On Wednesday April 11th, many students at York Mills as well as many other schools in the GTA had the opportunity to attend the Reel Canada Film Festival at the Sheppard Grande theatre. This is my second year attending the festival and this year I saw "Water" in the morning and "Sharkwater" in the afternoon. 

We started off our day watching the film Water, which is an oscar nominated and critically acclaimed film directed by Deepa Metha. The film is about a group of widowed woman in India who are forced to live in a secluded temple and what it is like to be widowed from the early age of 8, for young Chiyua. The following is a trailer for the film:

                                                   

                         

I personally was not a huge fan of the film Water. Although I will say that the acting and scenery was quite well done, I could not get into the plot and found that it was quite slow. However, this could largely be a result of my age and therefore i found it difficult to relate to the characters and there situation. Overall, I am proud to say that a film so successful and well-known was made by Canadians.

                                                            

After a break for lunch we resumed our day of Canadian films. In the afternoon I had the opportunity to see the film "Sharkwater". This was my second time seeing the film Sharkwater in theaters. I have to say that it was even better the second time. Sharkwater is a  documentary film written, directed, and starring Canadian Rob Stewart. The film follows the adventures of this Shark enthusiast as he travels the world saving as many sharks as he can. However, during the journey he is faced with a flesh-eating virus as well as near arrest by the Costa Rican officials. 

                                      

I must say that I was very impressed with this film. It isn't your typical "documentary" film in that it was action-packed and truly interesting from beginning to end. This film takes a topic that many people would not find interesting and has such a hard hitting impact on the audience. Not only is the film entertaining to watch but it also quite educational for audiences of all ages. Here is a trailer for the film: 

                           

So what is my opinion on Canadian films?

After attending the film festival for 2 years, and seeing a total of 4 Canadian films I have come to the conclusion that Canadian films can be just as entertaining and professional as American films. Therefore, I feel that you cannot assume that if you like one Canadian movie you will like all of them, as like any other movies, they must be judged on an individual basis.

I intend to continue to watch more Canadian films in the future and the Reel Canada film festival has brought to my attention the amount of true talent that our country holds. Seeing these films has made me even more proud to be Canadian.