Emilie Martel Receives 2018 Canadian Women Artists' Award

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has announced filmmaker Émilie Martel as the 2018 recipient of the Canadian Women Artists' Award. The $5,000 award is supported by funding granted to NYFA by the Canadian Women's Club (CWC) of New York as a way to continue its philanthropic work when it disbanded. It is designed to provide financial support to an emerging or early career artist working in any discipline, and can be used in any manner the recipient deems necessary to further her artistic goals.

Martel is a New York City-based filmmaker from Ottawa who has spent years producing, filming, and editing short web content for media organizations worldwide. She is currently directing and producing Uproot, a documentary about one man's mission to save endangered primates in Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, one of the world's last high biodiversity areas. Alongside Uproot, Martel is developing a wide range of unscripted and documentary series, and writing an animated feature film about a Capuchin monkey's journey in an exploited Amazon. Martel recently launched her production company Kannon Films.

"We're grateful to the Canadian Women's Club of New York for helping to support emerging artists like Émilie," said NYFA Executive Director Michael L. Royce. "We're excited to present Émilie with the 2018 Canadian Women Artists' Award, and look forward to seeing her tell important stories around climate change and wildlife conservation issues," he added.

On receiving the 2018 Canadian Women Artists' Award, Martel said: "I am honored to receive the Canadian Women Artists' Award. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to NYFA and the Canadian Women's Club of New York for supporting my art, my projects, and my career as an emergent Canadian filmmaker. This award will not only help me achieve my goal and vision as an artist, but is also supports other artists and collaborators involved in my documentary films."

Lorraine Bell, Board Director, HotDocs USA, University of Toronto Associates US, IBI Group, and former Canadian Women's Club member concluded: "Our goal with this award is to encourage the careers of young Canadian artists living in this area and to help make their original voices heard. I congratulate Émilie on behalf of all former Canadian Women's Club of New York members on being our 2018 award recipient, and wish her many future successes in her burgeoning career."

ABOUT NYFA: The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) was established in 1971 to empower artists at critical stages in their creative lives. Today, the nonprofit organization's programs and services are far-reaching and are rooted in a wealth of physical and online resources. Each year, NYFA awards $650,000 in cash grants to individual visual, performing, and literary artists based in New York State. NYFA's Fiscal Sponsorship program, one of the oldest and most reputable in the country, helps national artists and arts organizations raise and manage an average of $4 million annually. NYFA's Learning programs, including its Artist as Entrepreneur Boot Camp and Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, provide thousands of artists with professional development training and support. NYFA's website, NYFA.org, is used by more than 1 million people and features more than 20,000 opportunities and resources available to artists in all disciplines.

Photo Credit: Courtesy Émilie Martel

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