Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival aims to entertain, educate Halifax audiences

Attention, movie lovers: the 14th annual Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival kicks off across Halifax on Wednesday, which also happens to be National Canadian Film Day.

The festival’s co-founder says the event is an opportunity to bring together emerging filmmakers, storytellers and performers all under the same roof.

“(We) give them a platform and celebrate their work,” Shelley Fashan told CTV Atlantic’s Paul DeWitt during an interview in Cherry Brook, N.S.

The festival opens at Pier 21 with a screening of the 2022 award-winning film “Brother” by Canadian film writer and director Clement Virgo.

“We have some beautiful animation, one called ‘Tweetations’ from Fraser Collins who lives in Toronto and is going to be featuring his work,” Fashan adds.

“We have a beautiful, sweet documentary done by Andrea Anderson who’s a local fellow and he did that on Senator Wanda Thomas-Bernard.”

Fashan says the festival celebrates and honours “all stories.”

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

“They can come from our local filmmakers, people from other parts of Canada – Toronto, Vancouver. We also celebrate newcomers. We’ve done many stories with folks from around Iraq, India. The stories are so unique, you won’t see them on TV, you won’t see them in the big screens,” she says.

“We have lots of different stories, unique stories and ones that I’m hoping people will come out and see.”

All festival screenings are free and start at 6:30 p.m. A full list of locations and films can be found on their website.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Paul DeWitt.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.