October 11, 2017, Cambridge, ON – Celebrating excellence in independent filmmaking and a new focus on tech, the Grand River Film Festival (GRFF) is pleased to announce the 2017 MCAP SHORT Shorts finalists and Industry Day program.

Seven finalists from across the province were selected for this year’s shorts competition now in its 10th year. Finalist films will be screened throughout festival week paired with feature films, allowing greater exposure to this often overlooked format.

“Short films are a fantastic format for both the filmmaker and the audience,” said Paul Tortolo, Chair of Festival Program. “The challenge and art of telling a story in a 15 minute frame or less, produces exceptional films, and is a popular part of the annual GRFF program.”

2017 MCAP SHORT Shorts Finalists:

André the Anti-Giant by Kim Saltarski, Toronto

Break Room by Andy Hourahine, Paris

Drift by Mike Gallant, Toronto

Final Exam by Philippe Gosselin, Toronto

Happy Face Hill by Samantha Chalmers, Cambridge

Sahil by Salar Pashtoonyar, Toronto

What About Shelley by Kyle Reaume, Toronto

All finalists will receive an honorarium screening fee, GRFF swag bag, 2 All Access Passes to the festival and complimentary admission to Industry Day. Prize winners receive $750 thanks to sponsor MCAP.

The Industry Day event takes place Friday, October 27, 1-5pm at Communitech’s Tannery Event Centre in Kitchener. GRFF welcomes Colin McRae, Head of Development at Shopify Studios as the Keynote Speaker. McRae is an in-demand, international award-winning executive producer, director and content expert having worked for major media companies Bell and VICE, to starting his own company Vapr Media, and creating content for Red Bull Media House, NHL, NFL, Disney, MTV and many more.

Joining the panels are independent filmmakers Jason Butler of Subprod Productions, whose film First Round Down not only screened at GRFF in 2016, but also made the festival circuit rounds across North America and recently Dieppe, France; Trinni Franke award winning filmmaker and social media producer whose resume boasts Cineplex Front Row Centre, Union Pictures, Agency 71 and currently Willis Sweete Productions; Karam Masri program consultant for film and TV at the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC); and, Michael Meredith of RBC. Leading panel discussions is Samantha Clark, Publicity Manager at Communitech.

Featured at the Industry Day event will be the screening and awards presentation of this year’s winning MCAP SHORT Shorts films, culminating in a catered networking reception. Tickets are on sale now at https://grand-river-film-festival.myshopify.com Pricing is $15 general admission,

$10 students and seniors.

About Grand River Film Festival:

Founded in 20017, the Grand River Film Festival (GRFF) is committed to celebrate and inspire community through the shared experience of film. Featuring compelling documentaries, engaging shorts and premiere features, GRFF presents an integrated cultural experience. The festival encourages community involvement through a shared love for cinema by offering unique and diverse programming with creative community partnerships. The festival takes place each fall at venues throughout Waterloo Region (Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo).

Media Contact Tamara Louks Executive Director info@grff.ca

519-239-0710

www.grff.ca

September 20, 2017, Cambridge, ON – GRFF proudly announces its 2017 line-up featuring critically acclaimed films and a connection to the region’s tech hub, with the new tagline “Where Tech Meets Indie.”

The festival kicks off at Shopify in Waterloo on October 25th, with the screening of She Started It, a documentary focusing on women in tech. A panel of local female entrepreneurs will accompany the film to answer questions and provide insight on the topic.

“We’re very excited to be partnering with Shopify and screening this film,” said Kim Elworthy, Chair of the Board of Directors for GRFF. “Opening night represents the focus of this year’s festival; to celebrate the tech scene in the region while providing the community with compelling and entertaining indie films.”

This influence is also evident with the screenings of Geek Girls and Reengineering SAM, two films that take a look at how technology and new media are shaping the lives of two very different groups of people.

Though tech may be the focus of this year’s festival, GRFF continues to boast a well-rounded line-up. International films, Lost in Paris, a comedy from France, and Lucky, a USA drama, are two features that have drawn rave reviews from the likes of the Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Indiewire.

Hot Docs favourite, Integral Man, is an inspiring portrait about a man and his home, featuring Toronto’s Jim Stewart, the most published mathematician since Euclid, and a labour of love by Canadian director Joseph Clement.

GRFF’s closing film, Riverhead is the first feature length film from Newfoundland director Justin Oakey. His short Flankers received praise at TIFF in 2014 and his stylistic approach to filmmaking is a beautiful representation of his home province.

“This is a great opportunity for the region,” said Tamara Louks, GRFF’s Executive director. “These films share amazing stories and most people won’t get the chance to see them anywhere else.”

At GRFF, it’s more than just the film. Whether it’s director Q&A’s, panel discussions, exhibition tours or parties, GRFF attendees always get a little bit extra.

And at $15 a ticket, you don’t have to break the bank for a great night out.

For a complete schedule, access to trailers and to purchase tickets, please visit www.grff.ca.

About GRFF

Founded in 2007, the Grand River Film Festival (GRFF) is committed to celebrate and inspire community through the shared experience of film. Featuring compelling documentaries, engaging shorts and premiere features, GRFF presents an integrated cultural experience. The festival encourages community involvement through a shared love for cinema by offering unique and diverse programming with creative community partnerships. The festival takes place each fall at venues throughout Waterloo Region.

Media Contact

Cassady Louks Communications Assistant

Email: media@grff.ca        Cell: 226-821-1124

May 18, 2017, Cambridge, ON – The Grand River Film Festival (GRFF) launches its 11th season rolling out a number of initiatives to move the fest into the next decade of growth. GRFF spent its first 10 years building a fantastic reputation as a regional festival that supports local filmmakers and continually boasts a more than 50% Canadian programming lineup. As we continue to build upon the past successes, a standout is the MCAP SHORT Shorts Program which is now open for submissions. Our returning sponsor for the 5th year, MCAP is one of Canada’s largest independent mortgage financing companies, with over $61 billion in assets under administration. The company operates in two key lines of business: residential mortgages and commercial mortgages and construction loans.

GRFF excitingly announces their first VR Shorts program in addition to the Best Ontario Short Film and Best Waterloo Region Short Film. Content creators can submit by the regular deadline on June 2, 2017. GRFF is proudly partnering with the Waterloo chapter of Ctrl V (http://www.ctrlv.ca), Canada’s first virtual reality arcade. Ctrl V houses HTC Vive stations and alongside GRFF will be hosting experiences from our selection with an open range of content from games to short films. GRFF welcomes VR and AR projects that are up to 10 minutes in length and are creative and unique. Visit Film Freeway for more details and submit your work today! https://filmfreeway.com/festival/GrandRiverFilmFestival

Stay tuned as we introduce exciting new changes and opportunities for the festival and the Waterloo Region.

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About Grand River Film Festival:

The Grand River Film Festival is an annual festival dedicated to bringing bold, reflective and inspiring films to Waterloo Region (Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo) taking place October 25 – 28, 2017.

Media Contact

Emma Norton

905.580.7844

emma@evogage.com

www.grff.ca