Dr. Jon Petrychyn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Film at the University of Regina. His research, teaching, and community engagement focuses on sexuality, activism, film festivals, and Canadian independent media arts and artist-run culture. He currently sits on the Advocacy Committee of the Independent Media Arts Alliance, the board of directors of the Coalition of Canadian Independent Media Arts Distributors, and is a Programmer for the Toronto Outdoor Picture Show, Toronto’s largest and longest-running outdoor film festival. His article “Getting the Queer Word Out: Word is Out and 16mm Distribution as Gay and Lesbian Activism” was the winner of the 2024 Peter Morris Prize from the Film and Media Studies Association of Canada. He is currently working on his first book, Intersectional Cinemas: Media Arts Festivals in Canada, for Concordia University Press.

Activating Saskatchewan’s Moving Image Archives
This project aims to understand the impact three artist-run centres have had in the production and exhibition of moving images by marginalized communities in Saskatchewan: Neutral Ground, the Saskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative, and PAVED Arts. Drawing on archival material, oral history testimonies, and historical periodicals, this project will develop an exhibition of student work, a public panel, and film screenings that highlight the work of artists from marginalized communities have done in developing Saskatchewan’s film sector.