Vaughan Film Festival now accepting submissions
YorkRegion.com
Nov. 12, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins
Budding filmmakers, it’s time to get rolling.
Submissions are being accepted for the third annual Vaughan Film Festival, which focuses on short films up to 20 minutes long. It all takes place May 25 to May 28, 2015.
There are two categories - international films and student films.
The former is open to independent filmmakers from any country or region and the early bird deadline for submissions in this category is Dec. 31, while the regular deadline is Jan 31.
The latter category is open only to student filmmakers from Vaughan and that deadline is Jan. 31.
“We’ve already doubled our number for student submissions from last year, so that’s exciting for us and we’ve actually tripled our number of international submissions,” said Antonio Ienco, who co-founded the festival with Mark Pagliaroli, his partner at Reel Film Pictures. “Some of the content we’ve received this year is phenomenal.”
Aside from film submissions, artists from all mediums are invited to enter pieces - including sculptures, fashion, photography and paintings - in the festival’s art exhibition.
Those who are accepted will have their artwork showcased during the festival’s awards gala at the Paramount Convention Centre May 28, hosted by ET Canada’s Rick Campanelli.
Local schools are also invited to take part in the Giant Reel Competition again this year, where students are challenged to create an oversized film reel with the winning entry garnering $2,000 for their school’s art department.
And Grade 12 art students attending school in Vaughan can apply, or a teacher can nominate them, for one of two $1,500 scholarships toward post-secondary education. The deadline for scholarship submissions is Jan. 31.
The Talking Film social media campaign is also back.
Participants are invited to download and print the VFF yellow film reel bubble and take a creative photo incorporating the bubble. Then post it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #talkingfilm or @vaughanfilmfest for a chance to win VIP passes to the film festival.
“One unique aspect that we’ve added this year, once we find out the top selections for the Talking Film campaign, is we’re going to be posting that through our social media and getting the general public to vote on their favourite,” Ienco explained. “And the winning submission will not only win the $500 all-access passes, they’ll also be the face of the Talking Film campaign for the 2016 Vaughan Film Festival.”
The idea for the film festival grew out of the Grand Social Red Carpet Gala, an event celebrating the arts that the duo launched in 2011 as a way to recognize local artists while giving back to the community that helped them launch their own award-winning independent feature film, The Invaders: Genesis.
The second annual Grand Social, in 2012, built on that foundation and grew to feature a smaller scale short film festival that served as a pilot for the full-blown film festival launched in 2013.
The 2014 instalment took place over three days in April and featured 25 short films submitted by auteurs from countries around the world including France, Denmark, The United States, Russia and, of course, Canada.
In addition to the film festival, Ienco and Pagliaroli have also started a year-round seminar series to help educate emerging artists.
The 2015 film festival has been expanded to include a day dedicated to an industry seminar, which will take place May 26. Film screenings will take place May 25 and May 27.
The festival founders also recently inked a three-year deal with Scotiabank for the financial institution to serve as presenting sponsor, which will help to ensure it can continue growing.
“Our five-year goal is to have a week-long festival mixed with industry seminars, international screenings and student screenings, networking after-parties, the whole nine-yards so the city of Vaughan is buzzing every May,” Ienco said.
