Project brief: Film North is Canada’s newest and Muskoka’s first international film festival. Located two hours north of Toronto, scenic Muskoka is the country vacation getaway for nature-seeking urbanites—a kind of Hamptons North. The festival presents a unique opportunity for local residents and visitors to experience a wide range of emerging independent international and Canadian films, all set against the backdrop of the region’s renowned lakes, forests and picturesque towns.

Approach: As a start-up venture, the branding needed to garner much attention on an extremely limited media budget. The branding presents the festival, and the host town of Huntsville, as an unpretentious, welcoming place for young talent from around the world. Concrete combined standard festival imagery—like the Cannes laurel leaves—with northern Canadian kitsch. This approach capitalizes on the lore of the region as well as the great part of the Canadian psyche: the ability to make fun of ourselves.

In addition to the traditional media applications (website, advertising, etc.), Concrete produced a variety of low-cost promotional items (T-shirts, tattoos, buttons) that were sold throughout the event. These items created great visibility for the festival and raised much-needed revenue.

Effectiveness: Entries to the festival exceeded expectations and the screenings were highly attended.

Effective strategic positioning of the film festival. Wholeheartedly embraces its unique location. Appropriate humor.