The Cinematheque

Cinelab, our flagship summer filmmaking program for youth, kicks off July 8th.

Each two-week program guides participants through the entire process of making a short film. We are fortunate enough to partner with SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts, which gives Cinelab filmmakers the opportunity to use the same facilities and gear as SFU film production students. Our team is currently hard at work planning this year’s program, and limited spaces are still available for both Program 1 (July 8–19) and Program 2 (July 22–August 2). 

Whether they have lots of experience with filmmaking or have never held a camera, all Cinelab filmmakers get right into it by making a film on day one. After learning the basics of visual storytelling and getting to know each other and their facilitators, participants are set up with our 4K cameras and work in groups to make one-minute silent films. Hands-on practice is the best way to learn, and each day of the program campers will gain skills and confidence in using professional gear with the support of our expert facilitators.

You might be thinking: how is it possible to make a film from start to finish in two weeks?! Incredibly, every Cinelab filmmaker actually makes two films, one as part of the creative team and one as part of the crew. Our program schedule has been tried and tested over many years, and is designed to help students create the best possible films while also having fun and engaging in every stage of filmmaking. The first four days are spent on the creative process (scriptwriting and storyboarding), as well hands-on workshops covering lighting, camera, sound, and more. We start shooting the first half of the films on Friday afternoon, and finish them on Monday before switching over to the second set of films on Tuesday and Wednesday. We finish week two with step-by-step editing instructions, a rough cut feedback session, and a pizza party! Once both programs are over, the facilitators work their magic to prepare the films for their red carpet premiere at The Cinematheque on August 17th.

Lighting workshop 2023

Speaking of facilitators, we are proud to introduce this year’s Cinelab team! Veteran L&O coordinator Thea Loo will lead the charge this year. Thea has supervised hundreds of student films since she started at The Cinematheque in 2019; in her spare time, she is a film producer and director with No More Productions, and will be premiering her debut feature documentary Inay in New York later this summer. Zitong Gong is our resident gear expert from Capilano University where she works as a motion picture rental technician—meaning it’s her job to help film students with their equipment, skills that will definitely come in handy on set! Zitong also applies her passion for lighting and camera to her work as a director of photography. Rounding out the team are Aadi Bhandari and Mickey Semera who met during UBC’s film studies program and have made a number of films together. Mickey’s talents lie in writing and directing, while Aadi is skilled at all things cinematography and editing. Together, our Cinelab facilitators offer a wealth of creative and technical expertise, plus career advice for students aiming to go to film school or work in the industry. Returning Cinelab-ers may also spot previous fan favourites Sam and Hatch, who will be helping out from time to time.

You can see samples of our facilitators’ work below:

Behind the scenes with Zitong as director of photography on a recent short film.

Reflections, a collaboration between Aadi and Mickey from 2023.

Still from Aegrotus, cinematography by Aadi.

Cinelab films have been accepted at over 80 film festivals, and previous participants have gone on to film school and jobs in the Vancouver film industry. You can view films from previous years on our Vimeo channel. Questions? Email us at cinelab@​thecinematheque.​ca.

Ready to register? Fill out our application and find more details at cinelab​.ca!