Amidst lingering COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions in much of the country, feel-good features like Meatballs and uplifting shorts and documentaries, are the focus of today’s National Canadian Film Day.

“Given the year we’ve all lived through, we are focusing on feel-good films, or films that offer inspiration for a better future, ” said Sharon Corder, Artistic Director of REEL CANADA. “We all certainly need it. I know I do.”

As part of this year’s event, more than 40 film festivals are hosting national screenings and Q&As. 150+ community watch parties are planned, along with more than 30 events promoting Canadian film in countries around the world.

Many major broadcasters and streamers are running dedicated programming with the centrepiece of this year’s event, a series of 15 short films from emerging filmmakers, commissioned by REEL CANADA and Netflix, around the theme Light(s) at the End of the Tunnel. 

Other programming highlights include:

• A screening of Canadian film, Meatballs, featuring a livestream Q&A with director Ivan Reitman & cast members Kate Lynch (Roxanne) and Jack Blum (Spaz). Presented by Oakville Festivals of Film & Art in partnership with REEL CANADA.

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  A tribute to Christopher Plummer and his legacy, co-presented by film festivals across the country. Selected titles include The Silent Partner, Remember and Christopher Plummer: A Memoir, along with new interviews with Atom Egoyan and The Silent Partner cast member Michael Kirby, reminiscing about the stage and screen legend.

• Over a dozen screenings of Indigenous-made films, headlined by multiple screenings of Rustic Oracle (which earned a Canadian Screen Award Best Actress nomination for Carmen Moore) and Q&As across the country with director Sonia Bonspille Boileau.
• A screening for new Canadians of You Are Here: A Come From Away Story, in honour of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The uplifting documentary showcases the community of Gander, NL and the generosity they showed to stranded airline passengers on that fateful day. Followed by a livestream Q&A with director Moze Mossanen.
• Other special guests participating in festival screenings across the country include: Patricia Rozema, Philippe Falardeau, Don McKellar, Bruce MacDonald, Anne Émond, Charles Officer, Kathleen Hepburn, Jason Eisner, Rob Cotterill, Matthew Rankin, Jason Ryle, Garvia Bailey, Tantoo Cardinal, Joyce Wong, and Karen Lam.

Find a full rundown of National Film Day programming from broadcast partners like Hollywood Suite, APTN, Corus, Super Channel, CBC, Vision TV, CHCH, and OutTV, here. Special online content from streaming providers like Crave, CBC Gem, APTN lumi, NFB and encore+ is available to view here.

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