Coastal Communities Film Society

From the rugged shores of Bamfield to the hidden gems of rural Vancouver Island, we are committed to elevating the stories of those who call these places home. By fostering creativity and collaboration, we ensure that every story, no matter how small the community, can resonate on a global scale. Together, we frame the world through the eyes of those who live it, one story at a time.

We are a passionate non-profit organization based in Bamfield, BC, serving the coastal and rural communities of Vancouver Island and beyond. Our mission is to shine a light on the unique voices and untold stories of small towns and Indigenous communities that are often overshadowed by larger urban centers. Through filmmaking and photographic storytelling, we aim to preserve and share the rich cultural, environmental, and social narratives of the Pacific Coast.

As a grant-driven organization, we focus on securing funding and resources for filmmakers and storytellers, providing them with the support needed to bring their visions to life. We recognize the immense effort small communities put in to keep up with the amenities that larger cities have, often relying on general art societies because they lack the resources to form their own specialized groups. That’s why we provide a platform exclusively for filmmakers from the smaller communities of the Pacific West Coast—our focused approach ensures we won’t overstretch our resources, while creating a dedicated space for underprivileged communities on the coast.

PROJECTS

From the rugged shores of Bamfield to the hidden gems of rural Vancouver Island, we are committed to elevating the stories of those who call these places home. By fostering creativity and collaboration, we ensure that every story, no matter how small the community, can resonate on a global scale. Together, we frame the world through the eyes of those who live it, one story at a time.

We are a passionate non-profit organization based in Bamfield, BC, serving the coastal and rural communities of Vancouver Island and beyond. Our mission is to shine a light on the unique voices and untold stories of small towns and Indigenous communities that are often overshadowed by larger urban centers. Through filmmaking and photographic storytelling, we aim to preserve and share the rich cultural, environmental, and social narratives of the Pacific Coast.

As a grant-driven organization, we focus on securing funding and resources for filmmakers and storytellers, providing them with the support needed to bring their visions to life. We recognize the immense effort small communities put in to keep up with the amenities that larger cities have, often relying on general art societies because they lack the resources to form their own specialized groups. That’s why we provide a platform exclusively for filmmakers from the smaller communities of the Pacific West Coast—our focused approach ensures we won’t overstretch our resources, while creating a dedicated space for underprivileged communities on the coast.

Bamfield Darkroom Workshops

For the past two years, the Bamfield Darkroom Workshop Project has been bringing the art of film photography to life through successful workshops in partnership with the Bamfield Community School Society. These workshops, designed for both adults and children, have introduced participants to the magic of darkroom techniques and the timeless craft of analog photography. Building on this success, we are excited to expand the project with a dedicated mobile darkroom—a versatile space that will serve as a hub for workshops and community use. This new initiative will provide a permanent home for creativity, learning, and collaboration in Bamfield, ensuring the art of film photography and motion picture continues to thrive in our community.

Mini-Doc Web Series

Bamfield: Salty Dogs and Tall Tales is a heartfelt and humorous mini documentary series that celebrates the larger-than-life characters and unforgettable stories of Bamfield and Anacla. From weathered fishermen to wise elders, each episode dives into the lives, traditions, and quirks of a community shaped by the sea, the land, and the tales they tell. Through intimate interviews, warm visuals, and a touch of coastal charm, this series captures the spirit of resilience, humor, and connection that defines Bamfield.

The pilot episode, set to shoot in May 2024, will serve as a proof of concept to showcase the series’ potential. By documenting the stories of locals and the unique culture of this coastal town, Bamfield: Salty Dogs and Tall Tales aims to preserve and share the voices of a community at a pivotal moment in its history.

NEWS

PUBLISHED 2025-04-07

How Election Promises Could Make – Or Break – Rural Creative Communities

Mark Sawatzky still remembers the moment he realized his Canada Council grant wouldn’t cover reality (Times Colonist, 2023). Mark Sawatzky of Gabriola Island thought his $20,000 Canada Council grant would cover his documentary—until ferry fares ate nearly half his budget. ‘I made so many trips to Vancouver for post-production, I lost count,’ he told the Times Colonist. ‘The system wasn’t designed for people like us.'”

Like many coastal filmmakers, Sawatzky found his grant shrinking with every ferry ticket—a reality documented in a 2023 study showing remote artists spend 38% more on transportation than urban peers (Alliance for Arts and Culture).

Up and down British Columbia’s rugged coastline, artists are facing the same harsh arithmetic. Grants that look generous on paper shrink dramatically after accounting for ferry fares, unreliable internet, and the simple fact that everything costs more when you live off the beaten path.

Take the Haida Gwaii Film Society, which after twelve successful years had to cancel their annual festival when they couldn’t reliably receive digital submissions. After their internet failed to receive digital submissions in 2021, the Haida Gwaii Film Society resorted to shipping hard drives—a workaround that contradicts Canada’s digital equity goals (First Nations Technology Council, 2023).”

Or consider John Wright, who after fifteen years operating Blue Heron Sound recording studio in Comox finally turned off the lights in 2022, citing unsustainable satellite internet costs. ‘The numbers don’t add up,’ he told CBC News. The studio’s closure left local musicians without a critical resource (CBC News, 2022). Unsustainable internet costs is a common problem for rural studios, where professional-grade connections often exceed $1,000/month (CRTC, 2022).

Yet coastal artists persist, finding ingenious workarounds. Salt Spring Island documentarian Brenda Weatherby has turned BC Ferries into her mobile office. “There’s something poetic about editing a film about coastal life while actually on the water,” she reflects. “Though I wish it wasn’t a financial necessity.” (Weatherby, 2023, p.35)

The data confirms what these stories reveal:

Coastal artists spend 38% more on transportation than their urban counterparts, according to a 2023 Alliance for Arts and Culture study. Sixty-two percent of remote arts organizations can’t reliably stream or upload HD content, as documented by the First Nations Technology Council. And while Vancouver receives 73% of BC Arts Council capital grants, the entire North Coast region gets just 2.1% (BC Arts Council, 2023.

Political responses have been mixed. The BC NDP’s celebrated 48 million Arts Council budget allocates just 2.4 million to Island and North Coast programs (BC Arts Council, 2023. The BC Greens have proposed ferry discounts specifically for artists, though the $4.2 million price tag represents less than 1% of BC Ferries’ annual budget. At the federal level, the Liberals’ 2021 decision to cut the Creative Export Strategy’s rural stream still stings in coastal communities.

Hope may come from initiatives like the Coastal Arts Alliance’s upcoming “Real Costs Report,” set to provide the first comprehensive breakdown of arts funding disparities across ridings. Early findings suggest artists in Saanich North receive 83% less funding per capita than those in Victoria, while Powell River creators see grants 42% smaller than equivalent Vancouver applications.

For coastal artists tired of being an afterthought, the message is clear: the current system isn’t working. But as they’ve always done, they’re finding ways to adapt, create, and be heard – whether from island studios, ferry decks, or the political arena. The question now is who will listen.

How to Get Involved:

Explore your riding’s arts funding at OpenDataBC.ca/arts-grants
Join the conversation at October’s Coastal Culture Summit in Nanaimo
Use the Arts Alliance’s 2024 Election Toolkit to question candidates

Because behind every statistic is a story – and every coastal artist deserves to be heard.

References:

Alliance for Arts and Culture. (2023). Transportation Costs in BC Arts. Vancouver, BC.
BC Arts Council. (2023). Annual Report 2022-23. Victoria, BC.
CBC News. (2022, November 4). Rural recording studios face extinction.
First Nations Technology Council. (2023). Digital Equity in BC Arts.
Times Colonist. (2023, March 12). Ferry fares sink island film projects.
Weatherby, B. (2023). Working the ferry run.
Island Arts Magazine, 12(3), 34-37.