Hitting a mark
A cornerstone component of the Forest City Film Festival, the Ontario Screen Creators Conference focuses on fostering industry opportunity and connections
Photo: Forest City Film Festival founder and executive director Dorothy Downs
WHEN YOU THINK about film and TV production in Canada, do you think about London? Dorothy Downs, founder of the Forest City Film Festival and the Ontario Screen Creators Conference (OSCC), believes the answer should be a resounding yes.
Click here to view this article in magazine format
“The film industry has grown so much in Ontario that it has burst out of the seams of Toronto,” she says. “Toronto has become extremely expensive to shoot in, to live in, to stay in, and so domestic production struggles to keep up with that. Having alternatives in cities like London is really important.”
Story Continues Below
Downs’ work organizing the FCFF (founded in 2016) has been a big part of the effort to put London on the filmmaking map, but since 2021 the festival has been making a more concerted effort to reach out to industry professionals via OSCC, which this year runs from October 24 to 26 (the festival itself runs from October 19 to 27).
While FCFF has always included industry sessions and a focus on developing filmmakers, Down says when it returned from a Covid hiatus the decision was made to spin out the industry sessions into a standalone conference, held during the final week of the festival.
“Bringing artists together with businesspeople can really make things happen — it’s very energizing” —Dorothy Downs
“This is a place where the filmmakers will all gather to talk and to learn and to meet each other. We recognized that for our region to gain more depth in the film industry we have to bring the industry here to see what fantastic locations we have, to see the talent we have and to also give opportunities for filmmakers to connect on a new level.”
One of the primary selling points for the conference is its aim to bring together a wide array of disciplines within film and TV production. “In Canada, there are conferences for film and TV, there are some screenwriting conferences and there are other very narrow, siloed conferences,” Downs explains. “Ultimately, we are building a conference that is crossing over all of these silos, creating intersections where creativity, skill-building and professional development can happen.”
Story Continues Below
In planning this year’s OSCC, Downs focused on growing connections in those varying facets of film and TV production, and to do so engaged the help of Kim and Kent Robinson of Toronto-based Propagation Media to develop programming that sits at the leading edge of what industry professionals are looking for.
“Our role has primarily focused on outreach,” Kim Robinson says. “Industry members attending conferences like OSCC are primarily seeking opportunities to network and engage in relevant professional development. Networking is a critical component, as attendees are eager to connect with peers, potential investors, buyers and other stakeholders.”
Photo: Film London manager Andrew Dodd at the 2023 Ontario Screen Creators Conference
To that end, the conference is heavy on networking opportunities, Downs says, and is comprised of 22 sessions, four networking events, a pitch competition offering $75,500 in cash and services for winning filmmakers and is expected to attract between 400 and 500 attendees from across Canada’s film and TV sectors.
Like Downs, Robinson senses that the industry is starting to look outside the GTA both for production locations and new talent. London, she says, has a lot of the right ingredients to attract key players, and is primed to benefit as the industry casts its gaze further afar.
“It’s a fabulous city with a lot of opportunities for industry professionals,” Robinson says. “London and the London Film Office have done a terrific job building opportunities for creatives.”
Story Continues Below
When the industry roll into town this October — when the rubber of months of planning hits the road — Downs says the event takes on a life and energy of its own.
“I just love the vibe of the whole weekend. I love the energy and the electricity as people meet new people and as connections are formed,” she says. “It’s really wonderful when you see projects coming to life because of the work you’ve done. Bringing artists together with businesspeople can really make things happen — it’s very energizing. I just love the whole thing.” 
Kieran Delamont