Documentaries are the spotlights of the cinema toolkit. They have the power to highlight and expose social issues that have been exiled in the darkness. They have the ability to raise awareness and provide a voice to those who have been silenced. These issues aren’t always made famous in headlines or in the world of televised talking heads, but are nonetheless worthy of attention and action.
These films are explorers seeking out unknown worlds, which explains why audiences are drawn to them. They’re introductions to the shy but fascinating character hidden at the back of the party.
With that said, in a climate of tentpole films and a slew of digital content being thrown at us in haphazard fashion at home, it’s easy for the documentary to get lost in the mix. It’s hard for these passionate films to find their audience.
Krista English, the festival director for Peterborough’s ReFrame Film Festival, recognizes this issue, and with her love for the medium in tow, has made it her mission to guide these films and their causes into the light.
Forget the spotlight, Krista’s love and dedication to this 12-year journey is a lighthouse on a starless night and rocky seas.
It was with a friend that Krista launched the event after the fall of Optic Nerve, an experimental film festival that shut its doors in early-2000. The wake of the closure left Peterborough and its community without a filmic outlet to explore content that wouldn’t normally find its way to the downtown multiplex.
In their quest for understanding film festivals, they visited many others and studied how they were run and how they selected their films to ensure that they could create an event worthy of the town’s attention and the filmmakers’ passion.
12 years later, the ReFrame Peterborough International Film Festival is going strong, bringing thousands to town and featuring documentaries from filmmakers across the world. In fact, because of their immense contribution to tourism in Peterborough, ReFrame recently received the Peterborough Business Excellence Award in the tourism subcategory.
The event has not only brought the Peterborough community together, but has drawn 16-20% attendance from audience members who reside 100 miles away from town.
What’s most impressive is how the festival supports its filmmakers. Most have become somewhat of a business and industry, requesting submission fees from the filmmakers to fund and run the event. It’s a gambling process that can quickly eat up a filmmaker’s budget, as it doesn’t guarantee their chances of being featured in the festival. ReFrame, being a non-profit organization, has turned the tables on this approach.
Not only do they cover certain expenses for visiting filmmakers, but also they grant them with an honorarium for being selected and for screening their films.
Those familiar with the film festival market will know how rare this approach is. It’s almost unheard of, and ReFrame’s untraditional angle has become a point of pride for Krista and her festival. It’s a direction worthy of praise.
To showcase their dedication further, it should be noted that Krista and her collective watch every one of the films that are submitted. This year they received over 120 submissions. Not only do those films need to be watched, but also they need to be discussed, whittled down to a selection that the festival can accommodate, and arranged to suit the festival’s program for the year.
It’s a mind-boggling process of countless hours, and yet Krista and her team remain cool, levelheaded, and capable of putting together an event that has become a communal mainstay.
And audiences are recognizing Krista’s knack for quality. Many come to the festival because of how much care is taken in presenting curated content. Krista is adamant about this approach, as outlets like Netflix swarm audiences with content, but without providing them with a means to navigate through it all in detail.
Krista and her team work tirelessly to find material that means something, that is passionate about its message, and that introduces audiences to a cause they may never have been exposed to. The goal is to present viewers with a slate of films that are consistent in quality and purpose.
This upcoming year, the ReFrame Peterborough International Film Festival will be running from Friday, January 29 to Sunday, January 31. Their slate includes 60 films from across the world, but amazingly, almost half of their selection is Canadian content and some from Peterborough filmmakers.
As it is a non-profit organization, ReFrame thrives and appreciates the contribution made by volunteers and encourages the community to explore their website to find out how they can support the festival prior to attending. Those interested can volunteer their time or donate to ensure that the event can run and support its filmmakers.
More coverage on the ReFrame Peterborough International Film Festival will be featured as the event approaches.
For more information about donating, volunteering and attending, please visit http://reframefilmfestival.ca/