User:John Thimothy Film Director

JOHN THIMOTHY
Born -        25 February 1989 (29 year), Thrissur, Kerala, India

Residence - Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Nationality -  Indian

Occupation - Filmmaker

Years active - 2014 – Present

John Thimothy is an Indo-Canadian(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Canadians) Film director,producer and writer. The founder, President and CEO of the Regina International Film Festival and Awards (RIFFA). He is also the chairmanand executive producer of Prolix Films International.

Early life and education
John was born in Thrissur (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrissur), the Cultural Capital of the province of Kerala (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala)in South India In an orthodox Christian family to villadathu Samuel Thimothy (Father) and Elizabeth Vattapilly John (Mother).

John’s working-class parents introduced him to a world of art and literature from a very young age. They recognized his creative nature and fascination for all forms of art and enrolled him in the arts school Javahar Bal Bhavan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawahar_Bal_Bhavan_Thrissur) in Thrissur at the age of 10. It was here that John first explored painting, theatre, sculpting, vocal studies and writing.

School peaked John’s interest in storytelling through theatre. He began acting in local stage productions. He directed his first play, which featured a cast of adult actors well known in the local theatre scene, at the age of 12.

From 2002 to present John has written, directed and acted in several award-winning plays. In 2003 he won best drama and best actor at a regional youth festival for his play “Akale”

In 2004 he took home the prestigious ‘Kalaprathibha’ award; an award that requires the recipient to receive first place in a minimum of seven art forms in the regional youth festival.

John also has a passion for helping others. In 2010, John received his Bachelor Degree in Nursing and midwifery From Rajiv Gandhi Medical University (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajiv_Gandhi_University_of_Health_Sciencesin)   India.

Career
After receiving his degree, John worked as a nurse in India for one year before moving to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls,_Ontario ) to pursue a post-graduate program specializing in Palliative Care and Oncology at Niagara College (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_College).After completing the one year program he moved to Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Head,_Saskatchewan) in 2013 to work at the Golden Priory Nursing Home.

John continued to maintain strong ties to the arts community after moving to (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan) joining the board of the Fertile Grounds Arts Council in the town of Indian Head. In his free time,he wrote and painted. He involved with planning of local arts exhibits, contributing and selling over 25 paintings during that period. He also volunteered with projects to reclaim and re-vitalize a local moving theatre.

He also auditioned for and got a part in a TV commercial being produced for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Margaret_Cancer_Centre). It was through that experience he began to meet people working in Saskatchewan’s film and television production industry.

John moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina,_Saskatchewan) in 2014 for a new nursing position.

John quickly became an active member of the arts community in Regina. He was surprised that despite the fact a number of talented people worked in the local film industry, the city did not have a film festival. He set out to create the Regina International Film Festival and Awards (RIFFA) Foundation Inc with the mission to inspire and motivate people to discover the world through the art of motion pictures.

Under John’s leadership, RIFFA Foundation hosted the thefirst annual Regina International Film Festivaland Awards in 2015. Plans for the 2018 Regina International Film Festival are underway. John’s goal is to build the festival into one that is as renowned and recognizable in and around the world, in particular in Canada.

John continues to work as a Nurse while establishing himself as a filmmaker. His first short film, The Notion, was released in February, 2018. He is currently working on a second short film, The Litany, and a full-length film, Rebekka.

Activism
In addition to nurturing his passion for the arts, John’s parents also inspired a need to help others. One of John’s main goals in founding the RIFFA was to raise money to support those dealing with mental health issues through film.

In 2015 he envisioned and proposed the idea of RIFFA Academy the educational arm of the RIFFA Foundation Inc. Aim to run year around, offering a variety of educational programs and workshops. The debut offering is the Comprehensive Film and Fine Art (COFF) program (used to call ‘HOPE ‘Program). Comprehensive Film and Fine Art (COFF) COFF is a community-based vocational training program that helps individuals living with mental health challenges to cope through the power of artistic and cinematic expression. The program offers entry level vocational training courses in Regina in the field of film and media production. Through COFF, we support the community and operate in partnership with the health care and film/entertainment industry. By the end of the program, each participant will produce a short /Documentary film.

Filmography
The Notion

Awards
CBC Future 40 People choice Award – by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/CBC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Broadcasting_Corporation)

References:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/john-thimothy-1.3477404

https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8777930/

https://refinedlifestyles.com/regina/bucket-list/john-thimothy-registered-nurse-and-founder-regina-international-film-festival.html

https://globalnews.ca/news/2157506/international-film-festival-coming-to-regina/

http://rrlip.ca/blogs/post/the-regina-international-film-festival-and-awards-riffa-is-august-16-17-and-18-3-days-3-theatres-99-films-at-cineplex-southland-theatre

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/saskatchewan/cbc-future-40-second-five-winners-2016-1.3487456

http://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/regina-set-to-compete-on-the-international-stage

http://leaderpost.com/entertainment/movies/reginas-first-international-film-festival-to-support-mental-health-initiatives

www.thenotion.ca

https://www.facebook.com/thenotionshortfilm/

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