The Festival program

This schedule is subject to change. Please pick up your official Festival Guide at the registration desk.

All events are at the Gallagher Centre, 455 Broadway Street West, Yorkton, unless otherwise indicated.

Heavy is the Burden:Jeffery Straker talks about his film, his inspiration and his music

/ 7:30 pm

Presented by Yorkton Film Festival, Yorkton Arts Council and Saskatchewan Registered Music Teachers’ Association.

St. Andrew’s United Church, 29 Smith Street East, Yorkton 

Piano performance, film screening and Q&A. 

Moderator: Bob Maloney

Admission by donation.

Masterclass with Madison Thomas / 3:00–4:00 pm

Gallagher Centre

Moderator David McLeod

Opening Night Screening / 7:00 pm

Buffy Saint Marie: Carry It On (Documentary, 1 hour 30 minutes)

Presented by The Painted Hand Casino

Parkland Room, Painted Hand Casino

Madison Thomas’ feature documentary is a joyous, challenging account of the cultural and musical icon’s lifelong commitment to music and sharing the truth. Buffy shares her own story from her early love of music to the activism she continues to this day, despite her career being suppressed because of it. Additional interviews include Alanis Obomsawin, Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson, and many others whose lives Buffy has touched.

Admission is free to the public.

Programmed Screenings / 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

Ravine Room and Sports Lounge, Gallagher Centre

Schedule available at the registration desk.

YFF on Demand / 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Youth Room: Gallagher Centre

Schedule available at the registration desk.

Programmed screenings and YFF on demand are free to the public!

Panels and workshops

Why CBC Matters More Than Ever! / 9:30 am – 10:30 am

Presented by Yorkton Film Festival

Gallagher Centre

President and CEO of CBC/Radio Canada, Catherine Tait sits down with Charlotte Engel for an intimate conversation about the public broadcaster, its relevance and importance to Canadians in an increasingly polarized world, the challenges all content creators face in a crowded marketplace and CBC's commitment to reflecting Canadian stories from coast to coast to coast.

Moderator: Charlotte Engel

Pitch-O-Rama / 10:45 am - 12:00 pm

Presented by Yorkton Film Festival

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.

Moderator: Charlotte Engel

Networking Luncheon / 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Presented by City of Yorkton

View from the Top / 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm

Presented by SMPIA

Gallagher Centre

A conversation with Val Creighton, President and CEO of the Canada Media Fund.

Moderator: Daniel Cross 

Meet the Decision Makers / 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Presented by Creative Saskatchewan

Looking for the right partner or buyer for your project? Sit down with broadcasters, development executives, distributors, and executive producers to find out what they are looking for, ask questions and talk about your projects.

Participating broadcasters:

• Jim Krysko, Content Development Specialist - Accessible Media Inc.
• Cara Nye, Director Content Development and Production, Accessible Media Inc.
• Shelley MacDougall, Acquisitions Manager, APTN
• Tina Apostolopoulos, Sr. Production Executive, Bell Media
• Will Dixon, Program Manager, Original Production (Citytv, OMNI, Citytv Sask), Rogers Sports and Media
• Lesley Birchard, Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Docs
• David Christensen, Executive Producer, National Film Board
• Chehala Leonard, Producer, National Film Board
• Everett Sokol, Associate Producer, National Film Board 

Other agencies:

• Erin Dean, Chief Executive Officer, Creative Saskatchewan
• Kaya Wheeler, Program Manager, Indigenous Screen Office
• Ursula Lawson, Sr. Programs Manager, National Screen Institute
• Jessica Gibson, Programs and Development Manager, National Screen Institute
• Johnny Zhang, Sr. Relationship Manager, Commercial Financial Services, RBC Royal Bank of Canada 
• Amir Khalil - Relationship Manager, Commercial Financial Services, RBC Royal Bank of Canada

Lobsterfest / 5:30 pm

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.

Tickets are required for meal and trap shooting. Please note that bar tickets are cash only.

Spring evenings in Saskatchewan can be chilly; please dress 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.

YFF on Demand / 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Youth Room: Gallagher Centre

Schedule available at the registration desk. YFF on demand is free to the public.

Animating Turtle Island / 9:30 am - 10:30 am

Presented by SK Arts

Gallagher Centre

Sharing culture, history, childhood and language from stop-motion to 3D animation.

With Dennis Jackson and Eric Jackson

Moderator: Stephen Hall 

TikTok Panel / 10:45 am - 12:00 pm

Presented by Yorkton Film Festival

Gallagher Centre

Storytellers are leading the way in utilizing new and exciting platforms. Tiktok is not new to content creators and influencers but is just one example of how storytellers are doing this.

This moderated panel will hear from the storytellers themselves and the funding and training organizations that are supporting their work. Learn the ins and outs of producing for TikTok, how projects develop and sustain audiences, where audiences can take a project and creator, and what the future of the platform holds.

Panelists: Daniel and Josh and Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill from the NSI

Moderator: Erin Mussolum

Networking Lunch / 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Joanne Levy, CRTC

After lunch the festival will be moving to the Tower Theatre. Shuttles to the theatre will be departing from the front entrance of the Gallagher Centre at 1:10 pm. Enjoy a ride to the theatre in style! Rides provided by the Yorkton Antique Auto Club.

From the Halifax Pier to the Oscars: Special Screening and Panel with Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis / 1:30 - 2:30 pm

Presented by Yorkton Film Festival

Tower Theatre

Join us at the Tower Theatre for a special presentation of Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis’ The Flying Sailor, nominee for Best Animated Short Film at the 2023 Academy Awards. 

Inspired by the true-life story of the 1917 Halifax explosion and a sailor who was blown skyward and flew a mile before landing uphill, naked and unharmed, The Flying Sailor is third Oscar nomination for the Calgary based duo. 

After sweeping the international awards circuit, the sailor finally makes ground at Yorkton for an in-depth discussion with Wendy and Amanda on inspiration, technique, and a life in art. With support from the North West Studio, National Film Board of Canada.

Moderator: Jon Montes

Programmed Screening / 2:45 pm- 4:50 pm

Presented by Yorkton Film Festival

Tower Theatre

Programmed screenings and cinematic experience at the Tower Theatre.

Moderator: Robert Hardy and David McLeod

Free to the public!

Golden Sheaf Awards Gala / 5:45 pm - 10:00 pm

Join us for a Ukrainian feast and the prestigious awards gala as we honour the winners of this year’s Golden Sheaf Awards competition.

Ticket required.

Cocktails 5:45 pm  -  6:30 pm

Supper 6:30 pm  -  7:50 pm

Awards 8:00 pm  -  10:00 pm

A special thank you to the Paper Bag Players for their help on the red carpet.