AIFF Filmmaker Lab: A Formula for Success!
2023 AIFF Filmmaker Lab Cohort X Festival Formula
The AIFF Filmmaker Lab is a talent development program has become an important pathway for Atlantic Canadian writers, directors and producers to access the knowledge and connections they need to get their work wide exposure. It provides the fertile ground and critical engagement necessary to cultivate artistic identity, immersing participants in a community that values experimentation, challenges conventions, and celebrates the power of independent vision.
For the third year, the AIFF Filmmaker Lab welcomes back Katie and Ian Bignell as consulting festival strategists!
As strategists at UK-based Festival Formula, Katie has played a crucial role in the lab by sharing their vast expertise in the international festival ecosystem. Passionate about discovering new voices, they bring not just a high resolution knowledge of what each and every festival is looking for, but a spirit of openness to experimentation and a generosity towards beginning filmmakers.
“A film hasn’t been finished, until it has been seen”
With a particular focus on social media campaign management for creative projects, Katie, the founder of Festival Formula, has herself worked for a wide array of festivals, including East End Film Festival and the London Comedy Film Festival, where she was the Head of Social Media from 2013 to 2016. She also helped create and implement the social media campaign for SKATE at Somerset House several years in a row. In addition she has advised and consulted on multiple successful crowdfunding projects (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, WeFund) for film & theatre projects, and has run campaigns for several debut feature films, for which she would later create and implement festival strategies.
Even in a program that is full of opportunities for learning and networking, Katie and Ian’s consultations with filmmakers are consistently rated a highlight of the AIFF Filmmaker Lab.
Each year before coming to Halifax they screen the submissions, develop a tailored festival plan, and then meet one-on-one with the filmmakers in person to consult on submission strategy. Every film is considered for theme, style and content, with care and attention to detail that is lacking in our brisk world of content. As a filmmaker, it’s rare to have such knowledgeable, generous and delightful people consult on your film, and an opportunity not to be missed!
If you’ve made a short film and are yearning to learn about how to take the next step, submit now to the AIFF Filmmaker Lab.
Application Deadline: May 29, 2025