{August 24th, 2009} - VICTORIA BC – Stephanie Blakey, a film student at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, has won the first-ever Consumer Protection BC student film competition for producing a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) on film classification.

Stephanie was one of 4 finalists from several Vancouver film schools who each received up to $10,000 to produce PSAs that are part of a larger public awareness campaign around film classification. The winner was announced Monday morning at a special screening of the final entries held in Vancouver. Their winning videos are currently posted on YouTube. The winning PSA entitled "Rated Argyle" will screen in Cineplex Entertainment LP (Cineplex), Landmark Cinemas of Canada Inc (Landmark), Empire Theatres Limited (Empire) and Independent theatre screens across the province starting this fall.

“Consumer Protection BC classifies all films for general release in the province. However, very few people are aware of this, where to access film classification information, or the various licensing, regulation and consumer protection services provided by our organization,” said Manjit Bains, Vice-President of Corporate Relations. “We want the public to know who we are and where they can get the information they need to make informed viewing choices for their families, and we’d like to thank Cineplex, Landmark, Empire and all the independent theatres for helping us communicate our message.”

Unfortunately at times various media outlets mistakenly feature advertisements with American ratings, instead of the BC classification provided by Consumer Protection BC. Trouble occurs when a parent reads the wrong classification in the paper and then tries to attend the movie with a child, or drops a child off at the movie for later pick-up and admittance is not granted due to age restrictions. The campaign will help increase awareness about how to access information which will assist parents in making informed viewing choices for their children.

To help raise public awareness about film classifications Consumer Protection BC asked students from public post-secondary film schools across BC to submit their ideas for a 30-second PSA that would explain film classification to the public in a fun and entertaining way.  Four students from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and Capilano University were short listed from twenty-five entries. Each student was given up to $10,000 to produce a PSA and paired with a film industry professional as a mentor. Thanks to the generosity of BC theatres, the winning PSA will screen in Cineplex, Landmark, Empire and independent theatres across the province starting this fall.

The four finalists and the title of their 30-second entries were:
1. Spaces - by Tim Laks - Capilano University
2. Chloe’s Knight Out – by John Oman – Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design
3. Kid’s Choice – by Jonathan Williams – Capilano University
4. Rated Argyle – by Stephanie Blakey – Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design

‘‘I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the students, teachers, judges and mentors who worked so hard to make this contest a success,” said Bains. “All of these students are extremely talented and produced excellent PSAs. It is our hope that working through the production logistics and creative elements of this contest has assisted them in growing their future film making careers.”

The winning PSA is accompanied by an online contest with $5,000 in prizes, and is advertised on movie listing sites throughout BC. For more information or to enter the contest please visit www.consumerprotectionbc.ca

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Media Inquiries:
Manager of Public Relations