The Hollywood North International Film Festival offers a large online program of close to 200 titles.
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The free online festival, which had 100,000 hits on its site last year, is focused on short films with run times between two and 40 minutes.
“What fascinates me mostly is how (the filmmakers) told this little story, this big story, within this short amount of time … I love that,” said Redman, who heads-up a panel of judges from the film/TV industry to review the submissions.
With an open-door policy, festival organizers are seeing many first-time filmmakers submitting work. Festival coordinator Marc Prinzivalli says a full 20 per cent of the titles that will be available are from student filmmakers.
“I think it’s very encouraging, and that’s what I wanted to encourage. So, I’m really happy with it,” said Redman about the interest from new filmmakers in the festival.
While all the films from the festival will be placed online, there is an important live component that begins Jan. 20 that sees nominee films from six award categories: actor, animation, cinematography, documentary, director and student film, screened. Judges of the specific categories will be on hand to talk about the nominee selections and answer audience questions.
“We really want the general public to have a much better understanding of what cinema is all about,” said Prinzivalli.
The winners, who will all receive a $1,000 prize, will be announced at an awards gala at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre on Jan. 25. At that time, the Public Choice Award will also be handed out. Viewers can vote for their favourite film on the festival’s website between Jan. 11 and 24.
With plenty of Canadian submissions on the list, the festival is also truly an international outing. Last year, films from 53 countries offered a window into diverse lives and experiences.
“Screening films from around the world is crucial as it provides a window into diverse cultures, traditions, and lifestyles, allowing audiences to experience and understand cultures beyond their own,” said Prinzivalli.
“It showcases unique narratives and storytelling styles not typically seen in mainstream media, offering representation to under-represented voices and diverse filmmakers.
“This inclusivity enriches the festival and fosters innovation by inspiring filmmakers with new ideas and techniques.”