About RPFF
The Regent Park Film Festival (RPFF) is Toronto’s longest-running, free community film festival, and is the sole community film
festival in Canada’s largest and oldest public housing neighbourhood. The key communities we serve are Black, Indigenous and
People of Colour (BIPOC) communities, people with low-income, people who live in social housing, and Regent Park residents. In
2022 RPFF will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Over this time, Regent Park has undergone a revitalization process, changing rapidly
from a low-income to mixed-income neighbourhood accompanied by changes to community demographics, networks, and urban
geographies.
The project: Regent Park Made Visible
To commemorate its 20th anniversary, RPFF is seeking local filmmakers to produce digital media arts works that engage with the history of Regent Park. Projects will engage with and respond to visual source material such as archival footage of Regent Park (documentaries, news coverage, home videos etc.), as well as narrative forms set in Regent Park (short and feature films, web series episodes, music videos). The commissioned projects may make film source material a part of their new artistic work with
the permission of the creator, creatively respond to any film source material without excerption, or tell their own story that is
rooted in the history of Regent Park. The commissioned works should respond to themes that are pertinent to Regent Park today
such as gentrification, immigration and belonging, community building, racial justice, housing, income and food security.
Format
The commissions will be designed for digital presentation and are anticipated to take the form of short films or other visual media formats (under 15 minutes), suitable for an online setting. All works will be presented on our online streaming platform
in 2022, beginning with an opening night panel online and will then be screened in-person at the 20th Annual Regent Park Film Festival (public health measures permitting).
Project Budget
Commissioned artists will receive $5,000 in artist fees, in addition to a $5,000 budget for production and technical costs. Artists will also receive additional fees for any screenings and speaking engagements related to this project
Who can apply
Given RPFF’s mandate and mission, we will prioritize applications from filmmakers from the following groups and we encourage
you to self-identify in your application:
● Are Black, Indigenous and a person of colour (prioritizing gender diversity)
● Are a current or former resident of Regent Park or other public housing communities in Toronto
● Currently Toronto-based
