Membership

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MAY CLOSURE: Due to the heavy technical needs of our Film Labs Gathering, the LIFT Technical Department will be closed to the LIFT membership and community at large from Friday, May 19, 2023 at 5:00pm ET and will reopen on Monday, June 5, 2023 at 10:00am ET.

The LIFT Office will also be closed on Monday, May 22, 2023 for Victoria Day and staff will be available again on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Click for full details.

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The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) is a one of a kind artist run organization that exists to provide support and encouragement for independent filmmakers, artists, curators and exhibitors. For more than thirty years LIFT has been an essential resource for those looking to learn and share from like-minded artists and experienced instructors.

Our memberships are designed for people at all levels of their careers and abilities. Whether you’re looking to work with digital or analog LIFT has what you’re looking for. The benefits extend far beyond equipment *** and classes too. All individual members are eligible for discounts with our current partner organizations (see PDF at the bottom of the page).

Annual Membership fees go a long way. They are instrumental in supporting outreach programs, keeping our shop stocked with the newest gear, and ensuring that we can best serve our member base.

All memberships are annual and expire one year to the end of the month in which they were subscribed. Memberships are based on a calendar month.

NOTE: Memberships are non-refundable and non-transferable.

 

Apply or Renew


(Current as of February 3, 2023)
Please read our Operations and Facilities Protocols – February 2023 prior to applying for membership.

Please email membership@lift.on.ca if you have any membership inquiries.

Before joining LIFT, we recommend reading our Statement of Inclusion and Code of Conduct. 

Membership Types
& Benefits		General
General Student
Production
Production Student
Organisation I
budget<$1M		Organisation II
budget>$1M		Visiting Artist
Current member of an IMAA Production Centre		International
 $90 /year$75 /year$175 /year$75 /year$175 /year$275 /year $40 /4 weeks
Receive weekly e-bulletin
Post unlimited listings of your productions' screenings in the e-bulletin
Discount on workshops & courses
Discount at The LIFT Store
Discount Admission to LIFT screenings & events
LIFT's Screenwriters' Circle
Special Rates on Personal health insurance through the Arts and Entertainment Plan through AFBS
Discount on workshops and events at partner organisations.
Equipment and facilities rentals.
(References Required)
 Apply or
Renew
Online		Apply or
Renew
Online		Apply or
Renew
Online		Apply or
Renew
Online		Available
Soon		Available
Soon		Available
Soon		Available
Soon


Please read our Operations and Facilities Protocols – February 2023 prior to applying for membership.

*** NOTE: You must be 18 years of age or older to join LIFT’s membership and register for workshops. ***

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
$90.00 CND annually
A General Membership confers all membership benefits to an individual member except the ability to rent equipment or book facilities.
General Level Benefits:
– Receive weekly members’ ebulletin
– Ability to post unlimited for cast/crew calls for productions to which they are working on
– Ability to post unlimited for screening / broadcast notices for productions to which they have worked on
– Discount on LIFT seasonal workshops
– Discount on LIFT Store items
– Discount on admission to LIFT screenings and events
– Ability to attend the LIFT Screenwriting Circle
– Special rates on Personal Insurance through the Arts and Entertainment Plan through AFBS
– Discounts rates on various workshops and events with partner organizations (LIFTMembershipDiscounts_1Sep2021.pdf)


GENERAL STUDENT MEMBERSHIP
$75.00 CND annually
A General Student Membership confers all membership benefits, at a discounted membership fee, to an individual member except the ability to rent equipment or book facilities. Student Memberships are available for students enrolled in any Canadian post-secondary learning institution (public or private). Students enrolled in non-film/media programs are also eligible for this membership. Student verification of current enrolment will be required with your application.
General Student Level Benefits:
– Receive weekly members’ ebulletin
– Ability to post unlimited for cast/crew calls for productions to which they are working on
– Ability to post unlimited for screening / broadcast notices for productions to which they have worked on
– Discount on LIFT seasonal workshops
– Discount on LIFT Store items
– Discount on admission to LIFT screenings and events
– Ability to attend the LIFT Screenwriting Circle
– Special rates on Personal Insurance through the Arts and Entertainment Plan through AFBS
– Discounts rates on various workshops and events with partner organizations (LIFTMembershipDiscounts_1Sep2021.pdf)
– Must submit a letter of Confirmation of Registration from the Office of the Registrar, or a screenshot of your program, indicating at least a current part-time course load (at the time of membership application) from any Canadian post-secondary learning institution

PRODUCTION MEMBERSHIP
$175.00 CND annually
Production Level Benefits:
– All of the benefits of a General Level Membership
– Ability to rent production equipment and post-production facilities
– Must submit contact information for three (3) work related references and cannot be a LIFT staff member
– The reference check takes at least ten (10) business days to process

PRODUCTION STUDENT MEMBERSHIP
$75.00 CND annually
A Production Student Membership confers all Production Level membership benefits at a discounted membership fee to an individual member. Student Memberships are available for students enrolled in any Canadian post-secondary learning institution (public or private). Students enrolled in non-film/media programs are also eligible for this membership. Student verification of current enrolment will be required with your application.
Production Student Level Benefits:
– All of the benefits of a General Student Level Membership
– Ability to rent production equipment and post-production facilities
– Must submit contact information for three (3) references
– Must submit a letter of Confirmation of Registration from the Office of the Registrar, or a screenshot of your program, indicating at least a current part-time course load (at the time of membership application) from any Canadian post-secondary learning institution

ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSHIPS ( TWO LEVELS)
$175.00 CND annually for Level I
$275.00 CND annually for Level II
Those groups with a budget under $1,000,000 are Organization Level I, over $1,000,000 are Organization Level II.
This level is available for artist-run centres, festivals, art galleries, arts education and training institutions, and other non-profit or charitable organizations. Proof of non-profit or charitable status is required. Unincorporated collectives operating on a not-for-profit basis that receive funding (from one of the three level of Arts Councils) for project grants are also eligible to apply.
As per LIFT’s funding mandate, commercial enterprises, film/digital production companies and other for-profit groups are not eligible for organizational memberships.

Organizational Membership Benefits:
– Receive weekly members’ ebulletin
– Ability to post unlimited notices about organization’s events, calls for submissions, and/or employment opportunities
– Discount on LIFT seasonal workshops for organization’s staff members
– Discount on LIFT Store items
– Ability to rent production equipment and post-production facilities
– Staff of Organizational members must join as an individual member for renting for their own projects

*** NOTE: If you need to rent equipment within ten (10) business days, you may want to look at similar centres listed as part of the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) or Ontario Creates’ Ontario Production Guide for equipment rental companies in the Greater Toronto Area.

VISITING ARTIST MEMBERSHIP
LIFT provides rentals access at Production Member rates to visiting artists from other regions of Canada (outside the Greater Toronto Area), who are current members, in good standing, of an Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) member production centre (distribution and presentation centres excluded) Make sure to select ‘Production’ in the Activity Type to view current list of approved centres.
– No other LIFT membership benefits are accessible with the LIFT Visiting Artists Membership.
– Visiting artist memberships are valid for the duration of your rental, up to a maximum of eight (8) weeks per calendar year. Confirmation of membership level, good standing and a positive reference from your local centre is required prior to extending LIFT rental privileges. Once a rental period is completed, any future rentals will require re-application.
Contact membership@lift.on.ca for details.

 


POSTING IN THE E-BULLETIN
Listings are free for Members and the listing will be featured in our weekly members-only bulletin. Non-members can post as well but for a fee of $10.00 per post. Email at membership@lift.on.ca for more information.

MEMBERSHIP SUSPENSION

By LIFT: Membership will be suspended by LIFT if any bills go unpaid for longer than 90 days, or if any bills go unpaid larger than $300. During a suspension due to overdue payments membership expiry does not change.

By Member: Membership can be suspended voluntarily for one period (up to a maximum of 6 months) during each one year membership term. After the 6 months, the membership will be automatically reinstated by the Deputy Director. A formal written request must be sent at least 2 weeks in advance of the start of the suspension. If a member suspends membership they will not have access to any membership benefits during the period of the suspension. Upon the reinstatement of membership the member will carry all benefits to their original expiry date plus the number of months membership was suspended.