From the moment I stepped into the Grand Theatre on Saturday evening for the Slaight Music Video Showcase—a treasured part of the Kingston Canadian Film Festival—the space was bursting with energy: jam-packed with festival attendees and creatives alike, all eager to see the hard work of local musicians, production companies, and volunteers on the screen of the Grand Theatre.
Photo credit: Matt Hoult
Venturing into the lobby, the space was overflowing with well-dressed attendees and KCFF volunteers, who wore bright blue to guide the way. A red carpet stretched across the ground floor, and various teams posed for photographs ahead of the premiere, while others lined up at the bar to grab drinks or a popcorn before settling into the event itself. Folks made their way through, but not without stopping to chat excitedly with peers or share a laugh with friends before finding their seat. A lively sense of chaos filled the room, with each person ready to cheer on their own team, or that of a friend. This energy remained alive even up on the balcony, with many seats filled by an audience that was quite rowdy when prompted, eagerly awaiting the event’s start.
Photo credit: Matt Hoult
As the event itself began, host Ben McLean, a co-host of Kingston’s 98.3 Fly FM, led the audience in practicing their cheers and applause ahead of the reveal of the music videos. McLean geared the audience up for an evening of true support for fellow artists, but not without making a few jokes about Degrassi and the affinity for real estate within the crowd first. It was prior to the premiere itself that the audience learned about the voting system in place for the “Favourite Music Video” Award, which was chosen by the crowd: as they leave the event, all attendees will be given three beads, which could be used to vote on the music video(s) we felt should win, by placing them in containers labelled with each music video on their way out.
From there, the premiere began: first a touching farewell music video by Yeah No For Sure Productions, to honour the final song of The Wilderness. It was a nostalgic start, featuring clips from the band’s ten year history alongside the sections filmed for the video itself.
As each video began and ended, they were met with uproarious applause. At some moments, audience members shouted aloud when a friend appeared in a video or did something particularly funny, letting the entire audience in on their excitement and setting the room alight.
Photo credit: Matt Hoult
After the final video played, created by Who Gets It Done Productions for Clem Chesterfield’s “Yesterday’s Grind,” the crowd exploded with energy, and members of each musician and production team were brought onstage to answer questions from the audience. What struck me most was the way each individual creative always found a way to credit another person for some aspect of their work. Despite the competitive nature of the awards, there was a sense of interconnectedness as one panelist mentioned that many of the crews who worked on their own video worked on several others as well. It was a reminder of the close connection between arts workers in the Kingston community, who always find ways to work on any number of projects at once, supporting each other as they proceed.
As the Q&A came to a close and people began to exit the space, that same excitement from prior to the start of the event intensified. People exchanged congratulations and words of encouragement as they collected their beads and made their way back to cast their votes amidst the flurry of staff helping to pass out appetizers to the happy crowd.
Photo credit: Matt Hoult
Awards were announced later the following day, during the final event of the festival, but in my heart, each team was a winner, with the opportunity to connect as filmmakers and musicians in the Kingston and surrounding community to create something new, uplifting so many people and facets of the arts sector. The Slaight Festival is truly a celebration of the beauty of what can happen when artists use each of their strengths to uplift the other and foster an artistic community that flourishes.
The Kingston Canadian Film Festival is an annual event that began in 2001, and is the largest festival showcasing solely Canadian film. KCFF 2026 took place from February 25 - March 1, 2026.
This story is written by Michaela Tassone, created in partnership between Kingston Music Office and Kingston Theatre Alliance. Photo and bio for Tassone can be found here.
