On Wednesday, local MPP Andrea Khanjin and Doug Jure were at the Galaxy Cinemas to formally congratulate the team at the Barrie Film Festival (BFF) on the work that’s been done over the last few years as a result of two grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) totalling $102,500. Remarks took place before the screening of ‘Living’, starring Bill Nighy, recently nominated for the Best Actor Oscar.
“Our government is proud to fund and support the Barrie Film Festival; a key organization in our city that has been connecting our residents and visitors to culture, heritage and arts since 1995,” said Andrea Khanjin, MPP for Barrie-Innisfil. “The Seed Grant of $52,500 and the Community Building Fund of $50,000 has allowed the BFF to continue to do what they do best, which is delivering unique experiences and programs to the people of Barrie and surrounding area, like tonight’s film screening of “Living” by Oliver Hermanus.”
In 2019, the BFF received a one-year, $52,500 Seed grant from OTF to study methods of delivering film-related student programming. Due to the pandemic, work was paused for some time, and was only able to conclude last year. The student education research project reduced its initial scope and expectations, but thanks to the OTF grant, the BFF now has more insight into where beneficial additions can be made to strengthen the already highly successful Barrie Film Festival’s curriculum-linked student programme. This has provided invaluable connections and knowledge as the BFF builds out extended offerings to best use film-based media to facilitate children learning.
The BFF’s second grant was a $50,000 Community Building Fund grant from the Government of Ontario and OTF, awarded in 2021. The focus of this grant was to assist with key operating costs, greatly contributing to the Barrie Film Festival’s 2022 programming, allowing the restart of year-round, in-person activities through its established series and annual festivals. Last year, the BFF had 73 public screenings and events at multiple venues, as well as public outdoor spaces, compared to 2021 which had limited in-person activities and most screenings were primarily online.
"The impact of the Operating stream Ontario Trillium Foundation grant cannot be overstated,” said Claudine Benoit, Executive Director of the Barrie Film Festival. “This funding was essential for current and long term sustainability by helping us regain some momentum, reduce risk, rebuild sponsorship programs and outreach. It allowed us to reconnect with audiences, increase volunteer opportunities, broaden diverse community partnerships, and present Canadian, local, as well as international work on the big screen. We also want to congratulate the Ontario Trillium Foundation on 40 years of granting and building healthy and vibrant communities across the province.”
The Barrie Film Festival is a not-for-profit organization that provides film fans unique experiences through year-round programming, for more information please visit www.barriefilmfestival.ca
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations celebrates 40 years of grantmaking in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities. Last year, OTF invested nearly $209M into 2,042 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
