The Ottawa International Film Festival is back for its fourth-year edition. This year, the festival will include an opening night party, nine film screenings, a music video challenge, and a new component – a conference with one of the directors. It will be hosted from Oct. 2-6 in the Empire Theatres at the World Exchange Plaza.
The conference will take place with Antoine Graber, director of the documentary, “It’s All About Me,” who will participate in a Q & A. This will give the audience an opportunity to ask questions about the filmmaking process and the inspirations for films.
The festival, organized by a volunteer-run organization, will include short films – “The Game Changer,” directed by Peter Dillon and Sally Clelford, and “Bliss,” by Amanda Sage – narrative features – “Crook,” directed by Adrian Langley and Robert Menzies, and “Penthouse North,” directed by Joseph Ruben, and documentaries – “Fire in the Blood,” by Dylan Gray, and more.
On the last night of the festival, the music video challenge will take place. There will be talented local musicians and filmmakers who will submit their music videos, which will then be judged by a panel of judges, which have yet to be announced.
Previous judges have included Jen Traplin of Live 88.5, Peter Simpson from the Ottawa Citizen, and Bill Welychka, explains Lina Seto, Public Relations of the OIFF.
The top submissions will be screened for a live audience. This year the Music Video Challenge will be screened at the Mansion Nightclub on Sunday, October 6, 2013.
Nina Bains, founder of the festival, now executive director OIFF, says she originally created the boxcART Film Festival in 2009 to promote Ottawa filmmakers. The first year, there were only five film contributors, and the following year, there were 19 contributors. When Bains noticed Ottawa was such a creative city with inspired filmmakers, she decided to create something bigger for the filmmakers, where they could show off their hard work to the public.
“Films that are made in Ottawa prove to be a big attraction, people want to see their friends, or friends of friends, or neighbours of friends on the big screen! It’s exciting to see landmarks that you recognize, and I think in the end, there is a lot of support by residents for local films, and as an independent film festival, that’s great to see,” says Bains.
Bains says they had immense interest from filmmakers from all around the world this year and she is eager to show Ottawa what some of the world’s brightest filmmakers have in story for OIFF 2013.
The festival will be open to the public as of Oct. 2. Single tickets are being sold for $10 and full festival passes are $75. The full passes will allow people access to the opening party, all of the screenings, receptions, and the music video challenge.