It’s not very Canadian of us to admit it, but we’re proud of our cinema. We're good at it too. 

Canadian movies lovers have a chance to celebrate films made by Canadians as part of a coast-to-coast-to-coast partnership. 

REEL Canada has teamed up with film festivals and societies all across our home and native land to hold National Canadian Film Day (NCFD) taking place on April 20.

It's an annual one-day celebration of Canadian film, through screenings, events, and conversations across the country. It’s about encouraging all Canadians to celebrate and take time to get out and see works from our nation’s filmmakers.

Three films will be on display in Okotoks at the local theatre through the Okotoks Film Society, all of them free of charge. 

Katie Fournell from the Okotoks Film Society says the films this year take a specific message.

"We're focusing on indigenous voices on National Canadian Film Day, so we're showing a film that was made in 2020 called Beans and that one is dealing with the taking of children for, well, for residential schools and the treatment of indigenous people through an indigenous voice."

Beans is one of two films that will be played on April 20 with the other being a popular one on the festival circuit. 

"The next one we're showing is also related to the residential schools and also created by Canadian Indigenous voices. It is called Knight Raiders and this film is going crazy. It's blowing up at film festivals right now. It was created in 2021 and it is a sci-fi post-apocalyptic film."

The third is a popular Canadian film called C.R.A.Z.Y. which will be screened the following day Thursday, April 21. 

"When it was made in the early 2000s, it was a huge blockbuster at film festivals. So we're bringing it back to the big screen because one thing that we get to do at National Canadian Film Day is show classic Canadian films and this is our way of fulfilling that aspect of it because we've been showing brand new stuff with the other two films."

She adds, "All of these films are completely free for you to come see but if you go to our website you can RSVP to reserve one of the VIP seats."

Details on the event (as well as free tickets) can be found on the Okotoks Film Societies Website.

More information on the films can be found below.

Beans
Screening: April 20 at 2:00PM

Night Raiders
Screening: April 20 at 7:00PM

C.R.A.Z.Y.
Screening: April 21 at 2:00PM