Судбери қаласындағы халықаралық кинофестиваль

Film festival in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, also known as Cinéfest and Cinéfest Sudbury is an annual film festival in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, held over nine days each September. It is one of the largest film festivals in Canada. First held in 1989, Cinéfest quickly became a popular destination for Canadian filmmakers. In 2022, the festival's longtime executive director Tammy Frick was named the new chief executive officer of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. The festival's longtime managing director Patrick O'Hearn was named the new executive director of Cinéfest Sudbury following the departure of Tammy Frick. Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival will be celebrating its 36th edition September 14 22, 2024.

Patricia Rozema's I've Heard the Mermaids Singing was presented in Sudbury in 1988 at a special test screening. Planned as a onetime event, Sudbury was being used as a test market for alternative Canadian films in communities outside of Canada's top metropolitan markets. The result surprised everyone, with over 900 people attending the sold out screening. Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival was established a year later in 1989 as the Sudbury Film Festival, and despite some remaining skepticism, local citizens proved that the city could be receptive to repertory film culture, as approximately 9,000 cinema buffs crowded theatres during the three day event. Director Cameron Haynes noted that not even the Toronto International Film Festival had been as wildly popular in its first year of operation.

Constantly working to bring knowledge to the north, Cinéfest introduced Industry Forum to the Festival's framework in 2003, an initiative that has since provided emerging and mid career film artists with access to key film representatives, and invited partnerships between Festival, industry and educational institutions. Since the introduction of industry forum, Cinéfest has established itself as a focal point for independent filmmakers, and programmers. While the festival has a long history of presenting and supporting films that represent the output of Canada's independent film artists, Cinéfest Sudbury has also over the years extended significant support to its regional film artists. Through programs such as Northern Connections (introduced in 2003), a program which highlights the best and brightest of regional film talent, and the CTV Best in Shorts Competition, which has awarded over $92,000 in cash prizes to up and coming regional film talent since it was established in 2001, the festival has served as a place for regional artists to have their work seen and celebrated.

Since the overwhelming success of Cinéfest Sudbury in 2003, which saw 80 per cent of festival screenings either reach or exceed capacity, festival organizers have worked aggressively to ensure accessibility for its audiences. The Festival Expansion Initiative was developed and launched in 2004, through which the festival was expanded from six to nine days. A plan was also developed at that time to establish Cinéfest as a year round venue to showcase the best in film. In 2006, Cinéfest Sudbury introduced two new mini festivals, Canadian Spotlight and Show & Tell Children's Film Showcase). These events are now providing audiences with even greater access to the works of Canadian film artists and are providing area schools with educational and inspirational film works that meet the needs of each curriculum.

In 2010, Cinéfest Sudbury introduced The Cinema Summit, a presentation, exchange and development series devoted to the celebration, promotion and advancement of Canada's new and emerging filmmaking talent. Aside from expanding the number of film screenings attended by talent associated with selected films, Cinema Summit features additional panel discussions, master classes and lectures with specific topics of focus, and introduces attendees to experts in the film and media arts industries. Cinema Summit represents Cinéfest's next efforts to inspire audiences, talent, students and industry.

In 2010, Cinéfest Sudbury further expanded its year round presence by introducing the Cinéfest Sudbury Film Series, a monthly film presentation series typically held on the last Thursday of each month, featuring the best in Canadian and international cinema. The Cinéfest Sudbury Film Series has since been discontinued.

The Greater Sudbury Public Library maintains a dedicated "Cinéfest Collection", featuring DVDs of over 200 films that have previously screened at the festival.

At the end of 2021, Cinéfest Sudbury introduced the Red Carpet Patron Program, a subscription based program for dedicated festival fans to keep the spirit of Cinéfest alive all year long. The program initially presented four exclusive films throughout the year but, due to popular demand and praise, has since expanded to provide registered Red Carpet Patrons with complimentary popcorn and access to six exclusive films throughout the year.

Cinéfest currently boasts a nine day repertoire of film programming for local, national and international guests. Its lineup often includes a selection of prominent international films which may have screened at TIFF just a week or two earlier, but also places a greater emphasis on both commercial and independent Canadian films. Due to the Sudbury region's significant Franco Ontarian population, the festival also programs a larger selection of French language films from both Quebec and France. The festival is sometimes the world premiere venue for films that were produced or shot within Northern Ontario. In recent years, the festival has programmed a dedicated Cinema Indigenized stream of Indigenous Canadian films. Cinéfest also includes a Best in Shorts competition, sponsored by CTV Northern Ontario, for student and emerging filmmakers from Northern Ontario. Films are entered in one of three categories, Open, Student or Northern Flicks, and are screened at a dedicated event during the festival, with the winners and runners up in each category awarded cash prizes of $500, $750 or $1,250 depending on the category. Best in Shorts was suspended during the COVID 19 pandemic, but returned in 2023.