Balcony Diaries Weekend Film Challenge

In partnership with Halifax Pride, AFCOOP’s at-home filmmaking challenge is back with a twist! Participants are challenged to make a short film from start to finish over the course of a single weekend (while maintaining social distancing rules). On the first day of the challenge, participants will be sent an email which will include a theme connected to the 2020 Halifax Pride Festival and a prop they will be required to use in their film. Films will be presented online the following weekend and audience members will vote for their favourite.

We’ve upped the prize component this round to include gift cards for both the runner up and the winner from Venus Envy and Glitter Bean Cafe!

How it works:

  • Register by noon on July 17th (it’s FREE)
  • At 5pm on July 17th you’ll be sent your at-home filmmaking challenge (a theme and a prop).
  • Complete your short film over the weekend of July 17th – 19th.
  • Upload your film to Vimeo (with no password and make sure you allow it to be added to “collections”).
  • Send your Vimeo link to submissions@afcoop.ca by noon on Monday July 20th.

Films will be screened online the weekend of July 25th – 26th during Pride!

Questions email Martha: director@afcoop.ca

And the winner is… Kristyn Green and her film Space Pursuit! The prize for this audience choice award is a $25 gift card to JavaBlend!

Watch all of the films made through the challenge on AFCOOP’s Vimeo channel and stay tuned for another round mid June!

Round II:

In My Room 1 – by Helen Vaughan

Resilience – by Halley Davies

Space Pursuit – by Kristyn Green

The Atemporal Lunch

Malebolge – by Michael Wohlfahrt

Sam in the Jar – by Colleen MacIsaac

Moving In – by Logan Lawrence and Sean Aitken

After the success of our first stay-at-home filmmaking challenge (21 finished films!) we’re back with a second round. Similar to a 48hr film challenge (but longer), participants will be sent two filmmaking prompts or challenges to incorporate into the making of a short film over the May long-weekend!

Register by May 15th to take part.

How it works:

  1. Register by noon on May 15th (it’s FREE)
  2. At 5pm on May 15th you’ll be sent your at-home filmmaking challenge.
  3. Complete your short film over the long weekend of May 15th – 18th.
  4. Upload your film to Vimeo (with no password and make sure you allow it be added to “collections”)
  5. Send your Vimeo link to submissions@afcoop.ca by noon on Tuesday 19th

Films will be publicized by AFCOOP (all of them this time hopefully) and will be available to watch and vote for your favourite the following weekend, May 22nd – 24th.

Questions email Martha: director@afcoop.ca

Round I:

The first Balcony Diaries Challenge took place in early April and filmmakers were given the following parameters: The film has to be about COVID-19 but can never use that term, or “coronavirus”. Or…The film has to literally involve a diary (written or filmed) and a balcony (if you don’t have a balcony you can mention balconies in dialogue).

Here’s a list of all the films that you can watch that were made in our first challenge.

Watch films by:

“91 divoc” by Christopher Ball

“The Fruit That Ate Itself” by Jon Mann

“Shadows” by Julian Krizsan

“The Dog in the Door” by Nicole Steeves

“Plague Prayer” by Michael Wohlfahrt

“Supply Run” by Sandrella Mohanna

“The Balcony Diary #1” by Helen M Vaughan

“Maybe” by Michael Korican

“Keep Your Distance “ by Sam Horak and Andrew Cooper

“Inside/out” by Odessa Spore

https://vimeo.com/404982778

“NIGHT LIGHTS” by Amber Pickett & Jeff Chew

“THE RACKET” by Sylvia Mok 

“Death Virus Wasteland” by Matt Little, Kristyn Green & Noah Brown

“The Last Day of Quarantine” by Nathan Carter

“Step Out” by Anshul Sinha

“Lock Down” by Anshul Sinha

“Dear Diary” by Dominic Fegan

“My Self Isolation” by Alex Affonso

“Le Balcon” by Kevin Hartford

“The Walls are Closing In” by Henry Colin

“Special Delivery” by Victoria Walton

Don’t forget to vote for your favourite by ‘liking’ it on Vimeo! <3