Following the success of its inaugural festival in 2017, CineMuskoka organizers are working to make this year’s film festival even better while still honouring their mandate to support up-and-coming filmmakers.
There will once again be a diverse selection of films in both the competition at the Algonquin Theatre—CineMuskoka has received more than 200 submissions so far—and in free screenings at River Mill Park. And audience members will have an opportunity to interact with the filmmakers and the actors.
New this year is a Muskoka youth showcase.
“One of the things we want to really focus on is first and second-time filmmakers,” says CineMuskoka co-founder Oliver Ward. “When I was a kid I was obsessed with movies but I had no idea how to get into the industry. I had little cameras and I would experiment, but the big things I was missing were exposure and access.”
Anyone under 19 years of age in the Muskoka region that is experimenting with film in any format—like music videos, vlogs, and short films—can submit their film for free. This year’s festival will kick off on August 30 with the best films from those young filmmakers and any content that can’t be shown that night will be displayed on the CineMuskoka website. That’s the exposure part.
Organizers will select the most interesting or dynamic films and award those top young filmmakers with prizes, among them a new camera.
“That’s all to support the idea that you need to give these young filmmakers, these young creators, exposure and then you need to give them access to the tools to take the next step in their creative evolution,” says Ward.
We believe the next Spielberg is right here in Muskoka—there are great young storytellers and they might not have the most amazing equipment, but they are storytellers. And so we want to find these storytellers and we want to show off their work and then we want to reward them with the next piece of equipment they would need to take the next step.
Oliver Ward, CineMuskoka co-founder
Youth showcase submissions are being accepted until July 15. Details on eligibility and how to submit are at cinemuskoka.com.
In addition to bringing the festival back for its second year, Ward says he’s particularly excited about both the youth showcase, and about a custom screen the festival has purchased that will fill the bandshell in River Mill Park. “That’s going to look really cool.”
Volunteers will again be needed to help make the festival a success. If you’re interested in volunteering, contact Oliver Ward at [email protected]. Volunteers help out at the box office and in the park with set up and tear down, and provide general information to festival walk-ins. In return, they receive passes to all the films.
For more information on the festival, visit cinemuskoka.com.
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