Stand up for Canada by sitting down to watch a great Canadian film. That’s the motto of National Canadian Film Day , a.k.a. CanFilmDay, which will showcase Canadian cinema on April 16 in a multitude of ways. According to REEL Canada, approximately 100,000 Canadians will attend live events at home or abroad. And two million people will take in Canadian offerings at home through broadcasts or streaming.
“In this time, our culture matters and our stories matter—more than ever,” REEL Canada artistic director Sharon Corder said in a news release. “CanFilmDay gives us the opportunity to celebrate our country, and our shared values—together, with our elbows way up.”
Every live screening on CanFilmDay will include a videotaped performance of “O Canada” by Jann Arden. At Toronto’s Fox Theatre, there will be a free screening of Nicholas de Pencier and Jennifer Baichwal’s 2017 documentary Long Time Running at 6:30 on April 16. It tells the story of The Tragically Hip’s 2016 tour after frontman Gord Downie revealed that he had brain cancer. And at the Revue Cinema on the same night, director Gary Burns and actor Fab Filippo will be in attendance for a free, 25th-anniversary presentation of their cult film, Waydowntown.
On CanFilmDay, more than 50 festivals have programmed screenings, many with the filmmakers in attendance. For example, the Latin American Film Festival of Toronto will present a pre-release screening of the immigration drama Sin Papeles (Undocumented). Director Christian de la Cortina and producer Vanessa Caceres will attend the free screening at 6:30 p.m. at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto in North York. Register for tickets at CanFilmDay.ca.
Elbows Up for Canadian Culture
Another example is at Small World Centre, where the Breakthroughs Film Festival is offering a free screening of Danis Goulet’s Night Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on April 16. The sci-fi thriller’s Canadian Screen Award-winning costume designer, Kendra Terpenning, will answer the audience’s questions after the film.
At the Inside Out Film Festival, there will be a free screening of Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story. It’s at the Carlton Cinema in Toronto at 6:15 p.m. on April 16. At the same time at the same time, the Future of Film Showcase and TIFF Next Wave will present a free 20th-anniversary screening of Jean-Marc Vallée’s C.R.A.Z.Y.
There will be more than 70 screenings of Indigenous-made films across Canada. And in Toronto, comedian and actor Ali Hassan will moderate a town hall-style event called Elbows Up for Canadian Culture. It will feature Yannick Bisson, Don McKellar, Mary Walsh, and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. Tickets are $12 for this event at 7 p.m. on April 16 at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
Then at 9:30 p.m. at the same location, Final Girls Film Club will present a 25th-anniversary free screening of John Fawcett’s comedy-horror-fantasy film Ginger Snaps. In yet another Toronto screening, Canada’s Theatre Museum will present Billy Bishop Goes to War for free at 7 p.m. on April 16 at Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres.
NFB streams anorexia film memoir
In Vancouver, the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society (VIFF) will offer free screenings of two landmark films by B.C. directors on April 16. In making ScaredSacred, writer-director Velcrow Ripper visited various war-torn zones in search of finding hope. VIFF and REEL Canada are co-presenting a 5 p.m. screening as a tribute to former National Film Board producer Tracey Friesen, who died from complications of cancer in January. Ripper and another of the film’s producers, Cari Green, will be in attendance.
That will be followed at 7:45 p.m. by My American Cousin, which will be introduced by writer-director Sandy Wilson. Co-starring Margaret Langrick and John Wildman, this heartwarming 1985 movie offers a nostalgic glimpse into Okanagan life in the 1950s.
Meanwhile, the National Film Board is offering free streaming this month of three documentaries directed by Canadian women. On April 7, the NFB began this series with Eisha Marjara’s 24-minute filmed memoir about anorexia, “Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?”. It won the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary at Hot Docs in Toronto. (Read the Toronto Spark’s interview with Marjara prior to her film being screened at last year’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival.)
On April 15, the NFB will make Cuban Canadian director Tamara Segura’s Seguridad available for free on its website. Segura uncovered family secrets while interviewing three generations of her family. It helped her understand why her well-intentioned father became an abusive alcoholic. Seguridad won Best Atlantic Documentary at the 2024 Atlantic Film Festival. Furthermore, it bagged a nomination for Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs.
The third NFB film to be offered for free this month is Jenny Cartwright’s A Losing Game, starting on April 24. It follows three candidates in the 2022 Quebec election who ran even though they had no chance of winning. Cartwright’s film offers insights into barriers faced by racialized and women candidates. Moreover, it exposes other shortcomings of the democratic process.
For a list of all screenings on National Canadian Film Day, visit the CanFilmDay.ca website. Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. Follow Charlie Smith on Bluesky @charliesmithvcr.bsky.social. The Toronto Spark is also on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
