Free live and online screenings mark National Canadian Film Day for West Coast cinephiles
Indigenous movies in the spotlight as venues like VIFF Centre, The Cinematheque, and the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art host celebrations
The new Indigenous horror film L’Inhumain premieres at VIFF Centre on National Canadian Film Day.
Monkey Beach
REEL CANADA IS LAUNCHING National Canadian Film Day today, its massive coast-to-coast-to-coast celebration of our country’s cinema—and for the first time since the pandemic, many of its events are live and in person.
The ninth edition for April 20 includes many screenings and talks right here in Vancouver, with its Spotlight themed Celebrating Indigenous Voices (presented with imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival).
The day includes more than 1,000 events, with nearly 50 international screenings taking place across five continents. Look for other Great White North programming on streaming partners such as Netflix, Encore+, and CBC Gem.
Here are some of the free highlights for West Coast film lovers:
VIFF Centre is getting in on the celebrations in a big way, offering a jam-packed day of free screenings: the highly acclaimed adaptation of Catherine Hernandez’s best-selling novel, Scarborough; a 10th-anniversary reprise for Sarah Polley’s deeply personal Stories We Tell; two shows for Loretta Todd’s powerful mid-length film about Indigenous Second World War volunteers, Forgotten Warriors; the lyrical tribute to the late Jean-Marc Vallée, the acoustic documentary Big Giant Wave (Comme une vague); and the West Coast premiere of the brand new Indigenous horror film L’Inhumain. Directors Loretta Todd, Marie-Julie Dallaire and Jason Brennan will be joining the celebrations, either in person or via Zoom, for intros and Q&As.
Cinematheque Vancouver presents SG̲aawaay Ḵ’uuna (Edge of the Knife) at 7 pm, as part of its Image Before Us series on B.C. film.
North Vancouver’s Capilano Branch Library screens Beans at 6 pm.
New West Film Fest and Landmark Cinema 10 New Westminster presents Night Raiders at 1 pm.
Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art hosts Monkey Beach at 1 pm.
Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society shows The Breadwinner and The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, online starting at 10 am.
Alliance Francaise de Vancouver presents Bootlegger at 7 pm, online on partner Visions Ouest’s EVENTIVE platform.
Whistler Film Festival screens Portraits of a Fire at 6 pm and Before They Fall at 8 pm at Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Centre.
A virtual screening of The Grizzlies for New Canadians and English-language learners, presented in partnership with Institute for Canadian Citizenship, followed by a livestream Q&A with one of the stars of the film, Anna Lambe (Inuk), hosted by Ali Hassan, 5 pm PST.
And head to the National Film Board all day long, as it celebrates the occasion with featured films and other attractions on its website here.
Find more information and a full schedule, including TV offerings, at the NCFD website here.
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