My Driff 2025 Experience.
Eva Thomas, the director, and Star Slade (Madison) discussing Nika and Madison.
This was my first time attending DRIFF and it did not disappoint. I had never been to this festival before and had no idea what to expect. I was set to volunteer for this festival soon, and figured it would be best to get a full hands on experience so that I could understand my role better.
The first night was a VIP Gala reception held in Whitby. As soon as I went upstairs and entered the gala, I thought to myself “How have I never heard of this before?” The Atmosphere was incredible. Delicious food, wine and a live band playing.
After the Gala, I attended a screening of Nika and Madison, a powerful film with some heartwrenching scenes. The star of the movie and the director came on stage for a Q&A afterwards. Hearing about the connection audience members had with the film was a strong reminder of the power of cinema.
Given how much I enjoyed Day one, I was excited about Day two in Ajax. Day two was held in Ajax. I did not eat much beforehand because I heard about the culinary showcase that was happening beforehand. I tried a lot of food, but a standout for me was the Jalapeno Poppers (I went back for seconds).
After the showcase, a series of short films were shown before the feature film of the night. The short films were international short films and came from all over the world. A few of the directors appeared through Zoom for a Q&A of their shorts.
These shorts were amazing, and it was so intriguing because if not for DRIFF I would have never had the opportunity to watch any of these short films. Now was the time I was waiting for; The Things You Kill was the film for which I was most anticipated. I normally do not watch many non-English films, but this one was a turning point for me. Again, I will not say much other than there were many twists and turns, and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the screening. Of course, they had asked the director to do a Q&A as well.
Day Three was in Oshawa; this one was very special to me because all the short films were homegrown. There was something different about watching these films knowing most of them were made here in Ontario. I loved these films; they all drew me right into their world. Some were funny and relatable while some evoked a lot of emotion.
After the Homegrown shorts, the last feature film, Racewalkers premiered. I did not know much about this film beforehand, but ended up laughing multiple times while watching the film. After the film, DRIFF held its Awards Ceremony. It was great to see some of the films I adored so much at DRIFF get the recognition they deserved.
In short, I will be coming back next year.
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If you’re interested in becoming part of a local film community or attending a film festival near you, the Durham Region International Film Festival’s events are for you! DRIFF presents an annual fall film festival in Durham Region, summer drive-in movie screenings in Whitby and DRIFF in a Jiff short film screenings in Oshawa. Visit driff.ca, become a DRIFF insider or follow us on social media at @catchthedriff for all the details.