September 6th, 2008 at 8 p.m.

TELEGRAMS is a new forum of cinema distribution. Canada’s finest young film artists are traveling with their own projection gear and a dangerous repertoire of new work from award winning Canadian directors.  Like a band of rogue troubadours singing to let their hearts out, TELEGRAMS filmmakers will present the best new Canadian cinema in a unique and exciting way. 
TELEGRAMS is produced by The North Country Cinema Company and will feature work by Adam Beck, Alexander Carson, Nicholas Martin and Kyle Thomas.

Telegrams is a collection of narrative and experimental cinema being presented with live performances transitioning between films. The transitions are conceived by the filmmakers themselves, and are designed as thematically exciting and interesting complementary pieces to their work. We think it’s interesting to look back on a film you made a year ago and reflect on the process, or to offer a funny or ironic counterpoint, or to say: “I think the message was this, but it could be clearer or more affecting if I offered this with it”.

It’s important for filmmakers to be creative with cinema presentation (which is still a fairly new medium in comparison with other arts) and not assume we’ve got it figured out already. Film festivals can be stuffy and austere and often draw a very particular group of viewers. Our show is about bringing some vitality and joy to the cinema experience without compromising the integrity of the works being presented, and about reaching a different audience — it should be a unique experience.

Cinema is a tough medium to disseminate. Live theatre is a tough medium too, where a determined few succeed in effectively communicating with a substantial audience. So we’re taking a lead from theatre-builders’ perseverance and creativity, and rather than conceding that film media is controlled by big business, we’re making our own show with our own creative mandate and taking it on tour.