Festival Screenings

presented by Canada Media Fund

Location: Gallagher Centre

Join us Friday morning, hangover be damned, as we kick off Yorkton 2025 with an intimate in-conversation hosting; Valerie Creighton, CEO of the Canada Media Fund and Melanie Nepinak Hadley, VP of the Indigenous Screen Office. 

This panel will discuss new directions supported by industry trends that Creighton and Nepinak Hadley work with on a daily basis. It's time for finding new and exciting ways of doing business nationally and globally. This session will unpack what new ways of working could look like and the importance and necessary support that independent Canadian media content so desperately needs.

Panelists: Valerie Creighton, Melanie Nepinak Hadley

Moderator: Daniel Cross

presented by Accessible Media Inc.

Location: Gallagher Centre

 Crip Trip creators and directors Frederick Kroetsch and Daniel Ennett arrive at the Yorkton Film Festival in the accessible Crip Trip van for a candid, clip-driven look at how their scrappy feature documentary evolved into a multi-season television series for AMI-tv. 

Moderated by AMI-tv's John Melville, VP of Content Development & Operations, and joined by AMI's Cara Nye, Director TV Production, the panel unpacks the early pushback (“disabled people make audiences sad”), why they deliberately rejected inspiration porn, and how dark humour became their way into serious conversations about caregiving, work, and disability justice. 

The session also explores how COVID sparked a disability renaissance, as disabled creators connected online and built new communities outside traditional gatekeepers — with Crip Trip emerging as the next evolution of that movement. 

From the creative challenges of implementing Integrated Described Video (IDV) to the practical realities of making sets truly accessible, this is an honest, irreverent look at building disability-led TV that refuses to play by the rules.

Panelists: Frederick Kroetsch, Daniel Ennett

Moderator: John Melville, Cara Nye

Location: Gallagher Centre

Test your pitching skills and be judged by an esteemed panel of broadcasters, directors, and distributors. This is not your regular pitch session so leave your pitches at home. Be brave and spin the “Wheel of Spin” and see what idea you and your team will be forced to pitch.

Moderators: Charlotte Engel, Sarah Jane Flynn

presented by The City of Yorkton

Location: Gallagher Centre

Lunch and award ceremony.

presented by Telefilm Canada

Location: Gallagher Centre

The Full Frame examines the intersection of creativity and care, offering a roadmap for embedding wellness into the DNA of your project. 

Panelist: Tasha Hubbard

Moderator: Kaya Wheeler

presented by Wavelength Entertainment

Location: Gallagher Centre

How do filmmakers consistently get more impact on screen without simply spending more money or adding more days to the schedule? This session brings together practical, field-tested insights from professionals across the film and television industry.

Presenter: Steve Allen

presented by Creative Saskatchewan

Location: Gallagher Centre

Meet the people who shape today’s film and television industry- content decision makers, producers, distributors, agencies, organizations, and financial partners. Industry Connect gives delegates direct access to mentors, collaborators, and supporters who can help advance projects and careers. Ask questions, pitch ideas, and build relationships that open doors and create real opportunities.

BROADCASTERS:

• Jim Krysko, Content Development Specialist - Accessible Media Inc.
• Cara Nye, Director Content Development and Production - Accessible Media Inc.
• Will Dixon, Program Manager, Original Production (Citytv, OMNI, Citytv Sask).
• Tina Ouellette, (Western Region)- NFB 
• Andrew Williamson, Telefilm 
• Sarah Jayn Flynn, Director of Independent Production & Business Affairs - Knowledge Network 

 OTHER AGENCIES:

• Erin Dean, Chief Executive Officer - Creative Saskatchewan
• Kaya Wheeler, Program Manager - Indigenous Screen Office 
• Chris Vajcner, Director, Partner Support - National Screen Institute
• Christine Kleckner, Executive Director - National Screen Institute
• Jon Taylor, CEO, Independent Production Fund
• Huw Eirug - CEO, Nunavut Film Commission
• Lynne Skromeda, CEO - Manitoba Film & Music
• Lindsay Somers - Executive Director, On Screen Manitoba
• Kyle Irving - Co-Owner & Producer, Eagle Vision

 RBC- Royal Bank of Canada:

• Johnny Zhang - Sr. Relationship Manager, Commercial Financial Services

Location: Yorkton Wildlife Federation Clubhouse, York Lake

Join us at the Yorkton Wildlife Federation for our signature event! Enjoy a delicious East Coast meal with a side order of trap shooting.

Spring evenings in Saskatchewan can be chilly. 

Please dress up for the weather! 

Shuttles to and from Lobsterfest will begin departing at 5:30 pm from the front entrance of the Gallagher Centre and Holiday Inn Express & Days Inn.

 *Tickets are required for meal