(March 22, 2016 – Vancouver, BC) Pictured is one of the most prized pieces in our Northernstars Collection. It’s one of four very early, original lobby cards for a film that starred Canadian Nell Shipman, a pioneering woman in film who would go on to write, produce and direct her own films back in the silent era. One of those films, 1923’s The Grubstake — now restored and remixed — will be one of the films screening at the Vancity Theatre to celebrate Canadian Film Week, which includes National Canadian Film Day on April 20th.
In fact, Vancity will be screening a dozen films old and new on April 20. They range from the North American premiere of BC-made (Japan-set!) The People Garden from actress-turned-director Nadia Litz, to two outstanding, highly acclaimed features from Quebec, Our Loved Ones and The Lion’s Path. There’s a music documentary dedicated to much-loved Alberta band the smalls and the First Nations-advocacy documentary The Pass System is also on the schedule. Other homegrown films like FSM, Silent Legend (about Québec-born film pioneer Mack Sennett), Patterson’s Wager, and the mock-doc No Men Beyond This Point, all with filmmakers present.
The Grubstake Remix is a freshly restored and remixed version of that long-lost treasure from 1923. The Grubstake was written, produced and starred Victoria-born Nell Shipman (whose remarkable career is chronicled in an accompanying documentary, The Girl From God’s Country.
Finally, don’t miss Taking Shelter, a “collage” movie made up entirely of snippets from over 400 Canadian tax shelter flicks from the 1970s featuring the likes of Donald Sutherland, Christopher Plummer, Helen Shaver, and John Candy.
More information on Vancity’s National Canadian Film Day is available online.
