– by Melissa Tobin and Steven Woodhead

The 2009 Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival reached an important milestone as it completes its third year as a vibrant film festival in Canada.

HIFF, organized by the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, has now established itself as a significant event in the film community. With close to 130 film festivals in Canada, many funding organization require at least three years worth of books before they consider giving funding.

Event coordinator Sarah MacLeod says this will bring more attention to the independent film community in Halifax.

“We just want to celebrate independent filmmaking. We just want to bring together the film community in HRM and Atlantic Canada.”

Greg Ash is the executive director of the Atlantic Film Festival. He’s been in the business for over 15 years, and says while many other festivals are closing due to low sponsorship, HIFF is in a good position to weather the economic storm.

“The good thing that HIFF has is their overhead is pretty small compared to some of the bigger events. It is more of an independent festival. They have the ability to be more flexible,” says Ash.

HIFF is able to keep its cost low with little paid staff and lots of volunteers. In fact, the 2009 festival was the first year an event coordinator was hired to manage HIFF events. Every other year, the staff at AFCOOP did double duty planning and organizing the festival.

Ash says HIFF’s focus on the local audience is also another advantage it has over other smaller festivals.

A scene worth celebrating

A festival that celebrates the independent film scene in Halifax could be the secret to coalescing the community itself.

That’s because the filmmaking community in Halifax is something of a grab-bag of people, institutions, and places. Filmmakers can be found everywhere - from small back rooms in tiny homes like the Robert Street Social Centre to offices full of digital equipment located in the CBC building complex.

The films produced here range from big-budget (Trailer Park Boys: The Movie) to shoestring (The Lot, made by production company Harsh Knuckle for $150). There are more independent production companies in the city than can be named, due to the necessary creation of such companies in order to copyright and protect one’s work.

Yet there remain a few pillars of the community. The Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative is one; the Center For Art Tapes is another. These are non-profit organizations that foster the independent film community in its many forms - from animators, to low-budget horror flicks, to experimental and beyond. There are those who work exclusively in film, and others who has wholeheartedly jumped on the digital bandwagon. It’s a turbulent time for the scene, with emerging technologies and a largely static funding structure.

But those who live and work in the community are immensely proud of the work that comes from the city and the surrounding area.

OMF celebrates 10 years

Along with celebrating a milestone year as a festival, HIFF celebrated the anniversary of The One Minute Films series organized at AFCOOP. The OMF marked its tenth year as part of this year HIFF. The program was started by Halifax filmmakers Andrea Dorfman and Helen Bredin, who wanted to make working with film more accessible to everyone.

Experienced filmmakers help the new artists complete a one minute story on 16mm film over the course of four months. The mentors teach classes in how to write, how to light and how to use a film camera.

This year’s screening showcased 30 films; 16 of the most memorable film over the last decade plus 14 films new films, including one by Dawn George.

George is currently working as an administrative assistant, but has somehow or another always been involved in the arts. She took radio and television at Ryerson University and went the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City to study theatre.

George heard about the OMF programs and decided to give it a try.

“I am a big believer in manifesting your own destiny. I always wanted to do this.”

Her film, Life on the Inside, tells a story about what it’s like to be the person inside a costume character. A man dressed in a chicken suit (played by 2009 OMF filmmaker Colin Ogden) smiles and dances in front of a party of children, hoping to make them happy.

George, originally from Iroquois Fall, Ont., was delighted with how support she received from her mentors as well as her fellow filmmakers.
“Everyone just wants you to make the best film. “