மணமக்கள்!

News Release: For immediate release!
DIGITAL DIVERSITY COMPETITION
AND THE WINNERS ARE . . .

Montreal, Monday, December 17, 2007—Yesterday, Radio Canada International’s Web service RCI viva unveiled the winners of DIGITAL DIVERSITY and its French-language counterpart MÉTISSÉ SERRÉ, short film and podcast competitions on the theme of immigration. The sold out awards ceremony was held at Montreal’s Cinéma du Parc.
The English-language jury (made up of Mitra Sen, Sunny Yi, Ruba Nadda and Alden Habacon) awarded two Grand Jury Prizes. In the Documentary category, the honour went to TENZIN JANGCHUP (A Brief History of Life), while TIFFANY HSIUNG (Binding Borders) took home the Best Fiction Prize. Internet users voted to choose the four People’s Choice Award winners: ADAM SAMASH (Abdallah of Mile-End) in the Short Film category; and in the Radio Podcast category, ASHLEY FOOT (Singing Pictures: The Musical Lives of Jim and Sheila Johnson), HANA ABDUL (Ghosts Migrate) and HARPREET DIPAK (One Step Closer).

Over 200 shorts and podcasts were submitted from all over Canada. Entries were viewed or heard over 60,000 times on the competition website, with over 6,000 comments posted. In recent months, many shorts in competition were screened at a number of festivals and cultural events across Canada, and they will also be seen in such countries as the United States, France, Cuba, Mexico, Costa Rica, Morocco and Colombia.

Radio Canada International is very proud of the success of DIGITAL DIVERSITY, an original RCI viva initiative. “The fact that so many people entered this competition and used the website as a virtual forum to discuss immigration and diversity clearly demonstrates just how relevant and popular RCI viva is, at a time when one in five Canadians is an immigrant,” says Jean Larin, executive director of Radio Canada International.

Thanks to the competition’s partners—the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec, TELUS and Sony Canada—the English- and French-language winners shared a total of $30,000 in prizes (camcorders, iPods and laptops). All winning entries can be seen or heard at http://www.rcinet.ca until March 31, 2008.

Contact: Thierry Harris
514-597-4877, digitaldiversity@rcinet.ca

Source: Audrey Schelling
Communications, Radio Canada International
514-597-5012, audrey_schelling@radio-canada.ca

DIGITAL DIVERSITY
Short Films
Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary
Sponsored by TELUS
A Brief History of Life
Tenzin Jangchup (Montreal)

Grand Jury Prize, Best Fiction
Sponsored by Sony Canada
Binding Borders
Tiffany Hsiung (Toronto)

People’s Choice Award
Abdallah of Mile-End
Adam Shamash (Montreal)

Podcasts
People’s Choice Award – 1st Prize
Singing Pictures: The Musical Lives of Jim and Sheila Johnson
Ashley Foot (Montreal)

People’s Choice Award – 2nd Prize
Ghosts Migrate
Hana Abdul, in collaboration with Shadya Yasin (Toronto)

People’s Choice Award – 3rd Prize
One Step Closer
Harpeet Dipak (Hamilton)

MÉTISSÉ SERRÉ
Short Films
Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary
Sponsored by the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec
Une bonne élève
Karina Garcia Casanova (Montreal)

Grand Jury Prize, Best Fiction
Sponsored by Sony Canada
Réfractions
Abraham Lifshitz (Montreal)

People’s Choice Award
Deux vies
Natacha Veilleux and Aurélie Herman (Montreal)

Podcasts
People’s Choice Award - 1st Prize
Entrevue avec Uon Wang Vuong
Nicolas Wang Vuong Legentil (Montreal)

People’s Choice Award - 2nd Prize
Rêver en français
Stéphanie Fernet (Montreal)

People’s Choice Award – 3rd Prize
Sous-utilisation des immigrants
Jean Numa Goudou (Montreal)


Digital Diversity Team
Radio Canada International
514-597-4877
www.rcinet.ca
digitaldiversity@rcinet.ca