The Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) Launches Study on Celluloid Film as a Resurgent Art Medium in the 21^st Century at Pan-Canadian Media Arts Summit inQuébec City

June 2, 2016 – Today, the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) together with Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society (Cineworks) announce the international launch of a newly published study, State_of_the_Art–Understanding_Appreciating_and_Promoting_Analogue_Film_Practices_in_the_21st_Century.

“We are very excited to be associated with the launch of this study which highlights the creativity and dynamism of media artists not only in Canada but across the globe,” stated Emmanuel Madan, National Director of IMAA.
“The study confirms the revival of analogue film practices in Canada and abroad and amongst younger artists, and identifies future directions that will strengthen the ecology in Canada,” noted Jem Noble, project leader, and artist and Program Manager at Cineworks.

Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the study was commissioned by Cineworks who brought together a consortium of six Canadian artist-run media arts production centres to pilot the research. In
addition to Cineworks, the consortium includes Film and Video Arts Society (FAVA), New
Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-operative (NB Film Co-op), Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative
(AFCOOP), the Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa (IFCO) and the Liaison of
Independent Filmmakers (LIFT).

Written by Marilyn Burgess and Maria De Rosa of Communications MDR, the study recommends greater collaboration between film production cooperatives; more flexible funding to support screenings and critical exchanges; greater promotion of Canadian artists nationally and internationally; and resources for the preservation of analogue films in order for filmmakers to continue to have access in the future to analogue film as a vital medium of artistic inquiry and experimentation.

About the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA)
The Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) is a member-driven non-profit national organization working to advance and strengthen the media arts community in Canada.  Representing over 90 independent film, video, audio, and new media production, distribution, and exhibition organizations in all parts of the country, the IMAA serves over 16,000 independent media artists and cultural workers.

Contact:
Director of Communications and Development
Mercedes Pacho, info@imaa.ca

About Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society (Cineworks)
Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society is an artist-run production and exhibition centre that supports independent filmmakers and media artists. Through initiatives that foster dialogue and experimentation with cinematic practices, Cineworks engages their membership and the broader community through the transformative power of the moving image and the changing role of film in its contemporary context.

Contact:
Program Manager
Jem Noble, programs@cineworks.ca