Two local men interested in developing Sarnia’s burgeoning arts culture will host the city’s first short film festival this fall.

Entries are being accepted now, says Joe Manafo, who came up with the concept with buddy Nathan Colquhoun.

“We want to celebrate local filmmakers, their films, and cultivate the film scene in Sarnia,” Manafo said. “We’re both interested in films and we’re experimenting with our own.”

Sarnia’s inaugural Short Film Festival will take place Saturday, Oct. 6, which is Thanksgiving weekend.

Manafo and Colquhoun purposely chose Thanksgiving because they say so many college and university students come home for the holiday and may want to participate.

Many people are uploading original films on websites such as YouTube and Google Video thanks to new technology that makes it quick and easy.


Manafo and Colquhoun are thinking that some of those productions are of a quality worth entering in their film festival, which will accept submissions no longer than seven minutes including titles and credits.

“We don’t want to limit anyone. We just want people who are excited about their own work and have developed a concept that they have expressed creatively,” Manafo said.

Subject matter can be “as broad as a person’s interests,” he said. “But if you want to do things correctly, seven minutes can be a long time.

“We don’t want random thoughts. An idea needs to be developed and the film needs to make a point.”

Manafo and Colquhoun began promoting their short film festival at ArtWalk in Sarnia’s downtown this summer and were impressed by the interest expressed.

Three or four entries have already been submitted, even though word is just starting to spread.

Entrants can be from anywhere in Southwestern Ontario. Details are available by logging onto Sarniafilmfest.com.

“We may not get a landslide of films but we want to get something started,” Manafo said. “We want to invest in the local art community.”

A location will be chosen soon for the day-long event. Films will be shown on an ongoing basis with looped screenings of each.

Those interested in watching the festival, not entering it, will be able to come and go as they like, seeing as much as they wish without paying a fee.

Prizes will be awarded to the five best films and a people’s choice award will be handed out. The winning submissions will be shown together at an evening cocktail gala on festival day.