Canadians — well, English Canadians — are known for not supporting Canadian film. Stereotypically, they clamor for blockbuster movies from south of the border.
To be fair, some films don't come anywhere near where they live. Some people would go to see more Canadian films if they didn't live far away from a movie house.
Canada Screens hopes to solve a number of excuses to bring Canadian films to Canadians.
Canada Screens is an all-Canadian video-on-demand service that launched last week at canadascreens.ca and nfb.ca.
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
The extra draw to Canada Screens is that consumers can choose favorite films from leading Canadian filmmakers and actors. The films cost $3.99 to $5.99 to rent.
Consumers who may not know much about Canadian films can feel more secure if someone they know, such as Tatiana Maslany or Atom Egoyan, makes an endorsement of a film.
If you want more of a fan perspective, you can always check out the favorites from the First Weekend Club, a non-profit organization promoting Canadian film and talent since 2003.
You get a plot summary, a trailer, and information about who is in the film and the behind the scenes people with the film.
The selection is pretty decent now, but the people behind the site say many more films will be added.
There is one giant catch: if you don't have a Canadian ISP, you are shut out.
Some of these same people tried to launch Starlight, which would have been a cable TV channel devoted to Canadian film. The CRTC denied Starlight's mandatory carriage application in August 2013.
Starlight is key to opening up eyes to Canadian film
The CRTC did approve a Category B (non-mandatory) specialty channel license for Starlight last August. Given that Starlight's Facebook page hasn't been updated since 2013 and the Web site is gone, Canada Screens is clearly the more viable option to increase access to Canadian film.
Even with a per film charge, you can catch up on great Canadian films for far cheaper than going to the movies, especially if you have trouble getting easy access to those films.
If you have a Canadian ISP, you have very little excuse not to sample a Canadian film or two. Some of them are in French, some have prominent U.S. actors; lots of variety on the Web site. If I were in your shoes, I'd be using my vacation time by watching Canadian films in my own home.
photo credit: Canada Screens
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