Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival

Posted by RJ at 11/7/2007 7:47 PM and is filed under Cultural,Entertainment,news,Internet
Every November, the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival (WAFF) showcases 4 days of indigenous film and video drawn from across Canada, the U.S. and the world. WAFF’s mission is to raise awareness of Aboriginal film and video artistry as well as promote the media arts industry as a career path to youth. In keeping with this mandate, WAFF especially encourages younger Aboriginal filmmakers to submit their work. They invite you to join them in a discussion of the issues raised by these films and videos, and in celebrating Aboriginal film and video making!

The first WAFF had its roots in an Aboriginal Speakers Series hosted by the University of Winnipeg’s Politics Department in 2001. Involving inner-city schools, adult education centers, and youth agencies, series organizers looked to both raise awareness about Aboriginal issues and help break down barriers to Aboriginal youth attending university. This led to talk of expanding the series into a full-fledged film festival, something that quickly grew beyond the scope of the Politics Department. The response and support for the inaugural Festival was extremely positive. Thanks to the efforts of a committed band of volunteers, the first-ever WAFF launched in 2002 and continues to grow in scale and scope.

A community event that sprang into being on the campus of the University of Winnipeg (still a major supporter), WAFF now includes many more partners – all helping to ensure the continuing success of the now-annual Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival.

As of 2007, WAFF is a member of the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA), a non-profit, national arts service organization representing over 80 independent film, video, and new media production, distribution, and exhibition organizations, including over 12,000 independent media artists and cultural workers.

The Festival is an equally proud member of NIMAC, or the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition, made up of a growing number of cultural festivals, collectives, new practices, and Indigenous media artists and organizations. Its three core activities are indigenous community development, communications and networking.

Click here to visit the website for more information.

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