Set in Nova Scotia’s own UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fourth Lunenburg Doc Fest is kicking off September 21st at the Lunenburg Opera House and will be held through September 24th. The festival will be premiering eight films among its many documentary screenings and will be holding a number of inclusive events for festival goers to attend.
Films screened at the festival come from the Atlantic region as well as around the world. The festival will also be hosting sessions for attending filmmakers and industry partners and will be creating immersive experiences for attendees, such as joining filmmakers from Canada, US and Europe for an International Documentary Filmmakers Panel, free of charge.
This year’s documentaries will explore themes such as lives of accomplishment, the definitions of community, the land and the sea. Here are five of the presentations we are looking forward to the most.
Lives Well Lived
Lives Well Lived: Celebrating the Secrets, Wit and Wisdom of Age takes 3000 years of combined life experience and turns it into an invitation to ponder life itself. And who knows more about life than our elders? Director Sky Bergman interviewed 40 people between the ages of 75-100 to see what they had to say about living life to its fullest. Bergman aims to encourage people to “contemplate what they can do in their own lives to achieve the longevity of both health and spirit that these people have achieved, and to realize that growing older can be a journey to be celebrated.”
Lunenburg: Where The Land Meets The Sea
Lunenburg: Where the Land Meets the Sea and Sea Of Change are two of the four films in a series commissioned to show the town of Lunenburg through diverse lenses. Sea of Change is the fruit of professional filmmakers and poets who collaborated their efforts in the creation of docupoems that represent the town, while Lunenburg: Where the Land Meets the Sea is a never-before-seen film that will show audiences a little bit about the town’s history and will use a range of different stories to provide a “snapshot” of Lunenburg and Lunenburg County.
This Cold Life
This Cold Life, however, takes audiences far from Lunenburg to the town of Longyearbyen, Norway, to show what life is like in the world’s northernmost town. This film provides a unique opportunity for viewers to be transported to somewhere so largely inaccessible. And besides, who wouldn’t be interested in knowing what life is like where polar bears actually outnumber people?
Coyote
Coyote has all the elements of a great story, and then a few more great stories. Adventurer and sailor Mike Plant packed a lot into life. He trekked the length of South America, escaped from Greek authorities and charges drug trafficking, spent time in a Portuguese prison, designed a revolutionary new sloop and got lost at sea. We’re not sure what part of this story we’re most excited to hear.
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World
Finally, Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World has been very popular in this year’s film festival circuit and will be kicking off the festival on opening night. This film shows audiences just how heavy the influence of Indigenous North Americans has been on the evolution of rock ‘n’ roll. Spoiler alert: ever heard of Link Wray?
Passes for the post-film Gala party before RUMBLE on the 21st and for the full four-day festival are available at www.lunenburgdocfest.com and at the Festival Box Office, located at 125 Montague Street, Lunenburg.