History

The Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative (AFCOOP) has always sought to encourage people in our community to become engaged in both filmmaking and the appreciation of films and media arts. In 2002, the AFCOOP board of directors officially added ‘presentation’ to the organization’s mandate and in the spring of 2003 AFCOOP started a regularly scheduled screening series as a way to address the absence of alternative and independent cinema in Halifax. The success of this series demonstrated that there was a strong demand in our community for unique, innovative, and challenging film and media works featuring a diversity of voices. As an additional response to this need, and to provide an annual cinematic celebration of independent media works, AFCOOP sought to expand its presentation offerings by starting the Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival.

AFCOOP presented the first HIFF over two days in 2007, expanded the second offerning to four days in 2008, the third festival over six days in 2009, and the fourth and fifth festivals in 2010, 2011, and 2012 were each six days long and combined featured eight visiting artists, close to sixty events, more than three-hundred films, and well over four-thousand attendees. Building on these successes, the Seventh Annual Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival is scheduled to take place over seven days from April 6, and 9-13, 2013.

AFCOOP is commitment to presenting innovative Canadian media. Our goal with the Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival is to advance the development, understanding, and appreciation of the art of filmmaking, and in particular, culturally diverse works, and independent Canadian artworks while developing diverse, knowledgeable, engaged, and devoted audiences.