particular order, yesterday saw us profiling the commonwealth scribes Carolynne Ciceri and Neil Graham, and today, we look to Canadian/American combo screenwriters Sam Patterson and Carey Westbrook (writers of Writer’s Block and Cheat ‘Em Fair, respectively):
SAM PATTERSON. Sam started his trek in business of show at the tender young age of 10 starring in the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. During his formative years, he went on to be in many more productions. In college, his focus changed from acting to directing and stage managing. His produced works include a play called Wit and Moonlight which adapts the decades long correspondence between George Bernard Shaw and the actress Ellen Terry. The Chicago Sun-Times called it “a lovely theatrical dance.” He holds a MFA in theatre from Trinity University and a MFA in film and video from Columbia College Chicago. He has taught screenwriting in both the US and Canada.
For more information on Sam, visit his website
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CAREY WESTBROOK 3RD BABELGUM ONLINE FILM FESTIVAL AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER – NARRATIVE, 2ND BABELGUM ONLINE FILM FESTIVAL FINALIST! He is the star, writer, composer, and producer of many critically acclaimed short films on babelgum.com. He has made numerous appearances on television primetime shows like ABC’s DANCE MACHINE, EXTREME GONG SHOW, and FOX’S THE MAGIC HOUR, and you can see him as the star of numerous Sundance Film Festival feature films theatrically released and other films that have gone straight to DVD. Films like Streets of Legend, Strangeland, and the upcoming Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling. But Carey’s most proudest achievement besides being a good and decent human being is winning the award of The Ritz Ultimate Cracker Snacker of Colorado, for most outstanding original recipe and presentation of a Ritz Cracker Snack hosted by the late great Ed McMahon. “Since I was a child I knew I was meant to be the Lord of All Crackers, ” says Westbrook. “I just like the sound of it”.
You can follow the results of the Yorkton Film Festival and the Golden Sheaf Awards Gala, including the winner of the 2009 CSSC, live on twitter by following the #yff2010 hashtag.
