What do great white sharks, microplastics, and a competitive teenage curling team have in common? You can learn about all of them at the upcoming Lunenburg Doc Fest (September 18th – 22nd). The Lunenburg Doc Fest will present fourteen feature documentary films and twenty-two short docs from around the world.
Board member Geoff D’eon assures audiences that there is something for everyone. “We want to show the Lunenburg audience a diversity of films,” he says. A team of “screeners” watched around 400 films in order to put together an excellent line-up for the festival.
But what’s a film festival without stars? Four of the feature documentary films will have a Q+A element. Hasan Oswald, director of Mediha, will be flying in from New York to attend his film screening and speak at it. Mediha follows the story of a teenage Yazidi girl who was held captive by the Islamic State. “It’s a grim subject, but it’s not a grim film. It reaffirms my belief in the strength of the human spirit,” says D’eon.
For fans of sport documentaries, Curl Power follows a teen team from suburban BC intent on winning the Canadian Junior Curling Champions. Canadian curling icon Colleen Jones will speak at a Q+A at this film screening.
Great White North may hit a little close to home for some viewers. The film follows a research expedition, led by marine biologist Chris Harvey-Clark, investigating how many great white sharks can be found in the ocean around Lunenburg. Director P.J. Naworynski will be flying in from Vancouver to attend a Q+A. Nervous viewers may wish to prepare a question on shark safety in our region.
Finally, for those interested in the environment, Plastic People explores the disturbing but rarely discussed crisis of microplastics. Not only are microplastics everywhere in our environment, but they are also being found in our own bodies. The director and producer will be present at the screening.
If none of those films intrigue you (unlikely!), the Doc Fest has a full line-up on their website, featuring documentaries on everything from extreme sports to music to current affairs. The films will be screened both in the afternoon and evenings at the Lunenburg Opera House. Tickets can be purchased at lunenburgdocfest.com.
