A celebration of student documentaries

By Kodie Trahan-Guay

The Quinte Arts Cou-

ncil, in collaboration with Loyalist College, held the second annual Docs, Dinner & Drinks event in April.

This event is a fundraiser that showcases the works of talented students in the Loyalist College Television Filmmaking and Digital Content Creation program.

The films came together over five-weeks, which is incredibly fast for film production and were presented to a crowd of local dignitaries including Tweed Mayor Don Degenova, Deputy Mayor of Quinte West Duncan Armstrong, local filmmakers, Loyalist College faculty, and the arts community. The subjects of the films were also in attendance including

Matt Simpson, aka Jeebs, Diane Woodward, Victor Cooper, Steven Loney and Doug Comeau.

Paul Papdopoulos, QAC board member and Professor of Television, Filmmaking and Digital Content Creation at Loyalist College emceed the event and introduced Loyalist College President, Mark Kirkpatrick who opened the evening.

We also heard from Kathleen Bazkur, Senior Dean, School of Media, Business & Access “Small College, great students with big impact! Your stories may start in this community, but don’t forget, they can have a worldwide impact.”

“It feels incredible to have your work shown to the community,” says Justin Shalitis, Director of The Right Side of Life. “You are able to get real feedback from the audience and are able to see how they respond to what you have created. This is very insightful to find out what works and what doesn't. It seemed like the crowd really enjoyed what I had to offer, which is an absolute pleasure.”

Cathryn Paul, Director of Drawn to Life expressed that having her work shown at the event confirmed for her that this is the path she is meant to be on.

“It feels amazing to share with the community something that I helped create. It definitely gives me more confidence in my abilities as a filmmaker, and it reaffirms that this is what I want to do in life.”

The Quinte region has a fast growing film and television industry. Located only two hours outside of Toronto and within a days drive of every major city on the Eastern Seaboard, the Quinte region is well positioned for this booming industry. The students in Filmmaking, Television & Digital Content Creation won’t have to look far in order to find career paths after graduation. Many of the student documentarians are returning to Loyalist College in the fall to take Advanced Filmmaking - Digital Content Creation, a one-year post graduate program.

“I plan to return to Loyalist to finish my studies in the Advanced Filmmaking program while doing what I can behind the scenes for the community,” says Paige O'Brien, Editor of Written in Stone. “Whether that be YourTV Quinte or more, I don't plan to leave anytime soon.”