Love GIFF? Become a Monthly Donor!
A gift at the Adopt a Short level covers the cost of screening one short film at GIFF. More importantly, it ensures filmmakers are fairly compensated for their work while keeping the festival accessible to our community.
By following the IMAA payment schedule, GIFF commits to equitable, standardized pay for all filmmakers. This fair compensation helps artists feel respected, valued, and supported while strengthening connections across the filmmaking community and increasing discoverability among peers. Your support also helps keep GIFF accessible.
Many emerging filmmakers face financial barriers when sharing their stories, and fair pay can be the difference between participation and exclusion. When artists are supported, a wider range of voices can be heard, making the festival more vibrant, relevant, and reflective of the world around us.
For filmmakers, this means more than a screening. It means belonging to a festival that understands the realities of making art, values long-term relationships, and invests in an alumni community built on trust, care, and creative growth.
Support Emerging Voices ($15/Month)
Adopt a Short ($10/Month)
Sunset Society ($Any/Month)
Filmmakers Access Fund ($25/Month)
A gift at the Support Emerging Voices level helps cover the cost of a short film screening and Q&A, or a Q&A for a feature film, creating space for meaningful conversation between filmmakers and audiences.
Post-screening Q&As are a vital part of the festival experience. They give filmmakers the opportunity to speak directly about their work, share their creative process, and receive thoughtful feedback while being fairly compensated for their time. It is an important gesture of respect and recognition for the labour behind the art. These conversations deepen connections for our audiences.
Meeting the artist behind the film adds context, insight, and emotional resonance, enhancing the experience far beyond the screen. Q&As create a platform that brings stories to life, fosters understanding, and strengthens the bond between filmmakers and the community. By supporting at this level, you help build confidence, visibility, and lasting relationships for emerging filmmakers while offering audiences richer, more engaging festival experiences.
A gift to the Filmmaker Access Fund helps cover the cost of an industry pass and supports transportation through our shuttle service, removing financial barriers so more filmmakers can fully participate in GIFF.
Industry passes give filmmakers access to screenings, workshops, and networking opportunities that help them grow as artists and build sustainable careers. These spaces allow emerging voices to learn, connect, and contribute to the broader cultural conversation. Transportation support is equally essential. Not all filmmakers have access to reliable transportation, and attending a festival in a rural community can be a significant barrier without support.
By helping fund shuttle services, you ensure the festival is more inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to artists from all backgrounds. At its core, the Filmmaker Access Fund recognizes that investing in artists strengthens creative communities, fuels cultural growth, and creates lasting impact well beyond the festival.
The Sustain the Festival level supports the behind-the-scenes work that allows GIFF to thrive year-round, from programming coordination and artist care to audience experience and festival operations.
Your support helps ensure the festival runs with intention, because great festivals are built on care, not just content. GIFF matters because it brings people together around shared experiences. It creates something to look forward to each year, fuels local employment, and helps place Gimli on the cultural map by drawing visitors, sparking tourism, and strengthening the community’s creative economy.
Sustaining support allows the festival to evolve and stay relevant, ensuring we can continue amplifying diverse voices, expanding our reach, and responding to the needs of artists and audiences alike. These are the moments that linger long after the credits roll. By supporting at this level, you affirm your belief in GIFF’s vision and mandate: a festival rooted in community, care, and creativity.
A film on the beach is more than a screening. It is a shared moment. These events bring people together under the open sky, creating a truly unique experience. Watching a film by the water, with the chance of northern lights overhead, is something audiences do not forget. It is a celebration of place, community, and storytelling that feels distinctly Manitoban.
Keeping these screenings free ensures they remain welcoming and accessible for families, youth, visitors, and community members of all backgrounds. They are often a first festival experience and the kind of night that becomes a lifelong memory. By supporting the Sunset Society, you help GIFF preserve and grow a signature experience that connects people.
Sustain the Festival ($50/Month)
