Farewell Announcement: Although our journey is coming to an end, #CdnfilmLove + #CdnTalent continues to burn bright!
— First Weekend Club (@1stweekendclub) December 8, 2020
Thank you for the past 18 years. https://t.co/wpLL5Iitwh pic.twitter.com/FiEQ6DJSDp
For most of the 21st century, First Weekend Club had a most arduous task: promoting Canadian films as they hit the theatres.
Since 2003, the First Weekend Club created special events and awareness campaigns for Canadian films so their first weekend numbers would be strong enough to warrant extended stays in theatres.
“With the changing film industry landscape and reduced financial resources available, it is time for us to move on,” said First Weekend Club founder and executive director Anita Adams in a statement announcing that the First Weekend Club will shut down at the end of this month.
Adams noted that since the beginning in February 2003, the First Weekend Club has promoted approximately 1,000 features.
We have written countless stories about underappreciated Canadian films from Black Cop to Take This Waltz to Laurence Anyways. We found out about some of these films over the years thanks to the efforts of the First Weekend Club. The upbeat tweets brought great energy and valuable awareness that the filmmakers couldn't afford to generate.
Canada Screens was a pioneer in bringing Canadian film to Canadians
First Weekend Club was also responsible for Canada Screens, which we mourned its loss earlier.
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
Like Canada Screens, the First Weekend Club may have outlived its usefulness. English Canadian films have struggled to get and stay in theatres even before the pandemic. When theatres do come back post-pandemic, there will be a lot of financial pressure. Independent theatres, more likely to show Canadian film, may not survive. The large theatre chains, likely to survive, will use the financial troubles as an excuse to carry fewer Canadian films, as if that is possible.
Canadian films have to be flexible as to how to bring attention to their films more than ever. That task will be much tougher without the First Weekend Club. Thank you for 18 years of hard work, energy, and determination to celebrate the beauty in Canadian films.
Twitter capture: @1stweekendclub
logo and photo credit: First Weekend Club
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