10th annual Canadian Film Festival promotes ‘entertaining’ films

Mar 31, 2016 | Arts, Life

The 10th annual Canadian film festival is showing and reminding Canadians of the content being produced by their own country. (Photo: Facebook-Canadian Film Festival)

The 10th annual Canadian film festival is showing and reminding Canadians of the content being produced by their own country. (Photo: Facebook-Canadian Film Festival)

Krysten McCumber

The 10th annual Canadian Film Festival is on in Toronto until Saturday at The Royal Cinema, showcasing eight feature films and tons of short films all created by Canadian talent.

The festival began Wednesday with the Toronto premiere of How To Have An Orgy In A Small Town with producer Jeremy Lalonde there to support his film and the industry.

“It’s a sex-comedy about a young girl returning home for her mother’s funeral and inadvertently ends up planning an orgy for her old enemies and friends,” Lalonde told Humber News.

Jonas Chernick, who is featured in Lalonde’s film and at the festival for his own feature film, Borealis, said he is honoured to have his film featured at a festival he’s admired for most of his life.

“This is a really, really cool festival that I’ve been going to as a film fan for many years. It’s entirely committed and dedicated to Canadian film,” Chernick told Humber News.

“The more that we can celebrate [Canadian films] and remind people that they’re out there the better.” -Brian Stockton, producer of The Sabbatical

His film will also be hitting theatres next Friday, making a nation-wide debut throughout April.

Borealis is making its Toronto premiere Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Royal Cinema on College

Chernick wrote, produced and starred in it and said he is thrilled to see the Canadian film industry featured at a festival that understands the entertainment value in projects throughout the country.

“One of the problems that our industry is challenged with is there’s a perception that Canadian films are dry, slow… but that’s not true,” Chernick said. “So I think that this festival likes to shine a light on all of those genres and really show Canadians that our films are exciting and entertaining.”

Debuting his film, The Sabbatical, Friday evening, producer Brian Stockton agrees with Chernick, saying it’s important to remind Canadians of the great films being made in their own country.

“It’s really important to keep reminding people about Canadian films because, this is kind of an old sob, but you know we’re constantly dominated by American movies here,” Stockton told Humber News.

“The more that we can celebrate [Canadian films] and remind people that they’re out there the better,” he said.

Despite the lack of national recognition they deserve, the filmmakers are able to enjoy the weekend, see new projects and celebrate each other’s successes.

Lalonde said he is excited to be attending his “favourite festival in Toronto” and celebrating the success of his feature film, which is heading to theatres in Canada and the United States in May.

“I always kind of consider it to be kind of like a high school reunion in the sense that for four days it’s the place for all the Canadian indie filmmakers to come together and celebrate each other’s works,” Lalone said.

The 10th annual festival runs at The Royal Cinema until the closing gala Saturday night. Tickets can be purchased online for all upcoming events.