Taking place on Wednesday, April 15, National Canadian Film Day (CanFilmDay) presented by REEL CANADA is a coast-to-coast-to-coast celebration of Canadian cinema. Once again, NICE member cinemas are showing up in force with exciting preview screenings, filmmaker Q&As and, in more than a few cases, a full week of Canadian film.
Here’s a sampling of what’s happening across the country, but there is much, much more. Find a screening near you at canfilmday.ca.
Yukon & Northwest Territories
In Whitehorse, the Yukon Theatre is treating CanFilmDay as a week-long event. On the day itself, they’re opening with a lunch-hour double bill of Yukon docs—Camera Trap (Marty O’Brien) and Alanis Obomsawin’s 1978 NFB film Old Crow—followed by Youngblood and Leolo. The week also includes Undertone, Art of Adventure, Mammoth Hunters and Meadowlarks.
In Hay River, NWT, the Hay River Film Society is bringing Mile End Kicks to the Northwest Territories.
British Columbia
BC cinemas are bringing some of the most distinctive programming of the day. In Vancouver, The Cinematheque is screening Michael Snow’s La région centrale in its entirety, three hours and sixteen minutes, on 16mm, presented alongside their ongoing Chantal Akerman retrospective. Details here.
In Powell River, the qathet Film Society at the Patricia Theatre is screening Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, which their programmer describes as “the McKenzie brothers meet Back to the Future.” In Kamloops, Paramount Theatre is pairing Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie with David Cronenberg’s Crash. And in Revelstoke, The Roxy Theatre is offering two very different Canadian experiences: The Stand at 4pm and Project Grizzly at 9pm.
Alberta
Edmonton’s Metro Cinema has two screenings on April 15: Nika & Madison at 6:45pm with the filmmaker in attendance, followed by a special advance screening of Mile End Kicks at 9:30pm. Out in Leduc and Wetaskiwin, Leduc Cinemas and Wetaskiwin Cinemas are both showing Meadowlarks. And in Hinton, Hinton Movies is bringing Youngblood to the Rockies.
Saskatchewan
In Humboldt, Reel Attractions is going big with Mile End Kicks as a free preview event, plus a horror double feature of Keeper and Whistle. In Saskatoon, Magic Lantern‘s Roxy location is pairing Silver Screamers with a screening of Monica’s News, part of Magic Lantern Theatre’s Canada-wide CanFilmDay programming.
Ontario
In Toronto, Paradise Theatre is presenting a new restoration of The Falls, and the Fox Theatre is presenting My Winnipeg with director Guy Maddin in a conversation hosted by Don McKellar. In Hamilton, The Westdale is programming three titles: Movie Man, The Furies and Hard Core Logo — and extending the celebration through the week.
In Picton, The Regent Theatre is screening Clairtone at 7pm, with director Ron Mann in attendance for a post-screening Q&A. In Alliston, The Circle Theatre is showing Youngblood on CanFilmDay and wrapping up a week of Canadian film on Friday with Mile End Kicks. In Campbellford, the Aron Theatre Co-op screened Hidden: The Kati Preston Story, followed by a live Q&A with Kati Preston.
In Arnprior, The O’Brien Theatre has put together an ambitious full-day lineup: Project Grizzly (11:30am), Brotherhood (1pm), This is Not a Test (3pm), Youngblood (5pm) and The Movie Man (7pm). And in Burks Falls, while the Bluebird Theatre gets its lobby painted, the Burks Falls Library is stepping in to host a screening of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie on April 15.
Québec
In Montréal, Cinéma du Parc is screening Héron bleu (Blue Heron). And down in Stanstead, right on the Vermont border, Cinema Haskell is bringing Mile End Kicks to the Eastern Townships.
Atlantic Canada
In Halifax, NS, Carbon Arc Cinema is partnering with Hellifax to present a screening of Clearcut starring the late Graham Greene. In Wolfville, NS, Al Whittle Theatre is bringing Mile End Kicks to the Annapolis Valley for a 7pm screening. Across the water in Charlottetown, PEI, City Cinema hosts a 9:15pm screening of Hard Core Logo.
Happy CanFilmDay from all of us at NICE. 🍁