Filmmakers, apply for a residency at LIFT in Toronto 2026
The application period for the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto residency, intended for alumni in fine arts, is open from 1 February to 28 February 2026. The three‑month grant period will take place in autumn 2026.
The residency programmes intended for Academy of Fine Arts alumni support artists’ post master’s studies in high‑quality residency centres. The residency programme is part of the partnership between Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts and the Saastamoinen Foundation, which builds dialogue between art education and the international art field.
LIFT is an artist‑run media art production and education organisation dedicated to excellence in moving‑image practices. The residency is designed to support the selected artist in creating a film or installation using analogue processes in Toronto, Canada.
LIFT specialises in various modes of analogue film production, such as 8 mm, Super 8 mm, 16 mm, Super 16 mm, 35 mm and HD; film and digital editing; optical printing; contact prints; animation stands; darkroom work and much more. Toronto offers a wealth of laboratory facilities, experienced staff and expertise, a vibrant film community, and a dynamic art environment.
Excerpt from the 2025 grantee Paola Guzmán Figueroa’s blog, in which she describes her working period at LIFT:
”At LIFT, I received a full introduction to their facilities and was given my own artist studio, called ”artist suite”. Here, I gathered all the film materials I had brought with me, along with the ones I was creating during my residency. – – Meeting the staff was very important, they shared their knowledge about the equipment and offered high-quality support. In addition, I learned about the film festivals happening in the city around the time of my arrival.
My final performative piece “Generational Traces” was shown on February 28th, 2025, at CineCycle, an underground cinema and bicycle repair shop in downtown Toronto run by Martin Heath since 1991. It was a great honor to present my work there, with the participation of the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC). This screening was particularly significant, as it marked the first LIFT-organized screening held outside of their premises in many years. The theater was full, and the audience stayed through the Q&A, making it a truly special event.”
Blog: Paola Guzmán Figeroa’s experiences at the LIFT residency in 2025