In Alberta, we are used to waiting for smaller independent films to come to town, sometimes long after bigger centres have had their premieres. But necessity being the mother of invention, we are also used to taking things into our own hands to bring those films to local screens.
No other community demonstrates the power of one good idea to spiral into an entire cosmos of an art community than Reel Shorts in Grande Prairie.
Reel Shorts film festival is the Big Bang of media arts in the Peace Country. Founded in 2006, it started with the modest goal of bringing in a few short films to Grande Prairie, but since that first year, organizers found themselves not only showing films, but also running workshops for novice filmmakers and creating programs that train young artists. And the growth of those young artists eventually led to the creation of the Peace Region’s media arts co-op, PRIMAA, in 2013.
It is truly an international festival. This year, films come from all around the world: across Europe, South Africa, Australia, South America, China, Canada the United States and more, but they are also able to screen a fair number of films made by residents of Grande Prairie.
The first festival screened 38 films, but now it hosts more than 100 films, including work that was shot as part of Reel Shorts’ internship program and youth mentorship project. And before the festival begins on May 7, the festival brings some of the films and artists to school groups to nurture the next generation of filmmakers and film aficionados.
Reel Shorts educates media savvy audiences, trains artists, and screens their work. It has created a healthy media arts community in Grande Prairie, from the ground up.
