The Yukon Theatre screens first-run movies, independent films, documentaries, and art house films as well as hosts one-off special live events.
The Yukon Theatre screens first-run movies, independent films, documentaries, and art house films as well as hosts one-off special live events. The Yukon Theatre is run by the Yukon Film Society (YFS), a non-profit organization that has been sharing artistic, social and political films with Yukon Residences since 1984. Originally YFS formed to exhibit and promote the appreciation of alternative film. However, by 1995 YFS had evolved to include facilitating the creation of film and media art as a personal, cultural and artistic practice. Since its creation, YFS has moved from a volunteer run to a professional organization which offers a consistent core program of activities which run independently and in partnership with like-minded organizations.
YFS is a cinema and media art centre based on the traditional territories of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation in Whitehorse. YFS supports media art creation with equipment and artistic development; presents cinema, exhibitions, festivals, and performances; and distributes Yukon film and media art in partnership with KIAC through the streaming service: Available Light on Demand.
The Yukon Theatre screens first-run movies, independent films, documentaries, and art house films as well as hosts one-off special live events. Send us an email for rental or partnership inquiries: yfs@yukonfilmsociety.com
To support exploration of cinema and media arts, we produce the Available Light Film Festivalevery February, Canada's largest feature film festival north of 60. It is a feast of contemporary Canadian and International cinema, media arts and Yukon music, with a focus on the work of Indigenous and Circumpolar filmmakers, whose success has brought audiences and creators together from well beyond our territory. We also commission works from filmmakers and other media artists that are presented during the festival and in site-specific gallery installations.
The Available Light Cinema series allows the festival experience to carry on year round by offering festival films of all genres every month with state-of-the-art projection and excellent sound on the biggest screen in the Yukon.
Create
To foster media art creation, YFS rents and lends professional production and post production equipment to artists and filmmakers working at all levels. Our staff and members provide production members with advice and support throughout the creation process. YFS is also an industry partner in Telefilm Canada's Talent to Watch program for first-time writers, directors and producers to make their a feature film and other format of narrative-based audiovisual content destined for the internet. YFS recommends 2-3 Yukon-based projects each year for the Talent to Watch Program.
YFS is also a partner organization in the Jenni House Artist Residency which provides studio space to artists from the Yukon, its northern neighbours (Northwest Territories, Northern BC and Nunavut) as well as circumpolar countries. Monthly residencies allow those working in visual arts, film and media, music, literary arts, spoken word and multi-disciplinary/multimedia arts to step away from their every day and immerse themselves in their craft, in an environment that is historically, culturally and geographically relevant.
Share
A selection of media art works by Yukon filmmakers and artists can be seen online! Yukon Film Society (in partnership with the Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture) manages the Available Light On Demand streaming service. ALD brings hard-to-find Yukon films to local, national and international audiences.
We also have a substantial and growing library of films in our centre that are available to borrow for members.
Learn
To support ongoing learning we put on workshops that keep our aspiring and professional media artists including filmmakers current in audio and video techniques and equipment. They range from short tutorials to more substantial learning experiences, such as intensive week-long filmmaking workshops.
Network
To provide an opportunity for our members to network, we host a number of events year-round for our members and the public. Also, we have a very inviting space open to members who want to come work on their media art projects.
We take pride in working in partnership with many community organizations and events to promote media art and filmmaking through the territory. We are members of the Independent Media Arts Alliance, a National network of media art organizations that share the same passion of bringing independent media arts to all audiences.
