About Western Arctic Moving Pictures
Western Arctic Moving Pictures is a membership-based non-profit Canadian arts organization based in the city of Yellowknife.
Our mission is to produce, support, and promote independent film, video, and digital media arts made in the Northwest Territories, and to showcase it to audiences at home, across Canada, and internationally.
We aim to strengthen the northern digital media arts community by:
- Cultivating interest and appreciation among creators, funders and the audience
- Making high quality equipment accessible and affordable across the NWT
- Developing learning opportunities and fostering creativity
- Enabling synergies among artists
- Reducing barriers, and supporting opportunities for northern digital media artists
- Showcasing northern digital media art productions locally, nationally, and internationally
Core Programming
We produce a variety of programs for filmmakers and digital media artists, including:
The Yellowknife International Film Festival
The annual 48-hour Music Video Competition
The Remote Workshop Series
Our Board of Directors
Taylor Shephard
Board President (Interim)
Keelen Simpson
Vice President
Cassidy Menard
Treasurer
Bassel Sleem
Secretary
Iona Strachan
Director
Mariko MacLean
Director
Our Staff
Bran Ramsey
Executive Director
Sadetlo Scott
Equipment Manager
John Macaulay
Social Media Manager
Dara Maduke
Archives Clerk
True Hunter
Equipment Rental Clerk
Festival Staff
Belinda Beck
Festival Producer
Jeremy Emerson
Film Programmer
Andrew Goodwin
Emcee and Host
Martin Rehak
Print Traffic
Braden Brickner
Industry Programmer
Carly McFadden
Volunteer Manager
Louise King
Hospitality Manager
Sean Robson
Technical Director
Jarett Sitter
Poster and Festival Animation Designer
Katie O’Beirne
Festival Programme Guide
Sebastien Lapres
Production Assistant
Our strategic plan, 2026 to 2031
Twenty festivals in, we stopped to take a good look at where we are and where we're headed. Our new five-year strategic plan picks up where the 2021 to 2026 plan left off, and it's honest about the moment we're in: a pandemic behind us, wildfire seasons, a shifting Yellowknife economy, and a city without a cinema.
This isn't a plan about reinventing the reel. It comes down to three big ideas. Strengthen the base, with steady staffing, a more visible home, more ways to fund our work and charitable status. Explore partnerships with the people already doing great work around us, from the PMA and NACC to the City of Yellowknife and fellow festivals near and far. And stay in our lane, doing what we do best and doing more of what works.
The plan was prepared by Young Associates in July 2026, shaped by conversations with our Board, local film workers and community peers. It's a living document, so our Board will check in on it twice a year and adjust as life happens.
