FIN holds multiple events throughout the year. The FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival is an 8-day event, screening films from Canada and around the world, and showcasing Atlantic Canadian films and artists. During the first three days of the Festival, FIN simultaneously runs FIN Partners, an international co-production market focusing on film & TV and early stage projects that is limited to 200 top industry players from around the world. In the spring, FIN holds FIN Kids, a 5-day event designed to engage, entertain and educate young people. FIN Outdoor, is FIN's outdoor summer film series held in various locations across the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Attendance
The 2005 festival experienced a 24 per cent attendance increase from the previous year with 29,400 in overall attendance, including 28 sold-out screenings and events. In 2007 attendance was up 18 per cent over 2006, with a record-setting 33,500 people taking part in the 27th annual event.
Awards, Premieres, and Gala Screenings
2018 Atlantic Film Festival
An Audience of Chairs won Best Atlantic Feature, as well as Best Director. Duck Duck Goose by Shelley Thompson was awarded Best Short and Grace by Taylor Olson was the runner up. Shelley Thompson won Best Actress for Splinters and Taylor Olson awarded Best Actor for Hopeless Romantic.
2017 Atlantic Film Festival
won Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director.
2016 Atlantic Film Festival
was awarded Best Atlantic Feature, the Audience Award was won by Moonlight, and Ashley McKenzie won Best Director for Werewolf. This year's other selections included Weirdos, Theatre Of Life, It's Only the End of the World, Manchester by the Sea, Paterson, Toni Erdmann, The Salesman, Perfume War, and Exit Thread.
2015 Atlantic Film Festival
Across the Line was awarded Best Atlantic Feature.
2014 Atlantic Film Festival
Cast No Shadow was awarded Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director with Percy Hynes White winning the David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance by an actor.
2013 Atlantic Film Festival
There Are Monsters was awarded Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director.
2012 Atlantic Film Festival
Blackbird was awarded Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director. This year's festival also featured the premieres of Roaming, the first film produced through Telefilm Canada's First Feature Program, The Disappeared, and Paul-Émile d'Entremont's documentary Last Chance.
2011 Atlantic Film Festival
Charlie Zone won Best Atlantic Feature and Best Director and Thom Fitzgerald's Cloudburst won the People's Choice Audience Award. A number of high-profile actors, including Brenda Fricker, Billy Boyd, Adam Sinclair, Kristin Kreuk and Famke Janssen, were in attendance. The opening film was Rollertown, the closing film was Mike Clattenburg's Afghan Luke, and the CBC Shorts Gala featured short films by Cory Bowles and Christian Sparkes.
2010 Atlantic Film Festival
Films that were screened included Bruce McDonald's Trigger, Evan Kelly's debut feature The Corridor, and Paul Andrew Kimball's debut feature Eternal Kiss.
2009 Atlantic Film Festival
The opening film was .
2008 Atlantic Film Festival
Down to the Dirt won Best Atlantic Feature and Jason Eisener received the award for Best Editing for his short film Treevenge.
2007 Atlantic Film Festival
The opening film was Shake Hands With The Devil and The Bodybuilder and I was named best Canadian documentary.
2006 Atlantic Film Festival
The opening film was The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, directed by Zacharias Kunuk, and the closing film was Susanne Bier's After the Wedding.
2005 Atlantic Film Festival
The opening film was 3 Needles, directed by Thom Fitzgerald, and Jason Eisener's short The Teeth Beneath premiered.
2004 Atlantic Film Festival
The opening film was Wilby Wonderful, directed by Daniel MacIvor.
2003 Atlantic Film Festival
The opening film was The Event, directed by Thom Fitzgerald.
Strategic Partners
Strategic Partners is an annual international film co-production market, held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The event has been held annually since its inception in 1998, and is held simultaneously with the first three days of the Atlantic Film Festival. The 20th Strategic Partners will take place September 14–16, 2017. Every year, SP's organizers accept 200 delegates from around the world, in a bid to provide a 'one-stop shop' for film and TV producers and early-stage projects. Similar in format to International Film Festival Rotterdam's Cinemart, the European Film Market's co-production forum, and Independent Film Week's No Borders, Strategic Partners is Canada's premiere film and television co-production event. While the event attracts a strong core attendance from Canada, the US and the UK, it also focuses on an annual group of spotlight countries.
