The Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival is still a month away, but if you are itching to experience some young filmmaking talent before hand, have no fear! The Multimedia Film Festival of York Region is fast approaching!
Celebrating its fourth year running, this festival is dedicated to showcasing the work of York Region independent and professional filmmakers, including students, expressing the diverse experiences of living in York Region. This exciting festival features both film and digital photo submissions covering a wide range of topics, including social justice, multiculturalism, the environment, and the struggles of youth from the unique vantage point of the various communities of York Region.
This year, the Festival will be running from May 6-16, with screenings taking place in each of the Region’s cities and towns. For the full festival schedule, as well as information on purchasing tickets, and archives of the festival’s past films, visit:
http://www.yorkregionfilmfestival.com
The submissions deadline for the 5th Anniversary of the Toronto Youth Shorts Film Fest is this Friday, May 3rd.
Submissions are only $10 per entrant but this fee covers multiple entries from the same entrant. There are no fees for those currently enrolled in an Ontario high school. Download the submissions form here
We are accepting all kinds of films: documentary, comedy, drama, experimental, and anything else you can think of! This is a great opportunity to show your work at a juried event.
Also, don’t forget this year for the first time we are accepting new media, photography, video art, and installation pieces for our off-screen exhibit. There is no fee for off-screen submissions, so there is no excuse not to submit! Download the submissions form here
All GTA residents aged 14-28 are eligible to apply.
Happy submitting!
Thursday was the launch of Hot Docs’ 20th annual festival. The festival, which runs for 10 days, is the largest Documentary film festival in North America. The 10 days includes exclusive premieres of some of the worlds most fascinating stories, with screenings at its home, The Bloor cinema, as well as at The Royal, TIFF Bell Lightbox, The Fox out in the beaches and even an outdoor screening in the Victoria College quad, just to name a few.
If you’ve seen the programme guide this year then you know how overwhelming it is! Here are a few picks for what is buzzing at the festival and some hidden gems you will want to check out.
“The Great North Korean Picture Show” delves into the world of the North Korean Filmmaking industry. Foreign cameras enter North Korea’s only film school and follow the plight of two young actors trying to reach their dreams. Every aspect of this film had to be reviewed by North Korean officials before leaving the country; a definite window into a world about which we know very little.
The Life And Crimes Of Doris Payne
“TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard” surrounds the vicious copyright lawsuit between the three twenty-something founders of The Pirate Bay against the Hollywood industry. At risk, these young men face imprisonment and millions of dollars of debt.
“The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne” documents an 81 year old woman deemed to be one of the world’s most notorious jewel thieves. We witness as she stands trial for her final heist, speculating whether she is repentant for her near $2 million earnings. All the while, Doris is charismatic and entertaining as we learn about intimate details of her life.
“The Expedition to the End of World” captures a group of motley artists and scientists who set sail to visit the North Pole during its unique melting point that reveal hidden fjords. These unconventional characters seek the meaning of life in this lighthearted, modern-day adventure.
The full listings of film and ticket information can be found at Hot Docs website.
-Sabrina
It’s been a couple of crazy weeks for the festival staff as we have been attending many events to scout for quality material for this year’s Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival. Off-screen programmer have been at numerous gallery openings for Ryerson and Guelph-Humber to see if anything can be displayed in our first ever off-screen exhibition. A bunch of us have attended screenings at U of T to see work from the Hart House Film Board as well as screenings at The Royal for Humber College’s FMTV diploma program and their film and media production degree program. Programming Associate, John, even patiently sat through every 1st year 16mm film at York University last week. Overall, from Chinese melodramas to puppet musicals, this year is looking pretty interesting.
Tonight, we’ll be at the Augmented Cinema Festival, a cross-stream showcase of work by OCADU students and graduates run by T24 Project alumni, Jamie MacMillan. We’ll also be heading up north to see the 4th year productions at York University’s Finish Line.
Submissions for Toronto Youth Shorts are due next Friday – send us your films and installation proposals for consideration!
In the fall of 2005, three grade twelve students from Toronto, Ontario approached their teacher, Jamie MacRae, with the brilliant idea of creating a new student film festival specifically designed to showcase youth talent. The festival would provide an opportunity for students from any part of the world to screen their media works and short films. The Toronto Student Film Festival Founding Committee was made up of Zack Russell, Gordon Steiner, David Whyte, Jamie MacRae (Head of Media Arts, Crescent School), Colin Lowndes (Head of Crescent’s Upper School), and entertainment executive Pat Macdonald. The inaugural festival was held in April of 2006.
Since then the TSFF has become an event for youth to showcase their talent in film and media. The festival attracts submissions from young filmmakers from all parts of the globe. Prizes have focused on work experiences in the industry and scholarships to filmmaking programmes.
This year, the Toronto Student Film Festival will be held at Innis Town Hall on April 26th, 2013. Doors open at 6pm. The screening will be of the top twenty-five films selected by this year’s executive committee.
The Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival will be in attendance to present the Best Canadian Film Award voted by the festival jury, which consists of documentary filmmaker, Ron Mann; Canadian actress, Susan Coyne; and film critic, Richard Crouse.
If anyone is interested, we are giving tickets to the screening on Friday. It’s a great chance to check out some fresh talent in the making. To claim a pair of tickets, email us at torontoyouthshorts [at] gmail.com
Cabbagetown Short Film and Video Festival‘s tagline is “Films from around the world and around the corner”, which is a great summation of this long standing short festival’s diverse selection of films over the years. For over 20 years (the first festival was 1992) the festival has showcased films from the Cabbagetown community and this year has it’s showcase on the 6th September, a precursor to the annual Cabbagetown Festival, which takes place on September 7th and 8th. It is a unique opportunity to have your film screened as part of one of the city’s biggest community-focused festivals, amongst multi-disciplined like-minded artists.
The deadline for entries is July 31st 2013, and films must not exceed 15 minutes in length. The best news is that the films don’t have to be premieres, so you can always submit your film hot off the back of your Toronto Youth Shorts screening!
-Natasha
Now in its 12th year as part of TIFF Kids International Film Festival, the Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers Showcase presents short films created for young people, by young people. Open to Ontario youth, the Jump Cuts program provides the opportunity for emerging filmmakers to see their work on the big screen. The program is divided into 3 categories: grade 4-6, grades 7-8, and grades 9-12 (known as Next Wave).
A jury consisting of film-industry professionals will assess the finalists and select prizewinners based on proficiency in form, expression, experimentation and content.
The Jump Cuts program showcasing short films from grades 4-6 and grades 7-8 takes place from April 9 to 21, 2013.
The Jump Cuts program showcasing shorts from grades 9-12 takes place on May 22, 2013.
- Michelle
