History of M3F:

The Mind, Media and the Message Festival (M3F) formerly known as, the McLuhan Multimedia Festival is a national digital arts festival for secondary students run by secondary students. It was started six years ago by a group of grade ten students at Marshall McLuhan C.S.S.
M3F is dedicated to the following vision:

 

• Giving secondary students the opportunity to showcase their skills to the digital arts industry.
  

• Giving students the opportunity to discover post-secondary opportunities in the digital arts industry and provide links with digital arts professional.
• To create a national and eventually global digital arts network.
  

Our festival is creating clusters of communities nation-wide, and helps students to combine the older tradition of art with the modern traditions of technology to create something amazing. Youth is the face of tomorrow, and M3F is helping to bring that face into the world.

Last year we received close to 1000 submissions nation wide with 27 winners in 9 different categories, including a winner from Winnipeg. This will be our sixth year of M3F and we are at Not-For-Profit status. Although the festival is firmly rooted within the TCDSB school system, the organization will now be able to apply for outside grants and funding for sustainability. Our board of directors consists of some very influential people within the digital industry such as Claude Gallipeau the Director of Media CBC and Dianne Schwalm Vice President of Marketing Warner Brothers.
The festival is very grateful to our current sponsors TCDSB, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Adobe, Apple Computers and Warner Brothers Inc. We have continually been evolving and growing to address the mandates of the youth of Canada.

Vision

M3F’s vision, through the initiatives of the festival, is to create many opportunities for future new media artists. To create connections for Canada’s artistically-inclined youth. To give students the chance to display their new media artwork in a forum frequented by influential members of the new-media industry and educational field and to be inspired by the work of their peers. To increase student awareness of the opportunities presented by post-secondary institutions dedicated to New Media training and to allow, in turn, the students to be recruited by those educational facilities. To continue to establish a strong national presence

Long Term Goals

To create connections across the nation for the artistic youth of Canada, and those who train them. To create opportunities for youth to seek training in the rapidly-expanding New-Media industry and educational sector. To establish a global presence, establishing a global network of new media artists and teachers, becoming a festival as renowned as the Toronto International Film Festival

Online Community

Goal: To make the M3F website an effective tool and forum for the clusters of different types of groups involved in M3F. Target audiences: student new media artists, secondary school teachers, new media industry, postsecondary institutions.

Upcoming features of this online community:

• Information/news posted on site
• Tutorials
• Students can create an account and submit their work online
• Submitted works displayed in an online gallery
• Opportunity to comment on work

          Retreat

M3F retreats have occurred in late September for the last 3 years. Our retreat have produced days of fun, team-building events and long lasting bonding between M3F committee members. Our retreats creates the initial spirit within the M3F committee, and this spirit helps committee members work and play better all year round.

          Launch

The 2005/2006 Festival Launch was held on February 2nd at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre (CBC).Our goal this year was to inform the public about our vision and presence, incorporating our steps toward an international festival . We believe that this is the most effective forum for communication and sharing of ideas surrounding art and the festival for artists, teachers and officials working for secondary and post- secondary education and the new media industry. The Launch consisted of a press release, Q&A about M3F, and one-on-one interviews with M3F members/past winners the display of last years artwork submitted to the Festival. M3f’s Launch was introduced in the 2004 Festival year and also was held at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre.           

F3E- Funky Festival Fundraiser Event  

The very first M3F Fundraiser, The Funky Festival Fundraiser Event (F3E) took place Wednesday, March 1st, 2006 at the Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West) and was a very groovy event! Features included:

• Live music by Free Winona, Stop Drop and Skank, Sadie May Crash
• Catered buffet style dinner
• Cash bar                                            

We hope to see you all at next year's F3E.          

T3S- Training the Trainers Symposium

 The Training the Trainers Symposium (T3S), co-hosted by Centennial College Centre for Creative Communications, which took place this year on Tuesday, May 9th is a day long event where high school teachers from the GTA and beyond receive software training from new media professionals such as Apple, Centennial College, Herff Jones and Adobe. 

          Festival

The 2006 Festival was held from May 18-21, 2006 at the MaRS Collaboration Centre. Official Festival selections and many of our submissions were displayed. This year's festival included works from Hong Kong and Ireland. We welcomed visitors from secondary schools from across Ontario and Quebec, the new media industry, teachers and other educational officials, as well as delegates from Hong Kong. The 2006/2007 Festival will continue to celebrate student artwork worldwide and is an opportunity for networking/exposure for student new media artists.

          Gala

The 2005/2006 Gala was held the night of May 19th at the MaRS Collaboration Centre. The Gala honored M3F winners. The packed Gala included encouraging words from new media officials , the committee and music from Crash Kills Five. . Attended by winners, their families, new media professionals and members of postsecondary new media institutions.

Digital Woodstock 

Digital Woodstock is a brand new event. Combining live musical permormances with digital imaging revolving around the theme of poverty, Digital Woodstock takes place during the festival in May. Keep checking our site for more details on auditioning for or attending this exciting event!