At our 2016 fest, 91% of the 228 questionnaires received from members of the public rated their film package as good (40%) or great (51%); and 94% of the 34 questionnaires received from attendees at the Filmmaker Insights Day rated the workshop and three panels as good (38%) or great (56%). The following is a very small sample of the comments we received.

General screenings

“Love! I am a fan for life now!” (Nicki Nightingale, Grande Prairie, Could Be Love)

“Fantastic films!” (Robin Sissons, Grande Prairie, Here Now & Hereafter)

“I love this event!” (Amber Dugas, Grande Prairie, You’ve Got Male)

“Welcoming atmosphere, engaging Q&A.” (Barbara Lieurance, Lacombe, No Men Beyond This Point)

“Love the international films mixed with local and North American.” (Harvey Stanich, Grande Prairie, Turning Point)

“Pizza set up was great. Never ran out! I liked that people dressed up. That could be fun. Dress up as your favorite Psycho.” (Cindy Haugen, Grande Prairie, Pizza Party & Psycho Shorts)

“Well organized, affordable and fun.” (Terry Fast, County of Grande Prairie, Criminal Minds)

“It’s awesome. I enjoy coming every year.” (Leah Jackson, Grande Prairie, Best of the Fest)

“I love the promotion and that more groups are joining. Just keep being awesome!!!” (Darlene Banman, La Crete, Frantic48)

School screenings

“Love the variety and the school packages.” (Sue Longson, Grade 1 teacher, Swanavon School, Let’s Play (Grade 1-3))

“The variety of films was excellent. Very well organized and on time.” (Wendy Fraser, Grade 5 teacher, Harry Balfour School, A Small World (Grade 4-6))

“Another wonderful film package and the Q&A with the producer and director was fantastic!” (Amber Martineau, Grade 8 Drama teacher, Mother Teresa, Holy Cross, and St. Clement Catholic Schools, Big Dreams (Grade 6-9))

“The students that attended the film fest were so excited. None of them had any idea what to expect and had never even heard of a film festival before. They thoroughly enjoyed all of the films and chatted about their favourites all the way home. It was a completely novel and magical experience for them, especially when they got to meet and ask questions of the makers of one of the films. The experience opened up new worlds and new possibilities for them in terms of career options and even leisure activity. We are so fortunate to have access to such an amazing film festival.” (Josie McKay, Grade 7-9 Drama and Film Studies teacher, St. Stephens Catholic School, Valleyview, Big Dreams (Grade 6-9)))

“I love that we can expose our students to a variety of films – foreign films.” (Sherri MacDowall, Principal, Hines Creek Composite School, Friend/Enemy (Grade 9-12 Social Studies))

“Good balance between comedy and serious themes. Prompted great discussions with students. I love bringing my students.” (Barbara London, Grade 10-12 teacher, St. Mary’s Catholic School, Sexsmith, Reality Check (Grade 9-12 English/Languages))

Filmmaker class visits

“The visit [with Lucas Martell and Christina Martell] went very well and students enjoyed what they had to say. Filmmakers transitioned from one topic to the next easily keeping the interest of the students. They demonstrated the animation programs they used in the making of their film. They discussed what their inspiration was and discussed the writing process. A very informative and interesting session for both the Drama and English students.” (Darcy Nielsen, Grade 10-12 Drama and Grade 11 English Language Arts teacher, Peace Wapiti Academy)

Filmmaker Insights Day

“Excellent presentation – very inspiring. Great to follow Lucas’ path from beginning to end.” (Chad Hauser, Grande Prairie, Making Oceans – Behind the Scenes of “The OceanMaker” workshop)

“Highly informative. Great content! Distribution options and pointers with reference material will prove highly useful.” (Kyler Hart Moore, Grande Prairie, Looking for Laurels – Crafting a Festival Strategy)

“Great panel, knowledgeable, nice range of experiences and backgrounds – melting pot of experience. Just the insight into the different approaches and processes, to brainstorming, idea development, and how the script materializes.” (Richard Podsada, Grande Prairie, Writing a Great Screenplay – The Long and the Short of It)

“A lot of great insight, good discussion, a lot of experience and points of view.” (Robin Sissons, Grande Prairie, Moving on Up – Turning Short Film Success into Career Longevity)

Filmmakers

“Wow! What a fantastic festival.” (Sharon Stevens, Executive Director, AMAAS (Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society)

“Your programming is top notch! There were such good films and it really showed your team took great care in curating the genres. It was great to meet other filmmakers, both local and from outside Alberta. That was a big highlight for us. it really is a well run festival! Thank you again for everything! (Christina Martell, Producer, The OceanMaker, Austin, TX)

“You were very welcoming and took good care of the invited guests. It was a good experience to be present at this year’s Reel Shorts festival in Grande Prairie. I will recommend the festival to other filmmakers and spread the word.” (Kristiane Nerdrum Bøgwald, Actress, Skinless (Hudløs), Oslo, Norway)

“Great thematic packages. Nice to have Filmmaker Insights Day.” (Gordie Haakstad, Writer/Director, The Souvenir, Grande Prairie)

Jury Members

“I had a great experience at Reel Shorts. Great people and great films. I was really impressed. (Mark Sawers, Vancouver)