Started in 2019, the Far North Photo Festival is once again taking place in the Northwest Territories (NWT) after having been dormant for a year due to a timely Covid-related break.
“(In) 2021, we thought we’d take a break and let things kind of simmer down,” said Amanda Annand, a member of the board of directors and festival producer. “By the time this year rolled around, we realized Covid wasn’t going to be calm enough for us to go back to pre-pandemic levels of of the festival.”
In an effort to carry on with the festival in 2022, the event will be held outside (which was also the case in 2020, where it was held in Somba K’e Park) at a yet-to-be-determined location from March 11 to 20.
“Because of the timing of the festival and the wayokay the funding cycles work, we don’t know yet whether or not we were gonna have that funding from the City of Yellowknife,” said Annand.“Because we’re doing the festival in March, and everything’s frozen, the ultimate location will likely be down on the lake by the Snow Castle.”
As for the actual festivities, on top of displaying accepted submissions and running small, Covid-cautious workshops, the Far North organizers are going the extra mile at the Snowking’s Snow Castle where, on Mar. 19, they will project their circumpolar exhibit on to the walls of the castle.
A DJ will play a northern-inspired soundscape to accompany the projected exhibit for visitors.
“It’s going to be the first (time) that we’re doing that,” Annand said. “It’s going to be like taking the exhibit into another like dimension.”
Interest for the festival has certainly been present, according to Annand, with past years having submission rates ranging from around 100 to 200 photos.
“(Having) a lot of people inquiring and just like asking how to submit, so I think that’s a really good sign,” she said.
Despite the significant exposure that photographers can receive, for Annand, the Far North Photo Festival is more than just artists looking to submit their work. It also shows a ‘not-seen-often’ perspective of the NWT.
“Northern themes and stories are really under represented, and the general Canadian media landscape,” she said. “Oftentimes, when people are telling stories about the north, there’s photographers or journalists who aren’t from the north that are coming up here, being sent up here to tell those stories and that was a big motivation for us to start the festival saying hey, we have a lot of amazing talent.”
Residents of the NWT, Nunavut, and Yukon can still submit their photos to Far North if they so choose, with the deadline for said submissions being Feb. 18
The link can be found on our website here: farnorthphotofest.com