It wasn’t the Oscars, but the excitement that filled the room when the Okotoks Film Festival winners were announced was electric.
More than 50 filmmakers, along with friends and family, hollered and cheered as festival director Katie Fournell announced the best picture and audience choice in the Rotary Performing Arts Centre the evening of June 4.
Best picture went to A Whole World for a Little World, made in France, and audience choice went to the animated film Taking the Plunge, made in the United States. Both were awarded $1,000.
More than 60 independent short films were screened throughout the weekend, showcasing a wide range of talent from around the globe.
“People were impressed with how great the quality of the festival itself was and the content we were able to bring in,” said Fournell. “When you think of independent film you don’t think high quality, but these got a lot of production value to them. They are closer to blockbusters in production value than what people think of for independent films.”
The festival kicked off with a screening of the only full-length film The Caravan Film, directed by Millarville’s Margot McMaster. The film follows the exploits of an eclectic group of international carriage drivers as they journey across North America.
Throughout the weekend, viewers sat back and watched an assortment of movies play on the big screen. General Reels showed short films suitable for any film lover, Kinder Reels were geared for young children and Twisted Reels were more suited for adult audiences.
Fournell said there were about 40 people at each screening, with a different audience each time. Filmmakers traveled from as far as Edmonton to take in the festival.
The weekend also featured three workshops, inviting budding filmmakers to learn a few tricks of the trade.
The first invited people to meet the makers of The Caravan Film to learn how they got into film, tips for starting a film and what it’s like to be a professional filmmaker. The second featured a panel of Calgary feature filmmakers who offered tips on how to get a film from an idea to a finished product. The final workshop taught those in attendance ways to get great lighting on a tight budget. Each workshops saw about 15 people in attendance.
The combination of film screenings, workshops and parities intensified the hype for filmmaking in the Foothills, said Fournell.
“It’s brought excitement to filmmakers,” she said. “They watched films from all over the world – a completely different variety. Some were big budget and others were made for $50. Seeing the ease of which you can make films and seeing what can be done gets crazy minds percolating.”
Calling the Okotoks Film Festival a success, Fournell and the other six board members are already looking ahead to next year.
“Now I’m like, what’s next, she said. “I’m already starting to come up with ideas to make the next one even better. We might run a couple more workshops because people loved those. Those were a huge success. We didn’t advertise them a whole lot. We will put a bigger focus on that.”
Fournell said she expects next year’s festival will see the number of films submitted surpass the 750 sent in this year. She expects many of the filmmakers will submit again and the event will prompt up and coming filmmakers to enter their work as well.
“The festival has given the opportunity for people to work again,” she said. “We will have a big surge in the number of films made right at home.”
Brendan Rose, the festival’s vice-president and technician, said the festival attracted more people than they expected.
The final screening was for shorts created in a recent 48 hour film challenge. Six teams of filmmakers were tasked to make films in just two days given a prop, genre and line of dialogue, before the winners were best film and audience choice were announced. The event drew more than 50 people.
“I think it went far smoother than it could have hoped,” said Rose. “Things went off pretty much without a hitch. Chatting with people who had been to other festivals, we had quite a few compliments from people saying it’s one of the smoothest starts we’ve ever seen and that was quite a relief.”
Like Fournell, Rose is already looking ahead to next year’s festival.
“We have lots of plans for the next one,” he said.
Winners of the Okotoks Fillm Festival are as follows:
Best cinematography – Alexandru Pavel, Dreams on Sale
Best overall sound – Cristina Amore, Mr. Dentonn
Best editing – James Gilmore, The Barber’s Cut
Best art direction – Chantal Beaulne, Mongoose
Best screenplay – Matthieu Boivineau, Les Fruits Du Temps
Best performer – Emil Jonsson, Memory of You
Winners of the 48 hour challenge are as follows:
Best picture, audience choice and best use of genre - Damfinos, Dr. Schemely
Best use of prop – Black Diamond Crew, C.A.T.
Best use of line - A Second Sun, ARI
