Indie Lounge

Established in 2008, Indie Lounge: Talent Lab, is an artistic development program bringing together emerging and established filmmakers along with industry professionals to learn the ins and outs of the filmmaking world.

Over an intense one-day period, participants have the opportunity to interact with and learn from acclaimed filmmakers. Using the festival's outstanding relationships with world-class filmmakers, Indie Lounge fulfills a tremendous need in the film industry and our community, providing invaluable and incomparable artistic mentorship and development opportunities to a new generation of filmmakers.

In 2008, the theme focused on Digital Age in Film & Television with various filming demonstrations and editing tips and techniques. Fewer than 100 attendees participated in the first year. In 2009, the theme Stunt & Stunt Safety saw the Indie Lounge break 100 participants, including approx. 300 outdoor spectators who came to see the stunt demonstration of a free fall off of the then Children’s Museum in downtown Kitchener, along with a full body burn whereby a stuntman lit himself on fire. 2010’s theme was Developing Your Financial Tool Kit, with again over 100 participants. Workshops focused on developing a sellable script, accessing development funds, and getting your film distributed.

Previous Talent Lab guests have included directors Bruce McDonald (Pontypool), Derek VanLint (Alien), Jim Donovan (3 Saisons), Yojiro Takita (Departures); screen writer JF Lawton (Pretty Woman); key note speakers Denis Coyne (The Nightingale Company), John Galway (The Harold Greenberg Fund), Sebastien Chorney (Interactive Ontario); acclaimed technicians Keithe Murphy (Stedicam), Simon Fon (Combat Choreography), David Thompson (Editor), Stephen Roque (Sound Editor), Randy Butcher (Stunt), Micro lens Demo (Vistek) and Red One Demo (Sim Video).