74 years of history
The Festival began in 1947 as the Yorkton Film Council. Its mandate was to act as a volunteer distribution agency for the National Film Board (NFB). Jim Lysyshyn, field man for the NFB, suggested a film festival. When the Council rejected his proposal, he came forward with a more audacious proposal – an international festival.
The Council accepted the new idea and organized the first festival in the fall of 1950. Throughout the 1950s, the festival was a huge success with as many as 4,000 people at the screenings, this at a time when the population of Yorkton was only 8,000.
The festival has undergone many changes in its history, but can still claim to be the longest continuous film festival in North America. In its current form the festival continues to be dedicated to the promotion of the best screen-based media content through our annual film festival and Golden Sheaf Awards competition.
In addition to the annual event, the festival is dedicated to the promotion of short video content through our year-round screening and tour outreach programs.
Our team
Drawn from both Yorkton community members and the film and television industry, the YFF Board of Directors oversees and stewards the festival.