Commissioning Projects
LIFT provides support to media artists through occasional commissioning projects. These range from omnibus projects with modest budgets to the creation of significant new works. Some LIFT commissions are curated and others are selected through open calls for submissions. Check back regularly for current calls for submissions.
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LIFT and imagineNATIVE 2023 Mentorship AnnouncementMonday 13 March 2023 – Tuesday 31 October 20232023 LIFT and imagineNATIVE Mentorship Winner Jordan Wanakamik . THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT) AND THE IMAGINENATIVE FILM + MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL 2023 MENTORSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT Toronto, March 17, 2023—The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) are pleased to announc”… more |
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Call for Applicants: LIFT and imagineNATIVE 18th annual Mentorship Program – Final ExtensionTuesday 13 December 2022 – Friday 10 February 2023December 13, 2022 Revised February 3, 2023 LIFT and imagineNATIVE 2023 ANNUAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM Call for applicants in Toronto Are you an Indigenous filmmaker with a great idea for a 5-minute 16mm short? The LIFT/imagineNATIVE Mentorship program welcomes you to explore 16mm filmmaking through the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto”… more |
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Call for Proposals: Analogue Resilience: A Film Labs GatheringTuesday 13 September 2022 – Tuesday 11 October 2022THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT) ANNOUNCES CALL FOR PROPOSALS ANALOGUE RESILIENCE: A FILM LABS GATHERING May 25 – 30, 2023 in Toronto, Canada Toronto, September 13, 2022—The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) is excited to announce that we will be hosting a gathering of analogue film labs and filmmakers here”… more |
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Call for Submissions: Josephine Massarella Artist Award 2022THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT) ANNOUNCES CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR THE JOSEPHINE MASSARELLA ARTIST AWARD 2022 Toronto, August 15, 2022—In June of 2018 the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto’s (LIFT) longtime member Josephine Massarella passed away after a short illness. https://lift.ca/news-post/remembering-josephi”… more |
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Call for Proposals: Transformations: A Cross Generational Commissioning Project – Deadline ExtendedMonday 11 July 2022 – Monday 15 August 2022THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT) ANNOUNCES 2022 CALL FOR PROPOSALS TRANSFORMATIONS: A CROSS GENERATIONAL COMMISSIONING PROJECT Toronto, July 11, 2022—The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto’s (LIFT) recently celebrated its 40th anniversary as an artist-run organization. The city has changed significantly over those f”… more |
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LIFT and imagineNATIVE 2022 Mentorship AnnouncementFriday 25 March 2022 – Saturday 29 October 20222022 LIFT and imagineNATIVE Mentorship Winner Caelin Holmes THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT) AND THE IMAGINENATIVE FILM + MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL 2022 MENTORSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT Toronto, March 25, 2022—The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) are pleased to announce tha”… more |
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Call for Applicants: LIFT and imagineNATIVE 17th annual Mentorship ProgramMonday 10 January 2022 – Monday 14 February 2022LIFT and imagineNATIVE 2022 ANNUAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM Call for applicants in Toronto Are you an Indigenous filmmaker with a great idea for a 5-minute 16mm short? EXTENDED DEADLINE: Monday, February 14, 2022 Celebrating 17 years of supporting independent Indigenous film, the LIFT/imagineNATIVE Mentorship program welcomes you to explore 16mm filmmaki”… more |
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LIFT, imagineNATIVE and Harbour Collective present “imagineNATIVE x LIFT Originals”Thursday 22 April 2021, 14:00 to 17:00Menaptwi by Natasha Naveau THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT), THE IMAGINENATIVE FILM + MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL AND THE HARBOUR COLLECTIVE PRESENT imagineNATIVE X LIFT ORIGINALS Toronto, April 8, 2021—The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Harbour Collective are pro”… more |
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LIFT and imagineNATIVE 2020 Mentorship AnnouncementTuesday 16 June 2020 –2020 LIFT and imagineNATIVE Mentorship Winner Tim Myles Toronto, June 16, 2020—The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) are pleased to announce that Toronto-based artist Tim Myles is the recipient of the 16th annual LIFT/imagineNATIVE Mentorship. Tim is a Mi’kmaq artist originally from”… more |
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EXTENDED // Call for Applicants: LIFT and imagineNATIVE 16th annual Mentorship ProgramLIFT and imagineNATIVE 16th ANNUAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: CALL FOR APPLICANTS Extended Deadline: Monday, January 20, 2020 Toronto, December 17, 2019—Are you an Indigenous filmmaker with a great idea for a 5-minute 16mm short? Celebrating 16 years of supporting independent Indigenous film, the LIFT/imagineNATIVE Mentorship program welcomes you to explo”… more |
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LIFT Supported Artist Commission: Tout-Monde: MarkhamSaturday 14 September 2019 –LIFT Member Alice Shin working on her project Signal Fire with LIFT’s RED Epic Mysterium-X Camera Package. LIFT Supported Commissioning Project: Tout-Monde: Markham Runs September 14, 2019 – January 5, 2020 Curated by Catherine Sicot and Anik Glaude Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Main Gallery 216 Main Street Unionville, Unionville Artists: Andrew C”… more |
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LIFT and imagineNATIVE 2019 Mentorship AnnouncementThursday 18 April 2019 –2019 LIFT and imagineNATIVE Mentorship Winner Cole Forrest Toronto, April 18, 2019—The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) are pleased to announce that Toronto-based artist Cole Forrest is the recipient of the 15th annual LIFT/imagineNATIVE Mentorship. Cole is an Ojibwe artist origina”… more |
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Josephine Massarella Artist Award 2019Tuesday 12 February 2019 – Monday 18 March 2019THE LIAISON OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS OF TORONTO (LIFT) ANNOUNCES THE JOSEPHINE MASSARELLA ARTIST AWARD 2019 Toronto, February 12, 2019—The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto’s (LIFT) longtime member Josephine Massarella passed away in June of 2018 after a short illness. https://lift.ca/news-post/remembering-josephine-massarella She was a”… more |
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Call for Applicants: LIFT and imagineNATIVE 15th annual Mentorship ProgramThursday 13 December 2018 –LIFT and imagineNATIVE 15th ANNUAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: CALL FOR APPLICANTS Application Deadline: Monday, January 21, 2019 Toronto, December 13, 2018—Are you an Indigenous filmmaker with a great idea for a 5-minute short film? Celebrating 15 years of supporting independent Indigenous film, the LIFT/imagineNATIVE Mentorship program welcomes you to e”… more |
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Call for Proposals: Tout-Monde: MarkhamTuesday 2 October 2018 –Photo credit: City of Markham CALL FOR PROPOSALS TOUT-MONDE: MARKHAM October 2, 2018—Elegoa Cultural Productions and the Varley Art Gallery of Markham present the commission of 6 projects to Toronto and GTA filmmakers and visual artists to be presented in an exhibition in the fall of 2019. Deadline for proposals is November 9, 2018. “The poetic of”… more |
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LIFT and imagineNATIVE 2018 Mentorship AnnouncementFriday 16 February 2018 –2018 LIFT and imagineNATIVE Mentorship Winner Natasha Naveau TORONTO, February 16, 2018—The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) are pleased to announce that Toronto-based artist Natasha Naveau is the recipient of the 14th annual LIFT/imagineNATIVE Mentorship. Natasha was raised in Mat”… more |
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Call for Applicants: LIFT and imagineNATIVE 14th annual Mentorship ProgramWednesday 15 November 2017 –LIFT and imagineNATIVE 14th ANNUAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: CALL FOR APPLICANTS Application Deadline: Friday, December 15, 2017 by 12:00pm Toronto, November 15, 2017— Are you an Indigenous artist or emerging filmmaker living in or near the GTA? Do you have a great idea for a 5-minute short film? Celebrating 14 years of supporting independent Indigenous”… more |
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LIFT and imagineNATIVE 2017 Mentorship AnnouncementWednesday 29 March 2017 –2017 LIFT and imagineNATIVE Mentorship Winner Samay Arcentales Cajas Toronto, March 29, 2017—imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) are pleased to announce that Toronto-based Kichwa (Ecuador) artist Samay Arcentales Cajas is the recipient of the 13th annual LIFT/imagineNATIVE Mentorship.”… more |
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Call for Applicants: LIFT and imagineNATIVE 13th annual Mentorship Program – EXTENDEDThursday 2 February 2017 –LIFT and imagineNATIVE 13th annual Mentorship Program: Call for Applicants Toronto, February 2, 2017—Do you have a great idea for a 5-minute short film? Celebrating 13 years of supporting independent Indigenous film, the LIFT/imagineNATIVE Mentorship program welcomes you to explore 16mm filmmaking through”… more |
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LIFT Artist Commission: The Madvo CollectionWednesday 7 September 2016 –CALL FOR PROPOSALS: LIFT ARTIST COMMISSION PROJECT THE MADVO COLLECTION September 7, 2016—In 2014 a 200-reel collection of the films and outtakes of local documentary filmmaker Jacques Madvo was donated to the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT). Madvo travelled the world from the 1960s to the 1980s, shooting 16mm footage that made”… more |