Silver-Screen Scribes at Innis

A $500,000 gift from Universal Studios Canada Ltd. will fund a Screenwriter in Residence position in Innis College’s Cinema Studies program. Slated to begin during the 2004-2005 academic year, this is the only such film-studies position at a Canadian university, and one of only a handful in North America.

The role will be filled on a rotating basis by screenwriters from a variety of cultural traditions and film-genre backgrounds. In consultation with Cinema Studies, the screenwriter will meet with students and teachers, and conduct workshops and seminars.

“Universal Studios Canada is proud to support Innis’s outstanding efforts to maintain its excellent advancements in the educational sector of the Canadian film industry,” says Eric W. Pertsch, Universal Studios’ honorary chairman, Canadian Cultural Affairs.