In April 2022, Quinte Film Alternative (QFA) received a $41,200 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). This 12-month grant supports operating costs and marketing plan development, and will allow QFA to revive and build its audience, reduced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For over two decades, Quinte Film Alternative has shone a broad lens on the world around us by screening a diverse range of high-quality films local audiences might not otherwise see. With this funding from the Resilient Communities Fund, it is able to engage in new ways to ensure more people see these works at the Empire Theatre and within their own homes,” said Todd Smith, MPP Bay of Quinte.
Following the onset of COVID-19, QFA transitioned a portion of the 2021 Season to streaming and was able to maintain service to about half of the pre-pandemic membership. However, some of those who left were not able to stream due to Internet infrastructure issues. Still others just wanted the big screen and full sound experience provide by Belleville’s Empire Theatre.
QFA offered refunds to any members who wanted to wait while others left their monies to maintain the organization until theatres could open again. QFA maintained its communication links with all the membership throughout streaming and was able to sell the equivalent of tickets to film fans who normally used the theatre’s box office. With pandemic restrictions easing, this grant will support marketing and operating costs as QFA continues its programming and welcomes new and returning members.
“The impact of this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant cannot be underestimated,” said QFA Chair Gayle Parks. “People are still cautious about being in a theatre even though we have continued with Vaccine checking, strongly advising mask wearing and asking our audience to space themselves in the auditorium. Since relaunching in September of 2021 we’ve been able to welcome back about 60 percent of our regular audience plus those who come to the box office. However, this grant allows us to consider how we can refresh the Quinte Film Alternative experience and reach out to more of the film loving community that lives in Belleville and surrounding communities.”
Many of Canada’s film distributors stepped up to assist QFA in its streaming effort and have continued supporting the organization since returning to in-theatre presentations. “The help of the distributors was essential” says Ms. Parks. “We normally booked our films through a division of the Toronto International Film Festival but it was shut down in the initial stages of the pandemic. So, when the distributors stepped up and said they’d deal with us one-on-one we could keep entertaining film fans in their homes.”
More information is available online at: www.quintefilmalternative.ca
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario. As an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations, last year, OTF invested nearly $209M into 2,042 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Since 2020, OTF has supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
