Kingston Canadian Film Festival facts for kids

Blaine Allan (Chair) and Brigitte Berman at KCFF '17 opening night

The Kingston Canadian Film Festival (KCFF) is a super fun event! It happens every year in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. This festival celebrates the very best movies made in Canada. It's actually the biggest festival that focuses only on Canadian feature films.

Imagine watching amazing new movies and meeting cool people! KCFF also offers workshops where you can learn about filmmaking. There are panels, live music, and even podcasts. Many special guests have visited, like Elliot Page, Gordon Pinsent, and Deepa Mehta. Actors from popular shows like Letterkenny and The Trailer Park Boys have also been there!

The Kingston Canadian Film Festival usually takes place in late February or early March. It's a charity, which means it helps support good causes. Marc Garniss is the Festival Director. Megan Sirett is the Associate Director. Jason Anderson picks the feature films. Blaine Allan leads the Board of Directors.

Discovering KCFF's Beginnings

The Kingston Canadian Film Festival started in 2001. A student named Alex Jansen from Queen's University created it. He was studying film at the time. The first festival lasted three days. It was held at the Screening Room Movie Theater. Alex was managing this theater back then.

The festival got help from "Moving Pictures: Canadian Films on Tour." Later, the Toronto International Film Festival Group took over helping. In 2002, the festival grew bigger. It added a second, larger place at Queen's University. More movies were shown, and the event lasted four days. This made it the largest festival just for Canadian feature films!

Key Moments in KCFF History

• In 2003, KCFF started its "Local Filmmaking Initiative." This program helps local filmmakers in Kingston. It supports them through the City of Kingston's Healthy Community Fund.
• In 2004, the festival used a fourth movie spot. It temporarily reopened the Princess Court Cinema.
• In 2005, Alison Migneault joined as Co-Director. The main festival location moved to the Empire Theatre. The event also became five days long.
• In 2006, Alison Migneault became the full Director. Alex Jansen moved to a consulting role. The festival also started a new program for Kingston's French-speaking community.
• In 2007, KCFF showed a special series of films. It celebrated 50 years of filmmaking by Canadian director Allan King.
• In 2008, the festival worked with Reel Canada. They brought film programs to high schools.
• In 2009, KCFF held a short film contest. It was called "10 Years, 10 Minutes." The winning team got $5,000 and help to make a short film. This film premiered at the 2010 festival.
• In 2010, the Kingston Canadian Film Festival turned 10! They showed the winning film from the contest. They also had a special screening of the silent film Carry On Sergeant!.
• In 2012, another silent film, Back to God’s Country, was shown at the Grand Theatre. More people attended the festival that year.
• In 2013, Oscar winner Mychael Danna (who scored Life of Pi) visited the festival.
• In 2014, more tickets were sold than ever before. Marc Garniss became the full-time Festival Director.
• In 2015, even more tickets were sold! The festival had a total audience of 5,750 people. Special showcases for young filmmakers were created. KCFF also started a program about music in films. Guests included Paul Spence and Greg Keelor.
• In 2016, ticket sales went up again! KCFF: Interactive started workshops for video game development. Guantanamo's Child: Omar Khadr won a special award. Many guests attended, including Scott Thompson and K Trevor Wilson.
• In 2017, the movie Operation Avalanche won the People's Choice Award.
• In 2018, Don't Talk To Irene won the People's Choice Award.
• In 2019, The Grizzlies won the People's Choice Award. Many special guests came, like Miranda de Pencier and Gerry Dee.
• In 2020, the festival was planned for March. But it had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In 2021, the festival was held completely online. You Will Remember Me / Tu te souviendras de moi and Beans won the People's Choice Award.