Despite some recent reports that the film industry is trickling its way back Southward, producers and actors alike will vouch that this industry is alive and well in the Okanagan. Several large budget film productions have made Kelowna home in recent years, including; Fido, Mee-Shee: The Water Giant and The legend of Simon Conjurer. In addition several smaller scale productions have been proud to complete projects in the Okanagan Valley. Most notably in recent years was the  “Nightmare” thriller sage, currently spanning 3 full movies with more filming planned in the coming years.

Small clubs and groups have formed around this thriving local industry to provide a support network for local filmmakers and production houses looking to attract big name movie projects. In addition to promoting the diverse geography the Okanagan has to offer, these societies also seek to provide support to upcoming local filmmakers as well.

One such club; the Kelowna Film Society (KFS) has announced another round of scholarships and grants in support of Okanagan filmmakers and students. Thanks to donations from a large community of local cinephiles and other supporters, the society is again able to provide substantial financial assistance to local film students and filmmakers.

2013 saw winners of these scholarships sharing a wonderful grand total of $5000 and KFS hopes to meet that total again for 2014. KFS is pleased to be in support of the artistic achievements of local filmmakers in addition to the positive local economic impact felt by various related businesses.

In addition to scholarships, KFS also offers camera rentals to qualified applicants. With support from Mountain Lake Films, the society has made a Sony Super35 digital film camera available at non-profit rates. This equipment has already been used to capture video for more than 40 local film projects. Interested filmmakers, educators and anyone with a film project looking to rent this equipment should visit the KFS website and visit the “Camera Package for Rent” page.

If you are interested in applying for one of the scholarships offered through KFS should visit them online and complete an application. The deadline for 2014 applications is 5:00pm May 16^th. Scholarship and grant winners will be announced at the society’s AGM in June of this year.