Blue Mountain Film Festival announces 3-day creative forum

The Blue Mountain Film Festival's executive and artistic director Helen du Toit has unveiled the first four of the festival's inaugural Creative Forum's six fascinating sessions.

Sound design, genre disruption, production design, eco-activism, and directing will all be discussed at length during the forum's three and a half days. Every panelist will be a significant figure in the film and television industry, with the goal of increasing the creative potential across all genres and platforms. The Niagara Escarpment provides a beautiful backdrop for the numerous networking possibilities that will be available at the conference.

"In our first year, we are thrilled to offer such a rich program to the film community. Additional benefits include access to BMFF's private parties and networking events, which allow equal opportunity for industry professionals and film connoisseurs," remarked du Toit. “We believe the Blue Mountains are the ideal location for our visitors to engage with each other as well as with the natural world. It would not have been possible to bring the Creative Forum to reality without the generous support of our Creative Forum sponsors: DGC Ontario; Sutton Entertainment; just in case; Toronto Film School; and Telefilm Canada and Canada Media Fund,” he further added.

In the first Creative Forum session, Jane Tattersall (Halo, Vikings: Valhalla) and Sheila Hockin (The Handmaid's Tale, Halo) will discuss the art of sound. Tattersall will explore how she uses sound in post-production to create enchantment, while Hockin will speak about the importance of teamwork and the role she plays in award-winning productions.

Danis Goulet (Night Raiders, Barefoot) and Nyla Innuksuk (Slash/Back, Kajutaijuq) are the writers and directors of the forum's Female Genre Mash-Up. These avant-garde filmmakers will discuss what it is like to stray away from the accepted canon of conventional cinematic storytelling.

Creative Producing in a Destabilized Industry will be led by prolific producer Dan Bekerman (The Witch, Falling). Allison Black (Giant Little Ones, Mean Dreams), Shant Joshi (Porcupine Lake), Karen Harnisch (Sleeping Giant), and Jennifer Podemski (Moccasin Flats, Empire of Dirt) are among the top creative producers invited to participate in an in-depth discussion about the challenges and rewards of a producer's fight for their artistic vision while working within the system.

Film and Eco-Activism will wrap up the Creative Forum with a showing of Into the Weeds and an extended Q&A. In the wake of a terminal cancer diagnosis, a groundskeeper decides to take on a multinational agrochemical firm in this documentary. There will be a special guest to explore the difficult terrain of environmental activism with director Jennifer Baichwal (Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, Manufactured Landscapes).

On May 6, along with the film selection, the last two Creative Forum sessions will be announced.

The Creative Forum of the BMFF will run from June 1 to 5 and will take place over the first four days of the festival. Tickets and lodging packages for the Creative Forum can be purchased online. Early reservations at the Blue Mountain Resort are recommended for anyone planning to attend. Tickets for the festival can be purchased online at Bluemtnfilmfest.ca.

The festival features 25 foreign films, a three-and-a-half-day Creative Forum, concerts, and parties over the course of five days. It is also backed by Blue Mountain Resort, Bruce Grey Simcoe, Bruce Grey Simcoe, and the Town of the Blue Mountains, as well as Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund, and Ontario's Government.