History in the making

Inspired by Courtenay's film festival in January 1996, Islanders Marg and Art Simons suggested to their Salt Spring inter-church group "Ten Days for Global Justice" that we do something similar here. The Anglican Church offered their basement and for two years Salt Spring piggy-backed on the resources of the Courtenay Festival.

New Inspiration

After a year off to re-think the project, the organizing team received a major infusion of ideas and energy from Jane Squier and Maggie Schubart, and the festival was reborn in 1999 as the "Our Island, Our World Film Festival." In the past few years it has grown to reach an even broader community audience with engaging and entertaining documentary films on social justice, the environment, art and culture, politics and food security.

The struggle to take back control over the forces that impact our lives, whatever the issues, is central to most of the festival's films, and central to the work of creating real justice in our own communities.

New Society

As a reflection of its growth, the festival is now a registered society, the Salt Spring Film Festival Society, with an active board of directors and a growing membership and a new name: the Salt Spring Film Festival. It has begun to sponsor events through the year, like 2009's "Hands-on Documentary Filmmaking Workshop."

Entrance is by donation

As always, community support remains the heart of the festival: volunteers, patrons and community sponsors make the festival possible. This is especially important because, since our beginning, the film festival has chosen not to charge admission. To be as accessible as possible, entrance is by donation.

Local Bazaar

The Festival includes a social justice bazaar with many local organizations represented and local and fair trade goods for sale; live music; local presenters or festival guests at many films; and local, organic food prepared by the Gulf Island Secondary School culinary classes.

Traveling World Community Film Festival

The Salt Spring Film Festival partners with the World Community Development Education Society to feature many films from the Traveling World Community Film Festival in Courtenay, BC.