FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival (known as The Atlantic International Film Festival until 2017) is a major international film festival 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 ''Wildhood'' is a 2021 Canadian coming-of-age romantic drama film, written, produced, and directed by Bretten Hannam.Steve Gow"Nova Scotia's film industry restarts with 'Wildhood'" ''Halifax Today'', August 25, 2020. An expansion of Hannam's ear ...

'' won several awards including Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director. The "Reel East Coast Shorts" Gala program held the premiere of ''

Nalujuk Night ''Nalujuk Night'' is a Canadian short documentary film, directed by Jennie Williams and released in 2021. The film documents the tradition of "Nalujuk Night" among Inuit of Nunatsiavut, an annual event in which Nalujuit—"startling figures that ...

'', 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) p ...

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 Taylor Olson is a Canadian actor, writer and filmmaker from Halifax, Nova Scotia.Morgan Mullin"Trapped inside a Bone Cage" ''The Coast'', September 22, 2020. He is best known as the director, writer and lead actor of the 2020 film ''Bone Cage' ...

's feature film directorial debut ''

Bone Cage ''Bone Cage'' is a 2020 Canadian drama film written and directed by Taylor Olson. Adapted from play of the same name by Catherine Banks, the film stars Olson as Jamie, a forestry worker whose ethical conflicts about participating in clearcutting, ...

'' 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 The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...

, where it was announced as the winner of the

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

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 at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards in 2020.

2018

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 Shelley Thompson (born March 9, 1959) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her character Barbara Lahey on the hit mockumentary program ''Trailer Park Boys''. Biography Born in Calgary, Alberta, Shelley trained at RADA in London and w ...

was awarded Best Short and "Grace" by

was the runner up. Shelley Thompson won Best Actress for ''Splinters'' and

awarded Best Actor for ''Hopeless Romantic''.

2017

Black Cop ''Black Cop'' is a Canadian drama film, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.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, Mario ...

'', ''Manchester by the Sea'', '' Paterson'', ''

Toni Erdmann Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name. In Spanish, Italian, Croatian and Finnish, it is a masculine given name used as a short form of the names derived from Antonius like Antonio, Ante or Anttoni. In Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegia ...

'', '' 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 Roaming is a wireless telecommunication term typically used with mobile devices, such as mobile phones. It refers to a mobile phone being used outside the range of its native network and connecting to another available cell network. Technical ...

'', the first film produced through Telefilm Canada's First Feature Program, '' The Disappeared'', and

Paul-Émile d'Entremont Paul Émile d'Entremont is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, best known for his 2012 film about LGBT refugees, '' Last Chance''.Last Chance''.

2011

''Charlie Zone'' won Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director (Michael Melski) and Thom Fitzgerald'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 prec ...

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

Adam Sinclair Adam Antony Sinclair (born 29 February 1984) is an Indian field hockey player and athlete from Tamil Nadu. Among other leading sporting events he was a member of the Indian field hockey team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and at the 20 ...

, Kristin Kreuk and Famke Janssen, were in attendance. The opening film was ''Rollertown'', the closing film was Mike Clattenburg's '' Afghan Luke'', and the CBC Shorts Gala featured short films by

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 ...

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'' won Best Atlantic Feature and Jason Eisener received the award for Best Editing for his short film ''

Treevenge ''Treevenge'' is a 2008 List of Christmas films, Christmas Horror film, horror short film written and directed by Jason Eisener, and produced by Yer Dead Productions. Shooting started in November 2007, and ended in February 2008. Post-production w ...

''.

2007

The opening film was ''

Shake Hands With The Devil ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' may refer to: * ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' (1959 film), American drama set in 1921 Ireland * ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' (album), Kris Kristofferson 1979 release on Monument Records * ''Shake Hands with the ...

'' and ''

The Bodybuilder and I ''The Bodybuilder and I'' is a 2007 feature-length documentary film written and directed by Bryan Friedman, taking viewers on a journey into the subculture of geriatric bodybuilding as the filmmaker tries to reconnect with his father. The film is ...

'' was named best Canadian documentary.

2006

The opening film was '' The Journals of Knud Rasmussen'', directed by Zacharias Kunuk, and the closing film was Susanne Bier's '' After the Wedding''.

2005

The opening film was ''

3 Needles ''3 Needles'' is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. The title refers to the three main characters who make a deal with the Devil in order to survive a global epidemic. The plot deals with interwoven stories of persons around ...

'', directed by Thom Fitzgerald, and Jason Eisener'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.

2003

The opening film was '' The Event'', directed by Thom Fitzgerald.

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: B ...

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
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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

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 the United States
2016/2017:

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...

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 territorie ...

{{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 southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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 France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

2006:

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