School Information Instructors & Staff

GIFTS' staff is a combination of filmakers, media professionals and artists. In other words, they are real people working on real projects. As one student put it: "The best part of GIFTS was the mentors--they listened to us and treated us like real people and not just kids". Our instructors' work can be seen on television, the big screen, on the web and in art galleries and festivals across the country.

Adam Garnet Jones • Iis an independent film and video maker. His work has screened at festivals and won awards internationally. Adam is also a proud gifts graduate, and is currently studying at ryerson.

Aerlyn Weissman • Independent documentary filmmaker, co-director of fiction and other truths and of forbidden love, both genie award winning documentaries.

Brett Gaylor • Freelance videographer, web designer and photographer, computer animator and digital system designer. Studied at capilano college and concordia university.

Carmen Aguirre • Actor in television, film and on stage. Co-director of la luna productions, a vancouver theatre company.

Christine (tiny) Taylor • Writes for television, stage and film. She loves teaching scriptwriting at gifts. Christine has worked professionaly since she was 16, that’s 17 years folks.

Diana Wilson • Is a documentary producer/director who got her start at the fall 1999 impp, then went on to associate produce the award-winning culturejam: hijacking commercial culture, among other credits. She is currently in production on 100% woman, a feature for the documentary channel and life network.

David Hechenberger • Location sound mixer working and living in vancouver. His credits include many documentary and feature films, including nettie wild’s fix: the tale of an addicted city, which was nominated for a leo for best overall documentary sound.

David Mills • 30 years experience in film & television production, and is currently working as a dgc 1st a.d. He spends his free time teaching film and television production and mentoring young people. His credits range from series work for warner bros. To indie canadian films, from news directing to field producing, and writing & directing documentaries.

Dimitry Kazak • Studied physical theatre at the evergreen theatre school in mass. A gifts graduate. Worked in the film industry in vancouver. Co-created a documentary on the wto protests in 1999, called bye buy world. Currently involved in writing a 1 hour comedy special for cbc.

Donna Usher • Bachelor of fine arts in visual arts, university of victoria. Focusing on independent visual, communicating arts projects. Currently teaching graphic arts and photography at the langley fine arts school.

Geoff Inverarity • PHD english literature, freelance script writer, former lecturer at ubc, script reader for telefilm canada. Producer of the gulf islands poetry festival.

George Johnson • National film board since 1978. Produced, directed and/or edited in excess of one hundred productions. Other: animated films, short dramas, documentaries, interactive projects for the web & cd-rom, and theatrical feature films. Producing credits include award winning productions for children: sticks and stones, in other words, flipping the world — drugs through a blue lens, pocket desert — confessions of a snake killer, and burns bog — a road runs through it.

Jennifer Abbott • Documentary maker, media artist, cultural activist and freelance editor. National and international film festival award winner for her work cow at my table, skinned, and the corporation. She teaches media arts at emily carr institute of art & design vancouver.

Jill Sharpe • Independent documentary filmmaker. 15 years writing, directing & producing docs & 3 years drama production at atlantis films. Culturejam: hijacking commercial culture 2001 - gemini nomination & leo award.

John Walsh • Director of photography, iatse 669 vancouver. Mfa from usc, los angeles. Instructor at vfs & capilano college. 15 years independent film experience in all facets of production. Casi certified snowboarding instructor.

Kenna Fair • Independent film & video maker. Works in all facets of filmmaking world from directing to editing. A gifts founding member, mentor, and program co-ordinator.

Kim Goodliffe • MFA in creative writing (screenplay), ubc. Wrote atwood unconscious, an 11-minute radio documentary on the creative process. A feature-length interview on margaret atwood and her new book oryx and crake, ran in the vancouver sun, mix section, april 2003. Published poetry in descant, filling station.

Krista Tupper • Simon fraser bfa grad. Her work has been shown at festivals in seattle, palm springs, san fransisco, montréal, new york and vancouver.

Marcus Youssef • Chalmer’s award winner for a line in the sand. Wrote mr. Bill forthe cbc. Plays produced across the country. Workshops in dozens of bc schools. Resident director, vancouver youth theatre.

Nettie Wild • Award winning documentary filmmaker. Won genie for a place called chiapas in 1999.

Randy Jones • Documentary film maker living in vernon, bc. Won an award for outstanding cinematography at the 2002 eyelens awards. Currently working on two documentaries.

Richard Reeves • Production coordinator of quickdraw animation society (1994-96). Intstructs on how to make cameraless animated films and works freelance as an animation artist. Has won many awards for the animated film linear dreams.

Sam Pettit • Independent filmmaker, accomplished technician. Formed mystic bear productions; building and maintaining edit systems and multimedia workstations for the creative spirit.

Sheila Jordan • Award-winning film and tv producer, director and writer. Her credits include the tv show aboriginal voices and the documentary no surrender. She settled on pender island seven years ago, where she has been raising two daughters,writing screenplays and acting on stage.

Shelley Baart • Award winning video & film producer, experienced technician. Currently studying at concordia university.

Suez Holland • Visual effects animator and projections designer, award-winning sound designer; studied dv effects at vancouver film school, animation at emily carr institute of art and design, and graphic design/cartooning at the academy of fine arts in liege, belgium.

Vern Bevis • Award-winning independent filmmaker, gifts alumni, and capilano college film studies grad. When vern isn't teaching video production at gifts, he can be found working in the film and television industry in vancouver.

Warren Arcan • Cree writer, performance artist and film/video maker. Formed production company, jawasin productions inc., to produce new work in film, video and other media, and collaborate with others with similar interests.

Zoe Hopkins • Ryerson film graduate. Works as a writer, director, editor, 1st assistant director, and producer. You can see some of zoe’s work on the aboriginal people’s television network (aptn).

Other staff, instructors & mentors

• Amanda Cantelon
• Amy Schwartz
• Bo Myers
• Brook Bilney
• Chrissy Poulos
• Darren Alexander
• Derek Frazer
• Frank Henville
• Heather Frise
• Atef Abdelkefi
• Helen Reed
• Jamie Abugov
• Jen McNeely
• Jenny Breukelman
• Karen Duthie
• Kristin Peebles
• Liam Walsh
• Marek Bula
• Michael Mann
• Neith Doffing
• Nick Middleton
• Patti Fraser
• Peter Chryzanowski
• Pia Massie
• Stacy Shaak
• Terra Poirier
• Twyla Roscovitch
• Zsolt Sandor