Film school grads win Telefilm funding

The duo’s project was submitted under the new Official-Language Minority Communities component of the award.

The program supports the production and promotion of emerging filmmakers’ first feature-length films with budgets that do not exceed $250,000. Stafiej and Dietzel’s film was among the 15 finalists chosen for funding.

The filmmakers have been friends since they started school and their joint effort has been a natural process.

“We’ve worked together so long it doesn’t even feel like work anymore,” says Dietzel.

Stafiej began his career with the short feature film Found even before he had completed his Concordia degree. Edited by Dietzel, it was shown at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema in 2013.

Another project includes a documentary in development with the Documentary Channel. He also writes ambient music to fill up his free time and his sound design was featured in Dietzel’s film COPY RIGHT. “I’m grateful because I’ve been able to work full-time as a director and writer since I’ve graduated,” Stafiej says.

Editing films is part of the wide array of projects Dietzel has been involved in since graduating. His film COPY RIGHT was shown at Victoria’s Antimatter festival, he started ON EST 10 — a co-operative for filmmakers — and he recently received funding to produce 24.24.24, a 24-hour film set in one location.

He’s edited various other feature films including I’ve seen the Unicorn, directed by fellow film school grad Vincent Toi, BFA 13, and director Korbett Matthews’s The India Space Opera.

Stafiej is quick to praise his friend, roommate and business partner Dietzel as a gifted editor and director. “We do everything together,” he says. “We live together and we work together on every film we do. He’s pretty easy to work with.”