The Yellowknife International Film Festival may have ended for the public on November 7th but the festival’s industry series continued through to November 26 with industry-targeted opportunities for professional development and training. They included a Discoverability Workshop, a live table read and a pitch contest.

Discoverability Workshop

The NWT Film Commission was a key sponsor for a workshop on “discoverability” specifically designed for NWT-made screen media projects.

Digital-marketing experts, Magnify Digital led the two-day workshop highlighting the importance of positioning media projects to be discovered – even before they are produced.  In addition to best practices in the use of traditional social and digital-media platforms, it explored innovative and alternative marketing techniques that can be incorporated by NWT producers to maximize exposure, brand awareness and the economic potential of their film projects.

Table Read

In one of the most popular events of this year’s YKIFF industry series, the festival held a read-through of  three unproduced scripts by local filmmakers Mason Mantla, Jay Bulckaert and Jen Walden. It was an opportunity for each of the producers to hear their scripts read out loud by actors, and to gauge audience reactions.

Pitch Contest

Finally the YKIFF held its annual pitch contest in which producers pitched ideas for a new short film. On the line this year was $5,000 cash and another $5,000 in “WAMP Bucks”, which is credit with Western Arctic Moving Pictures (WAMP) that can be redeemed for rentals and services.

A panel of judges awarded the prize money to an animated short proposed by Sadetło Scott. Behchoko filmmaker Mason Mantla’s pitch won the Audience’s Choice Award.

Rolling, Action! The Next 5 Years: NWT Film and Media Sector Strategy and Action Plan 2021-2026 highlights actions and investments designed to achieve a nationally competitive and sustainable film sector in the NWT.  Its objectives include increasing industry recognition of the NWT as a location for guest productions and looking beyond equipment and technology to invest in the skill and capacity of resident film makers and crew.

The Film Commission’s sponsorship of the YKIFF’s industry series is one of the ways that ITI is working to meet this mandate.