REEL CANADA receives major government support to host world's largest one-day film festival for Canada's 150th

Event on April 19, 2017, will celebrate Canada's culture through film on foot, online and on-air

TORONTO, Nov. 21, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, REEL CANADA announced that one of its key initiatives, National Canadian Film Day, has been identified by both the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario as an official Signature Project of Canada's 150^th anniversary of Confederation. Both governments have pledged major funding to the cross-country event, which will allow National Canadian Film Day 150 (NCFD 150) to become the world's largest one-day film festival. The announcement was made at the TIFF Bell Lightbox with celebrated filmmakers Colm Feore and Patrick Huard — stars of the hilarious buddy cop thriller BON COP BAD COP 2 in theatres across Canada in May 2017 — producer Robert Lantos, the Honourable Eleanor McMahon, Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and REEL CANADA co-founders Jack Blum and Sharon Corder.

"Thanks to the generous funding from our governments, on April 19, 2017, Canadian film will be everywhere — on foot, online and on-air," said Jack Blum, executive director, REEL CANADA. 

Added Sharon Corder, artistic director, "At REEL CANADA we believe that film captures the soul of a nation and its people, and what better way to commemorate Canada's birthday than with a nationwide cultural celebration."

On April 19, 2017, NCFD 150 will include:

• More than 600 community screenings across the nation in every kind of venue — theatres, restaurants, community centres, libraries, record stores, military bases and even in Canadian embassies around the world.
  
  
• Tentpole events in major cities around the country — like a pop-up drive-in located in Ottawa, thanks to a partnership with Ottawa Ignite 2017 and the National Aviation Museum.
  
  
• Through TIFF's national screening outreach programme, Film Circuit, TIFF is partnering with REEL CANADA to present 150 free screenings of selected Canada on Screen titles at various Film Circuit locations across Canada on April 19^th.
  
  
• Interactive webcasts in English and French for students across the country, through REEL CANADA'S Our Films in Our Schools programme, and in partnership with Google Canada, YouTube, REDspace and Annexe Communications.
  
  
• Major broadcasters like CBC, Bell Media and Corus, APTN and Quebecor Media Inc. will air Canadian films on various channels and streaming platforms.
  
  
• French film screenings across Quebec and francophone communities throughout the country in universities, colleges and libraries, in partnership with Quebec Cinema and Annexe Communications.

Additionally, to acknowledge the cinematic territory of Canada's original peoples, REEL CANADA will feature a special Indigenous Film Summit in Abbotsford, BC, on March 6 and 7, 2017. This will involve screenings of Indigenous films and workshops for 3,000 students, as well as a gala event for the community.

"The 150^th anniversary of Confederation is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the wealth of our unique cultural heritage, which is a reflection of our diversity," said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage. "Thanks to the Signature Project National Canadian Film Day 150, the contributions and talents of the members of Canada's film industry will be highlighted all across the country. I invite everyone to take part in order to discover everything Canadian cinema has to offer."

"Bringing Canadian-made films to nearly 200 communities across Ontario next year is a brilliant way to showcase the incredible stories, vistas and filmmaking talent we have in our own backyard," said the Honourable Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. "The province is pleased to provide, through Ontario150, $400,000 in funding for this exciting initiative that will add to the incredible lineup of sesquicentennial programming in place, and inspire the next generation of filmmakers."

We are delighted to be joined by new and returning partners and sponsors, including founding sponsors CBC, Cineplex and Telefilm Canada. A full list of partners and sponsors can be found at canadianfilmday.ca

For more information and updates leading up to April 19th, visit www.canadianfilmday.ca, and find REEL CANADA and NCFD on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @REELCANADA and @CanFilmDay using the hashtag #CanFilmDay.

About REEL CANADA
REEL CANADA is a non-profit organization that celebrates Canada through film. Canadian films are the stories we tell about ourselves — they open the door to so many conversations about place, nation, identity, and what it means to be Canadian. REEL CANADA promotes the power and diversity of Canadian film and encourages this ongoing conversation through three core programmes: Our Films in Our Schools, Welcome to Canada, and National Canadian Film Day. Through these programs, REEL CANADA increases audiences for our films, encourages dialogue and, most crucially, provides an opportunity to enjoy our great nation through the wonderful stories we tell. By celebrating Canadian cinematic storytelling we can build a stronger and prouder Canada.

About National Canadian Film Day (NCFD)
National Canadian Film Day (NCFD), an initiative of REEL CANADA, was created as a new way to celebrate this great nation, embrace Canadian cinema, and have some FUN.  As part of its educational programmes, REEL CANADA has presented over 1,100 festivals of Canadian films for more than 400,000 high school students and new Canadians across the country since 2005. For 2017, National Canadian Film Day 150 will become the world's largest one-day film festival in the world. Canadian film will be everywhere — on foot, online and on-screen, thanks to the generous support of the federal and Ontario governments. NCFD 150 would not exist without sensational major partners and sponsors: Cineplex and Telefilm Canada, TIFF, Google Canada, REDspace, Twitter Canada, Leo Burnett and Tim Hortons on-screen. Major broadcast supporters include CBC, Bell Media, Hollywood Suite, Corus, APTN and Quebecor Media. Major distributor supporters include Entertainment One, Mongrel Media, Elevation Pictures and dFilms.

SOURCE REEL CANADA

Image with caption: "From left to right: Canadian filmmaker Patrick Huard, REEL CANADA's Executive Director Jack Blum and Artistic Director Sharon Corder and Canadian filmmaker Colm Feore at the announcement of National Canadian Film Day 150. (CNW Group/REEL CANADA)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161121_C8683_PHOTO_EN_823633.jpg

Press info: REEL CANADA | Cara McCutcheon, Marketing & Communications Director, 416-642-5796, ext. 213 | [email protected], canadianfilmday.ca