CSTC founder and Executive Director, Tom Shoebridge, said, "The CSTC has been struggling to find replacement funding since there was a 100% cut to the federal core funding for all the National Film schools in August, 2008. It proved to be the death knell for a small organization like the CSTC.”

The Canadian Screen Training Centre began operating in 1981 as the Summer Institute of Film and Television (SIFT) and has trained more than 7,000 screen professionals, and offered some 600 workshops from coast to coast. Over the past 29 years, the Centre’s nearly 400 workshop leaders were working professionals in film, television and new media, hired because their knowledge was current and practical. "There is still lots of interest in and need for screen training, but without federal or Ontario provincial government support, it was impossible for the CSTC to carry on,” said Shoebridge.

Among the notable Canadian filmmakers who were teachers and guests were Megan Follows, Atom Egoyan, Patricia Rozema, Sarah Polley, Denys Arcand, plus nearly 400 others.

Participants came from across the country each year for specialized training in screenwriting, directing, producing, acting and new media. Over the years, a number of international filmmakers were also hired to share their specialized skills and knowledge. These international superstars included Alan Plater (A Very British Coup), Michael Tolkin (The Player), Burt Metcalfe (M*A*S*H), and the late Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain). A CSTC memorial award for lifetime achievement was named in Minghella's honour.

Mostly known for its highly successful SIFT program, the CSTC’s ‘Taking it to the Screen (T2S) workshops were held in all provinces and several Territories over its three decades of operations. Oscar-winning producer Denise Robert (Barbarian Invasions) is among the hundreds of professionals working in Canada's screen industry who received part of their training at workshops offered by the CSTC.

"It is unfortunate that federal and provincial funders don't realize that training is the R&D of the screen industries," Mr. Shoebridge explained. "As film, television, new media and games are billion dollar industries with thousands of good, sustainable jobs, it is mystifying that the Federal Government’s new $300 million New Media Fund expressly forbids the funding of training. And on top of that, it’s our cultural stories and heritage that are at stake in the screen and multimedia industries."

A visit to the CSTC's website this morning showed no signs the organization was about to shut down and the media release we received could not be found. In fact the home page was still advertising Acting Workshops for Winter 2010 in Ottawa.