Get Your Docs in a Row! • Rock the Doc! Opening Night Social Onsite Community Events • Docs, docs, docs!
We’re Not Short on Shorts • Buy Your Pass
Single Film Tickets • How to Watch • Thank you
GET YOUR DOCS IN A ROW!
The 8th Lunenburg Doc Fest will showcase an exciting online and in-person program that will bring us Together … but not too close. 🙂Dive into our full lineup of short and feature documentaries and curate your own festival experience from the comfort of home!
For tips on purchasing your pass and selecting films, click here.Select a button below to surf through our Film Guide and schedule.
Rock the doc with
RBC and Lunenburg Doc Fest!OPENING NIGHT SOCIAL generously sponsored by Royal Bank of CanadaThursday, September 23
4-6 pm The Old Fish Factory, 68 Bluenose Drive, Lunenburg
An Opening Night Social pass is required to attend.
All covid protocols will be in place during this event. Masks are required until seated.
A longstanding champion of Canadian creatives and engaging stories on screen, RBC joins Lunenburg Doc Fest in connecting film enthusiasts September 23-29.
ONSITE COMMUNITY EVENTS
FREE ADMISSION • LIMITED CAPACITY
SATURDAY, SEPT 25
BECOMING COUSTEAU
Saturday, Sept 25, 7:30pm at Zwicker Wharf
This is an outdoor screening, bring a chair and cozy blanket. This event is weather dependent.
SUNDAY SEPT 26 DESERTED 1:30pm at Central United Church Hall, 283 Lincoln Street Live Q&A, onsite cooking demo with tasty samples. Supported by the New Horizons for Seniors Program.
EXPERIMENTING WITH THE BLUENOSE 4:15pm at Central United Church Hall, 283 Lincoln Street
Live Q&A with the Youth Workshop filmmakers to follow the films. Supported by Bluenose100
THE LANGUAGES OF FILM 5:00pm at Central United Church Hall, 283 Lincoln Street
Post-screening sweets and conversation! Supported by the province of Nova Scotia
ALL COMMUNITY EVENTS ARE FREE ADMISSION AND LIMITED CAPACITY
Masks are required in indoor places.
All Covid protocols within the public health directives will be in place throughout the event.
Due to the extension of COVID restrictions, the onsite screening and spectacular domino topple art event scheduled for Friday, September 24 is postponed.
Lunenburg Doc Fest is proud to spotlight Eastlink as a community and media partner during the festival’s 8th annual edition.
DOCS, DOCS, DOCS!
FULL FEATURE DOCUMENTARY LINEUP
Films are listed in order of screening date and time.
OPENING NIGHT FILM! Online screening Thur, Sept 23 at 7:30pm ADTFANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK2021 • CANADA • 97 min
Director • Bobbi Jo HartVIEWING REGION: Canada
“Revivify Fanny. And my work is done.”
– David Bowie
FANNY takes viewers on a fast-paced ride following the compelling present day reunion of bandmates 50 years later to record and release a new rock album — expertly intercutting this dramatic story with Fanny’s incredible backstory — illuminated by rare performance archival footage and celebrity interviews with music legends from Bonnie Raitt, Todd Rundgren, the B52’s Kate Pierson and Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastien to Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, the Go Go’s Kathy Valentine, David Bowie’s guitarist Earl Slick, Charles Neville and Steely Dan’s Jeff “Skunk” Baxter.
Rock on and join us for a special post-screening Q&A
with director Bobbi Jo Hart and FANNY bandmates!
Online streaming begins on
Friday, Sept 24 at 10:00am ADTWRITING WITH FIRE2021 • India • 93 min Director • Rent Thomas and Sushmit GhoshVIEWING REGION: Canada
In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India’s only newspaper run by Dalit (‘low caste’) women. Armed with smartphones, Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, be it on the frontlines of India’s biggest issues or within the confines of their homes, redefining what it means to be powerful.
Join the post-screening livestream Q&A
with directors Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas.
Online streaming begins on
Friday, Sept 24 at 12:15pm ADTWITH DRAWN ARMS2020 • MEXICO/USA • 84 min Director • Glenn Kaino & Afshin ShahidiVIEWING REGION: North America
At the 1968 Olympics, Tommie Smith raised his fist during the medal ceremony. This defiant gesture has reverberated ever since, adopted by generations of civil rights activists in the fight for social justice. 50 years later, in an attempt to unpack the true scope of his sacrifice, artist Glenn Kaino partners with him to finally tell his story through art.
Join the post-screening livestream Q&A
with director Glenn Kaino and special guest moderator John Walker.
Online streaming begins on
Friday, Sept 24 at 1:45pm ADT
REBEL OBJECTS
2020 • Costa Rica • 70 mins
Director • Carolina Arias Ortiz
VIEWING REGION: North America
Carolina returns to Costa Rica to try to rebuild the relationship with her father. After a few months, her father is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. At that moment, Carolina meets Ifigenia, an archaeologist expert in the stone spheres found in the south of Costa Rica; the country’s great enigma. She decides to follow Ifigenia’s journey through an erased indigenous history. Through objects and their stories, Carolina learns a different way to relate to death.
Join a livestream Q&A with director Carolina Arias Ortiz.
Online streaming begins on
Friday, Sept 24 at 2:30pm ADTTAMING THE GARDEN2021 • Switzerland, Germany, Georgia • 92 min
Director • Salomé JashiVIEWING REGION: North America
A powerful man and anonymous man has developed an unusual hobby. He buys century-old trees, some as tall as 15-story buildings, from communities along the Georgian coast and has them excavated to collect them for his private garden. In order to transplant trees of such dimensions, the landscape surrounding them is ripped apart and the people living around them are forced to adapt to the disruption. As the film follows this process, it portrays the needs and values of today’s Georgian society and reflects on the theme of forced migration, where “uprooting” is more than a metaphor.
Join a livestream Q&A with director Salomé Jashi.
Online streaming begins on
Friday, Sept 24 at 5:00pm ADT
THE CONDUCTOR
2021 • USA • 90 mins
Director • Bernadette Wegenstein
VIEWING REGION: North America
The Conductor takes the audience into the heart of classical music, and into the soul of one of its top artists, the internationally renowned conductor Marin Alsop — the first woman to serve as music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra — giving us backstage passes to the artistry and energy that rewards her audiences and inspires her students.
Join a livestream Q&A with director Bernadette Wegenstein and producer Annette Porter.
Online streaming begins on
Friday, Sept 24 at 6:00pm ADTLILY TOPPLES THE WORLD2021 • USA • 90 min Director • Jeremy WorkmanVIEWING REGION: Canada
LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD follows 20-year-old sensation Lily Hevesh – the world’s most acclaimed domino toppler and the only girl in her field – as she rises as an artist, role model, and young woman. LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD is a coming-of-age story cloaked within a unique portrait of an artist, a story of how passion and artistry can make dreams come true, and an unlikely American tale of a quiet Chinese adoptee who transforms into a global artistic force with over billion YouTube views.
Unfortunately, due to the extension of COVID restrictions, we will have to postpone our on-site event scheduled for Fri. Sept. 24 to a later date. Stay tuned.
Join a livestream Q&A with director Jeremy Workman
Online streaming begins on
Friday, Sept 24 at 7:30pm ADT
REBEL HEARTS2021 • USA • 104 min
Director • Pedro KosVIEWING REGION: Canada
In 1960s Los Angeles a trailblazing group of nuns, The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, bravely stood up to the patriarchy of the Catholic Church, fighting for equality, their livelihoods, and their own freedom against an all-powerful Cardinal who sought to keep them in their place. Their bold acts of faith, defiance and activism turned the Church upside down, helping to reshape our society in ways that continue to resonate today. From marching in Selma in 1965 to the Women’s March in 2018, they challenged the notion of what a nun and a woman were supposed to be.
Join the livestream Q&A with director Pedros Kos and special guest
Online streaming begins on
Saturday, Sept 25 at 10:00am ADTCLIMBING IRAN2021 • Italy • 53 min Director • Francesca BorghettiVIEWING REGION: North America
“People often ask me: “why do you put nail polish?” When I climb they are all gone and scratched. Then I look at them and I feel: “Oooh! I did a lot of climbing today!”.After being a young champion in different sports -from karate to kickboxing- Nasim followed the call of the mountains, and decided to go beyond the barriers imposed on women in her country setting up her own route on the Persian rocks.
“Gravity doesn’t ask me what my passport is. It takes you down in the same way, it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, black or white, Iranian or Italian…”
Join a livestream Q&A with director-writer Francesca Borghetti (TBC)
Online streaming begins on
Saturday, Sept 25 at 11:30am ADTAPENAS EL SOL2020 • PARAGUAY • 74 min Director • Arami UllonVIEWING REGION: North America
Facing the consequences of a violent uprooting, Mateo Sobode Chiqueno has been recording stories, songs, and testimonies of his Ayoreo people since the seventies. In an attempt to preserve fragments of a disappearing culture, Mateo walks across communities in the arid and desolate Paraguayan Chaco region, and registers on cassettes the experiences of other Ayoreo who, like him, were born in the vast forest, free and nomadic, without any contact with white civilization, until religious missionaries forced them to abandon their ancestral territory, their means of subsistence, their beliefs and their home.
Online streaming begins on
Saturday, Sept 25 at 1:30pm ADTHIGH MAINTENANCE2021 • Israel/Poland • 66 min Director • Barak HeymannVIEWING REGION: Canada
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. Yet Karavan is far from satisfied. Karavan becomes embroiled in a serious political and artistic conflict over his latest commission. “High Maintenance” is a straightforward, yet intricate film, emotional and personal without being melodramatic, and as painful as it is humorous and passionate.
Join a livestream Q&A with director Barak Heymann.
Online streaming begins on
Saturday, Sept 25 at 3:15pm ADTCOME BACK ANYTIME2021 • Japan • 81 min Director • John Daschbach
VIEWING REGION: Canada
COME BACK ANYTIME presents a window into the lives of self-taught Japanese ramen master Masamoto Ueda and his wife Kazuko, who have run their tiny Tokyo ramen shop, Bizentei for more than 40 years. Ueda serves his legendary ramen to scores of devoted customers who have joined him over the decades in making the restaurant an intimate place of community.
Online streaming begins on
Saturday, Sept 25 at 5:15pm ADT
SEYRAN ATEŞ SEX, REVOLUTION and ISLAM
2021 • NORWAY • 81 min Director • Nefise Ozkal LorentzenVIEWING REGION: North America
In the 1960s, the hippies championed the idea of a sexual revolution. They received neither Fatwas nor bodyguards. Today, Seyran Ateş – a Turkish- German lawyer, author, feminist, and one of the first female imams in Europe – is fighting for a sexual revolution within Islam. In return, two fatwas were issued against her, she has received uncountable death threats, and has been living under constant police protection for several years.
While working at a women’s centre in 1984, she was shot in the neck by a Turkish nationalist. Seyran Ateş’ choice after the failed assassination attempt was very clear: she could give up or fight back. She experienced the threshold between life and death; this experience has given her strength to keep following her revolutionary ideas.
Online streaming begins on
Saturday, Sept 25 at 7:30pm ADTBECOMING COUSTEAU2021 • USA • 93 min
Director • Liz Garbus
RATED: PG-13VIEWING REGION: Atlantic Canada
An inside look at Cousteau and his life, his iconic films and inventions, and the experiences that made him the 20th century’s most unique and renowned environmental voice — and the man who inspired generations to protect the Earth.
FREE COMMUNITY SCREENING
Saturday, Sept 25, 7:30pm
Zwicker Wharf
This is an outdoor screening, on a wharf, so bring a chair and a cozy up under a blanket!
Free Admission. Limited Capacity
This event is weather dependent.
Masks are recommended and appreciated for all on-site events. All Covid protocols within the public health directives will be in place throughout the event.
Online streaming begins on
Sunday, Sept 26 at 10:00am ADTDESERTEDLUNENBURG DOC FEST SENIOR’S WORKSHOP
“Deserted” investigates the issue of food deserts in Nova Scotia and how food deserts impact food
insecurity in both urban and rural areas of the province. Taking a cross-cultural view, the film follows several Nova Scotians who live in food deserts and looks at their challenges and
solutions.
FREE COMMUNITY SCREENING
Sunday, Sept 26, 1:30pm
Central United Church Hall, 283 Lincoln Street
Following the film, you will be treated to a live Q&A with the filmmakers and an onsite cooking demo with tasty samples.
Free Admission. Limited Capacity.
Masks are required for indoor spaces.
All Covid protocols within the public health directives will be in place throughout the event.This project has been funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizon’s For Seniors Program
Online streaming begins on
Sunday, Sept 26 at 10:00am ADTGOOD EARTH: The Pots And Passion Of Walter Ostrom2021 • Canada • 49 min Director • Israel Ekanem* Atlantic Canadian *
VIEWING REGION: North America
One of Canada’s foremost ceramic artists, Nova Scotia-based Walter Ostrom’s passionate art practice is explored through his own words and those of former students and colleagues around the world.
Online streaming begins on
Sunday, Sept 26 at 11:00am ADT
HELL OR CLEAN WATER
2021 • Canada • 88 mins
Director • Cody Westman
* Atlantic Canadian *
VIEWING REGION: Canada & US
In what appears to be an impossible task, Newfoundland diver Shawn Bath has devoted himself to cleaning up the ocean floor one rotting tire at a time. On the brink of bankruptcy and a break-up, his obsessive endeavour catches the attention of locals and a controversial non-profit organization who would like to assist him in scaling up his operations. Driven by passion and held back by bureaucracy, this inspiring story highlights the enormity of human-caused environmental damage and the power of an individual’s determination to make the world a better place.
Join a livestream Q&A with director Cody Westman.
Online streaming begins on
Sunday, Sept 26 at 1:00pm ADTBANGLA SURF GIRLS2021 • Canada • 86 mins Director • Elizabeth D. CostaVIEWING REGION: North America
Bangla Surf Girls is an observational coming-of-age documentary about three teenage girls who get a rare sense of agency over their lives when they join a surf club. Over the course of three years, we follow Suma, Ayesha and Shobe as they fight unsurmountable odds to follow their dreams.
Join a livestream Q&A with director Elizabeth D. Costa.
Online streaming begins on
Sunday, Sept 26 at 3:15pm ADTRETURNING HOME2021 • CANADA • 72 min Director • Sean StillerVIEWING REGION: Atlantic Canada & Quebec
Canada’s Indian residential school legacy and the decimation of wild pacific salmon stem from a common story: a world where relationships are severed in the service of power, where people become detached from one another and the complex webs of interdependence. Among the Secwépemc in British Columbia, one such story is that of Phyllis Jack-Webstad, a residential school survivor whose experiences inspired the Orange Shirt Day movement.
Join a post-screening livestream Q&A with Charlene Bearhead,
Director of Reconciliation, Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Online streaming begins on
Sunday, Sept 26 at 5:15pm ADTDROPSTONES2021 • Canada • 57 min Director • Caitlin DurlakVIEWING REGION: Canada & US
Set on Fogo Island off the coast of Newfoundland, Dropstones is an intimate family portrait that follows a matriarch, Sonya, shortly after she has returned to the home she once yearned to escape. As Sonya raises her two young sons, Luke and Sean, she finds herself drawing on her island’s traditions to meet the challenges of motherhood.
Join a livestream Q&A with director Caitlin Durlak.
Online streaming begins on
Tuesday, Sept 28 at 7:00pm ADTA.RTIFICAL I.MMORTALITY2021 • 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?
Lunenburg Doc Fest is delighted to present seven distinct collections of short documentary films that entertain, educate and inspire.
These ‘Shorts’ are sure to engage and transport you. Discover a diverse range of subjects, styles, issues and cultures, and ‘see the world’ from the comfort of your seat!
Short Film Programs begin streaming online on FRIDAY SEPT 24, 9:45am ADT
THE LANGUAGES OF FILM
Click on poster for program details.
Supported by the Province of Nova Scotia through the Department of Communities, Culture & Heritage.
TURNING TIDES: ATLANTIC CANADIAN SHORTS
Click on poster for program details
REFRAMED: THE ABILITY IN DISABILITY
Click on poster for program details.
INDIGENOUS SHORT FILMS
Click on poster for program details.
IN SEARCH OF SOLACE: CBC SHORT DOCS
Click on poster for program details.
Supported by CBC Docs
A WILL A WAY: SHORT DOCS
Click on poster for program details.
EXPERIMENTING WITH THE BLUENOSE: YOUTH SHORTS PROGRAM
Click on poster for program details.
Supported by Bluenose100
BUY YOUR PASS
A limited number of Film Passes remain.
All Access Passes come with access to every film
this year’s (mostly) online festival has to offer.
Curate your own at-home viewing experience and enjoy our largest selection of international documentaries to date, plus insightful livestream Filmmaker Q&As.
ALL ACCESS FILM PASS
SUGGESTED PRICE: $35
HOUSEHOLD PASS
for watch parties with people in your household watching together!
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!)
VIEWING REGIONS
Please note, each film at LDF 2021 is available in one of four viewing regions.
Atlantic Canada (NS, NB, PE, NL)
Canada
Canada & USA
North America
The viewing region is displayed in our FILM GUIDE at https://lunenburgdocfest.eventive.org/.
Q. Where can I find a list of the films I’ve ‘unlocked’?
A: After you Pre-Order or ‘Unlock’ the screenings you want to watch, go to http://watch.eventive.org/me to see the full list of films you selected.
Q. What happens if I need technical support during the festival?
A: Our virtual festival platform, Eventive, offers live chat support to help you through any issues should they arise. Get live chat support at https://watch.eventive.org/help
Q: What are these icons on the top-right corner of Eventive?
A: These icons will help you navigate your Eventive account.
From left to right, they represent: Film Guide: Click this film-strip icon to browse our film program and schedule. My Passes: Click this icon to view your pass(es). My Tickets: Click this icon to view your individual tickets. Log out: Click this icon to log out of your Eventive account. You will need to be logged in to view Lunenburg Doc Fest content.
A: The player auto-adjusts to internet speed. Your internet speed may change depending on how many other users are on your home network, the time of day, etc. If your internet connection is inconsistent you may experience playback problems. If on wifi, try moving closer to your router to improve the connection.
Q: Can I watch content on my iPhone or iPad?
A: Yes, you can watch content using Safari on iOS 11.2 or later — check to ensure you’re on wifi first! (Test your device compatibility here.)
Q: How do I watch a livestream Filmmaker Q&A?
A: Go to the livestream page (https://watch.eventive.org/lunenburgdocfest/live) for the schedule of livestreams and to enter livestreams when they are active. Look for the countdown clock on upcoming livestreams to see how long until they’re live.
DIAMOND SPONSORS
Anonymous
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
TELEFILM CanadaPLATINUM SPONSORS
CBC Atlantic
Eastlink
The Huskilson Family
Chippie Kennedy & John McLennan
Tina McArthur & Richard Rubenstein
Mary-Lou and Garry PyeGOLD SPONSORS
Adams & Knickle
Jenice & John Benton
Richard Brown & Deborah Kennedy Brown
Rena & Henry Demone
Camelia Frieberg
Greg Glynn
Inge Hatton
Margaret & Ian Lightstone
Elizabeth Wishart & Bruce MacCormack
Nova Scotia Building Supplies
Carole Postal
Lou & Karen Putney
Allan E. Rubenstein, MD
Town of Lunenburg
Nancy & Brad Unsworth
SILVER SPONSORS
Coloursmith
Susan DeWitt & Pierre Lesperance
Eleven Eleven Group of Companies
David & Roseann Fine
Pat McGowan & Dennis Carter
Nova Wood Products Ltd.
Roland Sitzler
Ed Vaughan
West Nova Fuels
Wilsons SecurityBRONZE SPONSORS
Laughing Whale Coffee Roasters
Nancy Nicholson
Northern Sun
Christian Scheidemann
The Knot PubFRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL
Allison Smith & Larry Gaudet
Gerald Hallowell
Marilyn & Brian Mackay-Lyons
Carol Anne Moser
Robert Presson
Alan Scott
Debora Walsh
Randall Willis
Christine Wilson
Centre for Art Tapes
DOC Atlantic
Eastlink
Grand Banker
HB Studios
Hot Docs International Documentary Festival
Lunenburg Arms Hotel and Spa
Narrative Research
The Old Fish Factory Restaurant
Outpost East
Shipwright Brewing Company
Garth & Dorothy Turner
William F. White
PUBLIC FUNDERS
Lunenburg Doc Fest extends sincere thanks to Garth and Dorothy Turner for the continued support and donated office space in the heart of beautiful Lunenburg.
JOIN THE SPONSORSHIP COMMUNITY!
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.
