LIFT, or the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto, has grown from a small collective into one of the foremost centres celebrating cinema, both digital and celluloid. Since 1981, LIFT has provided affordable access to equipment as well as education and community space for diverse independent filmmakers and artists. We spoke with LIFT Executive Director, Chris Kennedy, to learn more.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
LIFT is a charitable film production access centre that supports, champions and amplifies independent filmmaking through affordable access to equipment, education, mentorship and advocacy. We give filmmakers the tools and community they need to tell bold stories that reflect their lives. Located at 1137 Dupont Street, we have classrooms for workshops and production facilities for rental to filmmakers.
What problem does it aim to solve?
Filmmaking can be an expensive and competitive art form, but it is also an essential way that people share stories with each other in this world full of screens. By giving independent filmmakers the tools they need to make their own films outside the constraints of the industry, we open the pathway to new voices to describe our world. We strive for helping to create a more diverse body of filmmakers so that Canadian stories can be told by the full range of Canadians.
When did you start/join it?
I became a filmmaker member of LIFT after graduating university in 1999. Being a member helped me make a dozen short films over as many years, some of which circulated quite widely in festivals around the world. In 2013, I was hired to be the Executive Director and, since then, have worked with my colleagues to enable other filmmakers to have similar creative journeys.
What made you want to get involved?
I was inspired by the way LIFT created a community of support for young filmmakers to learn new skills and to take a chance on their ideas. Over the years, I’ve found it to be an amazing support network, and I wanted to contribute by joining the team as a staff member when the opportunity arose.
What was the situation like when you started?
LIFT had recently moved into a new space, having been forced out of a space further downtown. We were adapting to the space, which allowed us to offer more workshops and support more community projects. It allowed us to greatly expand our support for the filmmaking community. From 2013 to 2019, we experienced great growth in our ability to provide for the community.
How has it changed since?
The pandemic was a tough period for us, as it was harder for us to do many of the things that required collaboration: everything from workshops to film shoots were affected by the directive to not congregate. It’s been a slow, financial crawl back for us, but we’re proud to say that this year we’ve returned to the same level of activity we had in 2019 and look forward to continuing to grow in our support of the filmmaking community.
What more needs to be done?
We periodically take a gut check to see what potential filmmaking communities we can serve better and how to do so and as always, there’s a challenge to expand the community of filmmakers. We are committed to making sure there’s a greater diversity of filmmakers in the arts and we’ve been expanding our community and mentorship programs to help support that. In the next couple of years, we hope to raise more funds to expand our reach, so we can take on a stronger role in empowering our community to tell their stories.
How can our readers help?
Running a charity in an expensive city like Toronto, for an expensive medium like film, has its struggles, and we always welcome support. If you are not a filmmaker and just want to provide support, a tax-deductible donation goes a long way to supporting our programs and services. If you are an aspiring filmmaker, take our workshops! We have a full range of workshops that focus on every step of the filmmaking process. Visit our website to explore our workshops and facilities, and donate to support us.
Do you have any events coming up?
We offer 150 workshops a year, so there’s always something on. The year 2026 is our 45th Anniversary, so we’re planning special events to celebrate this amazing milestone! We’re so proud of the role LIFT has played in countless productions and filmmakers, and we hope to share more of that story soon.
Where can we follow you?
Website | Instagram | Facebook
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
Samara Centre for Democracy is an awesome charity that promotes civic engagement in Canada. Its work is a strong corollary to what we believe in: that creating and telling your story is a way to strengthen democracy through understanding and shared experiences.
