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- AFCOOP Updates - July 17, 2026
AFCOOP Updates - July 17, 2026
Screenings, events, opportunities, and more!
CELLS & STALKS | DIR. HERB THERIAULT | 2012 | AVAILABLE TO WATCH ON THE AFCOOP ARCHIVES
📅 Mark your calendars! Our Annual General Meeting will be on July 30th. ✍️ AFCOOP’s second Screenwriters Lab session will be taking place tomorrow morning! | 🍿 Happy belated to Carbon Arc Cinema, who just turned 16. Check out Carbon Arc’s program! 🪢 Upcoming workshops, opportunities, and community events below! |
AFCOOP is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2026 Linda Joy Media Arts Awards and the Helen Hill Animation Award Application deadline is 11:59pm, Monday, August 24, 2026 About Linda Joy Awards The Linda Joy Media Arts Society was founded in 1986 to commemorate the contributions and legacy of Nova Scotia filmmaker and former AFCOOP Coordinator, Linda Joy Busby. The Linda Joy Award and the Linda Joy Post Award consist of cash and in-kind services designed to help filmmakers in the Atlantic region produce a new piece of film or media art. Awards are given out through a peer-jury process. | The Helen Hill Animation Award is open to artists working in animation and experimental forms in Nova Scotia. Helen Hill was a gifted filmmaker and film educator who was active in many communities across the continent. Helen lived in Halifax from 1995 to 2001, and was an integral personality in the film, arts and civic outreach communities. Helen’s particular style of creation was unhampered by convention, and marked by a rarely found honesty and immediacy. In January of 2007, Helen Hill passed away in her home in New Orleans. The Helen Hill Award was created to celebrate this remarkable individual and to support artists working in animation and experimental film. Learn more about the awards and how to apply by going to https://afcoop.ca/linda-joy-and-helen-hill-awards/ |
AFCOOP Annual General Meeting on July 30th
Mark your calendars! The Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday, July 30th at 6:30 PM. Hosted at AFCOOP’s office at 1800 Argyle St, we will be going over the last year of activity at the cooperative, and goals for the upcoming year. Our general meetings are open to the public. We will also vote in new members AND LIFETIME MEMBERS (10+ years) at this meeting. For those interested in becoming a member of AFCOOP or securing their lifetime membership, reach out to Henry at [email protected] by Wednesday, July 29th. | Perks of membership? 75% discount on gear rentals, free access to our editing suites, discount on film scanning with the AMP Lab, discounts on workshops, voting rights at our general meetings, opportunities to submit an advert to our bi-weekly newsletter, and more! As always, after the meeting, there will be ✨ light refreshments ✨ and a chance to connect with everyone. Swing by, and bring a friend interested in filmmaking too! Location: |
AFCOOP Screenwriters Lab | NEXT SESSION TOMORROW!
Stuck on the last scene? The first page? A blank page? ✍️ AFCOOP Board of Directors member, Brandon Lorimer will be facilitating this process-oriented screenwriting workshop. Through timed freewriting, experimental exercises, one-on-one guidance, and the opportunity to write, discuss, and collaborate with fellow writers, the Lab offers a space of productive momentum to reach your goals. | Open to members and non-members | no fee required! No registration is required! Drop in — not required that you went to the first session! Simply show up & bring a friend along |
 MACHO DANCER (4K Restoration) |
Upon losing a reliable American client, young gigolo Pol leaves his native province to try his luck in the soapy gay clubs of Manila. Lino Brocko’s Macho Dancer was heavily censored by the Filipino government after its release in 1988 and almost lost to time, but has now been fully restored from a smuggled print. |
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MARAMA
Taratoa Stappard | NZ | 2025 | 89m
When a young Māori woman is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, she uncovers her horrific colonial heritage and is compelled to confront the titled Englishman who devastated her family in this breathtaking and violent gothic horror. . |
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 QUEER & NOW: LILES |
Director John Greyson explores forbidden sexuality, race, gender, the Catholic church and a tragic miscarriage of justice in this groundbreaking adaptation of Michel Marc Bouchard’s play Lilies. Lilies will be preceded by local short "Pan & Syrinx" | A. Laurel Lawrence | Canada | 2024 | 16m - introduced by A. Laurel Lawrence! |
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CAREFUL
Guy Maddin | Canada | 1992 | 100m
Guy Maddin’s early masterpiece takes place in a 19th-century Alpine village where the wary residents —adult, child and animal!—must speak softly and tread lightly lest they cause an avalanche. Newly restored in 4K! Guy Maddin attending live via video-link for a post-screening Q&A! . |
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Looking to stay up-to-date on art house, rep, and independent film screenings in Nova Scotia? Follow the Retroscope on Instagram (@retroscopefilm) and subscribe to their Pateron for local screenings, interviews, and more! Click here to learn more.
Wonder’neath Workshop: On July 16 and 23, Wonder’neath is presenting Bioplastic Fantastic, a two-part workshop by artist Catherine Euale, @slimy_futures! What if your garments, packaging, or objects were made from seaweed? Halifax sits at the edge of the Atlantic, and the ocean is full of material possibilities we're only beginning to work with. In this hands-on two-part lab, we explore the slimy, tactile, surprisingly beautiful world of bioplastics and bio-based composites. We will experiment with casting, spinning and moulding objects from seaweed, eggshells, dehydrated kitchen scraps, fibres and natural pigments. | No science background is needed, just curiosity and a willingness to get your hands slimy. Suitable for visual artists, designers, makers, textile crafters, costume designers, and experimental enthusiasts! Catherine is a Venezuelan-Canadian bio-artist, citizen scientist, and storyteller, dedicated to deepening our relationships with the more-than-human. Her practice blends biology, conceptual art, digital fabrication, and open-source citizen science to create immersive, research-based pieces that explore the boundaries of interspecies communication, bioethics, and speculative futures. The session will run from 5-9pm on July 16 and 23, 2026 at Wonder’neath, 2482 Maynard Street. Capacity: Minimum 7 participants, max 12 participants. Materials included. |
Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance Film Screening Join us for an evening of film and reflection with Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance, a powerful documentary that brings to life the struggles, resilience, and activism that shaped Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ movement. Presented in partnership with National Film Board, Nova Scotia Office of Equity & Anti-racism, and Halifax Pride, this screening invites audiences to reflect on the struggles, resilience, and activism that helped shape rights, visibility, and belonging across the country. | What to expect: Directed by Noam Gonick and produced by Justine Pimlott, Parade is unflinching, bold, enraging, hopeful, and brings audiences to the frontlines of history through rarely seen archival footage and first-person accounts. Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 |
Click on the image for more details!
Screen Nova Scotia’s Amplified Voices Program is Now Open for Applications
Screen Nova Scotia's Amplified Voices Pre-Development Program is now open for applications! The deadline to apply is August 14, 2026. This program is designed to provide emerging producers and screenwriters from underrepresented communities in Nova Scotia with the skills they need to fast-track their knowledge and enhance the competitiveness of their project through tailored training. This includes a three-day retreat, participation at the Nova Scotia Content Market, and online workshops. There is no fee to apply and participation in the program is free of charge. | In-person workshops will be presented at a two-day weekend retreat, and at the Nova Scotia Content Market. Following the in-person training, additional workshops and consultations will be held virtually on Zoom. Travel stipends are available for participants travelling from outside HRM, and accessibility accommodations are available as needed, provided requests are provided in advance. Hotel accommodation and meals at White Point Beach Resort will be provided. Participants must commit to participating in all required training. Absence from the retreat, Content Market, or Zoom workshops will result in disqualification from the program. |
CFAT Media Arts Scholarship 2026/27: Call for Applications
Want to learn something new?! Selected applicants are required to make a media art piece in a medium in which they have little to no previous experience. Scholars are responsible for learning the skills required for completing their piece within the parameters of the program. The Media Art Scholarship is open to any member of the public who does not currently have access to this type of focused education and skill development (current students are not eligible). | Scholars receive: This year the Media Art Scholarship program will focus on media art projects that involve interactive installation! Learn more about this year’s program focus, and how to apply by going to: https://www.cfat.ca/mas-submissions-2026 |
Khyber: Call to Participate in Pop-Up Art Sale
In mid-August, Khyber will be hosting a pop-up membership art sale! Show and sell your artwork this summer by participating in a pop-up membership art sale. Purchase a Khyber membership and email Saba to express interest with the following details: 💖 Your artist bio Save the Dates: 6-9PM on Friday, August 14th & 12-5PM on Saturday, August 15th Express interest by: Thursday, July 30th by 11:59PM Contact: Saba Siphiwe Marie Blyden-Taylor at [email protected] |  Looking to become a Khyber member? Find out more about their different memberships and how to apply by going to their website: |
Applications are now open for the Canadian Academy's Women in Post Program!
Applications are now open for the Canadian Academy's Women in Post Program! The Women in Post program provides higher-level industry access and professional development for emerging to mid-level women-identifying and non-binary creatives working in all areas of post production. Programming includes strategic learning modules, creative and technical skills building, and hands-on mentorship at a post production company and/or shadowing a post production-related role. |  The deadline to apply is July 23rd, 2026 at 5PM ET. Information session: June 29th, 2026 at 3:30PM ET |