FREE YoungCuts Screening This Sunday

FREE YoungCuts Screening This Sunday

During the ARCYP (Association for Research in Culture of Young People) convention this week at Concordia University. YoungCuts will be presenting a FREE Screening of various films from the YoungCuts Film Festival.

Screening is Sunday, May 30th from 4PM to 5:30PM in the EV building (1515 Ste-Catherine Ouest) 3rd Floor Room 760. Did we mention that the screening is FREE!?!

In addition to the films announced on the poster, we will be presenting examples of the films that we produced as part of the Canada's Got Treasures project for the Virtual Museum of Canada.

Download the Poster!
Download the Press Release!

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YoungCuts is MOVING (Our office)

Effective Monday, the YoungCuts office will be at 1155 University Avenue, Suite 1015, Montreal, Quebec, H3B 3A7.

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Reminders

The YoungCuts Film Festival absolute drop-dead deadline is June 15th!

The Canada's Got Treasures project presents new YoungCuts short films every week!

We have money (and exposure) for Short Comedy Shorts!

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For information, questions or comments contact Michael Ryan Mike@YoungCuts.com 514.285.4591

Paying Filmmaker Gigs From MyFilmmaker.com (Montreal, Toronto, New York)

We have the following paying gigs from MyFilmmaker.com:

If you are interested in any of these projects:

To be considered for any project, please send a one-page pitch to Michael Ryan by Thursday, May 27th, 2010 (Mike@MyFilmmaker.com) 514.285.4591 - you should be registered on MyFilmmaker.com

Your one-page pitch should be a one-page pdf and should include the following:
Your name, your contact information, links to your portfolio and CV, a brief summary of your credentials, what equipment you would use, and your budget.

Note that for your budget, you should include all relevant costs including your pay as well as the MyFilmmaker.com fee (20% - minimum $100.00) For the budget just include the full amount. No breakdown is necessary unless the client specifically requests it.

These are the current projects:

Montreal or Remote 133  Music Video is for an Iranian musician living ¨in exile¨ in Montreal. Because of the political nature of the music and exile, the musician would prefer that the music video feature no one whose identity could be verified from watching the video.

The musician is looking for creative ways to add a visual narrative to his songs, beginning with this one. The song is from an an album about the "disenfranchised", that class or segment of society that has lost its' "voice", be it politically, economically or otherwise.  The song (in Farsi) and translated English lyrics will be available on request for filmmakers who would like to hear it before making a proposal from Mike@YoungCuts.com 514.285.4591


Montreal 142 Music video for the group 2 Kats Inna Hat. Video should incorporate the idea of hats perhaps a fashion video. Sample of song available on request from Mike@YoungCuts.com 514.285.4591


Montreal 138 Music video for a rock song by a Montreal Haitian musician. To be shot in Montreal in one day and one location in a loft or warehouse. Song is about the musician trying to escape from a spell cast on him. There may be follow-up videos with an expanded budget. Sample of song available on request from Mike@YoungCuts.com 514.285.4591


Montreal 139 Music documentary is intended to be a one-day in the life of a Haitian rock musician following him through all the varied and diverse parts of the Haitian community. This project would be shot around the same time as a music video (Project 138) and filmmakers can present a combined bid for the music video and the documentary. Sample tracks available on request from Mike@YoungCuts.com 514.285.4591


Toronto 140 Music video intended to be the first in a series of music videos for a Toronto musician about to be distributed internationally. Sample tracks available on request. E-Mail Mike@YoungCuts.com 514.285.4591


New York 141 Award-winning hip-hop group looking for a talented filmmaker to create their first music video. Looking for an urban hip-hop aesthetic. Sample tracks available on request. E-Mail Mike@YoungCuts.com 514.285.4591

Last Chance to Submit for the 2010 YoungCuts Film Festival

Last Chance to Submit for the 2010 YoungCuts Film Festival

We just passed our late deadline of May 15th which means that we are now approaching the absolute, final, drop-dead deadline June 15th to submit your film for the 2010 YoungCuts Film Festival.

Keep in mind that the earlier that we receive your film, the better chance there is for your film to be chosen for the Festival.

Also, short shorts, films under 5 minutes are still only a $15 submission fee.

So, if you were thinking of entering your film in the 2010 YoungCuts Film Festival, you are on the clock!

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Cash for Short Comedy Shorts!

To update on our contest for Short Comedy Shorts...

What our sponsor is looking for are:
-30 to 90 second funny videos
-Something funny or attention-grabbing in the first 10 seconds
-Aimed at Men 18-34
-Pretty girls are appreciated but not required
-Any music should be rights cleared
-No longer than 6 seconds of credits
-Footage can be old or new, our sponsors do need to be able to have web exclusivity on the film for 90 days.
-You can simply submit a film to the contest or in some cases we are simply giving filmmakers cash to go and shoot short comedy shorts.
-If the film is under 100 MB send to Mike@YoungCuts.com by yousendit.com

For questions, comments, inquiries
Contact Michael Ryan at 514.285.4591
Or by e-mail at Mike@YoungCuts.com

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Canada's Got Treasures!
We are very pleased to announce the launch of the Virtual Museum of Canada's new project: Canada's Got Treasures!

Statement by the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, on the Occasion of International Museum Day (announcing the launch of Canada's Got Treasures!

We have been working on this project for a long time and are very excited to be able to announce its launch.

Our involvement was to produce 84 short films for less than the budget of 1 Heritage Minute film. The aix filmmakers that we worked with: A.J. Korkadakis, Adam Shamash, Ben Goloff, Francois Laurent, Josh Usheroff and Paul Aflalo all did an amazing, outstanding job under some severe pressures both creatively, time-wise and financially.

You can see our Synopsis Video for the entire project and our first 4 films (well, really 8: 4 in English and 4 in French) on the web-site above. Each video is about a National Treasure that can be found in one of Canada's National Museums or outdoors in the National Capital region. In addition to the videos, you will find texts about the objects written by Concordia University students of Loren Lerner's Art History class, photos of the object, quizzes about the object and sometimes an amazing piece of artwork or photograph by Concordia University students who were inspired by the work.

Each week, new National Treasures will be unveiled with videos produced by YoungCuts. (And a few with just photos.)

You can also contribute through Youtube and FlickR your own choice for National Treasure or a more Regional Treasure or something that is a more Personal Treasure. If your object is accepted it will be shared on the site with the world and included in the interactive map!

This was an incredible and exciting project for us to be involved in. It allowed us to fund five different filmmakers to create great films for a national audience. And a big thank you for everyone who made the project a success!

Win a $1000 Production Contract from MyFilmmaker.com

MyFilmmaker.com June 2010 Short Shorts Contest

We are pleased to announce that we have received funding for a contest of short comedic films.

The winning films will be featured on the first page of a new web-site launching in mid-June projected to be seen by millions of viewers.

This is a great opportunity for your film to be seen. If your film is chosen, you will be compensated for its exclusive use on this new site*. You will also be eligible for a MyFilmmaker.com production contract.

MyFilmmaker.com will be awarding production contracts valued at $1000 to the most popular filmmakers.

*The top 60 films chosen for the site will receive $25 as compensation for exclusive use of their film for 30 days and non-exclusive after that.

Deadline for submission for the contest is May 15th, but we will be picking winners from qualified entries as we receive them, so the quicker that you submit, the better chance that you have to be picked.

The first 20 winners will be announced on May 1st.

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DETAILS

A new web-site aimed at 18-34 men (similar to Heavy.com, Break.com or CollegeHumor.com) has asked YoungCuts & MyFilmmaker.com to develop short (under 5 minutes) comedic content that they will feature prominently on their new web-site.

If you are looking for ideas about types of content, take a look at the most popular videos on the sites listed above (or in the humor section of Youtube.)

Based on their experience launching other very successful web-sites the owners of this new site confidently expect to have millions of unique visitors from launch.

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How do I submit?

Mail a .MOV file or .AVI file to:
MyFilmaker.com June 2010 Short Short Contest
c/o YoungCuts Film Festival
1010 Sherbrooke W Suite 1220
Montreal, Quebec, CANADA, H3A 2R7

OR

Contact Michael Ryan at 514.285.4591
Or by e-mail at Mike@YoungCuts.com

If your .MOV or .AVI file is under 100MB contact Michael for alternatives to mailing.

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YoungCuts Film Festival presented by MyFilmmaker.com

This contest has no age limit. but filmmakers 25 or under as of December 31st, 2001 can also submit their films to the YoungCuts Film Festival. Our application form is here: 2010 YoungCuts Application Form.

OR

You can apply on-line through withoutabox.com:


Application fee for short shorts (Films under 5 minutes) is $15 until May 15th.

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PRIZES

60 filmmakers will receive $25 for their films for a non-exclusive distribution rights (exclusive for 30 days) with a profit-share if any money is made off of the films.

Please note that these payments of $25 will be made exclusively by PayPal on or about June 15th.

50 of these films will be featured on the new site prominently.

Of these films, 1 filmmaker will receive a production contract of $1000.00 This will be awarded by MyFilmmaker.com based on film quality and popularity.

If your film is one of the 60 chosen, you will receive an e-mail with a MyFilmmaker.com distribution agreement that you will need to sign to receive your prize.

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Questions? Comments? Need More Information?
Contact Michael Ryan at 514.285.4591
Or by e-mail at Mike@YoungCuts.com

The YoungCuts Film Festival Best Of and Closing Gala

The YoungCuts Film Festival Best Of and Closing Gala

Thursday, October 1st at Cinema du Parc 3575 Avenue du Parc starting at 9:15



At the end of the screening, we will be presenting awards for Best Canadian Film, Best Director, Best Film and the Tribute.ca People's Choice Award.

To see the MyFilmmaker.com Award Winners to date at the Festival go HERE!

And to see the leading vote-getters in the Tribute.ca People's Choice Awards by evening go HERE!

During our Closing Gala we will present the following films:

A promotional film for the annual Fuller-Landau Cedars Dragonboat Race filmed by Elisa Ruggiero and edited by Francois Laurent

And the YoungCuts 2009 Top Ten Plus One:

Meltdown by David Green, USA
Winner: Little Burgundy Award for Best Animation

Batter Up by Josh Webber, Canada

(one) by Benjamin Bee Stevens, UK
Winner: MyFilmmaker.com Award for Best Editing

L'Homme Boreale by Francois Laurent, Canada

Nodutgang (Emergency Exit) by Tomas Solli, Norway

Fashionably Green by Esther Viragh, Canada

The Bridge by Sheldon Schwartz, USA

Le Cou Cou by Zed Bennett Jr., USA
Winner: Mirror Weekly Award for Best Short Short Film

Swipe by Max Blustin, UK

Breathless by Kyle Sandilands, Canada

You Have the Right by Clarity, Canada
Winner: Virgin96 Award for Best Music

We will also be screening the Official Closing Film of the 2009 YoungCuts Film Festival:
S'Oublier by Mirek Hamet, Canada
in a a brand-new 35MM print!

Hope to see you there!

The YoungCuts and MyFilmmaker Team

Jay Moulton, Chairman
Louise Kierans, President
Michael Ryan, Festival Director
Francois Laurent, Festival Co-ordinator
Philippe Lapointe, Festival Producer
Marc Hétu, Festival Producer and Captain of the victorious YoungCuts Film Festival Dragonboat
David Roux, YoungCuts Host
Sabrina D. Fenster , YoungCuts Publicist (STRUT INC.)

YoungCuts Film Festival Starts Today!

The YoungCuts Film Festival Starts Today!
Friday, September 25th to Thursday, October 1st at Cinema du Parc
Screenings every day at 9PM, plus extra screenings on Saturday and Sunday at 3PM.



We had our Opening Gala last night at Restaurant Newtown, officially the High Fidelity HDTV Opening Gala - a charity benefit for the Cedars Cancer Institute hosted by the 2009 YoungCuts Honorary Chairman, Justin Trudeau who gave a rousing and inspriring speech telling the filmmakers that they were not the leaders of tomorrow, but the leaders of today.

In addition to Justin Trudeau, we heard from Ken Murphy, CEO of High Fidelity HDTV who called on young filmmakers to help shake up and add new energy to Canada's Film and TV community. There were also remarks from David Roux, our Master of Ceremonies, Jay Moulton, Chairman of YoungCuts and Louise Kierans, President of YoungCuts. Representing the Cedars Cancer Institute, Jeff Shamie, Executive Director and Gwen Nacos, founder of Cedars CanSupport spoke passionately about the involvement of young people in helping raise money for Cedars.

We also played a short film by Francois Laurent and Elisa Ruggierio, produced by YoungCuts documenting the 4th Annual Cedars Cancer Institute Fuller Landau 'Rain or Shine' Dragon Boat Race & Festival. Jeff and Gwen are delighted with the film and intend to use it to help promote the charity and next year's dragonboat race. The film will be replayed on the last evening of the YoungCuts Film Festival during our Best of the Festival Closing Screening, Thursday, October 1st at 9PM.

Newtown was packed for the event, everyone had a great time, we heard some great speeches and we saw a great film and some great trailers! A fantastic kick-off to the Festival!

The 2009 YoungCuts Film Festival Program Book can be downloaded HERE.

If you are not going to be able to make it up for the Festival and would like us to mail you a physical copy of the Program book, just make a donation to the Festival HERE to cover shipping and we will happily mail one out to you with some other memorabilia to the Festival or if you buy one of our production DVDs like you can do HERE we will include a program book in the envelope.

Press Articles about the YoungCuts Film Festival:

September 23rd, 2009
Festival Showcases Young Filmmakers Talents Page 77
Julia Gerke, Montreal Suburban
Download the PDF: Festival Showcases Young Filmmakers Talent

September 22nd, 2009
YoungCuts Film Festival: It's the young one
Bill Brownstein, Montreal Gazette
Download the PDF: YoungCuts Film Festival: It's the young one

September 21st, 2009
Filmmaker Makes the Cut
Profile of Mazi Khaligi (Foreign Soil)
From Mississauga.com
Download the PDF: Filmmaker Makes the Cut

The Festival Schedule until Thursday:

Friday, September 25th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h vendredi le 25 septembre.
The Best of Quebec Film Screening sponsored by the free daily newspaper 24 Heures (iCi Weekend)
La Séance du Quotidien 24 Heures (iCi Weekend) - Meilleurs Films du Québec
Inclusing/Incluant: iCi Weekend Best Quebec Film Award/Le Prix iCi Weekend Meilleur Film de Quebec

Saturday, September 26th 3PM Cinéma du Parc 15h samedi le 26 septembre. The High Fidelity HDTVBest Documentary Screening
La Séance High Fidelity HDTV Meilleur Documentaire
Inclusing/Incluant: High Fidelity HDTV Best Documentary Film Award/Le Prix High Fidelity HDTV Meilleur Film de Quebec

Saturday, September 26th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h samedi le 26 septembre. The En PrimeurBest Visual Films Screening
La Séance En Primeur Meilleur Films Visuels
Inclusing: The En Priemur Award for Best Cinematography and the MyFilmmaker.com Award for Best Editing.
Incluant: Le prix En Primeur pour Meilleur Cinematographie et le prix MyFilmmaker.com pour le Meilleur Montage.

Sunday, September 27th 3PM Cinéma du Parc 15h dimanche le 27 septembre.
Little Burgundy presents the Virgin96 Best Animation and Music Screening
Little Burgundy présente la Séance Virgin96 Meilleur Films d'Animation et Musique
Inclusing: The Virgin96 Award for Best Music and the Little Burgundy Animation Award.
Incluant: Le prix Virgin96 pour Meilleur Musique et le prix Little Burgundy pour le Meilleur film d'Animation.

Sunday, September 27th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h dimanche le 27 septembre.
The Tribute.ca Best Actor Screening
La Séance Tribute.ca Meilleur Acteur
Inclusing/Incluant: Tribute.ca Best Actor Award/Le Prix Tribute.ca Meilleur Acteur

Monday, September 28th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h Lundi le 28 septembre.
The MyFilmmaker.com Best Actress Screening
La Séance MyFilmmaker.com Meilleur Actrice
Inclusing/Incluant: MyFilmmaker.com Best Actress Award/Le Prix MyFilmmaker.com Meilleur Actrice

Tuesday, September 29th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h, mardi le 29 septembre. The Mirror Weekly Best Short Shorts Screening
La Séance de l'Hebdomadaire Mirror Meilleur Court Court Métrage
Inclusing/Incluant: Mirror Weekly Best Short Short Film Award/Le Prix Hebdomadaire Mirror Meilleur Court Court Métrage

Wednesday, September 30th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h, mercredi le 30 septembre.
The Tribute.ca Best Teen Film Screening
La Séance Tribute.ca Meilleur Film d'Ado
Inclusing/Incluant: Tribute.ca Best Teen Film Award/Le Prix Tribute.ca Meilleur Film d'Ado

Thursday, October 1st 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h, jeudi le 1 octobre.
The MyFilmmaker.com Grand Prize Film Screening
La Séance Grand Prix MyFilmmaker.com
Includes prizes for Best Film, Best Director, Best Canadian Film and the Tribute.ca Public Prize
Incluant prix pour Meilleur Film, Meilleur Realisateur, Meilleur Film Canadien et le Prix du Public Tribute.ca

We are also pleased to announce that the Official Closing Film of teh Festival will be Mirek Hamet's S'Oublier. If all goes well, this will be presented in a brand new 35MM print!

Bon Festival!

And we hope to see you at Cinema du Parc!

The YoungCuts and MyFilmmaker Team

Jay Moulton, Chairman
Louise Kierans, President
Michael Ryan, Festival Director
Francois Laurent, Festival Co-ordinator
Philippe Lapointe, Festival Producer
Marc Hétu, Festival Producer and Captain of the victorious YoungCuts Film Festival Dragonboat
David Roux, YoungCuts Host
Sabrina D. Fenster , YoungCuts Publicist (STRUT INC.)

News Article (YCFF) It's the young one

Artice by Bill Brownstein, Montreal Gazette
Profiles the Festival, Meltdown and Emergency Exit
Also made me sound a lot more coherent and eloquent than I feel right now.

YoungCuts Film Festival - It's the young one

MONTREAL - Inquiring minds just might want to know how the YoungCuts Film Festival is different from the other 385 or so film fests that play Montreal annually.

YoungCuts director Michael Ryan has a ready response: “It’s probably the largest film festival in the world for filmmakers 25 years old and younger. Plus, it’s our mandate not only to give these filmmakers a platform, but also to find them work after.”

That works for me. And that should work for the rest of you, too. All the more so since YoungCuts offers patrons more creative bang for their bucks than almost any entertainment spectacle anywhere.

The 7th YoungCuts fest will showcase 100 films – of all lengths and from all genres known to man as well as a few genres not yet known – from 12 countries, beginning tomorrow and running until Oct. 1 at the Cinéma du Parc. Tickets for screenings are a steal at $7.50 each and even more of a steal if you buy a booklet of 10 for $50.

If you are not blown away by many of these mostly no-budget flicks, you may have to check yourself for a pulse. Okay, no-budget may be a bit of an overstatement. Budgets for the films run anywhere from $50 to $5,000.

“If you totalled the budgets of all 100 films, the amount still wouldn’t cover the catering cost for Transformers 2. Nor would that sum cover more than one second of screen time on Transformers 2,” Ryan muses. “But it’s hard to quantify in dollar figures the blood, sweat and tears these filmmakers put into their work for no salary at all.”

Which explains why Ryan and festival chairman Jay Moulton feel a responsibility to land these filmmakers some work. Through the Canadian Heritage Information Network, Ryan and Moulton have arranged for a group of YoungCuts grads to shoot 80 shorts on Canadian museums and to get paid for their efforts. Over the years, YoungCuts alumni have also shot commercials for the likes of Pepsi, Air Canada and Astral Media.

Oh yeah, and for Montrealers looking for additional incentive to attend, YoungCuts is one of the few to reverse that annoying trend and to move east here along the 401. That’s right, we snagged this one from Toronto.

It began in 2001 as the Toronto International Teen Film Festival, but moved here as YoungCuts in 2006. “We wanted more of an international flavour to the festival and just felt that Montreal would afford us that opportunity,” Ryan says.

“And it has paid off. We now have more films from more countries than ever being submitted.”

Ryan and his team had to sift through some 1,000 fictional, documentary and animated offerings (and combos thereof) from 25 countries to arrive at the top 100. Then they had to go through that batch of 100 to arrive at the “Top 10 Plus 1,” which will screen closing night on Oct. 1.

Among the represented countries are Canada, the U.S., Britain, the Czech Republic, the Philippines, France, Argentina, Egypt, Singapore, India and the first ever entry from Norway.

The Norwegian entry, Emergency Exit, is a riveting short drama about two men entering a bank for opposite reasons. One is dying and decides to empty his account so that he can go out with a bang. The other is a destitute widower and seeks to rob the bank in order to provide for his young daughter. In the chaos following the aborted heist, the thief takes the dying dude hostage. But they soon establish an unusual bond: the Stockholm Syndrome in Oslo, if you will.

“What strikes me most about these films is the passion and the ingenuity of the filmmakers, and then to get these films done on minimal amounts is amazing,” Ryan says. “It all bodes well for the future of filmmaking.”

One of the most dazzling works in this year’s collection is The Meltdown by American director David Green. Part live-action, part computer-generated animation, the short – which will be featured in the Top 10 Plus 1 screening Oct. 1 – looks like it came out of Pixar or Disney or the NFB, for such is its sophistication and brilliance of its premise. Difference is that its budget was in the hundreds.

The Meltdown action takes place in a fridge that’s gone on the fritz. Conditions are sub-polar inside. An orange has perished from the frost. The ham, mayo, butter, spaghetti and leftover Chinese food now fear for their lives. Unbeknownst to humans, these food products can talk and move their parts and get most agitated.

But they have come up with a plan. They conscript a celery stick to try to turn up the temperature in the refrigerator. It’s do or die. Will the celery stick buckle under the pressure? Will the ever-limp spaghetti noodle have to tighten itself up and come to the rescue?

Best check for yourselves. Don’t want to spoil the suspense.

The YoungCuts Film Festival kicks off Friday night and runs until Oct. 1 at the Cinéma du Parc, 3575 Park Ave. Tickets are $7.50 per screening; or 10 tickets for $50. For tickets and information, call 514-285-4591 or go to youngcuts.com.

News Article (YCFF) Filmmaker makes the cut

Article from Mississauga.com
Profile of Mazi Khalagi, director of Foreign Soil

Mississauga Article: Filmmaker makes the cut

Mississauga filmmaker Mazi Khalighi's film Foreign Soil has been selected to be screened at Montreal's YoungCuts Film Festival.

A film by Mississauga’s Mazi Khalighi has been selected to be screened at a festival
designed to showcase the short works of aspiring Martin Scorseses.

Khalighi’s Foreign Soil was selected from more than 1,000 entries from around the world to be included at the YoungCuts Film Festival in Montreal. It opens Thursday with a gala hosted by honorary chair and Liberal MP Justin Trudeau and continues until Oct. 1.Screenings will be at the Cinema du Parc.

Organizers have received entries from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Argentina, Singapore, India, the Philippines and Armenia. They also received two animated films co-produced by teens from Canada, Israel and Palestine.

Foreign Soil, which was screened at the inaugural Mississauga Independent Film Festival, portrays a family’s acclimatization to a new country. It was described as a gift by Khalighi to his mother Nahid, who led her three young children out of war-torn Iran more than two decades ago.

In a scene from Foreign Soil, Ali, the oldest son, presents his mother with new shoes after she breaks her heel when they first land in the new country.

Khalighi, who was too young to help his mother when they made their journey, said, “Foreign Soil was me giving the shoes to my mom. There are a lot of people with my story, but not all have the outlets to express them.”

At the festival, prizes will be awarded for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Animated Film, Best Original Music, Best Documentary, Best Short Short, Best of Quebec, Best Teen Film, Best Director, Best Film and the Tribute.ca Public Prize.

The seven-year festival is open to filmmakers aged 25 years and younger.

Tribute Magazine Best Teen Film Screening

Horaires Festival de Films YoungCuts Film Festival Schedule
Wednesday, September 30th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h, mercredi le 30 septembre.

Support the Festival! Buy Tickets or DVDs!

The Tribute.ca Best Teen Film Screening will feature:




La Séance Tribute.ca Meilleur Film d'Ado, incluant:

Listen to This by/par Itay Sasson, Jennifer Sarkar, Gilli Tohar, Mirna Yacoub and Abu Abara, Canada, Palestine and Israel. Two musicians practicing in adjoining rooms have a musical battle.

Winner of the YoungCuts/Directors of Change Frame It to Change It Contest: Dreams Beyond the Border by/par Jessica Szeto, Canada.

The Child of the World by/par Ho Rui An, Singapore. Devastated bu the death of his mother, Kevin creates an imaginary guardian with the ability to materialize Utopia.

What'd ya want, a happy ending? by/par Kyle Kleinbart, USA. Love eludes a lonely young man. Is the red balloon the key?

Roadrunner by/par Zac Wong, USA. A bored young suburbanite dreams of shaking through the streets, using only her shoes.

It Only Takes One by/par Gabe Benjamin, Nick Lieberman, Emily Firestein and Timmy Weston, USA. One person can think about their environment and make a difference in their world.

Sparks in the Night by/par Ben Kadie, USA. Detective Leon Sparks closes in on notorious lawbreaker Jerry Walker.

Birthmarks by/par Phil Hamilton, USA. Jacob leads Kyle to believe that a household microwave holds the key to unleashing his unique identity.

Blackspot Culture by/par Wayne Robinson, Canada. An investigation into the Blackspot anti-corporation and its' newest venture: the Blackspot sneaker.

Stickies and Stones by/par Helen Wong, Bernadette Che and Narissa Shivji, Canada. Every seven minuutes someone is bullied mentally or physically.

One Less Shamrock by/par Nick Kelly, Canada. An Irish immigrant struggles to gain control of his life and uphold his family values in the New York depression.

HUSH by/par Jauvonnie Brown, USA. Four high school students - Four problems. Do they tell their secrets or keep it on the hush?HUSH by/par Jauvonnie Brown, USA. Four high school students - Four problems. Do they tell their secrets or keep it on the hush?

Silent Scream by/par Foundation for the Preservation of Wild Life and Cultural Assets in Armenia, Armenia. Youth filmmakers document animal abuse in Armenia.

Growing Up in India by/par Marc-André Boucher, Sarah Chartrand, Caitlin Chartrand, Florence Fortin-Brunet, Stéfanie Gauthier, Alexandra Hartnell-Godin, Taylor Herrington, Emilie Johnsson, Jenna Monney-Lupert, Laurent Malo, Alexandre Oakes-Câmara, Nathaniel Q, Julie Paquette, Julia Rogers, Kendra Veigh Ryan, Olivia Sheehy-Gennarelli, Michelle Vanderzon, Padmaja Gungun, Rohit Janegar and Mulkesh Nath. In the spring of 2009, a team of high school students traveled to Udaipur in the Northeastern desert state of Rajasthan in India to document personal stories and struggles of young people growing up in India.

Mirror Magazine Best Short Shorts Screening

Horaires Festival de Films YoungCuts Film Festival Schedule
Tuesday, September 29th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h, mardi le 29 septembre.

Support the Festival! Buy Tickets or DVDs!

The Mirror Weekly Best Short Shorts Screening will feature:


La Séance Revue Mirror Meilleur Court Court Métrage, incluant:


The Winner of the YoungCuts Repechage Public Vote:
Vigilante by/par Mitchell Arend, Canada. A costumed crime-fighter reflects on his career choice with a TV news crew.

Duplicate Complicate by by Peter Ian Mancao, Philippines. One twin pushes the limits of outdoing the other to get the girl he likes.


The following films in this screening are short-listed for the Mirror Weekly Best Short Shorts Award.

Passé Composé by Alexandre Lynn and Mathieu Grimard, Canada. Félix tente de reconstituer les éléments d'hier. Il fait face à lui-même lorsqu'il apprend la mort de sa mère. Felix tries to piece together his memories of the day before. To his surprise, he confronts himself when he learns of the death of his mother.

The Kill by Joe Vea, USA. The boyfriend finds his love slain and seeks to avenge her killer.

Alien Abduction by David Han, USA. A hungry alien tries to bring home a bull to cook and eat.

Jalouse by Melanie Delloye, France/USA. As she watches her mother and brother play, a jealous little girl sits by herself on a swing.

1271 by Michael Warczak, Australia. Have you found Jesus yet?

Breathless by Kyle Sandilands, Canada. A man reflects on his destructive actions after vowing to avenge his girlfriend's death.

Swipe by Max Blustin, UK. A request to borrow some money brings about unexpected consequences.

The Reel Man by Kieran Heilbron, Canada. A short film about a man, a hat and a fishing rod.

Dogface by Shai Halfon, USA. A world War II soldier, suffering from combat stress, sits alone in his foxhole behind enemy lines.

Cogency by Tyler Knell, USA. After her husband locks himself in the bathroom and does not respond, a woman calls the police and explains the events leading to his death.

Le Cou Cou by Zed Bennett Jr., USA. The interaction between a shop owner and a malfunctioning cuckoo clock.

Layang-Layang (Kites) by Agnes G. Wiguna, Canada. A childhood story about a boy who wants to catch the clouds.

Tah-Dah by Stacey Chomiak, Canada/USA. One bug. One farmer. And the cello that brought them together.

Estigia (Styx) by Claudette Montero, Argentina/USA. They say that witchcraft does not exist but we must never forget the capacity of hatred and another human being.

Mala Smrt (Little Death) by Claiborne McDonald, Czech Republic/USA. The sexual exploits of a teenage girl manifest their consequences in the death of her father.

Static by Jack Lykins, USA.

Doll Call by Sanabel Almomani, Chris Gonzalez and Yesenia Deleon, USA. What happens when the forces of evil are awakened and a doll becomes a mechanical killer?

Joyeux Festin by Sara Dupéré, Canada. Orgie sanglante de sauce à "spag" sur un lit de vidanges. A holiday feast of spaghetti sauce on a litter of garbage.

MyFilmmaker.com Best Actress Screening

Horaires Festival de Films YoungCuts Film Festival Schedule
Monday, September 28th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h Lundi le 28 septembre.

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The MyFilmmaker.com Best Actress Screening will feature:

La Séance MyFilmmaker.com Meilleur Actrice, incluant:

Films in this screening are short-listed for the MyFilmmaker.com Best Actress Award.

Catechism by Jessica Moorhouse, Canada A quirky comedy about love, lust and doing the right thing, all while trying to avoid the burning depths of hell.

Scarecrow by Sarah Blevins, Canada Transcending the shadow of looming death cast by leukemia, an eight-year-old escapes into a ripe realm of abundance and freedom.

A Sister's Love by Christopher Mitchell, USA A young woman is struggling to cope with her mentally ill sister.

Tucker by Zia Marashi, Canada A comedy about a teen mother who must care for a rapidly aging child who has an agenda of his own.

Fanfare by Mitchell Arend and Michael Pierro, Canada A confident young lady meets a kinda cute young guy for dinner and embarks on the journey that is a first date.

Lily by Claire Sanford, Canada An exploration of guilt and grief through environmental sound, rhythm and the emergence of music.

Nel Reinu by Victor Suarez, Spain Following the death of his father a man returns to the home he ran away from thirty years ago.

If Key-Lime Pie Could Scream by Amanda Fahey, Canada Devastated by a recent break-up, a woman starts the latest fad diet.

Batter Up by Josh Webber, Canada Family film based on a true story.

Tribute.ca Best Actor Screening

Horaires Festival de Films YoungCuts Film Festival Schedule
Sunday, September 27th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h dimanche le 27 septembre.

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The Tribute.ca Best Actor Screening will feature:



La Séance Tribute.ca Meilleur Acteur, incluant:

Films in this screening are short-listed for the Tribute.ca Best Actor Award.

Paper Princes, Gypsies and the Boy With No Return Address by/par Celeste Koon, Canada. The world of Liam, an eccentric 10 year-old.

Missing Alice by/par Rick Skyler, Canada. A delusional man revisits his childhood friend in Wonderland only to uncover the awful thruth that changed his life.

Flamingo by/par Mike Harris, USA. Tempted by the affections of an attractive waitress, Ramses finds himself torn between his own interests and those of his eccentric best friend.

Ellipsis by/par Adam Justice, UK. The powerful emotions in relationships come together with a bang for one man.

Allegro Compreso by/par Enrico Maria Artale, Italy. A young composer tries to live on his own, he realizes that it's not easy at all.

Nødutgang (Emergency Exit) by/par Tomas Solli, Norway. A young man is taken hostage. Both him and the robber must solve their problems before time runs out.

The Drifter by/par Craig Calamis, USA. A newly engaged couple find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Maia and Jonah by/par Michael McLaughlin, Canada. A young defined girl meets a socially awkward boy and the offbeat romance that ensues brings past memories.

The King's Receipt by/par Peter Pa and Matthew Feener, USA. The ruler of a lonely kingdom sends his sole subject, a jester, on a diplomatic mission.

Virgin96 Best Animation and Music Screening

Horaires Festival de Films YoungCuts Film Festival Schedule
Sunday, September 27th 3PM Cinéma du Parc 15h dimanche le 27 septembre.

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The Virgin96 Best Animation and Music Screening will feature:


La Séance Virgin96 Meilleur Films d'Animation et Musique, incluant:

Films in this screening are short-listed for the Virgin96 Best Music Award and the MyFilmmaker.com Best Animation Award.


Jambalaya by Audrey St-Auneauld (Canada) A young man is resting when he is suddenly interrupted by a young woman playing the trumpet.

You Have the Right by Clarity (Canada)

We Are All Here by Yong Hwa Choi (USA) We are all living on the Earth. We are all using the resources of the Earth and its' energy.

Freedom by Jeremy Izso, Mohammed Qassas and Illy Auerbach (Canada/Palestine/Israël) Hand-drawn paintings and meticulously rendered rotoscope images bled to create a poetic meditation on freedom.

Yea by Adam Newman (USA) A typical love story, except that someone falls off a cliff instead of in love.

Swan Song by Dillon Novak (USA) We are taken along a story of lost love and closure.

Electric Rivers by Esteban Vargas (Canada) Winner of the Montreal Fringe Festival film contest.

And Some Days It Rains by William Frazier (USA) A mayfly only lives for one day, and sometimes that day can be a pretty bad one.

Remue-Ménage by Julie Bernier (Canada) Spring cleaning shows the stresses and strengths of a long-time married couple's relationship.

Infeccion by Viktoriya Gruzdyn (USA) The host gets infected by a foreign species, this interference leads to chronic wounds and even death.

I Will for it Rain by David Barlow-Krelina (Canada) A man sits alone in his apartment watching the streets below. He describes the changes in his life.

Only Human by Caroline de Koninck (Canada) If you were to see a lost dog stranded on the road, would you stop to help it?

Sweet Little Bird by Ashley McKenzie (Canada) Cape Breton rocker Carmen Townsend and her band-mates reveal their softer side in this music video.

Mask of Pretension by Sheldon Pearson (Canada) Music video produced entirely by students at the Art Institute of Vancouver.

Thorns by Nitzan Rotschild (USA) A man is haunted by the memory of his past lover while a seductive woman spends the evening with him.

Token Hunchback by Timothy Reckart (USA) A stop-motion mockumentary about an actor with a hunchback and his struggle against typecasting.

Le Pardon by Eleonore Goldberg (Canada) A man comes back to his home. The woman he loves ignores him. To be forgiven, he will shave his beard.

Cantame by Irene Boleda (Canada)

Meltdown by David Green (USA) Fridge leftovers fight for their lives when an invading block of ice threatens to absorb them all into its' frozen mass.


The Diary by Benjamin Lussier (Canada) Eric, a young American worker, is moving to Montreal. He tells the story of his immigration process.

En Primeur Séance Meilleurs Films Visuels

Horaires Festival de Films YoungCuts Film Festival Schedule
Saturday, September 26th 9PM Cinéma du Parc 21h samedi le 26 septembre.

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The En Primeur Best Visual Films Screening will feature:
La Séance En Primeur Meilleur Films Visuels, incluant:

Films in this screening are short-listed for the En Primeur Best Cinematography Award and the MyFilmmaker.com Best Editing Award.

Retiring Clean by/par Caillie West, Canada. A grumpy janitor gains a new appreciation for life after meeting with the ghost of his former self.

Pushing Buttons by/par Quinn Cagney, USA. Breaking news sweeps the nation: tycoon billionaire Windsor Van Gold has been murdered!

A Very Merry Christmas by/par Jonathon Gittus, Australia. Tragic comedy focusing on a fattening aging man working as a Santa Claus in the lead-up to Christmas.

Sasquatch by/par Fahim Kassam, Canada. Greg tries to write an original commercial idea at his cabin while being stalked by an egotistical Ranger and a Sasquatch.


Foreign Soil by Mazi Khalighi, Canada. The Taheri family has just handed in Canada, but their arrival starts off on the wrong foot.

Macabre Muse by/par Daniel Devine, USA. An art student, struggling to find inspiration, turns to professional killing to jump-start his stagnated creativity.

The Bridge by/par Sheldon Schwartz, USA. A Japanese-American soldier serving in World War II joins a squad of Caucasian soldiers on a dangerous patrol in Nazi-occupied Italy.

The Peace Offering by/par Brandon Tom, Canada. Yvette Jacobs' family is torn apart when her husband Ken's former colonel asks him to end the war through self-sacrifice.

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by/par Joe Ciaravino, Canada. An old waiter struggles to find a sense of meaning and dignity in his life amidst a world that is seemingly "full of nothing".

(one) by/par Benjamin Bee Stevens, UK. A lonely man is offered an unexpected chance to free himself from his misery.

High Fidelity HDTV Best Documentary Screening

Horaires Festival de Films YoungCuts Film Festival Schedule
Saturday, September 26th 3PM Cinéma du Parc 15h samedi le 26 septembre.

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The High Fidelity HDTV Best Documentary Screening will feature:

La Séance High Fidelity HDTV Meilleur Documentaire, incluant:

Films in this screening are short-listed for the High Fidelity HDTV Best Documentary Award.

Imagine-éducation by/par the youth of the Third Avenue Resource Centre. (Canada) A look at the challenges of education as imagined by youth.

Bike Trials: Regaining Balance by/par Sheldon Pearson. (Canada) The film follows the efforts of some North America's top trials riders through the course of their 2008 riding season.

City Birds by/par Esteban Vargas. (Canada) Experimental look inside the world of contemporary dance through the use of cityscape and new age music.

Injection Supervisée by/par Hugo Le Bleu-Tadros. (Canada) Documentaire sur les sites d'injections supervisées.

Simple Destruction by/par Michael Greene. (USA) A short film about disease of addiction, viewed through the eyes of those truly affected by such a destructive sickness.

Fashionably Green by/par Esther Viragh. (Canada) This film explores a different kind of recycling. Upcycling is the process of taking the old and transforming it into something new. Ce film explore une autre forme de recyclage. L’Upcycling est un processus où on prend de vieux matériaux afin de les transformer en quelques choses de nouveaux.

No Sana Hoy: It Will Not Heal Today by/par Becky Korman. (USA) In coming to terms with losing my grandmother to Alzheimer's I journeyed to Cuba to connect with the life she no longer remembers.

Field of Honour by/par Alexander B. Hill. (USA) A contemporary analysis of pistol dueling in the eighteenth century.

Keeping the Bees by/par Pearl Ball-Harding. (Canada) A documentary investigating the mysterious disappearance of North American honey bees.

Baby Blue by/par Maranatha Hay. (Egypt/USA) Baby Blue is the story of Roukaia, a two year-old born with congenital heart disease in Alexandria, Egypt.