Earlier this week, the Airdrie Film Society announced they are bringing back the Airdrie Film Festival this September. 

The Festival will have a couple changes this year including a new venue at the Roxy Theatre and a Youth Challenge to submit their best 5-minute film.

The winners of last year's Airdrie Film Festival (Photo Courtesy: Mitch George)

While Kim Cheel with the society is excited about the festival, she knows that many filmmakers in the community don’t know what to do with their masterpiece.

“It’s one thing to have a vision and it’s another thing to be able to film it with everything that you need and it’s a completely different thing to be able to show it. I feel like sometimes artists in all the disciplines, they do something but then they go ‘what now? I’ve done this for myself but also for other people to see it’.”

With the recent success of short films including “Highway Patrolman” and the upcoming short “In Search Of Dandelions”, the hunger for top-notch film is evident in the city.

Cheel says events like the festival give a greater opportunity for other to show their work.

“In terms of film and local film, that’s what the film society wants to do is create that opportunity so that filmmakers can show their film to an audience and in this case to a panel of judges who can give their experienced, professional feedback.”

As much as the film community is growing in Airdrie, Cheel admits it does make things tough for the society and the festival which has only been around for less than two years.

“As the festival grows, ultimately we’d love to have a larger turnout and maybe two days of different showings. We’re in our second year, we have a very specific timeline from the Roxy. Yes, submit, submit, submit but then it does make it harder for us.”

For more details on the festival and the society, you can visit their official website.

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