First Person Digital (FPD) is a unique training and creation program for Québec-based women creators exploring new approaches to storytelling through multimedia.

Co-produced over two seasons (2009-10 + 2010-2011) by StudioXX and The National Film Board of Canada, Quebec Centre, FPD was made possible through generous support from Heritage Canada’s Cultural Development Fund.

The training phase offered the creative community training and networking sessions with leading media professionals leading to a Call for Production Project Proposals.

FPD received 61 outstanding multimedia project proposals from across Québec. After a rigorous jury process, six innovative projects were selected to begin production in April 2010. Seven months later, the artworks premiered to a sold-out house at HTMLLES 2010: Festival of Media Art + Digital Culture in Montréal in November 2010.

These superlative independent artworks will continue their creative journey into the future. We proudly invite you to view the short reel below to discover the works of seven talented media creators to watch!



 

First Person Digital Teams and Projects:


When We Were Bigger Than We Are Now (WWWBTWAN) - ginger coons

http://whenwewerebigger.com (optimized for Safari or Chrome browsers)


When We Were Bigger Than We Are Now tells an alternate history of computation. WWWBTWAN takes place in a world where proprietary software never took off, leaving Free Software and Open Source to become the norm. It explains the issues behind Free/Libre Open Source Software, its reasons and motivations. It explores how things might have been different and allows users to discover a technical and political position outside that of the commercial software norm. (More...)


 

Ota nda yanaan - We Are Here - Michelle Smith

http://www.otandayanaan.net


Ota nda yanaan-We Are Here involves a literal and figurative re-mapping of Métis communities in cyberterritory, an act of reclaiming place and space through the language, stories and experiences of the people who live there. Our first stop in this virtual exploration is Camperville, a Métis community of 600 people in Manitoba's interlake region. During this prototype phase Rita Flamand, Michif speaker, linguist, elder and teacher, is our guide. Through video, sound, photography, animation, and basic language instruction, Rita shares her passion for the preservation of this endangered language and knowledge of the dynamic and resilient community where she lives. (More...)


 

It's Chinese To Me - Ellen Tang

http://www.itschinesetome.net


Are we really so different? Find out what the lives of Chinese women are like through their own writing with the help of this web-based pictorial translator. "It's Chinese To Me" translates the text from selected Chinese language blog posts into photographs using Flickr's constantly changing database as its dictionary.
(More...)


 

Under the City Mobile (AKA Lost River Finder) - Katarina Soukup

iphone app will be available from the app store - stay tuned for release date.
Check out Under the City | Sous la ville Facebook page.


An interactive locative media application for the iPhone connected to a cross-platform documentary project about the past, present, and future of our lost urban waterways. Touching upon themes of history, architecture, art, urban exploration and ecology, this app takes us on a fascinating journey to discover the forgotten rivers, lakes, and streams that once crisscrossed the island of Montreal and that were, one by one, diverted underground into the city's sewer systems. The alpha prototype will be based on Montreal's history and urban landscape; versions for other cities are envisioned for the future.   (More...)


 

Kahnawake Voices - Courtney Montour

http://kahnawakevoices.com/


Kahnawake Voices is a community project where individuals share their personal stories, thoughts and experiences on the non-native evictions and the larger issues of membership and identity. People can post their stories as notes on the bulletin board, listen to audio recordings, follow the project and the issue in the blog and view editorial cartoons by artist Jesse Bochner. The project was inspired by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake's delivery of eviction notices to non-native partners residing in the community in February 2010. The current Kahnawake Membership Law and a 1981 moratorium on mixed marriages do not allow non-natives to reside in the community. (More...)


 

Crankytown - Vanessa Matsui & Liane Balaban

http://campcranky.com/


CRANKYTOWN is an interactive village themed around menstruation and menopause, where women of all ages can get information, share stories, play games, and be entertained. It is a town that uses humor and fun to deliver cutting edge "period" edu-tainment, via video, audio, text and animation.

With First Person Digital, we will build the very first part of Crankytown: CAMP CRANKY.
CAMP CRANKY is an all girls sleepover camp for tweens, populated by funny characters who provide historical and worldly views on menstruation. (More...)