Members of the media are invited to an interview opportunity on Friday, September 22nd at 10:30 am at the Galt Museum & Archives at 502 1 Street S, Lethbridge, AB. Festival Coordinator Tess Mitchell will be present to answer your questions.

Lethbridge — Galt Museum & Archives | Akaisamitohkanao’pa (eternal gathering place) presents the inaugural Lethbridge OnScreen Film Festival as part of Alberta Culture Days. Work has been sought from emerging and mid-career artists, historians, and cultural practitioners from Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+ and under-represented communities, organizations, and collectives in Canada.

The exciting film selection spans all genres with something for every taste and age range. There will be premieres with cast and crew present and spotlights on emerging and local artists. The event is free for the public, but please take note of any viewer ratings in the program for children or personal preference.

Lethbridge OnScreen is set to become a multi-venue film festival. On September 23rd, from 2 pm to 10 pm, all festival features will grace the screen at Lethbridge's beloved local treasure, The Movie Mill, complete with its gourmet kiosk to cater to your culinary desires. Simultaneously, there will be a short film spotlight on the same day—an encore screening of the short films specially selected for the festival. Then, on September 30th, all films will light up our exhilarating new outdoor screen at the Galt Museum and Archives, where you can indulge in the delights of food trucks, savor free popcorn, and much more.

“We’re very excited to launch the inaugural Lethbridge OnScreen Film Festival”, says Lethbridge OnScreen Film Coordinator, Tess Mitchell – a Film Programmer who has been working in the film industry in the UK and Canada for 20 years.

“We’ve got an incredible selection of films for all tastes including two world premieres with local comedian Faris Hytiaa in SEND HELP and local artist Kylie Finedays film love me to the river. The screening of Kylie’s film, which is silent, will be an exciting cinematic moment as it will have the Old Agency Drum Circle perform live as a soundtrack. Cast and crew will be present at these premieres with a red carpet and photo wall for the real film festival experience.”

The film industry in Lethbridge and Alberta is growing rapidly, and this film festival will bring some incredible movies to the screen in Lethbridge for the first time. All the work for the Lethbrdige OnScreen Film Festival is by underrepresented communities to make more space for their vital and powerful contribution to the film industry.

“The festival program is vast, with beautiful short animations for kids early in the day, compelling dramas that were part of TIFF and even a late-night horror film. We will also be highlighting emerging artists and screening new shorts made locally before feature films,” explains Mitchell.

In honour of Truth and Reconciliation Day, all the films screened on September 30th are made by Indigenous filmmakers in celebration of their great voice in the film industry. “We will have a screening at 2:45 p.m. that talks about Truth and Reconciliation head-on, which will have councillors present if any of the content is triggering,” reveals Mitchell.

“The rest of the films that day are exciting and diverse storytelling made by indigenous filmmakers with documentaries, animations, thrillers, heart-wrenching dramas and experimental films with live soundtracks.”

The Lethbridge OnScreen Film Festival is sponsored by the City of Lethbridge, Tourism Lethbridge and the Friends of the Galt Museum & Archives | Akaisamitohkanao’pa.

See the festival program for more information.

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This media release can be found at www.galtmuseum.com/news.

Media Contacts

Tess Mitchell (she/her)
Festival Coordinator Curator
lethbridgeonscreen@gmail.com