Latest news with #SislerCreate
CBC
30-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
'Would not wish it on my worst enemy,' says Winnipegger sidelined with rare pain syndrome
Ethan Belcourt wants his life back. In 2019, after a year of constant pain, Belcourt was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS. Since then, the Winnipegger's life has dramatically changed. He is on disability and spends most of his time at home, save for appointments and errands. "This disease has sucked me basically to the point where I am tired all the time, that I am fighting pain every day," said Belcourt. "It just sucks the energy out of me." CRPS is relatively uncommon, and is often the result of an injury, though the pain is not commensurate with the injury. There are different classifications and causes of the pain, and treatment is varied too. In Canada, an organization called PARC, or Promoting Awareness of RSD and CRPS, hopes to shed more light on the condition. (The syndrome was formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy, according to the organization.) "[The] pain is excruciating, way more than you would expect," said Dr. Javier Webar, a pain specialist in Winnipeg who treats patients with CRPS. "The nerve endings that are responsible for carrying the pain information from everywhere in your body become hyperactive." Belcourt says the condition has turned his life upside down. He expects to be on disability for the rest of his life. "I'll put this simple — with the amount of pain I get with this, I would not wish it on my worst enemy," said Belcourt. "That's how bad the pain can get some days." Belcourt's story and CRPS are the focus of a new three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Winnipeg's Sisler High School, a post-high school program that trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking. Create students Shai Vilenski East, Shea Miller and Maya Reuther produced the new short video. Meet the filmmakers Shai Vilenski East has been fascinated with the world of film and entertainment since an early age. He made his first stop-motion film when he was nine and has continued to make films for the sake of entertainment and fun. In junior high, he was an editor for his school's news program, and he created multiple short films in high school. Now, his dream is to become an editor, creating films that are nothing short of awesome. Shea Miller immersed herself in literature, music and movies beginning in childhood. She is now an aspiring filmmaker and has a strong passion for storytelling. As a filmmaker, she hopes to voice life experiences for herself and for others. She has enjoyed expanding her knowledge and learning different ways to tell stories through documentaries and journalism. Maya Reuther has been making videos since childhood. She loved recreating famous movie scenes or making stop-motion videos. She has recently gained an interest in Foley and creating music videos. In her spare time, Maya likes to listen to and make music, create sculptures and try new, crazy makeup looks. More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler. Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.
CBC
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Winnipeg woman with significant challenges sells art to fund her travel dreams
For Jannie Messmer, joy is picking the perfect paper and glitter to make her greeting cards. "Oh I love crafting. I love making crafts. It definitely helps during tough times to make crafts. It definitely helps my self esteem," said Messmer, who is deaf, through an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. Messmer lives with cerebral palsy and has an intellectual disability. She also lives on her own with minimal support through In the Company of Friends, a program administered by Innovative Life Options. "It's a model that allows people a lot of choice and they direct their lives, they do all the planning," said Patti Chiappetta, executive director at Innovative Life Options. For Messmer, her placement In the Company of Friends came at a very dire moment, says her mother, Shirlea Smith. "An agency in town thought that they should make the decisions for her, and because she didn't have a substitute decision maker they manipulated her into a bad decision," Smith said. Messmer subsequently lost weight and developed an eating disorder, Smith says. Now, those days are behind her. "I can set up goals for myself and then figure out how to, you know, what I need to get things in place so that I can make those things happen," said Messmer, who is saving her money for a trip to Hawaii. "It's important to have really good self-esteem," she said. "It's important to feel really good about yourself. You're not can do things. You don't have to be stuck, and I would be happy to help anybody who needed my support." Messmer and her pursuits are the subject of a new three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School. Sisler's post-high program trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking. Create students Venice Pasaraba, Justina Finch and Semira Abolore produced the new short video. Meet the filmmakers More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
International Day of Happiness sparks fundamental question: What makes you happy?
Winnipeggers answer: What makes you happy? 55 years ago Social Sharing We could all use a little more happiness, right? With global uncertainty, market upheavals and a trade war between Canada and the United States, it's enough to cause even the most affable and joyful person to take pause. Today is International Day of Happiness. Held every March 20, the day was instituted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 to recognize "happiness as a fundamental human goal." To that end, the UN called for "a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all peoples." With that in mind, Sisler Create filmmaking students, assisted by Red River College Polytechnic student Sean Monfero, hit the downtown campus of Red River College Polytechnic to ask students, staff and passersby: What makes you happy? From great grades, to trips away, to their art and favourite cookies, Winnipeggers shared their simple joys. The result? A new short three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School, which they made in collaboration with CBC Manitoba. CREATE students Joseph Huntington, Raiden Dumaran, Ewan Webster and Semira Abolore, along with Sean Monfero, produced the new short video. Meet the filmmakers More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler. Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.
CBC
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Mega music fan searches for forever homes for his epic collection
It's a good thing Doug Kretchmer isn't enthralled with cats. Instead, the Winnipegger is passionate about, or possibly obsessed with, music. Inside a north Winnipeg warehouse that is also his home, Kretchmer came to a realization. He needed to dramatically downsize his music collection, estimated at more than 10,000 pieces. "The main living area is 14 by 14 [feet, roughly four metres by four metres]. The left wall is all records. The right wall is all records. The front wall is all CDs. And we're talking about a 12-foot-high ceiling, so I'm surrounded by it," he said. But shortly after moving into the warehouse, he was in two major car accidents within two months. "I could not walk for a while," said Kretchmer. "My life kind of really changed. And you really rethink everything, and I'm thinking, 'Wow, if that was fatal, my family would have had to deal with my whole collection,' and where would it have ended up kind of thing." So now, every weekend, you will find Kretchmer at Winnipeg's Mulvey Market, selling off his collection of LPs, CDs and cassettes. "Knowing that some of my really valuable-to-me stuff will go to a great home where someone will appreciate it, you know, I love that idea," he said. Kretchmer's story is now the subject of a short, three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School. Create students Markus Penner, Gianluca Caldarola and Joshua Soriano produced the new video. Meet the filmmakers Markus Penner developed a passion for film during his gap year after high school. He is deeply invested in storytelling and enjoys exploring familiar ideas through fresh perspectives. In his spare time, he likes to read history books, trade stocks and write film reviews. In the future, he aims to become a screenwriter and director. Every day is a new challenge for Gianluca Caldarola, whether he's volunteering for local football teams taking photos or creating new team designs. Caldarola loves being busy and has a large range of projects on the go. He volunteers with Pros Vs Joes, a week-long event in December that supports families in need. He also volunteers photographing student athletes and taking portraits for awards ceremonies at his former high school Sturgeon Heights. In his spare time, he likes watching movies, going on nature walks in parks and biking. Joshua Soriano is a freelance videographer who has been working with cameras since 2023. He started doing sports photography for the Sisler Spartans. Since graduating from Sisler High School, he has started his career as a sports videographer, working with U Sports athletes and teams across Manitoba. More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short documentaries. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led production workshops at Sisler. Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.
CBC
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
After a horrific bike accident, this Winnipeg woman made a return to dancing
Cyclist Lizzy Kovach knew the next moments were going to be bad, but there was nothing she could do. "I was halfway through the intersection. I saw the grill of the truck out of the corner of my right eye, and that was it," she said. It was May 1, 2023, and Kovach — an avid cyclist and dancer who is also the president of the Kapisztran Hungarian Folk Ensemble of Winnipeg — was riding home from work when she was hit by a truck. "There was a crunch, and all I knew was that I was flying off my bike," said Kovach. "I landed on my head and my neck ricocheted, and I remember feeling the pavement on my face." Her face was cut open. She had multiple fractures in both ankles and 10 broken ribs, and broke the bone where her shin and thigh meet. She was covered in bruises and scrapes from the impact. The accident was devastating, but her dedication to dance, and her dance family at Kapisztran Hungarian Folk Ensemble, kept her going and helped with her recovery, Kovach said. "Having their support this past year and a half has been huge." The story of Kovach's accident, recovery and her return to dance is the subject of a new three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Winnipeg's Sisler High School, a post-high school program that trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking. Create students Shea Miller, Shai Vilenski East and Maya Reuther produced the short video. Meet the filmmakers Shea Miller immersed herself in literature, music and movies beginning in childhood. She is now an aspiring filmmaker and has a strong passion for storytelling. As a filmmaker, she hopes to voice life experiences for herself and for others. She has enjoyed expanding her knowledge and learning different ways to tell stories through documentaries and journalism. She is also a member of two cultural dance groups in Winnipeg and recently became an instructor in the SPK Iskry Polish School Of Dance. Maya Reuther has been making videos since childhood. She loved recreating famous movie scenes or making stop-motion videos. She has recently gained an interest in Foley and creating music videos. In her spare time, Maya likes to listen to and make music, create sculptures and try new, crazy makeup looks. Shai Vilenski East has been fascinated with the world of film and entertainment since an early age. He made his first stop-motion film when he was nine and has continued to make films for the sake of entertainment and fun. In junior high, he was an editor for his school's news program, and he created multiple short films in high school. Now, his dream is to become an editor, creating films that are nothing short of awesome. More about Project POV: Sisler Create CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts. During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler. Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.
