The Charlie Awards Film Festival was founded by Teacher, Wayne McNanny in 1972 and is possibly the oldest student film festival in Canada. The Charlie Awards is a film competition for high school students in the KW region that helps students to discover their creative potential, build their confidence, develop leadership skills, and work collaboratively in teams. Students film everywhere and anywhere, developing a variety of story lines and plots to create dynamic, innovative productions. At the school site the student's films are assessed by a panel of judges. Two films from each school are submitted, previewed by judges and premiered to the public. This year, the films will be presented on April 28, 2016, 7:00 p.m. at the Princess Theatre in Waterloo. The Charlies are judged by media professionals who donate their time to work with the best of the K-W region's young film makers. They help our students improve their filmmaking abilities; they provide editing and production advice and consult on solutions to problems. This year is the 45th Anniversary of The Charlies Awards Film Festival.