These are certainly interesting times for Saskatchewan filmmakers. In the wake of everything that has happened in the industry over the past few years, it’s always encouraging to hear about a new crop of people making and showing new work. There’s usually a case to be made for optimism and, in this case, if anything says “optimistic” it’s a bunch of bright-eyed young things putting together a celebration of student film.
The Living Skies Student Film Festival is organized by students in the University of Regina’s Department of Film, and has been presenting selections of nascent brilliance for over twenty years. The event runs from tonight until Saturday (March 5 – 7) at the ShuBox Theatre in the Riddell Centre and features work from across Canada, the U.S., and the United Kingdom. A special guest this year is Regina native Gabe Hordos, who works with animation powerhouse Dreamworks in Los Angeles, and was the supervising animator on How to Train Your Dragon. He’ll be giving a presentation tonight at 7pm (followed by a screening of the film) and another talk on Saturday afternoon. Local filmmaker and UofR alumnus Adrian Dean (creator of the popular CityTV Saskatchewan children’s series Doowett), will present a 2-D animation workshop on Friday. And the whole thing wraps up with a party and awards presentation (complete with red carpet) on Saturday night.
ShuBox Theatre, University of Regina Riddell Centre, 3737 Wascana Pkwy
All screenings and talks are free.
Tickets for the Saturday night awards gala are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.
For more info and a full schedule, check out the festival’s website: http://lsfilmfest.com/
