A local production company has successfully outdone some very tough competition on the international stage in what could be considered Nanaimo’s version of David and Goliath.
Earlier this year, Cinnabar Vista Productions, a Nanaimo-based company, took home three Remi Awards at the WorldFest-Houston International Film and Video Festival.
In an effort to celebrate their achievements, Cinnabar Vista held its own award ceremony at the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce last Friday.
The company’s short films, Infinite Possibilities, Stz’uminus Land Code and Nanaimo Economic Development all received Remi Awards.
“It was very exciting,” said Jeremiah Patton, who directed all three films.
Infinite Possibilities won a Platinum Remi Award in the Advertising/Promotional category while Stz’uminus Land Code took home a Gold Remi Award in the Community Management category. Nanaimo Economic Development earned a silver in the Advertising/Promotional category.
“It was kind of inspiring actually,” Patton said about winning the awards.
Infinite Possibilities was able to beat out Myriad Global Media, a British-based film company whose clients include Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil, Maersk Oil, Qatar Petroleum, Chevron, HSBC, Disney and Manchester United, in the promotional category.
Patton said it was a great feeling to see Myriad Global Media proudly touting its gold Remi win, knowing he beat out Myriad with a much smaller budget.
“It was validating that this big company thought it was this really big deal and yet I was one step up from them with the platinum,” he said.
Infinite Possibilities was commissioned by the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation and features over 100 different locations.
Patton, who graduated from Vancouver Island Univeristy, credits the success of the film to the people of Nanaimo.
“A lot of these shots are people shots. They are natural people shots,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without the public.”
The WorldFest-Houston International Film and Video Festival, specifically for independent filmmakers, has been running since 1961. Past Remi Award winners include Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, the Coen Brothers, Oliver Stone, Francis Ford Coppola and Spike Lee.
Cinnabar Vista is showing no signs of slowing down.
The company recently released a short promotional video for First Nations Health Authority, a newly formed health authority that is the first of its kind in Canada.
“They’re trying to staff these remote communities because it is a very hard thing to do,” Patton said.
For more information on Cinnabar Vista Productions, please visit www.cinnabarvista.com.
arts@nanaimobulletin.comTwitter: @npescod