Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you to everyone for your continued support. For those of you who were not able to make it to our AGM.

Please Welcome New Board!

Fergus McCann – Co-Chair
Currently Manager-Media & Community Relations for BC Housing. Prior to joining BC Housing, Fergus worked for 5 years at CTV BC and nearly 20 years at CKVU (Channel 13 – now Citytv) on programs as diverse as The Vancouver Show, the Laurier La Pierre talk show and in the newsroom on the assignment desk. His early years in broadcasting included working in radio in Salmon Arm and Kelowna. Born and raised in South Vancouver, Fergus and family have been living in Burnaby since 1984. His community service has included time on boards such as the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, the Family Support Institute and most recently, the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion. He was recognized as a City of Burnaby Local Hero in 2005.
Sheryl Williamson – Co-Chair
Sheryl has been a Vancouver resident for 15 years now. With a strong belief in building community, Sheryl and her family give many hours of volunteer time. She holds key positions in several community organizations and has participated in many initiatives such as:
She is currently a Vancouver Police Board Member, On the West End Citizens’ Action Network (WECAN), Chair (since 2003), Family Services of Greater Vancouver (1134 Burrard Project), Community Advisory Committee Member, Our House Recovery Society, Board Member Four Pillars Coalition.
She has previously been on West End Integrated Neighbourhood Network (WEINN), Steering Committee Member and Working Group Lead , Immediate Past Chair Safe Streets Coalition, Member Justice Review Task Force (Street Crime Working Group), Past Participant.
Sheryl is the Chief Operations Officer and a founding partner of a privately owned business in Vancouver and holds several industry designations. She is a Certified Marketing Executive with a Diploma in Sales and Marketing from the Sauder School of Business at UBC. Sheryl’s passion is in building potential ~ both that of individuals and organizations. She is married with one child.
Sarah Mah – Secretary
Sarah Mah has a bachelors degree in genetics, and interested in promoting women’s rights and equality. She was introduced to Beauty Night when she accompanied her mother to some of the events. Sarah became very interested in the Beauty Night cause and saw how the program contributes to the physical and emotional health for women experiencing severe poverty in the DTES. It was not until after she had completed an accelerated high school education and most of an undergraduate degree that she was able to devote time to the program. Sarah started on the BNS board one year ago and looks forward to continuing to serve on the board as secretary, in addition to her role as an amateur manicurist at the events!
Amanda Bonella – Board Member
Amanda Bonella is a 33 year old mother of a (fantastic) 15 year old daughter. Her work in the Downtown Eastside began in 2001 when she began PEERS Vancouver and in less than two years raised over 1.5 million dollars through proposals to government and private foundations. In 2003 she began going around the country speaking on the issue of sexual exploitation as an expert who had not only exited the sex trade herself but also worked alongside women who were on that journey as well, creating curriculum and developing programs for them in partnership with them.
Amanda went on to develop workshops for professionals on how to engage target populations from the bottom up and is an activist for the rights of women, particularly those who suffer from systemic marginalization. In 2006 She started Surrey Girlz, a by us for us sex worker organization in Surrey whose major funding came from t-shirt sales in Vancouver and Kitsilano (SurreyGirlz Fashions…fashions from the frontlines).
In 2007 Amanda was recruited by the One Man Army firm (an association of Red Seal Journeymen Tradesmen) to assist in the incorporation, system development and management of the company. In 2008 she bought a house in Bella Coola while on a writing sabbatical and formed the first ever “by us for us” monthly and yearly youth events, on New Year’s Eve more than 300 residents from the small town came out to support the youth’s first ever sober new Years Eve Ball.
Amanda continues to provide some administrative support at One Man Army, continues her website development at Vancouver’s IT Girl and is opening a frozen yogurt restaurant (Yogiberry) on the corner of Carrall and Cordova (June 2010).
Stacey Dallyn – Board Member
Stacey Dallyn started volunteering for Beauty Night Society in August 2009. Her production skills and contacts developed through over 20 years experience in fashion, media and film made her a dynamic part of the All I Want for Xmas Production Team, Beauty Night’s Annual Xmas Stocking Drive and Knit Fit.Solution focused, Stacey comes up with fresh angles to show case media friendly end product. Her experience as Fashion Editor of Vancouver Magazine and Western Living Magazine shows her keen eye, ability to stick to a budget, team build and come up with innovative ways of coming up with workable solutions. Through her experience on the PTA for her sons’ school, Stacey has been heavily involved with school-based grass roots fund-raising on a local and international level.
Kevin Day – Board Member
Kevin Day is a social entrepreneur with experience running both private and public companies. In 1998, Kevin founded Riskebiz Internet Services Inc., a company which helps entrepreneurs in the developing world establish and grow local businesses by connecting them with micro-finance services through the mobile web. In 2002 Kevin helped establish Feed Me Sports Inc., a company which published sports related content for mobile phones. Under Kevin’s leadership, Feed Me Sports acquired Mobilized Entertainment in 2008, a public company that trades on the over the counter market in the United States. Mr. Day has experience raising money for start-ups and he is also an experienced computer programmer developing many of his company’s mobile applications. Kevin was a Director of the British Columbia Captive Insurance Association for 10 years and is currently a Committee Member of the Canadian Captive Insurance Association. Kevin obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia in 1994. After university and prior to starting his first business, Kevin worked for several years in the insurance industry as a property and casualty insurance broker. Kevin is an avid runner and enjoys movies, documentaries, and reading biographies of business icons.
Kristy Delorme – Board Member
Kristi Delorme has worked as a Social Worker supporting Aboriginal children and families since 2008. She began her career working within the Aboriginal community after volunteering at the Urban Native Youth Association homework clubs in Vancouver in 2003. After being successful in her application to become the Program Coordinator with the First Nations School Success Program, Kristi moved into a Program Coordinator position for the Aboriginal Mentorship Program that connects First Nations youth with positive role models and mentors. Kristi was reminded each day of the negative affect colonization, residential schools and high child removal rates by the government had on the ongoing cycle of addiction, abuse and violence in the Aboriginal community. This experience motivated Kristi to return to university in 2006 where she obtained her second degree, a Bachelor Degree in Social Work, specializing in Aboriginal child welfare. In 2008, Kristi began work with the Ministry of Children and Family Development in Burnaby where she connects children and families to culturally appropriate support services.

Dave Dickson – Board Member
Dave was born and raised in Vancouver area, joined the Vancouver Police Department in May,1980 and became an Advocate for street workers and youth. He spent his entire VPD career working in the Downtown Eastside. Over the years Dave received a number of awards :
· 2003-Recognition Award from Native Health Society
· 2004-Police Officer of the Year
· 2004-Federal Justice Dept. Award for working with Youth
· 2004-International Safety Award for working to keep High Risk Women safe
· 2005-City of Vancouver”Youth Ally Award”
· 2005-Solicitor General’s Community Policing Award
· 2006-B.C. Civil Liberties Award
· 2006-Queen’s Jubilee Medal for Community Policing
· 2006-Premier’s B.C. Community Achievement Award
Dave left the Vancouver Police Department in August 2008 and is currently working with another organization as an outreach worker in the Downtown Eastside so that he can continue his work with the street workers and youth.
Pamela Lelong – Board Member
Pamela has over 22 years experience serving on non-profit boards. She is one of the founding members of Beauty Night Society and in this capacity,Pamela served as the Secretary/Treasurer and wrote the original constating documents for Beauty Night. She has also volunteered on many occasions for the Society. She is a past board member of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors where she served as Vice-president of the Vancouver region, briefly as Co-chair of the Ethics Committee, and as Chair of the Legislative Review Committee. Pamela added the values and duties of clinical counselling to their constitution and re-wrote the BCACC bylaws during her role as Chair of the Legislative Review Committee. She also served as the Secretary/Treasurer on the board of the Greater Vancouver Employment Strategy Society.
Pamela is a member (inactive status) of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and a past member of the Canadian Counselling and Guidance Association. Pamela’s work experience includes delivering companion services; coordinating non-profit employment programs, delivering one-to-one/group counselling, information and life skills training sessions; writing instructional media, funding proposals, reports and programs; drafting leases and lands claims settlements; acting as clerk of the court; and delivering secretarial and cosmetology services. Pamela has also supervised college and university student practicums and appeared on television, radio and in other media to represent the needs of the unemployed.
Pamela currently works in the position of companion for a large health care organization which is one of the 50 best managed in Canada.
Bill Nevison – Board Member
Writer/producer Citytv Creative Services, promotion & commercial production. Previously worked as a writer/producer at Global TV. Won various broadcast awards, including gold medals from Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Promax/BDA, and International CrimeStoppers. Has been on the Beauty Night board of directors for 3 years. His role on the Beauty Night Media Committee includes writing and editing Beauty Night press releases, media packages, and media guidelines. Has been involved with the annual Beauty Night stocking drive and has also documented the event.
Darren Reiter – Board Member
Darren Reiter is the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the Board of eMedia Networks International Corporation, a sonic branding company listed publicly on the Canadian Venture Exchange (TSX.EMM) Darren has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia (1992), a Masters in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh (1995) and a Certificate in Journalism from Langara College (1997) In partnership with award winning producers and directors including Braemar Court Productions and Bowen Arrow Productions, Darren has produced several short movies including “The River of Jordan” which screened at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2007 and “Amazon Falls,” a feature length drama currently in post production. Darren resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Special thanks to Tyla Flexman, Tiffany Telford, Jacqui Ellis, Gwen Webster, Eileen McDougall and Karen Flemming for making everything run smoothly.
Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in serving on Beauty Night Society’s Board. Through Beauty Night there are many opportunities to provide marginalized women and youth tools to make positive lifestyle changes in a health and wellness frame work. Serving on our committees and our front lines benefits the lives of the women and youth we serve and we encourage you to find out more opportunities to volunteer or contribute.
Beauty Night Closed on Victoria Day, Monday, May 24th
We will be closed on Monday, May 24th but will reopen for programming on Wednesday, May 26th for Womyn’s Gym.

Sun Run Success!!
The Sun Run was a huge success!! Please enjoy our photos and blog on the Womyns Gym website . Huge thanks to Lynn Kanuka of www.sportmedbc.com. To quote Womyns Gym Program Coordinator, Tyla Flexman: “Lynn, know that your coaching, sponsorship and motivation helped make our goal a reality. It was a gorgeous day for a sun run, and we had all but one participant join us for the race. One of our clients ran the sun run coming in at 1:25 and the others walking in around 2 hrs. Everyone was so excited, happy and proud of themselves. Thank you for allowing us to share that experience with our clients, they truly appreciate it.”
What’s next for Womyn’s Gym? Plans are in the works for a walking program to start in the fall so more of our participants will be ready for the Sun Run Training in January for Sun Run April 2011!

Thank You!!
Huge thanks to www.everywomanintheworld.com last weekend, they raised $1500 for Beauty Night Society through their silent auction during the welcome reception. Since 2004, Every Woman in the World has been a proud sponsor of Beauty Night Society and we thank them for their support directly with the participants and for investing in Beauty Night Society’s mission – providing marginalized women and youth tools to make positive lifestyle changes.
Nancy Perreault entered a contest that donates money to one’s favourite charity. She chose Beauty Night. Thank you Nancy for the contribution of $410.

Nancy Perreault has agreed to design our Xmas Stocking for our annual Xmas Stocking Drive. Every Xmas, volunteers from high schools, Sparks troupes, elementary schools sew Xmas Stockings that are filled with skin care, dental care, hair care, and body care products. 600 Xmas stockings are handed out on Xmas Eve to women in the Downtown Eastside, transition homes, drop in centres and hospitals.
Xmas Stocking Coordinator, Blair Lockhart informed me that fabric contributions have already started arriving. In August 2010, we will be holding a volunteer information session specificaly for the stocking drive and Knit Fit. If you are interested in volunteering for either project, please contact us at info@beautynight.org.
Thank you for everything!
Sincerely,

Caroline MacGillivray
Beauty Night Society
www.beautynight.org

–
Beauty Night… because dignity is beautiful

A few weeks ago, we started asking the women what they liked about Beauty Night Society. We also asked what they would like to change. One of the key things they like is the relationships they develop with you. The way you treat each woman with kindness and dignity makes each woman feel special. In terms of what they would like changed, they told us:

1) More Hairdressers
2) Draws
3) Healthy Snacks
4) Notification as to what services we will be offering each week

Some of these changes, we have started to add to our events. On Monday afternoons, DJ distributes flyers to remind the women what we will be offering that evening. Since last Monday when she started to promote the events with flyers, our numbers have increased. There seems to be an air of excitement when the women attend the events. The excitement is contagious and makes for exciting and interactive programming for both our participants and our volunteers.

Thank you for making last night so magical and fun for everyone! Huge thanks to Kerry, Anna, & Amanda who helped “decorate” the space. * Thanks to everyone (especially Tyla Flexman who sent a full page worth) of inspirational sayings. I think we took recycling to the next level by taking envelopes & papers and turning them into lucky four leaf clovers. Before the participants arrived, each station was decorated with shamrocks covered with words of wisdom. As each woman entered the room, they got to pick a lucky four leaf clover for her to take home with her.

With her magical Top Hat, Gwen greeted the women at the door. She collected their names so they could win prizes throughout the evening. There was an air of festivities. With excitement, the women cheered each other on as they would come up to claim their prizes after their names were called. The gift bags that Anna created were based on some of the donations that we collected during our Xmas Stocking Drive. With delight, the women opened up makeup bags full of beauty products, jewelry, and The Da Vinci Inquest Board Game. Photographer Ken Villeneuve captured their expressions of delight on film. Beauty Night moments captured through Ken’s photography were distributed to the women. Women giggled and showed their pictures to their friends and volunteers. Many a pose prompted the women to ask Ken to take a picture similar to one that a friend had from weeks previous.

Wendy Shuen does it again with her culinary mastery. Many of the women have been asking for healthy snacks. Wendy proves that snacks can be delicious and be good for us. The women LOVED the grape kabobs! Between the delectable blueberry cake (which I admit to sampling) and the fresh fruit, they were thrilled!! When someone created the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” it is obvious then never saw trays decorated in shamrock tissue paper covered with lush green grapes on skers and bite sized blueberry cakes.

I know all the women loved getting the sparkly nail art – huge thanks to Denise and Jen. Huge thanks to Gwen for picking up the silver and green glitter. The “glitter ball” manicure will be perfected next week as I promise to pick up a couple of paint brushes (thank you Jen for the recommondation) to make the application of top coat simpler. * At the very end of the night, Amanda & I found the bag that contained a few more pairs of tweezers which will make the application of the sparkles easier.

The shimmery mica flecked “pot of gold” body lotion (www.iluselu.ca thank you Meaghan!) went over well. Gwen & I walked around the room and asked them to make a wish before we poured some of the golden lotion into their hands. Like a potion, the rubbed their hands together feverently focused on making their wishes come true.

For some women, getting their brows shaped by Amanda was a service wished we had always offered. Amanda’s brow shaping was worth waiting for. The women enjoyed having the option of gettting their brows done AND makeup too.

The line up at Kerry’s massage station spoke volumes. He promised several of the participants he would be back next week. Kerry also saved the day for our Womyns Gym participants who are in need of workout clothing. (sizes 10, 12, 14 and one size 6). Thanks to his friends and familly in Cranbrook who did a clothing drive for Beauty Night and then drove it down to Vancouver. (Kerry has been slowly disbursing the clothes during the last 3 or four months . Unfortunately we can not store the clothing at our space due to potential bed bug infestation). We were able to find a selection of tee shirts and tank tops for working out. We are still collecting workout pants and hoodies. Huge thanks to Anna and Kerry for selecting some of the garments for the women to choose from.

When I walked past Anna’s Four Leave Clover Creation Station, I was thrilled to see some of the women pick up some of the inspirational sayings that were strewn around the room and using them in their four leaf clover collages. Thank you to Anna for creating the station and thanks to Franny and Vivian for giving Shianne – the little girl who usually rides her bike around a hand.

Thanks for the group effort by Gwen, Franny, DJ, and Vivian to calm the teething baby. I give kudos to Gwen who spent over 45 minutes bouncing the baby to sleep. As Gwen pointed out afterwards, we really do need 3 people minimum on childcare – 2 for the baby to take turns and one for the other children. Based on last night, I give tremendous praise for everyone who made child care work last Monday when there were 5 children. And Tyla & Felicity and the Womyn’s Gym team for providing such fantastic workout opportunities for the women participating in the womyns gym program

Please vote for Beauty Night

MakeGood is trying to decide who to make their December 2009 donation to.
Their Charity Survey is Now Open for Voting:

MakeGood is trying to decide who to make their December 2009 donation to.
Their Charity Survey is Now Open for Voting: http://digg.com/u15tco

And please help spread the word!

If you want a quick message to spread on Twitter or on your Facebook Status, perhaps you can just write:

Please vote for @beautynight to receive Make Good’s Dec donation: http://digg.com/u15tco

Buy your tickets here.

This season Knit Fit has been blessed with great and active volunteers. Already, Knit Fit has over 250 scarves, which is more than we have ever imagined. Because these numbers are so high, Knit Fit is in the process of getting the scarves all packaged up has already started. On Tuesday, November 17 Knit Fit’s executive team worked hard while packaging up these scarves in beautiful presentations. Knit Fit is hoping to set another date for the distribution of scarves because scarves are being finished by the minute! Please join us in completing our goal and create a warmer community for everyone.

Also Recent News: Knit Fit had its first orientation held at Beaconsfield Elementary to teach students at the school how to knit scarves! Thank you to our wonderful volunteers for taking time out of their busy schedule to teach these little fellas to knit scarves.

Have you been good or bad this year? By helping Beauty Night Society you will definitely be good!

Yaletown’s hottest club, Bar None hosts the “All I Want for Christmas” Fashion Show fundraiser.  On December 3rd, 2009 make your way to 1222 Hamilton Street where you can be Naughty while being nice to Beauty Night Society.   Featuring pin-up designs by Nancy Black. Tickets: $10 advance, $15 at door.  Dress code: Your choice of suger or spice. Contact: Caroline McGillivray 778.885.4526 or visit www.beautynight.org  to learn how this holiday gathering will get you to the top of Santa’s list as you help women and children in Vancouver’s downtown eastside with the tools to make positive lifestyle changes.

“Be a part of our cause, not a part of the problem”

Bring your credit card and cash.  There will be lots of opportunities to give and receive with a   silent auction items, raffle tickets, photos with Santa and his sexy elves. Vancouver’s leading pin-up fashion Designer Nancy Black, Luscious Dance and Sexy in Vancity dancers have donated their time to keep the cost affordable and enable you to bring your friends to kick off the season right.  Book ahead as our venue has limited space.  It is sure to be an amazing show and it is for a great cause: to provide marginalized women and youth tools to make positive life style choices to heal themselves and build healthy communities. The more money raised, the more people we can heal.

For 9 years Beauty Night Society has used makeover and development programs
To heal women and youth in our community. With outreach offices in Toronto , Vancouver and Victoria Beauty Night Society is proud to boast recently celebrating its 10,000th makeover.  Over these years what started as a place to heal the spirit now provides fitness, nutritional, educational programs and the community needed to make positive lifestyle changes a way of life.  We hope to see you there.

Dear Friends,
On December 3rd, 2009 Beauty Night Society is having its annual “All I want for Christmas” Fashion show featuring pin-up designs by Nancy Black. This is an invitation for you to participate in the fantabulous event. “Be a part of the cause, not a part of the problem”
“All I want for Christmas” brings forward collaboration between art, imagination and originality. The anticipated 200+ guests will experience an exquisite evening showcasing some of Vancouver’s most talented individuals. Guests get to check out pin-up fashions by Nancy Black, performances by Luscious Dance and Sexy in Vancity dancers, whilst raising funds for Beauty Night Society’s makeover and development programs for women and youth in the community. The main sources of income for the evening will be: ticket sales, silent auction items, raffle tickets, photos with Santa and corporate sponsors.
Have you been good or bad this year? By helping Beauty Night Society you will definitely be good! We are looking for help in three areas: 1) Sponsorship, 2) Silent auction items and 3) Monetary donations. 100% of the proceeds will go to Beauty Night Society. Beauty Night Society works with under-privileged women and children on the Downtown Eastside and other troubled areas across Canada. It was founded in 2000 by Caroline McGillivray, and recently celebrated its 10,000th makeover. Beauty Night Society provides women and children with the tools to make positive lifestyle changes. Your generous contribution will give back to those who need it the most.
The event details: Date: Thursday, December 3, 2009 | Time: doors at 7:30pm, show 8pm Tickets: $10 advance, $15 at door | Dress code: Naughty or nice Location: Bar None, 1222 Hamilton Street, Yale Town Event Contact: Caroline McGillivray 778.885.4526 More info? Go to www.beautynight.org

Please let me know if you are able to donate a silent auction item, or be a sponsor of the event. I look forward to hearing from you at 778.885.4526 or carolinem@beautynight.org . Have a great day!
Sincerely,

Beauty Night Society’s “All I want for Christmas” Committee

On November 27th, we launched our Mom & Tot nutrition program. “Our mission is to provide marginalized women and youth tools to make positive life style choices and heal themselves and our community. Since we value dignity and respect for everyone, we take an innovative approach to educating our participants. There are some wonderful programs out there but ours has the interactive educational component to it.

The pumpkin carving concept of launching this program is one example of how we incorporate education and entertainment in all our programs. Everyone who attended our first session devoured the pumpkin soup and to figure out how we could meet the needs of the community we serve. We had our good meal bag program previously ran at transition homes. Dietician students led by Dietician Heather Lovelace would create a meal, serve it and discuss aspects of nutrition that could benefit each participants’ wellness. After the meal, participants were given the ingredients to recreate the same meal for up to six people.

To bring this program to Vancouver’s DTES, we needed to meet the needs of the participants. One of the key concerns were the lack of kitchen facilities; monies to purchase the ingredients and how to use nutrition for preventative health care. Through the different night’s meals – many that embrace different cultures and nutritional components are presented in a fun way to participants. By educating our participants to become engaged with our programming and actually using the information they learn, we believe it will create a healthy approach to food and life style choices; a great way for the women to bond with their children, break down generational barriers based on poor nutrition and make cooking healthy foods fun.

Beauty Night Society’s Mom & Tot Program Coordinators Alexa Fox and Christie Gray sat down with me to discuss how we could make this program fun and interactive.

Apapting a concept from Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (Hippy)’s literacy program - by teaching the children, it can strengthen the familly.

This program is  great way to involve and engage the community.  Little Flower Academy and Churchill Secondary School students’ Foods 12 class are creating recipes for us that can be cooked on hot plates or in a coffee maker.  Students who are volunteering to do the research for Beauty Night Society’s Mom & Tot Nutrition Program are developing leadership skills and becoming empowered as the research they develop will have a direct positive impact on someone’s life.

While Womyns Gym, Kids Club and our yoga programs run at PHS Life Skills Centre, Beauty Night Makeover Facilitator, Tiffany Telford brings some Halloween cheer to the Celluloid Social Club tonight. (Doors open at 7:30pm at the ANZA Club  #3 West 8th Ave at Ontario St). Tiffany will be offering Halloween makeup for minimum $10 donation, proceeds to Beauty Night Society.

Here are the details for tonight’s event:
Big Smash! Productions + The Celluloid Social Club present
BLOODSHOTS CANADA 2009 The 48-Hour Horror Filmmaking Challenge!

GRAND PRIZE $1000 as determined by DAN O’BANNON
(writer, ALIEN and TOTAL RECALL, writer/director of punk-horror classic RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD)

SHOOTING: Friday October 23 – 7:00pm – Sunday October 25 – 7:00pm
SCREENING: Wednesday October 28 – 8:00pm at the Anza Club (3 W. 8th, Vancouver) Doors 7:30 pm / $5 cash at door

Prize for Best Hallowe’en Costume at Screening

BNS (Beauty Night Society) makeup artists doing zombie makeup for a minimum $10 donation per person. Proceeds to BNS that teaches women and youth living with violence and poverty tools to heal their lives and our communities. Beauty Night… because dignity is beautiful

The 2009 Local Jury at the screening consists of past Bloodshots winner Scott Belyea (TEN MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME), director Matt O’Mahoney (ELECTRIC FENCE) and genre cinema bad-boy Uwe Boll (STOIC, POSTAL)!

All details and registration info at http://www.myspace.com/bloodshotscanada

As hundreds of DV filmmakers the world over have already learned, making a short film in one weekend can be terrifying. Lack of sleep is just the beginning of your problems when you are trying to corral actors into repeating their performance with more energy at 5 in the morning and you know you have only got another 6 hours to get a final edit of your masterpiece put together.

Well, start brewing your coffee now, because the people who brought you Vancouver’s CINEMUERTE FILM FESTIVAL (1999-2005) are getting set to bring you the 6th annual BloodShots 48-Hour Horror Filmmaking Contest – 25 Teams of filmmakers all fighting against the clock to make the best horror film they possibly can. There will be celebrity judges, fabulous prizes and several tons of fake blood!

At 7:00pm on Friday October 23, registered participants are given envelopes containing a horror subgenre (in past years this has included haunted house, giallo, backwoods horror, necrophilia film and more!), a weapon, a prop and a line of dialogue. They then have 48 hours to return their finished 2-7 minute film on DVD!

Every year, there is a BLOODSHOTS screening hosted by The Celluloid Social Club, where the films are voted on by both the audience, and an in-person jury. This year’s local jury consists of past Bloodshots winner Scott Belyea (TEN MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME), filmmaker Matt O’Mahoney (ELECTRIC FENCE) and genre cinema bad-boy Uwe Boll (STOIC, POSTAL)!

In-person jury prizes (from Rue Morgue, Maple Pictures, Happy Bats, Mondo Macabro DVD, Videomatica, The Rio Theatre and more) will be awarded on site immediately following the screenings and a short period of deliberation by the jury. Ballots will be handed out to the audience and collected after the screening. The results of these ballots will be combined with the online voting results to give us the overall Audience Winner.

These results will be posted online at www.myspace.com/bloodshotscanada on Monday Nov. 2. The jury winner and the overall audience winner are the two finalists that go on to the final round, being sent to the Grand Prize Juror for their shot at winning $1000!

This year’s Grand Prize Juror is DAN O’BANNON (writer of ALIEN and TOTAL RECALL, writer/director of punk-horror classic RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD). We will be sending the top jury-winning film and the audience-winning film to Dan, he will NOT be at the screening in person.

The 2009 contest is open to entrants throughout British Columbia. More details on rules, registration, jury, voting, and prizes are available at http://www.myspace.com/bloodshotscanada.

If you have any questions, email Kier-La Janisse at bigsmashproductions@gmail.com or call 204-998-5578.