Eight years, and some 230 blood-soaked short horror movies later, Dead North Film Festival is a SA国际影视传媒渇ilm factory.SA国际影视传媒�

ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 how Jay Bulckaert describes the festival as it aims to expand its educational opportunities and expand the festivalSA国际影视传媒檚 place as for northern residents.

This yearSA国际影视传媒檚 festival has seen the highest participation from communities outside of Yellowknife. There are eight other communities SA国际影视传媒� Fort Smith, Hay River, Behchoko, Inuvik, Norman Wells, Dettah,  and for the first time Tulita and Sachs Harbour SA国际影视传媒� represented in the field of 59 teams this year.

Entries also arrived from Whitehorse, Dawson, Cambridge Bay, Iqaluit and Sweden, though 42 of the films were made in Yellowknife. 

SA国际影视传媒淎s time is moving on the rest of the territory is getting involved, and thatSA国际影视传媒檚 really cool to see,SA国际影视传媒�  Bulckaert said, explaining the expanding network of filmmakers increased the range of submissions. SA国际影视传媒淚 think itSA国际影视传媒檚 taken this amount of time for word of mouth to travel to different places.SA国际影视传媒�

Previous yearsSA国际影视传媒� workshops are also being expanded into a free two-day talent lab called Hyperboria for anyone who has made a film with the festival. An expert panel will constructively critique roughly 20 films to help creators develop their work. 

SA国际影视传媒淵ouSA国际影视传媒檝e made your cut for Dead North. Now walk away and do your final cut to be submitted to major festivals,SA国际影视传媒� he said, explaining the festival also has a partnership with MontrealSA国际影视传媒檚 Fantasia film festival.

The Montreal festival will review select submissions from Dead North. If filmmakers are chosen, theySA国际影视传媒檒l be flown to the city to pitch their film to industry members.  

SA国际影视传媒�(Dead North) has really become a career launching path for northern filmmakers,SA国际影视传媒� he said, adding itSA国际影视传媒檚 essentially a film school.  

While making a short movie is a higher bar of entry than other film festivals, he said genre films SA国际影视传媒� work in horror, fantasy and science fiction SA国际影视传媒� is more democratic. 

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 easy to pull something off thatSA国际影视传媒檚 goofy and camp when your actors are not professionals and you donSA国际影视传媒檛 have professional effects or practical effects,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淲hen it comes to a horror movie, itSA国际影视传媒檚 totally acceptable and often enjoyable to watch a B, camp movie.SA国际影视传媒�

That education carries to the quality of the submissions. Repeated participation has led to more properly formatted scripts with clearer ideas and execution, he said. For some participants, it will be their eighth film, marking one film for each year the festival has run. 

The organizers review these scripts to screen them for content like racism or misogyny. This year, organizers adopted imagineNATIVE InstituteSA国际影视传媒檚 for storytelling concerning First Nations, Metis and Inuit. The festivalSA国际影视传媒檚 writing package links to the document and provides a quick summary for filmmakers. 

None of this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 scripts conflicted with the standards, however,  Bulckaert said. 

The central part of the review process is developing the entrantsSA国际影视传媒� writing skills, including feedback on character and plot. Once filmmakers get feedback, itSA国际影视传媒檚 up to them whether to adopt it or not. 

Each film is also encouraged to include two organizer-chosen northern elements. This year, the line of dialogue is SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 colder than SA国际影视传媒�SA国际影视传媒�, which Bulckaert said has led to some creative closing lines. The shot on the other hand, is an upside down or an inverted shot. 

Some of the other feedback logistical: avoiding heavy-dialogue with amateur actors, notifying police if filming a movie with a prop weapon in public, or forgoing fake blood in cold weather SA国际影视传媒� something the festival organizers learned first hand. 

SA国际影视传媒淭hat stuff is wicked cold. We shot a teaser video a few years back on the ice road, probably 30 below,SA国际影视传媒� Pablo Saravanja, the festivalSA国际影视传媒檚 co-organizer, said, remembering how the organizers wanted a shot of blood spreading across the ice. 

As Bulckaert poured and smeared the blood on the ice, using it to write SA国际影视传媒淒ead North,SA国际影视传媒� his hand nearly froze.

SA国际影视传媒淗e had a red hand, not just from the blood, but basically because it frost bit his hand in 10 seconds,SA国际影视传媒� he said. 

For all these possible snags, itSA国际影视传媒檚 low barrier entry for inexperienced filmmakers to get their feet wet, Bulckaert said, pleased with the growing educational opportunities for participants. 

SA国际影视传媒淚 look at this now. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 year eight. This is now an institution,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭his train is on the tracks full bore. ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 no stopping this, really.SA国际影视传媒�

The festival is set to run Feb. 27 to March 2.