Photo by Rachel Lando

DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE

Welcome to our 7th Annual Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth!

This year we celebrate our 7th year and are delighted that you are joining us – whether you’ve been with us from our very first Festival in 1999, or are joining us for the first time. From a huge collection of worthy contenders, our Selection Committee and Youth Advisory Board have once again come up with a fabulous slate. Filmmakers, actors, and some of the people profiled in our films will be here to enliven and enrich the experience.

For the Festival, getting older also means growing and finding new friends. We have teamed up with three other Canadian festivals: DOXA Documentary Film & Video Festival, Moving Pictures: Canadian Films on Tour, and Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois et francophoneto present the Opening Night screening of the documentary Weird Sex and Snowshoes: a Trek through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche. This accessible and engaging introduction to Canadian cinema furthers our goal of broadening our young audience’s enjoyment and appreciation of film.

This year we have made a few discoveries, uncovered some hot issues, and brought an old favourite back. There is something for everyone, from the crowd pleasing Canadian film School of Life, which features local rising star Ryan Reynolds; the German feature My Brother Is a Dog, based on the book by well loved author Thomas Springer; the Swedish film Capricciosa, that gives a human face to the monster of alcoholism; and Long Live the Queen, a wonderful film from Holland that has won numerous awards worldwide.  Documentaries continue to be a highlight of the Festival. This year we are fortunate to have two NFB documentaries that take an innovative approach to making films that appeal to youth: XS Stress: Teens Take Control and Inuuvunga: I am Inuk, I am Alive. We are also excited to present the widely acclaimed local documentary 100% Woman.

We welcome you to join those who support the Festival in both our annual and year-round programs. Without financial and in-kind support from so many individuals and organizations, we would be unable to continue the work we do to bring these films to you, our appreciative audience.

My personal thanks to our new and continuing Board members, our dedicated volunteers, and our creative and committed staff members, all of who make the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth possible.

Venay Felton
Executive Director