NEWSLETTER: August 13, 2021

Enjoy a brief preview of just a few documentaries launching at Lunenburg Doc Fest 2021!More selections coming soon …

2021 • Canada • 75 min
Director • Ann ShinVIEWING REGION: Atlantic Canada
If you were able to create an immortal version of yourself, would you? This film explores the latest advancements in AI, robotics and biotech with visionaries who argue for a new age of post-biological life. As scientists point us toward a world where humans and machines merge, we have to ask ourselves will AI be the best, or the last thing we ever do?Featuring Nick Bostrom, author of Superintelligence; Japanese roboticist, Hiroshi Ishiguro; Douglas Rushkoff, author of Team Human; Ben Goertzel, founder of Singularity.net; and Deepak Chopra, who is creating his own A.I. mind twin.

High Maintenance

T H E  L I F E  A N D  W O R K  O F  D A N I  K A R A V A N

2021 • Israel/Poland • 66 min
Director • Barak Heymann

VIEWING REGION: Canada & US

Israeli artist Dani Karavan has created nearly 100 environmental installations all across the world. He has won some of the most prestigious international art awards and is constantly asked to speak or lecture about his groundbreaking work. Yet Karavan is far from satisfied. His monumental structures are rapidly deteriorating. His advanced age is starting to catch up with him. The political climate in his country is driving him mad, as does the director of the documentary being made about him, whose questions betray his infuriating artistic ignorance. In addition, Karavan becomes embroiled in a serious political and artistic conflict over his latest commission, a monument to Polish nationals who had riskedtheir lives saving Jews during World War Two. “High Maintenance” is a cinematic reflection of its namesake. It is a straightforward, yet intricate film, emotional and personal without being melodramatic, and as painful as it is humorous and passionate.

2021 • Canada • 86 mins

2020 • Costa Rica • 70 mins

Watch this section in future newsletters for helpful tips on how to customize your own at-home festival experience. A handy “How to Watch Guidelines & FAQ” is also available on our website here. (If you joined us for Lunenburg Doc Fest 2020 your Eventive account should still be active, making your upcoming film selections that much easier!)

As we prepare for the 2021 festival season, Lunenburg Doc Fest is delighted to introduce our newest festival team members.Welcome to Lauren, Jarred and Nancy, who help make it all happen behind the scenes!

Lauren Unsworth
Program and Events Coordinator

Lauren studied Anthropology at Concordia University in Montreal, which inspired an itch to travel—leading Lauren to work on tall ships around the world as a deckhand for several years. Lauren has worked and lived in several places worldwide, including Amsterdam, where she was born and raised. Lauren’s interest in Criminology brought her to Halifax in 2016. She obtained a Criminology diploma from Eastern College, which led to enjoyable opportunities to work within the Halifax/ Dartmouth community. Lauren moved to Lunenburg in April 2020. She has family ties here and spent summers in Lunenburg. She is very excited to be a part of the Lunenburg Doc Fest team, learn new skills, and gain work experience.

Jarred Nodding
Conference Coordinator

Jarred is a graduate of NSCC’s Marketing program, and is experienced in experiential marketing, social media, advertising, and sales. After spending the last 10 years in Halifax, Jarred has recently moved back to his hometown of Lunenburg and will be the conference coordinator for this year’s festival.

Nancy MacDonald
Digital Communications Coordinator

With a BFA from NSCAD University in hand, Nancy started her career as a photographer for a small-town Nova Scotia newspaper, a job ripe with big personalities, endlessly strange situations, and some life-changing events. She went on to travel and work in California, Toronto, and Ottawa and spent 20 years creating video game graphics for companies such as Disney, Hasbro, Sony, Atari, Scholastic, and more. After moving back to Nova Scotia 12 years ago she has been working in visual design and communications for several local art galleries and book publishers. In her spare time, Nancy is also a practicing fine artist.

The 2021 Youth Workshop has wrapped. It was a great success and fun was had by all. Combining online and in-person sessions, workshop participants brainstormed and created a series of short innovative documentaries relating to the Bluenose. Students explored creative and personal audio-visual approaches to the famed schooner on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.Not only did they film on the iconic schooner, but they also interviewed Bluenose II, Captain Philip Watson. The teens also spent time with Hilda Russell, supervisor of the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. Each of their creations will have its world premiere at Lunenburg Doc Fest in September.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Ariella Pahlke, Pramit Sethi, Hilda Russell, Olivia Wilson, Captain Philip Watson, Jesse Pittman, Charles Dvali, Charles Dvali again, Ann Verrall, Ariella Pahlke, and Olivia Wilson.

Workshop facilitator Ariella Pahlke is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with over 25 years of experience creating short and long documentaries, media art, and collaborative projects. Ariella was joined by Ann Verrall, a Halifax-based, award-winning media artist, Ann’s work spans genres of drama, experimental, and documentary.All Covid protocols within the Health Protection Act Order and public health directives were in place throughout the workshop series.

The Seniors Workshop is in full swing and participants are busy connecting with the community for their documentary on Food Security. The production team is made up of adults 55+ with varying levels of experience in filmmaking and mentored by Tim Reeves-Horton of Picnic Studios.

“DESERTED” is a documentary that uncovers the challenges of accessibility to everyday groceries faced by many rural and urban Nova Scotians. A food desert is “an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.” Food deserts are making it exceptionally harder for Nova Scotians to access everyday groceries at affordable prices.

Currently, the participants are filming and conducting interviews within their communities and will start editing the documentary in August. Pictured above is one of our filmmakers interviewing Father Ron Cairns in Millbrook, NS.

The final film will be premiered during Lunenburg Doc Fest in September.

Celebrations continue in Lunenburg and across the country for the 100th Anniversary of Canada’s famous schooner, Bluenose. Launched in Lunenburg Harbour on March 26, 1921, “The Queen of the North Atlantic” would soon become a legend, renowned for becoming the fastest racing ship in Canadian history and then immortalized on the Canadian dime. The Bluenose 100 Committee of the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society has created a wonderful collection of in-person and virtual events to share the story of Nova Scotia’s treasured Bluenose. Details of the year-long celebration can be found at  www.bluenose100.ca

Many thanks to Bluenose 100 for supporting this year’s Lunenburg Doc Fest Youth Workshop!

Lunenburg Doc Fest’s first COMMUNITY BOOST program was very well-received and helped support the community that has always supported us.Lunenburg Doc Fest will once again pay it forward and turn a portion of our donations into COMMUNITY BOOST Gift Cards. We are excited to invite you to participate in Doc Fest’s 2021 COMMUNITY BOOST!

For every $500 donated, a Doc Fest sponsor receives $50 in COMMUNITY BOOST Gift Cards (in $25 denominations), redeemable at a variety of local businesses. (If you are unable to redeem your card you may gift it to someone else, or contribute the value back to Lunenburg Doc Fest for which you will receive a charitable tax receipt.) Participating businesses that accept the cards are swapped for equal value in cash from Lunenburg Doc Fest.

Doc Fest’s COMMUNITY BOOST is our way of sending our continued support to the community that has always supported us.

Please join us and benefit from a little ‘boost’ to our community thanks to LDF’S COMMUNITY BOOST.

2020 Community Boost cards are valid through August 31, 2021.

The 2021-22 participating businesses list will be announced soon.

DIAMOND SPONSORS
Anonymous
TELEFILM CanadaPLATINUM SPONSORS
CBC Atlantic
Chippie Kennedy & John McLennan
Garry & Mary-Lou Pye
The Huskilson Family
Christina (Tina) McArthur & Richard RubensteinGOLD SPONSORS
Adams & Knickle
John & Jenice Benton
Richard Brown & Deborah Kennedy Brown
Rena & Henry Demone
Colin Carroll & Colleen Galloway
Camelia Frieberg
Gorgeous Mistake Productions
Inge Hatton
HB Studios
Margaret & Ian Lightstone
Elizabeth Wishart & Bruce MacCormack
Nova Scotia Building Supplies
Carol Postal
Lou & Karen Putney
RBC
Allan E. Rubenstein, MD
Town of Lunenburg

SILVER SPONSORS
Coloursmith
Eleven Eleven Group of Companies
David & Roseann Fine
Lunenburg Foundation for the Arts
Nova Wood Products Ltd.
Julia Price
Elizabeth Rhinelander
Roland Sitzler
Ed Vaughan
West Nova FuelsBRONZE SPONSORS
Ironworks Distillery
Laughing Whale Coffee Roasters
Pierre Lesperance & Suzie deWitt
Nancy Nicholson
Christian Scheidemann
The Knot PubFRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL
Amos Pewter
Gerald Hallowell
Marilyn & Brian Mackay-Lyons
Ruth Anne Nicholson
Robert Presson
David Patrick
Alan Scott
Svenja Dee, Tulipwood
Debora Walsh
Randall Willis

Lunenburg Doc Fest is grateful for the support of our Sponsorship Community! If you share a passion for film or wish to connect with our film enthusiast audiences, a Lunenburg Doc Fest sponsorship package will ensure distinguished exposure for you or your brand. The Festival offers a variety of sponsorship levels and packages and you will directly benefit by reaching a culturally savvy audience through festival program guide advertising, social media, logos on printed materials, a sponsor highlight at each screening, and more.

Please consider donating to Lunenburg Doc Fest to support our mission and help the festival continue to present evocative documentaries for all ages, special community events, and free educational opportunities for youth and seniors. An official charitable tax receipt will be issued for all eligible gift amounts per CRA guidelines.

Lunenburg Doc Fest accepts donations via CanadaHelps.org, e-Transfer to treasurer@lunenburgdocfest.com, or cheque to Box 1497, Lunenburg, NS  B0J 2C0.

Securities including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds donations may be made via CanadaHelps.org

U.S. FRIENDS:

Lunenburg Doc Fest is an approved beneficiary of the Council for Canadian American Relations (CCAR), a 501(c)(3) public charity in the U.S. that is a “qualified donee” under the Income Tax Act (Canada).  For information about CCAR please visit ccar-nyc.org or contact info@ccar-nyc.org.

Thank you!