April 13, 2005 -

National Film Board Canadian premiere of War Hospital and dozens of Alberta short films light up Ottawa screens

OTTAWA -- Turn down the lights. Settle in. And prepare to immerse yourself in the inventive creations of dozens of Alberta filmmakers.

The National Arts Centre is proud to announce the film programme of Alberta Scene, the NAC’s arts and culture festival that comes to life in the nation’s capital form April 28 to May 10.

Like other genres of Albertan art, its film world is incredibly diverse.

“It’s wildly eclectic,” said Heather Moore, Alberta Scene’s executive director. “From animated films to silent films, from short dramas to documentaries, you can’t help but be impressed by the variety that’s there.”

The National Film Board will present the feature-length documentary War Hospital May 3 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization Theatre. Written and directed by David Christensen (Calgary) and Damien Lewis (London, UK), War Hospital is a new production from the NFB’s North West Centre in Edmonton. Produced by Bonnie Thompson, the film chronicles the intense drama of the International Committee of the Red Cross medical mission in northern Kenya, where the world’s largest field hospital cares for wounded from nearby war-torn Sudan.

The fly-on-the-wall feel of the film is the result of Christensen’s careful efforts to give the audience the sense of what life at the hospital was really like. “We deliberately decided not to have a narrator so that, as much as possible, the audience could feel what we felt when we were there,” Christensen said.

Ottawa film buffs are in for a treat when it comes to the wide range of short films coming to Alberta Scene. Alberta Shorts roll on May 6 and May 8 at the Library and Archives Canada Auditorium. These lively, accessible programs feature no less than 29 short works by Alberta filmmakers that tackle themes of identity, materialism, community, gender, race and Alberta history.

“We’re proud to be presenting the impressive range of work being done by Alberta filmmakers,” said Tom McSorley, director of the Canadian Film Institute, which is presenting the films in partnership with the Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society (AMAAS) and Alberta Scene. “Exposing Canadians to our own filmmakers is what the Canadian Film Institute is all about. We’re very pleased that we’re able to do that at Alberta Scene.”

Tickets for War Hospital and Alberta Shorts are available in person at the NAC box office, through Ticketmaster (613) 755-1111 or through the Alberta Scene Web site, www.albertascene.ca.

The National Arts Centre’s Alberta Scene is the second in a series of biennial regional festivals to take place in the nation’s capital which will showcase the best in Canadian arts and culture from coast to coast to coast. Six hundred established and emerging artists from Alberta will take part in over 95 events ranging from theatre, visual arts, film, and literature, to country, Aboriginal, pop and classical music – and even culinary arts. For 13 days beginning April 28, 2005, and ending on May 10, 2005, it will be as if Alberta has moved to the nation’s capital.

Alberta Scene is presented by EPCOR and supported by Major Sponsors TSX Venture Exchange, The Banff Centre, and National Arts Centre Friends - Alberta. Performance Sponsors are Enbridge, CIBC,  Suncor Energy Inc. and Capital Health. Media sponsors include CBC Radio-Canada, the National Post, the Ottawa Citizen, LeDroit, the Edmonton Journal, the Calgary Herald, and Y1O1 FM. Supporting Sponsors include Edmonton Festival City, Galaxie, CD Warehouse, mymusic.ca, Holiday Inn, Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, and Big Rock Brewery.

For ticket information or to view the full Alberta Scene line-up of performers, as well as the time and date of shows and activities, please visit www.albertascene.ca.

For information, please contact:
Mary Gordon
Communications Advisor, National Arts Centre
(613) 947-7000, ext. 524