MEMBER OF THE MONTH:  Brigitte Noel 

Non-linear picture editor Brigitte Noel has received awards for her ongoing outreach work assisting independent English, French, and Aboriginal film/video makers in the province of NB and beyond. During her tenure as Vice-President of the NBFC and as Vice-President and Atlantic Regional Director of the Independent Media Arts Alliance in Montreal, she became widely respected as a leader and cultural lobbyist for the cinematic arts in Canada. Brigitte is also the Executive Director/Facilities Manager of the Charlotte Street Arts centre where the NB Film Co-op is now located.

Brigitte Noel joined the New Brunswick Filmmakers' Co-op in June 2000 to do a practicum after graduating from BTTI (alumni and past Co-op President, Chris Campbell was her teacher). Tony asked Chris to place Brigitte there because of the music video she did at UNB, "The lunatic".

"The Lunatic" was the name of a video, not a nickname for Brigitte... which is somewhat surprising because of her crazy devotion to film and to the Co-op. She has always been very generous with her time and energy, and has helped many members with editing and with other technical aspects of their projects.

She quickly got very involved with the Co-op, and joined the Production Committee in 2001. She served on our board for 2 years, from 2002-2004. She served as Vice President in her last term, before she had to step back due to health concerns.

She went to her first IMAA conference with Cathie in Ottawa in 2001 as an observer and made quite an impression. The next year, she was elected Atlantic rep and board member in Quebec city because of her well known ability to "kick butts in 2 languages."

Brigitte was nominated and elected vice-president of the IMAA in 2002 by the Aboriginal representatives on the Board. Her term (2 years) was over last year in Vancouver and she again stepped back because of health reasons.

Along her journey in the film/video community, she has also consciously taken efforts to build her own skill set so she can serve her community better. She has learned to keep her French passion in check, and practice diplomacy in the most trying situations; she is constantly leafing through manuals and learning new technical skills so that she can become an ever-better video editor. She does not pretend to "know it all" and is always willing to take on a new challenge, form a new relationship, and learn news skills to better serve her community.

Brigitte was awarded the Silver Wave Award in 2005 to recognize her volunteer contribution to the Film Community in NB and across Canada, and was given an Unsung Hero Award in 2002 from the City of Fredericton.

If you would like to meet with or talk to Brigitte, contact the Film Co-op at: info@nbfilmcoop.com