Two characteristics become immediately clear when talking to Film graduate Matthew Nie: grace and drive. These two attributes produce in him a kind of serene ambition – a quality which film critics worldwide are now applauding.

Nie’s student film, a documentary project called Good Stuff: The Story of a Man, A Dream, and a Whole Lotta Kites , recently won top honours at Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Festival. The film is a documentary about world-renowned kite-flying-virtuoso Ray Bethell, who is a fixture on Vancouver ’s beaches.

Triggerstreet

After being chosen as a finalist out of hundreds of contestants, Matt was flown to New York , toured around the city, and wined and dined at a Vanity Fair rooftop gala. The trip culminated in an award ceremony that saw Nie awarded first place in Kevin Spacey’s Triggerstreet contest.

The award included a profile in Vanity Fair which named Nie as a contributor to “The Future of Film,” a $4000 digital video camera, and a plaque signed by Helen Hunt and Sean Penn, among others. But Nie knows the real value of the award is not the products he brought home. “It is definitely going to be a good calling card to make future connections,” he says.

Despite his success, Nie’s acceptance speech and press releases were packed with praise for others, especially his crew: cameraman John Day , sound guru Graham Zwicker, film editor Paul Paras, and producer Denis Guskov. He also took special care to thank the festival’s founders, employees, sponsors, his competitors – even the Triggerstreet online community, which adjudicated the selection of the twelve finalists.

But most of all Nie reserves reverent admiration for the film’s subject, Ray Bethell. “So many people are inspired and moved by his story,” Nie says. “It was his positive message in overcoming great odds that made this film.”

Business and Art

Perhaps unbeknownst to Matt, the drive to overcome great odds is a talent he too exhibits. Combine that with an affinity for collaboration, and success at VFS was inevitable. “Filmmaking is a business as well as an art,” says Nie. “VFS prepares students for the business obstacles independent filmmakers face. The art comes from those special instructors and the creative synergy among students.”

With this prestigious award under his belt, Nie is moving forward on other projects. His artistic ambition is to use mass media as way of drawing people closer together by telling meaningful stories. “I want to tell stories about unsung heroes that often get overlooked,” says Nie. “As the pace of our lives accelerates, it’s easy to forget those around us.”