News
Available Light Film Festival 2015 wraps-up: Audience Choice Award Winners and festival highlights
February 24, 2015
The Yukon Film Society’s 13th annual Available Light Film Festival (ALFF) wrapped-up on February 15th with the announcement of the winners of the ALFF Audience Choice Awards which are sponsored by Super Channel. The 2015 ALFF Audience Choice Award for Best Canadian Documentary went to Dawson City’s Suzanne Crocker for her ‘family moves to the Yukon bush for 9 months in order to disconnect so they can re-connect’ zeitgeist film, All the Time in the World. In addition, festival audiences voted Two 4 One, a transgendered dramatic-comedy by Victoria-based director Maureen Bradley the 2015 ALFF Best Canadian Fiction Film.
The Audience Choice Awards capped off a milestone year for ALFF. There were many highlights of the festival, including four sold out events, excellent discussions at the Q&As with guest filmmakers, an ‘Eye on Canada’ opening gala event featuring Two 4 One, an unforgettable packed-house musical performance by Tanya Tagaq (with Jesse Zubot and Jean Martin) alongside Flaherty’s Nanook of the North, stunning live music and cinema performances, the premiere of the first ever Yukon-made dramatic fiction film, Last Stop for Miles and a terrific kick-off concert with Old Cabin and The Wooden Sky. The festival reached a new attendance record again this year with 6200 total admissions over 56 screenings and events at the Festival and Forum. A huge thanks goes out to all the volunteers and staff who made this year's festival possible and excellent.
Canadian screen content at ALFF 2015 compromised 60% of the program and attracted 2500 admissions to the 18 screenings of Canadian films. All four of the best-attended screenings were Canadian films: Two 4 One, Mommy, Just Eat It (school screening) and All the Time in the World.
ALFF 2015 featured 26 screenings and 7 Live Music and Cinema performances at the Yukon Arts Centre, a lively screening of the documentary Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story for school children, the 6th annual ALFF Media Industry Forum (Feb 8 - 11) and the popular Fire Hall Film Talks series. With the support of our partners Yukon Film & Sound Commission and Yukon Energy and major sponsors and funders: Yukon Artsfund, Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund, Best Western Gold Rush Inn, Air North and Super Channel, the Yukon Film Society was able to host more than 60 filmmakers, artists, musicians and industry representatives from across North America for performances and screenings of their work and to participate in Media Industry Forum events. Filmmakers in attendance included: Gavin Crawford, Gabrielle Rose, Naomi Snieckus, Joel Thomas Hynes, Christian Sparkes, Jenny Rustemeyer, Maureen Bradley, Ben Ratner, Kevin Eastwood, Andrew Huculiak, Suzanne Crocker, Keith Partridge, Kevin Eastwood and Stéphane Lafleur.
The ALFF Media Industry Forum offers local filmmakers opportunities to learn from and network with industry professionals from across Canada in an exciting festival atmosphere. The 2015 ALFF Forum was co-presented by the Yukon Department of Economic Development: Film & Sound Commission. Industry representatives from Telefilm, Force Four Entertainment, Canada Media Fund, Super Channel, the National Film Board of Canada, CBC Comedy, Buffalo Gal Pictures, Fantrust, Meltwater Media and Optic Nerve Films participated in over 21 panels and events. A particular Forum highlight was the one-on-one meeting session which provide critical opportunities for Yukon producers to pitch their ideas and start relationships with other industry players. A day-long workshop with Vancouver-based documentary editor Carmen Pollard shared highly specialized skills with a full slate of participants. Renowned adventure cinematographer Keith Partridge gave an in-depth workshop. Finally, the ALFF Comedy Pitch Event, with guest panelist Gavin Crawford (This Hour Has 22 Min.) resulted in three Yukon creators receiving invitations for follow-up with CBC Comedy.
The Yukon Film Society acknowledges the support of our Festival Partner: Yukon Energy Corporation, our Media Indutry Forum Partner: Yukon Film & Sound Commission, Major Sponsors and Funders: Yukon Artsfund, Telefilm Canada, Best Western Gold Rush Inn, Canada Media Fund, Air North, Super Channel, City of Whitehorse, Astral Media’s Harold Greenberg Fund, Headless Owl Records, Yukon North of Ordinary, our Festival Sponsors: Tle’ Nax T’awei Group, Yukon Arts Centre, Solid Sound, Muktuk Adventures, Outside the Cube, Pixel Box Studio, Association franco-yukonnaise, Community Cable 9, Arctic Star Printing, What’s Up Yukon, NFB, Driving Force and our Annual Funders: Lotteries Yukon, Yukon Arts Operating Fund and Canada Council for the Arts.
The Available Light Film Festival 2016 will take place February 6 to 14 in Whitehorse, Yukon.