Originally established in Toronto in 2001, the festival was created to identify and help talented young people begin their film and television careers by providing exposure and recognition of their works.
In August 2006, the festival added Montreal as a venue and became bilingual, featuring 50 films including English and French titles.
The festival has grown significantly since its inception, and has been actively supported by a number of television and film professionals including Tom Sizemore, Lalaine, Chris Potter, Maxim Roy, and Frédérick De Grandpré.
[citation needed] The festival has received the support of a number of major companies.
Its sponsors have included Pepsi, Nokia, Astral Media, High Fidelity HDTV, Avid Technology, Quebecor, Tribute Magazine, and the City of Montreal.