Telefilm Canada and Air Canada team up on behalf of Canadian cinema

Montreal, May 21, 2014—Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce it is joining forces with Air Canada to promote Canadian cinema. It has become a partner of the 8th edition of the Air Canada enRoute Film Festival, which celebrates short filmmaking. Underlining its priority to promote Canadian talent, videos from Telefilm’s Off the Wall series will be part of  Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment starting this June.

Telefilm is dedicated to the promotion of Canadian short films through various initiatives. Its Not Short on Talent program presents several films selected by Danny Lennon (Prends ça court!) in different festivals and on Air Canada flights twice a year. Moreover, it works together with other organizations to hold The Shortest Day Short Film Celebration, an event featuring free screenings across the country on December 21.

“For Telefilm, this partnership with Air Canada is an opportunity to once again highlight the importance of short films,” said Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada. “We would also like to warmly thank Air Canada for showing videos from our Off the Wall series on its planes, allowing it to reach a wide range of audiences.”

Louise McKenven, Air Canada’s Senior Director, Product Design & Brand Management, added: “At Air Canada, we support Canadian films extensively and presenting the best movie and television content produced in Canada is a key part of our in-flight entertainment programming strategy. We also promote Canadian film talent through the Air Canada enRoute Film Festival that allows emerging Canadian filmmakers to get their movies seen onboard by millions of Air Canada passengers and we truly appreciate Telefilm Canada’s support in making this happen.”

Spotlight on short films on Air Canada flights
Telefilm is partnering with Air Canada as part of the Air Canada enRoute Film Festival to invite emerging Canadian directors and film students to submit their documentary, fiction or animation short by May 31. The finalists will be announced in late July and get the chance to see their film shown on Air Canada flights as of August 1, with the potential to reach audiences of 2 million Canadian and international travelers a month. Films in the running for the People’s Choice Award will also be broadcast on the festival website. Films will be reviewed by a Canadian film industry jury and awarded prizes in a variety of categories. Awards will be presented at a celebration in Toronto in November. Additional screenings and events will take place in Vancouver and Montreal showcasing the selected films.

To submit a film, please visit www.enroutefilm.com.

Off the Wall series to air in full flight
Air Canada will help promote Canadian cinema by presenting six new original videos from our Off the Wall series starting in June. These two-minute videos capture thoughts about Canadian cinema as voiced by Canadian personalities: Joannie Rochette, figure skating Olympic bronze medalist and six-time Canadian champion; Joel Plaskett, musician, songwriter and producer; Elaine “Lainey” Lui, blogger and host (The Social); Anne-Marie Withenshaw, radio and television host (Guide Restos Voir); Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi; Victor Lucas, video game show host (The Electric Playground). Air Canada will air the Off the Wall videos on their Canadian Movies channel, alongside one of the classic films discussed by the featured personality.  

About Telefilm Canada
Telefilm is dedicated to the cultural, commercial and industrial success of Canada’s audiovisual industry. Through its various funding and promotion programs, Telefilm supports dynamic companies and creative talent here at home and around the world. Telefilm also administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/telefilm_canada or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telefilmcanada.

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline serving more than 180 destinations on five continents. Canada’s flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2013 served more than 35 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 49 destinations in the United States and 72 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,269 airports in 193 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax that ranked Air Canada in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers as Best Airline in North America in 2013 for the fourth consecutive year. For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com.

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For more information, please contact:
Douglas Chow, Manager, External Communications
Telefilm Canada
(514) 283-0838, ext. 2225 or 1-800-567-0890
douglas.chow@telefilm.ca