Durham College professor nominated for Golden Sheaf Award

Some say those who can’t do teach, but whoever said that hasn’t met Durham College Professor, Kevin Fraser.

Teaching in the Digital Video Production program, Fraser is also a TV writer, editor and documentary filmmaker who was recently nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award in the Documentary and Arts Culture category at the Yorkton Film Festival for his short film, Analogue.

Held from May 23 to 26, the Yorkton Film Festival is the longest running festival in North America and showcases the best of the best in Canadian short cinema. Fraser was honoured to have gained recognition.

“I was really happy (to be nominated),” said Fraser “When you start a project from scratch, especially an artistic one, you’re never sure how it will turn out, much less that people would take it in such a positive way.”

Analogue follows a group of artists who use outdated or antiqued processes in a world that is becoming digital. It expands on the importance of individual craftsmanship and the beauty that comes from doing things the old fashioned way, capturing the true essence of hard working composers.

It took Fraser about two years to finish his documentary all the while balancing his job, getting his masters and raising his daughter. Fraser holds a master of fine arts degree in Documentary Studies from Ryerson University and has written for a variety of TV projects for many years.

Before becoming a professor at Durham College, Fraser worked as a new media producer for a commercial production house and his love for creating cinematic adventures stemmed from his experiences.

After five years of work, he completed his first documentary, Living as Brothers, in 2011. The movie is a story of Jamaican migrant men who work in the orchards of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., sometimes for 20 years or more.

This is Fraser’s first nomination and he shows no signs of slowing down on his movie-making career and how he can incorporate his passion into his teachings.

“As a professor at Durham, I’m always looking for the next thing so I can share them with my students, whether it’s a non-linear documentary, crowd sourcing or online collaborations,” he said. “I think my next project has to incorporate some new ways of working, just to keep things interesting!”