The Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative provides three awards to filmmakers annually at the Atlantic International Film Festival in September that supports the future projects of three Atlantic Canadian filmmakers (not restricted to Nova Scotia) through the Linda Joy Awards and the Helen Hill Award.
Linda Joy Busby (1950 – 1984)
Linda Joy was a filmmaker and AFCOOP staff member in the early days of the cooperative. Her steadfast dedication to the cooperative formed the organization into what it is today. Linda passed away from breast cancer at the age of 34. She started making the self-titled film, “Linda Joy,” to share her experience during the period of remission. Linda Joy passed away before the film was finished and Bill MacGillivray stepped in to complete it. Proceeds from the sale of this film comprised the foundation of the initial society.
Helen Hill (1970 – 2007)
Helen Hill was an artist, filmmaker, teacher, and activist. She was a pivotal figure in shaping the experimental animation and hand-processing scene in Halifax and across North America. Helen lived in Halifax from 1995 to 2001 and taught film animation at NSCAD and AFCOOP during that time, encouraging students and participants to explore DIY filmmaking methods. Originally from the southern states, when she moved back, Hill founded the New Orleans Film Collective. Selected works are perserved in the Harvard Film Archive and her film Scratch and Crow (1995) to the National Film Registry of America.
About the Linda Joy Awards
Since 2018, AFCOOP has taken over the administration of the Linda Joy Awards from the Linda Joy Media Arts Society (LJMAS), to provide the Linda Joy Award Package and the Linda Joy Post Award Package. Over the past 30 years, the LJMAS has grown from awarding a single grant of $500 to supporting over 150 filmmakers in this region through cash and in kind services totalling over $1 million. Previous award winners have gone on to national and international acclaim, and are now successful, established artists, including: Andrea Dorfman, Shandi Mitchell, Rodrigue Jean, Ashley McKenzie, Mike Clattenburg, Cory Bowles, Becka Barker, Amanda Dawn Christie, Jordan Canning, Bretten Hannam and Tim Tracey.
Following a two year hiatus, the Linda Joy Media Arts Society was reinvigorated under the management of the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, guided by a committee composed of founding LJMAS and film community members including: Lulu Keating, David Hopper, Chuck Clark, Jim MacSwain, Cat LeBlanc, Rose Zack and Martha Cooley.
Linda Joy Award Package ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
- $2,000 cash
- 2 x workshops of your choice
- Associate Membership
- Ability to be covered under AFCOOP’s General Liability and Production insurance if required.
- In-kind camera package from AFCOOP
- $5,000 in-kind lighting and grip package courtesy of Sunbelt Rentals Halifax*
*The Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Co-operative (NIFCO) will provide $3,000 in-kind gear if a filmmaker from Newfoundland receives the award.
*The New Brunswick Film Co-operative will provide $3,000 in-kind gear for the Linda Joy Award, as well as cash top up from the Jane LeBlanc Legacy Fund if a filmmaker from New Brunswick receives the award.
*FilmPEI will provide $5,000 in-kind gear for the Linda Joy Award if a filmmaker from Prince Edward Island receives the award.
Linda Joy Post Award Package —————————————————————————————————————————————————————
- $1,000 cash
- $2,000 (valued at regular rates) in-kind access to AFCOOP’s Media Suite*
*NIFCO will provide $3,000 in-kind for post-production for the Linda Joy Post Award if a filmmaker from Newfoundland receives the award.
*NB Film Co-op will provide $2,000 in-kind for post-production for the Linda Joy Post Award if a filmmaker from New Brunswick receives the award.
*FilmPEI will provide $2,000 in-kind for post-production for the Linda Joy Post Award if a filmmaker from Prince Edward Island receives the award.
About the Helen Hill Award
The Helen Hill Animation Award is open to artists working in animation and experimental forms in Nova Scotia. Helen Hill was a gifted filmmaker and film educator who was active in many communities across the continent. Helen lived in Halifax from 1995 to 2001, and was an integral personality in the film, arts and civic outreach communities.
Helen’s particular style of creation was unhampered by convention, and marked by a rarely found honesty and immediacy. In January of 2007 Helen Hill passed away in her home in New Orleans, the victim of a random act of violence. The Helen Hill Award was created to celebrate this remarkable individual and to support artists working in animation and experimental film.
Helen Hill Animation Award Package ——————————————————————————————————————————————————
- $1,000 cash
- $2,000 in kind equipment and facility access from AFCOOP (valued at commercial rates)
- One full year of Editing and Producing memberships, (valued at $1,070), from the Centre for Art Tapes (CFAT)
Questions? Reach out to programs coordinator, Henry Colin at henry@afcoop.ca.
Thank you to the sponsors and partners for the Linda Joy and Helen Hill Awards:
