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The CFTPA Honours Daniel Cross and Deborah Andrews with the CFTPA Mentor Award

The Canadian Film and Television Production Association is pleased to announce Daniel Cross and Deborah Andrews as the recipients of the CFTPA Mentor Award. Daniel and Deborah will each receive the Mentor Award for their contribution and dedication to the CFTPA National Mentorship Program. The CFTPA Mentor Award salutes industry professionals who have demonstrated a strong desire to share expertise and committed themselves to the professional development of one or more interns in the Canadian film and television industry. The awards will be presented in Ottawa on Friday, February 17, 2006 during the CFTPA’s annual conference Prime Time in Ottawa.

DANIEL CROSS
Daniel Cross is a multi-disciplined award winning documentary filmmaker who has made his mark with films concerning the issues of homelessness in Canada. His feature length films, THE STREET: a film with the homeless and S.P.I.T: SQUEEGEE PUNKS IN TRAFFIC received theatrical distribution and critical acclaim. They are reflective of his artistic philosophy that film is a medium for affecting social and political change. Daniel has directed and produced television projects including the Gemini nominated Too Colourful for the League and George, From Athens to Beijing, with CTV, BBC Storyville and TV2 Denmark.

In addition to making films, Daniel is active in the film community, serving as an executive on national boards, including the CFTPA and DOC (formerly CIFC). He also teaches film production at Concordia University and has taught at the University of Regina. He was appointed as Chair of the Mentorship Committee in 2005.

DEBORAH ANDREWS
Deborah Andrews worked as the National Director of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association's National Mentorship Program from 2000 until 2005.

Andrews grew the program to six separate internship programs that provide jobs for new entrants and the more experienced. During her time with the program hundreds of interns and mentors participated in various placement programs. In 2001 she spearheaded a meeting with national and provincial industry organizations; the result was the establishment of an organized referral and information network to promote and share information on training opportunities in the Canadian industry.

The CFTPA established the National Mentorship Program in 1995 to address and contribute to the development of industry professionals. The main goal of the CFTPA-NMP is to administer and support on-the-job placements that allow Canadians to obtain hands-on work experience, develop skills, complement formal education, and make important contacts. The primary mandate of the program is to address changes in the industry and to ensure that through training, our industry will continue to build upon its infrastructure. Over 150 mentors have participated, and over 450 interns have been placed in jobs across Canada and around the world with 80% of continue working in the industry.

We have established partnerships with a variety of public and private funders to provide mentorship opportunities including Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Foreign Affairs Canada, Global Television, CTV, Telefilm Canada, Heritage Canada, CHUM Limited and Corus Entertainment.

The CFTPA is a non-profit, trade association representing almost 400 companies involved in the Canadian production industry. The association promotes the general interests of Canadian producers by lobbying government on policy matters, negotiating labour agreements, and offering mentorship programs and copyright initiatives.

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For more information on this, please contact:

Jeff Brinton
Director of Communications and Media
Canadian Film and Television Production Association