FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival (known as The Atlantic International Film Festival until 2017) is a major international

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

held annually in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

since 1980. FIN is the largest Canadian film festival east of Montreal, regularly premiering the region's top films of the year, while bringing the best films of the fall festival circuit to Atlantic Canada.

Events

FIN holds multiple events throughout the year. FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival is an 8-day event, screening films from Canada and around the world, and showcasing Atlantic Canadian films and artists. During the first three days of the Festival, FIN simultaneously runs FIN Partners, an international co-production and co-financing market focusing on narrative feature film and series, which brings together producers and industry decision-makers from Canada and around the world. In the spring, FIN holds FIN Kids (formerly ''Viewfinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth''), a touring event designed to engage, entertain, and educate young people. FIN Outdoor, (formerly ''Outdoor Film Experience'') is FIN's outdoor summer film series held in various locations across the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Attendance

The 2005 festival experienced a 24 per cent attendance increase from the previous year with 29,400 in overall attendance, including 28 sold-out screenings and events. In 2007 attendance was up 18 per cent over 2006, with a record-setting 33,500 people taking part in the 27th annual event.

Awards, Premieres, and Gala Screenings

2021

The opening night film '' Wildhood'' won several awards including Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director. The "Reel East Coast Shorts" Gala program held the premiere of '' Nalujuk Night'', which won the

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series ...

for Best Short Documentary at the

10th Canadian Screen Awards The 10th Canadian Screen Awards were held on April 10, 2022, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media production in 2021.Etan Vlessing"Maitreyi Ramakrishnan to Receive Canadian Screen Awards Special Honor" ''The Hollyw ...

in 2022.

2020

Taylor Olson's feature film directorial debut '' Bone Cage'' won Best Atlantic Feature & Cinematography for Kevin Fraser. Olson won Best Director and Screenwriting, and his short film "Inceldom, or Why Are the Angry Men Angry" won Best Atlantic Short.

2019

'' Murmur'' by Heather Young won Best Atlantic Feature, Director, Screenplay & Cinematography. The film had its premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was announced as the winner of the FIPRESCI Discovery Prize. It went on to win the Grand Jury prize at the

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival takes place in Park City, Utah, in late January and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization, which als ...

, and the

John Dunning Best First Feature Award The John Dunning Best First Feature Award is a special Canadian film award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the year's best feature film by a first-time film director. Under the earlier names Claude Jutra Award and Ca ...

at the

8th Canadian Screen Awards The 8th annual Canadian Screen Awards were originally scheduled to be held on March 29, 2020, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2019.An Audience of Chairs ''An Audience of Chairs'' is a film directed by Deanne Foley and written by Rosemary House. It is adapted from the book by Joan Clark. It stars Carolina Bartczak as Maura, a beautiful woman suffering from mental illness. The film was theatrically ...

'' won Best Atlantic Feature, as well as Best Director (

Deanne Foley Deanne Catherine Foley is a Canadian director, writer and producer. She has directed both narrative and documentary films of feature and short length. Her films often centre around flawed female leads and are usually filmed in Atlantic Canada. S ...

). "Duck Duck Goose" by Shelley Thompson was awarded Best Short and "Grace" by Taylor Olson was the runner up. Shelley Thompson won Best Actress for ''Splinters'' and Taylor Olson awarded Best Actor for ''Hopeless Romantic''.

2017

Black Cop won Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director (

Cory Bowles Cory Bowles (born August 27, 1973) is a Canadian actor, director and choreographer. He is best known for his portrayal of Cory in the series ''Trailer Park Boys''. Life and career Bowles was born in Montreal, Quebec and raised in Truro, Nova Sc ...

2016

''Maudie'' was awarded Best Atlantic Feature, the Audience Award was won by ''Moonlight'', and Ashley McKenzie won Best Director for ''Werewolf''. This year's other selections included ''Weirdos'', ''Theatre Of Life'', ''

It's Only the End of the World ''It's Only the End of the World'' (french: Juste la fin du monde) is a 2016 drama film written, edited and directed by Xavier Dolan. The film is based on the play of the same name by Jean-Luc Lagarce and stars Gaspard Ulliel, Nathalie Baye, M ...

'', ''Manchester by the Sea'', '' Paterson'', '' Toni Erdmann'', '' The Salesman'', ''Perfume War'', and ''Exit Thread''.

2015

'' Across the Line'' (Titled ''Undone'' at the time of the festival) was awarded Best Atlantic Feature.

2014

'' Cast No Shadow'' was awarded Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director (Christian Sparkes) with Percy Hynes White winning the David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance by an actor.

2013

''There Are Monsters'' was awarded Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director (Jay Dahl).

2012

'' Blackbird'' was awarded Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director (

Jason Buxton Jason Buxton is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed three short films, ''A Fresh Start'', ''The Garden'' and ''The Drawing'', before debuting his first full-length feature film, '' Blackbird'', in 2012.Roaming'', the first film produced through Telefilm Canada's First Feature Program, '' The Disappeared'', and Paul-Émile d'Entremont's documentary '' Last Chance''.

2011

''Charlie Zone'' won Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director (Michael Melski) and

Thom Fitzgerald Thomas "Thom" Fitzgerald (born July 8, 1968) is an American-Canadian film and theatre director, screenwriter, playwright and producer. Life Fitzgerald was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. His parents divorced when he was five years ol ...

's ''

Cloudburst A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. Cloudbursts can quickly dump large amounts of water, e.g. 25 mm of pre ...

'' won the People's Choice Audience Award. A number of high-profile actors, including

Brenda Fricker Brenda Fricker (born 17 February 1945) is an Irish actress, whose career has spanned six decades on stage and screen. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television roles. In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Awar ...

, Billy Boyd, Adam Sinclair,

Kristin Kreuk Kristin Laura Kreuk (; born December 30, 1982) is a Canadian actress. Debuting on teen drama '' Edgemont'', she became most known for her roles as Lana Lang in the superhero television series ''Smallville'' (2001–2011), also as Catherine Chan ...

and

Famke Janssen Famke Beumer Janssen (; born ) is a Dutch actress. She played Xenia Onatopp in '' GoldenEye'' (1995), Jean Grey / Phoenix in the ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2014), and Lenore Mills in the ''Taken'' film trilogy (2008–2014). In 2008, she ...

, were in attendance. The opening film was ''Rollertown'', the closing film was

Mike Clattenburg Mike Clattenburg is a Canadian television and film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known as creator, executive producer, writer and director of the TV comedy series ''Trailer Park Boys'' (2001–2008), for his work with '' This ...

's ''

Afghan Luke ''Afghan Luke'' is a 2011 Canadian war drama film directed by Mike Clattenburg. The central character, Luke Benning (Nick Stahl), is a journalist investigating the possible mutilation (by Canadian snipers) of corpses in Afghanistan, a country that ...

'', and the CBC Shorts Gala featured short films by

and Christian Sparkes.

2010

Films that were screened included Bruce McDonald's ''

Trigger Trigger may refer to: Notable animals and people ;Mononym * Trigger (horse), owned by cowboy star Roy Rogers ;Nickname * Trigger Alpert (1916–2013), American jazz bassist * "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), American gangster ;Surname * Bru ...

'', Evan Kelly's debut feature '' The Corridor'', and Paul Andrew Kimball's debut feature ''Eternal Kiss''.

2009

The opening film was '' Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day''.

2008

Down to the Dirt ''Down to the Dirt'' is a 2008 Canadian film based upon Newfoundland author Joel Thomas Hynes' first novel of the same name. The movie was shot largely in Newfoundland. It won two awards at the Atlantic Film Festival, one for the best feature fi ...

'' won Best Atlantic Feature and

Jason Eisener Jason Eisener is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, editor and director. Life and career ''Grindhouse'' faux trailer contest and ''Hobo with a Shotgun'' (2007 - 2011) In 2007, Eisener entered and won the '' Grindhouse'' fake trailer contest hos ...

received the award for Best Editing for his short film '' Treevenge''.

2007

The opening film was '' Shake Hands With The Devil'' and '' The Bodybuilder and I'' was named best Canadian documentary.

2006

The opening film was ''

The Journals of Knud Rasmussen ''The Journals of Knud Rasmussen'' is a 2006 Canadian-Danish film directed by Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn. The film is about the pressures on traditional Inuit shamanistic beliefs as documented by Knud Rasmussen during his travels across the C ...

'', directed by

Zacharias Kunuk Zacharias Kunuk ( iu, ᓴᖅᑲᓕᐊᓯ ᑯᓄᒃ, born November 27, 1957) is a Canadian Inuk producer and director most notable for his film '' Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner'', the first Canadian dramatic feature film produced entirely in Inu ...

, and the closing film was

Susanne Bier Susanne Bier (; born 15 April 1960) is a Danish filmmaker. She is best known for her feature films '' Brothers'' (2004), '' After the Wedding'' (2006), ''In a Better World'' (2010), and '' Bird Box'' (2018), and the TV miniseries ''The Night Man ...

's '' After the Wedding''.

2005

The opening film was '' 3 Needles'', directed by

, and

's short ''The Teeth Beneath'' premiered.

2004

The opening film was ''

Wilby Wonderful ''Wilby Wonderful'' is a 2004 comedy-drama film directed by Daniel MacIvor, and starring James Allodi, Maury Chaykin, Paul Gross, Rebecca Jenkins, Sandra Oh, Elliot Page, Callum Keith Rennie, and Daniel MacIvor. ''Wilby Wonderful'' tells the story ...

'', directed by

Daniel MacIvor Daniel MacIvor (born July 23, 1962) is a Canadian actor, playwright, theatre director, and film director. He is probably best known for his acting roles in independent films and the sitcom '' Twitch City''. Personal MacIvor was born in Sydney, No ...

2003

The opening film was ''

The Event ''The Event'' (stylized as THE EVƎNT) is an American television series containing elements of science fiction, action/adventure and political allegory. It was created by Nick Wauters and aired on NBC from September 20, 2010 to May 23, 2011. ...

'', directed by

FIN Partners

FIN Partners (formerly known as "Strategic Partners") is an annual international film co-production market, held in Halifax,

. The event has been held annually since its inception in 1998, and is held simultaneously with the first three days of the Atlantic Film Festival. The 25th edition of the event will take place in September 2022. Every year, the FIN Partners organizers accept a robust and curated roster of delegates from around the world, in a bid to provide a 'one-stop shop' for film and TV producers and early-stage projects. Similar in format to International Film Festival Rotterdam's Cinemart, the European Film Market's co-production forum, and Independent Film Week's No Borders, FIN Partners is Canada's premiere film and television co-production event. While the event attracts a strong core attendance from Canada, the US and the UK, it also focuses on an annual group of spotlight countries.

Spotlight countries

2020/2021:

Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico- economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and

the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

2018/2019:

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

the Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

, and

2016/2017: Nordic countries and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

{{cite news, title=HBO Nordic executive to deliver Strategic Partners keynote, url=http://www.screendaily.com/news/hbo-nordic-executive-to-deliver-strategic-partners-keynote/5119443.article?blocktitle=LATEST-NEWS-HEADLINES&contentID=40080, access-date=July 10, 2017, publisher=Screen Daily, date=June 26, 2017
2014/2015:

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

and the

2013:

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

2012:

and the

2011:

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and Australia
2009:

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

2008:

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

2007:

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

2006: Australia,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

2005:

2004:

References

External links

FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival Official Website
Film festivals in Nova Scotia Festivals in Halifax, Nova Scotia Film festivals established in 1980 1980 establishments in Nova Scotia