The Bay Street Film Festival is continuing its tradition of showcasing local talent with nine Thunder Bay made films this year.
“The reason we created this festival was there wasn’t a venue to show our films, to show our local work,” said festival chair and local filmmaker Kelly Saxberg. “Really, our local work competes with anyone else in the world. That’s why we have this festival.”
The seventh annual Bay Street Film Festival runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 at the Finlandia Club; the schedule is packed with 42 films from 12 different countries.
“We’ve got films coming in from Germany, Spain, the U.K., all across Canada,” said onsite co-ordinator Gabriel Harpelle. “We’ve got American films, some Inuit films as well as some really good Aboriginal films.”
Opening the festival next Thursday evening is Saxberg’s Under the Red Star, a docu-drama about the story of Thunder Bay’s Finnish Labour Temple. It was shot in and around the city last summer and features 50 actors, more than 200 extras and a crew of 35 people.
Other local projects include Sticky Money, Chopsticks, Where on Earth is My Bike?, and Big Blue Row.
About nine out-of-town filmmakers will be attending the festival, including a 3D animator from Ubisoft.
“I think what really sets the Bay Street Film Festival apart from other film festivals in town is we make a point to make sure to bring filmmakers from out of town to Thunder Bay, not only just to show their films and introduce them to the population, but also to show them Thunder Bay,” said Harpelle.
“In the past, we’ve been able to make some good connections with filmmakers…they’ve helped us in our projects,” he added.
The festival also has films grouped together. Friday features short films and Finnish films. Saturday afternoon starts with family films followed by French movies and Sunday afternoon features Northern-themed films.
Also a first for the festival this year is popcorn.
“It’s going to be absolutely great,” said Harpelle. “People can come in, have some popcorn, watch some films and have a really great time.”
The festival starts Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. A session pass is $7 and a season pass is $20. For more information visit www.baystreetfilmfestival.ca.
