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Edmonton International Film Festival

The Local Heroes International Screen Festival incorporates indigenous filmmakers from around the world into an annual nine-day event. A good mix of foreign features and Canadian independent shorts are screened amidst gala events, workshops, seminars and classes.

Since its inception in 1986, Local Heroes has come to be known as "the Sundance of Canada." Big names in the independent and commercial filmmaking industry alike come from all corners of the globe for a chance to screen their work to an average audience of 15,000. The films are divided into two categories: features and independent shorts. The shorter works are shown as a part of the Declaration of Independents every afternoon while the longer films are shown as a part of the Global Heroes portion in the evening.

New Heroes TV is a program designed to help aspiring filmmakers produces and showcase their first piece. Each summer, several dozen inner-city teenagers attend a camp that will guide them through the process of writing, directing and producing their own film. The end result is six to ten films with a common theme, that are screened at the festival each year.

	Festival founder Jan Miller talks about what most Local Heroes filmmakers have in common. Listen Now

Following every screening at Local Heroes, a question and answer period is held, giving the audience a chance to interact with their favourite filmmakers. Festival organizers or film aficionados often host these sessions.

The National Screen Institute sponsored local Heroes until 2002 when the Edmonton International Film Festival took the reigns.

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