The Winnipeg Film Group is pleased to announce that Curtis Wiebe is the recipient of the 2023 MFM Manitoba Film Hothouse Award for Creative Development.
Curtis L. Wiebe is a filmmaker, illustrator, animator, musician and sculptor based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Identifiable by flights of the fantastic in settings of winter forests and prairie landscapes, Wiebe’s art is full of imaginative characters brought to life as drawings, puppets and elaborate costumes. Wiebe’s films have screened at festivals around the world including the Jim Henson Foundation’s Puppets on Film Festival in New York, a Robotics Festival in Belgrade, Serbia and at the Cannes Film festival in France. He has gone on to help found the Winnipeg Puppet Collective which, through the support of Heather Henson (Daughter of Jim Henson) hosts annual puppet variety shows for grownups called the Winnipeg Puppet Slam. Since 2015, between writing and illustrating a picture book (Once A Wizard), creating his yearly Christmas short films and teaching art at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Curtis has been actively pursuing the production of his first feature film: The Last Spelldrake of Saskatchewan. Curtis will be using this award to focus on turning his compelling story into a captivating and film-able script with the help of an experienced script consultant. He will be using the Film Group services to help complete production on a concept trailer for the feature.
The MFM Manitoba Film Hothouse Award for Creative Development recognizes the career of an established mid-career Manitoba filmmaker. It comes in the form of $10,000 in cash and $5,000 in WFG services to support ongoing research and development work leading towards the production of one or several film productions or projects.
Curtis L. Wiebe was selected for the award by a peer assessment selection committee comprised of: Filmmaker Scott Fitzpatrick and National Screen Institute CEO Joy Loewen.
The Winnipeg Film Group acknowledges the Manitoba Arts Council and Manitoba Film and Sound in their support of the MFM Manitoba Film Hothouse Award.
