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Nova Scotia will screen more than 80 films for National Canadian Film Day
Monday April 10th 2017This year’s National Canadian Film Day is promising to be the biggest film festival ever — not just in Canada — but worldwide.
More than 1,700 film screenings will take place on April 19 across Canada and the globe, in celebration of Canadian film. Nova Scotia will screen more than 80 films. This year’s festival is a recognized part of the Canada 150 celebration.
Put on by REEL Canada, a non-profit organization that promotes Canadian films, the one-day festival has a list of 250 films that will play for viewers in schools, military bases, prisons, cinemas, libraries, train stations, and just about anywhere you can imagine.
Major Canadian broadcasters will also be playing Canadian films throughout the day.
Jack Blum, executive director for Reel Canada, and Sharon Corder, artistic director, spoke to the The Chronicle Herald about the massive project.
Corder says National Canadian Film Day (NCFD) started more than 12 years ago when REEL Canada was looking at sharing great films with high school kids in Ontario.
It went so well the idea expanded across the country. Then English as a second language groups caught on, and requested films as well.
“There was such an appetite that it became clear to us — why don’t we try this?” says Corder. “We had the sesquicentennial in mind, we knew we couldn’t do this over night so we started a few years back, and we did a test run and said let’s see what we can do, and we got 70 likes, and we went ‘wow that’s amazing.’”
Corder and Blum continue to be amazed at the enormity of NCFD, and how much it’s grown in 12 years — 15 fold to be exact. Each year the responses to their efforts grew and grew. As they prepared to launch the efforts for the sesquicentennial, they thought they would have the scope of about 800 screenings. They were shocked when that number reached 1,700.
The films will be screened in various places, and there will also be films streaming for viewers, so everyone has a chance to participate. Another important inclusion for REEL Canada is to ensure films are shared in French and Indigenous languages, as well as English. In Nova Scotia, film screenings will include all three categories.
“We have a number of Indigenous films in a number of Indigenous communities, and that is really important to us,’ says Corder.
Along with film screenings, there will be a number of installations across the country prior to April 19, which will play specific films from the area on a loop, for viewers to see what stories are connected to their region.
Nova Scotia has three installations coming. The 30-or-50 foot screens will be set up at The Halifax Central Library, looping New Waterford Girl; The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, looping Maudie; and Halifax Grand Parade, looping Goin’ Down the Road.
Blum says he wants people to connect with the installations.
“We are hoping people will get the idea that these films are part of their community, that their community has played a role in Canadian film and Canadian film has a role for them. Our stories really are us,” says Blum.
Corder says she was impressed by the quality of the Nova Scotia films chosen for the installations, and hopes they encourage viewers to watch the films.
“Nova Scotia in particular has some amazing films and amazing stories,” says Corder.
Halifax will see 11 screenings, four in Dartmouth, six in Bridgewater, five in Liverpool and another five in Sydney. Five Nova Scotian schools will also take part in a live web cast that will feature Canadian film actors. The schools include Lockview High School, Avon View High School, River Hebert District School, Horton High School and École secondaire de Clare. Celebrations on April 19 can be followed on social media with the tags, #CanFilmDay and #OurFilms, and tagging a selfie with one of the installations across Canada can get you entered into a country-wide contest to win movie passes for one year.
For more information, or to see the list of all the screenings in Nova Scotia, and across the country, go to, https://canadianfilmday.ca.
Source: Chronicle Herald
Front Page, Headline, Industry News
Nova Scotia will screen more than 80 films for National Canadian Film Day
Monday April 10th 2017This year’s National Canadian Film Day is promising to be the biggest film festival ever — not just in Canada — but worldwide.
More than 1,700 film screenings will take place on April 19 across Canada and the globe, in celebration of Canadian film. Nova Scotia will screen more than 80 films. This year’s festival is a recognized part of the Canada 150 celebration.
Put on by REEL Canada, a non-profit organization that promotes Canadian films, the one-day festival has a list of 250 films that will play for viewers in schools, military bases, prisons, cinemas, libraries, train stations, and just about anywhere you can imagine.
Major Canadian broadcasters will also be playing Canadian films throughout the day.
Jack Blum, executive director for Reel Canada, and Sharon Corder, artistic director, spoke to the The Chronicle Herald about the massive project.
Corder says National Canadian Film Day (NCFD) started more than 12 years ago when REEL Canada was looking at sharing great films with high school kids in Ontario.
It went so well the idea expanded across the country. Then English as a second language groups caught on, and requested films as well.
“There was such an appetite that it became clear to us — why don’t we try this?” says Corder. “We had the sesquicentennial in mind, we knew we couldn’t do this over night so we started a few years back, and we did a test run and said let’s see what we can do, and we got 70 likes, and we went ‘wow that’s amazing.’”
Corder and Blum continue to be amazed at the enormity of NCFD, and how much it’s grown in 12 years — 15 fold to be exact. Each year the responses to their efforts grew and grew. As they prepared to launch the efforts for the sesquicentennial, they thought they would have the scope of about 800 screenings. They were shocked when that number reached 1,700.
The films will be screened in various places, and there will also be films streaming for viewers, so everyone has a chance to participate. Another important inclusion for REEL Canada is to ensure films are shared in French and Indigenous languages, as well as English. In Nova Scotia, film screenings will include all three categories.
“We have a number of Indigenous films in a number of Indigenous communities, and that is really important to us,’ says Corder.
Along with film screenings, there will be a number of installations across the country prior to April 19, which will play specific films from the area on a loop, for viewers to see what stories are connected to their region.
Nova Scotia has three installations coming. The 30-or-50 foot screens will be set up at The Halifax Central Library, looping New Waterford Girl; The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, looping Maudie; and Halifax Grand Parade, looping Goin’ Down the Road.
Blum says he wants people to connect with the installations.
“We are hoping people will get the idea that these films are part of their community, that their community has played a role in Canadian film and Canadian film has a role for them. Our stories really are us,” says Blum.
Corder says she was impressed by the quality of the Nova Scotia films chosen for the installations, and hopes they encourage viewers to watch the films.
“Nova Scotia in particular has some amazing films and amazing stories,” says Corder.
Halifax will see 11 screenings, four in Dartmouth, six in Bridgewater, five in Liverpool and another five in Sydney. Five Nova Scotian schools will also take part in a live web cast that will feature Canadian film actors. The schools include Lockview High School, Avon View High School, River Hebert District School, Horton High School and École secondaire de Clare. Celebrations on April 19 can be followed on social media with the tags, #CanFilmDay and #OurFilms, and tagging a selfie with one of the installations across Canada can get you entered into a country-wide contest to win movie passes for one year.
For more information, or to see the list of all the screenings in Nova Scotia, and across the country, go to, https://canadianfilmday.ca.
Source: Chronicle Herald
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Front Page, Headline, Industry News
Nova Scotia will screen more than 80 films for National Canadian Film Day
Monday April 10th 2017This year’s National Canadian Film Day is promising to be the biggest film festival ever — not just in Canada — but worldwide.
More than 1,700 film screenings will take place on April 19 across Canada and the globe, in celebration of Canadian film. Nova Scotia will screen more than 80 films. This year’s festival is a recognized part of the Canada 150 celebration.
Put on by REEL Canada, a non-profit organization that promotes Canadian films, the one-day festival has a list of 250 films that will play for viewers in schools, military bases, prisons, cinemas, libraries, train stations, and just about anywhere you can imagine.
Major Canadian broadcasters will also be playing Canadian films throughout the day.
Jack Blum, executive director for Reel Canada, and Sharon Corder, artistic director, spoke to the The Chronicle Herald about the massive project.
Corder says National Canadian Film Day (NCFD) started more than 12 years ago when REEL Canada was looking at sharing great films with high school kids in Ontario.
It went so well the idea expanded across the country. Then English as a second language groups caught on, and requested films as well.
“There was such an appetite that it became clear to us — why don’t we try this?” says Corder. “We had the sesquicentennial in mind, we knew we couldn’t do this over night so we started a few years back, and we did a test run and said let’s see what we can do, and we got 70 likes, and we went ‘wow that’s amazing.’”
Corder and Blum continue to be amazed at the enormity of NCFD, and how much it’s grown in 12 years — 15 fold to be exact. Each year the responses to their efforts grew and grew. As they prepared to launch the efforts for the sesquicentennial, they thought they would have the scope of about 800 screenings. They were shocked when that number reached 1,700.
The films will be screened in various places, and there will also be films streaming for viewers, so everyone has a chance to participate. Another important inclusion for REEL Canada is to ensure films are shared in French and Indigenous languages, as well as English. In Nova Scotia, film screenings will include all three categories.
“We have a number of Indigenous films in a number of Indigenous communities, and that is really important to us,’ says Corder.
Along with film screenings, there will be a number of installations across the country prior to April 19, which will play specific films from the area on a loop, for viewers to see what stories are connected to their region.
Nova Scotia has three installations coming. The 30-or-50 foot screens will be set up at The Halifax Central Library, looping New Waterford Girl; The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, looping Maudie; and Halifax Grand Parade, looping Goin’ Down the Road.
Blum says he wants people to connect with the installations.
“We are hoping people will get the idea that these films are part of their community, that their community has played a role in Canadian film and Canadian film has a role for them. Our stories really are us,” says Blum.
Corder says she was impressed by the quality of the Nova Scotia films chosen for the installations, and hopes they encourage viewers to watch the films.
“Nova Scotia in particular has some amazing films and amazing stories,” says Corder.
Halifax will see 11 screenings, four in Dartmouth, six in Bridgewater, five in Liverpool and another five in Sydney. Five Nova Scotian schools will also take part in a live web cast that will feature Canadian film actors. The schools include Lockview High School, Avon View High School, River Hebert District School, Horton High School and École secondaire de Clare. Celebrations on April 19 can be followed on social media with the tags, #CanFilmDay and #OurFilms, and tagging a selfie with one of the installations across Canada can get you entered into a country-wide contest to win movie passes for one year.
For more information, or to see the list of all the screenings in Nova Scotia, and across the country, go to, https://canadianfilmday.ca.
Source: Chronicle Herald
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