We kicked off our 18th year of the festival at the DARC Loop Space where over 60 filmmakers and enthusiasts attended the event. Attendees were treated to screenwriter pitches and some presentations by ACTRA, DARC, and new Ottawa Film Commissioner Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos.
The main attraction of the evening was the catch release for this year’s festival, “Escape”.
Deena, a first-time participant in the 60-day challenge had this to share:
“The festival kick-off was the perfect way to start this 60-day challenge journey. As a director, I was sure to bring some of my crew so we can all get acquainted with other filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, and festival runners because I think it's valuable to put faces to names and to meet our peers. Filmmaking is a collaborative effort so the more space we're allotted to make these connections, the better! Which is exactly what Digi60 is doing and doing it incredibly well at that. Personally, I had a few concerns and questions that I was hoping to get some guidance on during the kick-off and there were so many industry professionals in attendance that happily addressed them all! It's nice to know that the film scene in Ottawa is growing by having these established filmmakers help emerging filmmakers.”
— Deena A. Alsaweer, Emerging Director
Filmmakers now embark on a 60-day adventure to produce a film, from beginning to end, ahead of the screenings during the festival running December 16-18, 2022.
Hussain Dawwas, Digi60’s Film Studies Practicum Student, produced this video with highlights from the event.
Below are some photos of the event from Zac Emery Photography.
