International Short Film Festival Reps Visit Toronto Film School: By Christopher Lane

Recently, the students and faculty at Toronto Film School were treated to a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of a major international film festival. Representatives from Orient Star Media’s Golden Panda International Short Film Festival (GPIFF) were at the Toronto Film School Dundas campus and offered up an exciting presentation, which included ways in which our students could participate.

I was pleased to host the event as I am one of the international judges for this prestigious festival. Other judges for the event hail from China, Great Britain, the United States and Europe to name a few.

Orient Star Media’s Marketing Coordinator, Nate Yu, explained the ins and outs and how to’s of participating in the festival then treated the students and faculty to several award-winning films from the past few GPIFF seasons, including the winning animated short “Seeker Wing” by Canada’s own Vancouver native Iris Moore.

I now have the pleasure of calling Iris a friend as I was able to meet with her and discuss further projects on our whirlwind cultural emersion trip to Beijing, China where I as a judge of the festival had the opportunity to join the winners of the 2015 GPIFF. This trip included many media stops, interview sessions, film presentations and a day hosted by China’s premiere film school the Beijing Film Academy. The presentation ended with a lovely Q & A session which obviously peaked our students’ interest as they surrounded our visiting guests at the conclusion with more inquiries.

Presentations like this and the many others that we provide our students with over their time at the Toronto Film School , really seem to hit home, invigorate and capture the imaginations of our students as they begin to truly realize the extent of the possibilities that their passions and hard work within this industry can afford them.

Christopher Lane is an instructor in the Film Production Diploma Program at Toronto Film School. He is a writer, producer and director who has been working in the film industry for more than 20 years.