9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ

I am grateful for the generous support of Mr. Lloyd Darlington and Mrs. Carol Darlington for making my summer internship experience as Marketing and Outreach Intern at Regent Park Film Festival possible. Regent Park Film Festival (RPFF) is an award-winning, community-based, charitable organization, and Toronto’s longest-running FREE film festival. RPFF amplifies and centers marginalized communities and their stories, while opening access to the film and television industry through year-round programming. I joined the team in mid-May, to help prepare for their annual Under The Stars (UTS) series, screening free outdoor films on Wednesdays in July in Regent Park. This year, they also expanded the series to include an additional screening in Milliken Park.

As an Urban Studies and GIS student at 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ, this internship felt like the perfect intersection of both my academic focus and my personal interests in art and film. Being based in Toronto, this internship also allowed me to contribute meaningfully to a place I call home. This experience has reminded me of the transformative power of art in community spaces and has strengthened my commitment to pursuing work that aligns with this value.

The focus of my internship was split between year-round marketing tasks, supporting spreading the word of RPFF’s school program and building relationships with organizations in the local network; and in-person event planning, creating marketing materials and developing marketing strategy for Under The Stars events. Working on a small but mighty team of 10 full-time and seasonal staff meant there was a great amount of collaboration between the departments, especially the days leading up to event days to ensure everything ran smoothly during the screenings. One of the proudest contributions I made was creating the 2025 year-round trailer. For this project, I selected archived footage from past events, and b-roll of the Regent Park neighbourhood, to craft a highlight reel celebrating RPFF’s impact. It was special to see this play before hundreds of audience members at each of the UTS events, during the pre-show that played before the films.

One of my favourite moments of my internship was during the screening of A Nice Indian Boy, when the entire crowd of nearly 1,000 people erupted in laughter at the same moment – a wave of shared joy that I felt ripple across the park. The meticulous planning and execution of five separate film screenings across two parks was made possible not only by our dedicated staff but also by the tireless efforts of our incredible volunteers, tablers, and pre-show performers who brought each evening to life. These long, hot summer days and nights were certainly the most challenging days at RPFF, but also the most rewarding.

Thank you, again, to Mr. Lloyd Darlington and Mrs. Carol Darlington for their generous support in making this experience possible. The generous funding I received through the Carol and Lloyd Darlington Internship Award enabled me to dedicate myself fully to the internship, making it possible to give my full energy to each project and event. I am also very grateful for 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ’s Art Internship Office for connecting me to Regent Park Film Festival, and the kind and hardworking team at Regent Park Film Festival for welcoming me with open arms this summer.

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