Water Docs Film Festival opens March 21 in Toronto

(March 14, 2014) – Water Docs Film Festival, a 9-day documentary film festival which explores initiatives and issues about water, opens on March 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Jackman Hall at the Art Gallery of Ontario (Entrance at McCaul & Dundas St. W.)

A 24-hour celebration of water, water education and artistic expression begins on March 21 to signify the opening of the Festival, to honour World Water Day, and to launch the Water Docs Campaign for Action in association with Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. RBC Blue Water Project is the Premier Partner of the Festival.

Canada Water Week is March 17 – 23, 2014 and March 22 is World Water Day, which is marked by special events scheduled to celebrate the significance of water beginning with the opening night of the Water Docs Film Festival on March 21.

The Water Docs Film Festival will highlight both feature films and shorts about water and the schedule includes discussions with filmmakers and experts from the water community. Capitalizing on rising public concern about water and the growing popularity of documentary storytelling, this is only one of two water-themed film festivals in the world.

The Water Docs Film Festival aims to change attitudes and practices, and to inspire real action to protect water.   Great films can motivate on a deep level and many films shown over the past two years since the Festival’s inception have helped to create a platform for changing attitudes and inciting action initiatives to preserve and protect water.

The short film Tar (2013) (view the trailer here: https://tinyurl.com/mdhw5ap) will be shown before the world premiere of Cold Amazon: The Mackenzie River Basin, narrated by celebrated northern journalist Paul Andrew and produced by The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. The trailer is available here: www.vimeo.com/82395482

Cold Amazon tells the story of Canada’s massive Mackenzie River basin which at 1.8 million sq km covers three provinces and all three territories. The documentary highlights the importance and vulnerability of the mighty watershed through the impassioned voices of those who rely on its health and work for its protection.                                                                              

The special guest for the evening will be Bob Sandford, an expert on water education featured in the film; Bob is also the EPCOR Chair of the Canadian Partnership Initiative in support of United Nations Water for Life Decade.   The emcee for the evening is the award winning writer/performer/eco-educator, Rick Miller.

“We are very excited about the high caliber of films this year”, said Stan Gibson, the Founder and Executive Director of the Water Docs Film Festival. “With the enormous growth of our Festival, it has allowed us to expand to several new initiatives in our third year. Sixty years ago, my grandfather told me Canadians need to smarten up about water. Little did I know this would become such a huge part of my life.”

Ecologos is a network of 2000 volunteers who drive an energetic program stirring citizens into real action to protect Ontario’s water.   Ecologos promotes the art of documentary storytelling to harness the power of emotion to create momentum for change. Ecologos is a registered charity.

The RBC Blue Water Project is the Premier Partner of the Water Docs Film Festival and the opening night is co-presented by the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation and Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, with support by the Bau-Xi Gallery. Steam Whistle Brewery is the official beer of the Water Docs Film Festival.

The Water Docs Campaign for Action, in association with Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, is about exploring ways we can each change our actions in ways that can make a concrete difference. Join the wave at www.waterdocs.ca.