Making Connections, Making Community

Tammy Frick, Festival Director of Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival (1995 to present) gave a very inspiring key-note address about the history of the festival and its many partnerships and off-shoots that have developed over the years. She informed the audience that Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival was established in 1989 and many skeptics thought it would fail in a northern mining town. Today it is known as "Tiff's little sibling" all over the world in the film industry and is the fourth largest Film Festival in Canada. It is also heralded as "The people's festival" and has become a significant cultural, economic, and social institution in the City of Greater Sudbury attracting audiences and artists from all over Ontario and beyond. Film directors and actors comment that it is a festival where the audiences truly want to engage in discussion about the films and how they were made and are not there to just "stargaze".

But Cinéfest Sudbury wanted to be more than just another film festival. In 1992 it established the Northern Film Circuit (NFC) in an attempt to build audiences in Northern Ontario for Canadian and international film. The NFC began with only four members and was eventually used as a model for The Film Circuit, which was developed in partnership with the Toronto Film Festival Group and now operates in over 110 communities. Still a partner of the Festival, Film Circuit groups flock to Cinéfest each year to preview the best in Canadian and international films.

Tammy Frick also talked about the successful corporate sponsorships that have endured over the festival's lifetime and she told the audience that the festival has the least reliance on government funding (on a percentage basis) than any other film festival in Canada. Through some of these partnerships, a very successful off-shoot of Cinéfest was created called Music and Film in Motion (MFM). MFM is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to foster and promote the development of the music and film industries in Northern Ontario. It sponsors annual awards and can be credited with encouraging and promoting a vibrant film and music industry in Northern Ontario.

In 2003, Cinéfest introduced Industry Forum to the Festival's framework, an initiative that has since provided emerging and mid-career film artists with access to key film representatives, and invited partnerships between the Festival, industry and educational institutions. Since the introduction of Industry Forum, Cinéfest has established itself as a focal point for independent filmmakers, and programmers. While the Festival has a long history of presenting and supporting films that represent the output of Canada's independent film artists, Cinéfest Sudbury has also over the years extended significant support to its regional film artists. Through programs such as Northern Connections (introduced in 2003), a program which highlights the best and brightest of our regional film talent, and the CTV Best in Shorts Competition, which has awarded over $92,000 in cash prizes to up-and-coming regional film talent since it was established in 2001, the Festival has served as a place for regional artists to have their work seen and celebrated.

Another offshoot of Cinéfest Sudbury is the Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Sudbury Comedy Festival which started in 2007. The festival has grown since its first year and has brought in large name acts to Sudbury, such as Rick Mercer, Andrea Martin, Jerry Seinfeld and Steve Martin. It also offers a forum to nurture and promote Northern Ontario comics.

Cinéfest Sudbury has also expanded into the schools and worked with partners, such as the National Film Board of Canada, to bring in experts to help students from elementary to secondary school learn about all aspects of the industry, from make-up, costume and set design, to film direction and editing. There are annual awards given to student directed films and these films are now shown at other film festivals all over the world.

Tammy Frick emphasized the importance of networking and collaboration. She reminded the audience that it is much more efficient and cost effective to share or borrow resources than to create them from scratch.

Next time you think of Northern Ontario as just rocks, lakes, forests and mines, think again! It is a vibrant center for not only viewing international cinema, but now has the expertise and resources to support a growing film and television industry all over Northern Ontario, thanks to hard work, connections and partnerships that have indeed created an impressive cultural community.

Many Hands Make Light Work 

Presentation by Tannys Laughren, Executive Director, Northern Cancer Foundation

If anyone in Sudbury knows how to make connections and make community, it's Tannys Laughren.  Tannys describes herself as a "paid fundraiser for the past 3 years" but she also deserves credit for over 20 years as a volunteer fundraiser with LEAF, Celebrate Women, YWCA and the Northern Cancer Foundation (NCF) to name a few.  As well she has served as Executive Director at the Laurentian University Students' General Association, where she developed numerous events, ultimately of benefit to the students. 

As an example Tannys mentioned Celebrate Women, a signature fundraising event organized by CFUW-Sudbury and partners LEAF and YWCA.  Tannys represents LEAF on the Committee and she spoke of the critical importance of selecting the right author, ticket sales, astute targeting of publicity and use of the media.  Particularly she noted that the organizers are willing to change and even brought in a new partner, a women's barbershop chorus who sell tickets and who provide entertainment. 

Under her stewardship, the NCF prospers as a local charity.  Countless community partnerships have been formed with groups such as school children, miners, the Classic Cruisers club, and Angels in Pink who generate significant funds for research or for a specific project such as a PET Scan.  In addition, direct mail, literature and special events generate individual donors.  To recognize the bereavement suffered by donors at times, a special remembrance wall has been established.  

Tannys stressed the importance of people skills in a fundraiser given that people are at the core of success in this discipline, that is, exploration (sourcing donors and volunteers), cultivation (captivating their interest) and maintenance (keeping them).  

Exploration - Very interesting was the extent of research conducted on prospective and current donors, which can help in identifying synergies and with an approach for support especially for major gifts.  Use of Facebook to encourage engagement with causes has also been found to be very effective. 

Cultivation - Once identified, a prospective donor's or volunteer's interest needs to be cultivated, using tours, newsletters, personal meetings and promotion of one's cause.

Maintenance - Communication is the key to keeping donors and volunteers close to one's organization.  Use of e-mails, newsletters, reports, cards, thank you letters, invitations to other events among other initiatives are critical to retention of these important supporters. 

Tannys welcomed questions and the audience expressed great appreciation for her informative presentation.