Kingston Canadian Film Festival

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The Kingston Canadian Film Festival is an annual celebration of the best in Canadian cinema held in Kingston, Ontario. It is the largest stand-alone showcase of feature films from across Canada^[1].

[edit] History

The Kingston Canadian Film Festival was launched in 2001 by Alex Jansen, who was then studying film at Queen's University ^[2]. It was a three day event held at the Screening Room Movie Theater, a two screen repertory cinema which Jansen was managing at the time^[3]. The Festival was launched with assistance from Moving Pictures: Canadian Films on Tour^[4] (who were replaced by the Toronto International Film Festival Group in 2003^[5]) In 2002 the Festival added a second, larger venue on the Queen's University campus, increased the number of screenings substantially and added a fourth day to the event, then becoming the largest stand-alone showcase of feature films from across Canada^[6]. In 2003 the Festival launched its ongoing "Local Filmmaking Initiative" (LFI), a multi-tiered program focused towards nurturing the local film making community, through the City of Kingston's Healthy Community Fund^[7]. The LFI includes numerous internships in partnership with the Queen's University Department of Film Studies, an annual seminar, various workshops, and one-on-one mentoring sessions between attending industry professionals and area filmmakers. The Festival also continues to present one locally produced short film before each feature. ^[8] In 2004 the Festival added a fourth venue by temporarily re-opening the Princess Court Cinema. In 2005 Alison Migneault became Co-Director of the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. The Festival moved its main venue to the Empire Theatre and added a fifth day to the event. In 2006 Migneault became full Director of the Kingston Canadian Film Festival and Jansen moved into a consulting position. The Festival launched a new French Community Outreach program aimed towards Kingston's sizeable French-speaking population; this program consists of non-subtitled French language films (which would otherwise be unavailable to local audiences)^[9]. In 2007 the Kingston Canadian Film Festival launched its first-ever retrospective series, surrounding the 50th anniversary of film making by acclaimed Canadian Director Allan King ^[10]. The Kingston Canadian Film Festival is held annually in early March and is a registered not-for-profit organization^[11].

[edit] References