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This is the third year that Festival Formula has partnered with Atlantic International Film Festival to provide industry support for their Filmmaker Lab. Each year, 10 Canadian filmmakers from across all provinces are selected to have a series of workshops, and to have their film screened in a showcase. And, each year it’s a delight to return to Halifax to meet them all.
In its 45th year, the Canadian Screen Award affiliated festival erupted in the local area with gala events, well attended screenings, and banners and adverts strewn across the streets and malls.
We do love a walkable festival as it makes a schedule a lot easier to tackle but also nothing gets missed.
Each year the festival has a Partner Spotlight where they host many panels, networking opportunities, and meetings. This year's edition the festival chose to shine a light on Nordic Film and Sámi Film. 160 delegates attended with people from across the board such as producers, broadcasters, streamers and financiers to name a few. To have this parallel to the festival itself is such a bonus, with 108 films to choose from, it's a place with a lot of buzz.
One of our (admittedly champagne) burdens, when we’re attending a festival on industry duties, is we often don’t get to see many films. Which is a shame as this year the line-up boasted some amazing screenings. However, we did get to see some of the industry panels they had to offer. I was invited to moderate a discussion, within which I got to ask Canadian based film festivals what the dos and don’ts of festival submissions are. Panelist’s included Jenn Brown of St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, Tori Fleming of Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival & Atlantic International Film Festival, Walter Forsyth of Lunenburg Doc Fest & Hellifax Horror Fest, and Jenna MacMillan of Charlottetown Film Festival.
The hospitality and support the entire team offer is top notch. At no point will you be without guidance whether it be ticketing or directions. Being on the coast there is no shortage of local seafood cuisine and you’re never too far from lobster or chowder.
This year, at Halifax we had fall sunshine accompany our discussions with the selected filmmakers, and witnessed the thriving audiences that turned up in droves. Datewise, the festival is just after TIFF, and with the market taking place, it’s a natural next stop for industry folks already in Canada.
Boasting a stellar line-up, the program brings in Canadian talent as a focus, but also embraces their audience's taste for World Cinema. A brief selection of films to highlight include: My Father's Shadow, a Nigerian drama, directed by emerging director Akinola Ogunmade-Davies Jr; Wolverine and Little Thunder: An Eel Fishing Story, by known Mi’kmaw artist Alan Syliboy (Nova Scotia); and Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind (USA).
With both national and international categories, as well as a youth film focused tour to submit to, it’s one to check out.
