Atlantic Film Festival reaches out to P.E.I. students

Hundreds of P.E.I. students will be going to the Cineplex theatre in Charlottetown Wednesday to watch movies, part of the Atlantic Film Festival's Viewfinders series.

The festival has been reaching out to young people to expose them to films, and perhaps inspire them to pick up a camera themselves.

Students will be watching feature lengths films, short films and take part in workshops. This is the first year the series is being held on P.E.I.

"Steven Spielberg, years ago his family, you know his mom and dad, buying him an eight-millimetre camera, which cost a pile of money at that point, but we all know what happened with Spielberg," saidWayne Carter, executive director of The Atlantic Film Festival.

"You know, maybe there's a Spielberg in Charlottetown, and maybe we're just ready to inspire him or her. And with technology being the way it is now, you know most kids have phones and phones have high definition cameras in them. And so the opportunity for kids to make films now is unlike it's ever been before."

Carter said the Viewfinders program is free, but schools are responsible for getting the students to the theatre.

Between 400 and 500 students will take part this year, and Carter expects that number will grow next year.