By Trellawny Graham
Ryerson RTA students emerged victorious from the 1998 TVOntario Telefest Awards last Thursday.
Fourth-year students Allen Nizi, James Fraser and Time grimes won first-place awards in the categories of instructional film for Jimmy Jambari’s History Safari, and comedy, for The Toothfather. The students have set a record for being the only crew to bring two Telefest awards home in different categories in the same year.
Telefest, which honours Ontario’s best student films and videos every year, gave 35 awards — six to Ryerson students — in a ceremony at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on Oct. 15.
James Fraser directed Jimmy Jambari and handled photography and lighting for Toothfather. He proudly remembers the open bar, semiformal evening at The Phoenix. “It was fascinating too see The Phoenix transformed from a room of drunken students on retro Friday to the same students sitting there in suits and dresses,” he said.
Jambari and Toothfather capture Tara awards (which honour only Ryerson students) earlier this year. Telefest is province-wide, but the TVO awards show lacked the pomp and circumstance of the televised Tara awards.
“I started to get nervous as the night went on,” said Tim Grimes, who variously wrote, produced, directed and acted in the films. “You put your heart and soul into [filmmaking],” said Grimes. “It’s a really good feeling when you work really hard on something and get rewarded.”
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