Learn filmmaking in 48 hours! by MATTHEW HAYS Yes, it's true: you too can become a filmmaker, and in only two days! At least that's the news emanating from Toronto, where a local production house is bringing in a mysterious film guru, Dov S-S Simens, to spread his film-flogging gospel. The flyer states that "the two-day Film School with Simens from Hollywood is the acclaimed course that has launched 100's of careers from Quentin Terantino [sic] (writer-director) to Michael Jackson (singer-entertainer) to Queen Latifah (Actress-TV host) to the makers of The Blair Witch Project and In the Company of Men. Why not yours?" Indeed, why not?! The flyer's claims sounded a wee bit odd, so I called the number on it to ask about them. A voice on the other end assured me of Simens's Jackson connection, stating "Oh yes, Dov has been to Neverland." No doubt. Though I've never heard of Simens before, according to this pamphlet, he can explain the secrets of the business for a mere $299 (plus GST) in advance and $349 at the door. If you want a film career as expansive and successful as Michael Jackson's, perhaps you should consider looking into this golden opportunity. The two-day film school runs Aug. 25-26. Info: info@dnightingale.com. Young filmmakers might also want to consider entering their projects in the Austin Film Fest. The deadline for submissions is July 15. Categories include feature, short and student short. Though this fest is eight years young, I've heard nothing but good things about it from filmmakers and critics who've managed to attend. For information contact Courtney Davis at 1-800-310-FEST or at austinfilm@aol.com. Congratulations to the organizers of the 11th annual Montreal First Peoples' Festival. No precise numbers were available at press time, but organizers are confident the fest attracted thousands to its shows, which included film screenings. The entire thing wraps tonight, June 21, with a screening of Andrea Sadler's The Sacred Run, a doc about a '95 4,000-km run along the Japan Sea to commemorate the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The film screens at the NFB cinema at both 7 and 9 p.m. In other native film news, next Friday, June 29, the Cinémathèque québécoise will launch its summer exhibition, From Nanook to Oumigmag: Documentary Film in Canada, to be held at the Old Port until July 2, when it will be moved to the Cinémathèque for the rest of the season. COMMENTS: mhays@mtl-mirror.com