About the Festival
The inaugural TORONTO STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL was held on April 6 and 7, 2006 to sell-out crowds. Tickets were only $5 each, with two day Festival Passes only $8. Mistress of Ceremonies for both evenings was actress Meredith Henderson. Former star of the hit youth series, “The Adventures of Shirley Holmes,” Meredith also played Shania twain in the 2005 TV movie about Shania’s life.
The first night featured a “Top 25 Nominee Showcase” of films from a wide range of genres, including animation, documentary and mock-u-mentary, drama and comedy. There was also a special screening of the dark comedy about growing up, “choke,” programmer’s pick at the Palms Springs International Film Festival, and a special presentation by CitizenShift, a National Film Board of Canada web site initiative dedicated to citizen engagement and social change.
The program for the second night, April 7, featured the actual awards for achievement in overall film production (1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes), editing, direction, and screenplay. In addition, there were special screenings of a number of relevant films, including “Pretty Dresses,” a brief docu-drama created by young Acholi youths living in the slums of Kampala, which tells the story of the devastating Ugandan war and “The Forgotten Ones,” a 45 minute sci-fi thriller and unique collaboration: scripted by students at Montreal’s Summit School for children with emotional and intellectual disabilities and professionally shot and edited by Quietus Films.
In 2007, the Festival was expanded and three new award categories were added: the People’s Choice Award, which was awarded by audience voting, the CitizenShift Film with Impact Award, given to a filmmaker who told a compelling story of social importance to today’s society, and the Founder’s Award, given as special recognition by the festival founders. Due to the exceptional quality of film submissions by students not yet in secondary (high) school, the festival also awarded a Youth Achievement Award to a young filmmaker.
In 2009 it was decided to allow any student 21 years of age or younger to enter, regardless if they were in High School or not.
