The National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project.[1] Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system,[2] the project sent teams consisting of three Canadian musicians and a filmmaker to 13 Canadian national parks, one in each province or territory, to shoot and score a short documentary film about the park.[3]
| National Parks Project | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Various; see table |
| Produced by | Joel McConvey Kristina McLaughlin Kevin McMahon Michael McMahon Geoff Morrison Ryan Noth |
| Cinematography | Stephen Chung Jonathon Cliff Steve Cosens Catherine Lutes Cabot McNenly Chris Romeike John Minh Tran |
| Edited by | Caroline Christie Dave De Carlo Stéphane Lafleur Andres Landau Jeremiah Munce Ryan Noth Roland Schlimme Duff Smith Jeff Warren Kathy Weinkauf Eric Wiegand |
| Music by | Various; see table |
Production companies | FilmCAN Primitive Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
The project was commissioned by Parks Canada and produced by FilmCAN and Primitive Entertainment, in association with Discovery World HD.[4] Prior to its commissioning, a test film by Ryan Noth, Joel McConvey and Geoff Morrison entitled National Parks Project: Gros Morne was released in 2009;[5] although it was not included in the finished series, Noth, McConvey and Morrison were producers of the series.
In addition to airing on Discovery World and on the web, the series was also screened at a number of film festivals, including Toronto's Hot Docs.
Music from the project was released on several EPs, as well as on a compilation album that featured some of the most popular tracks.[4]
Zacharias Kunuk's segment, Sirmilik, won the Genie Award for Best Short Documentary Film at the 32nd Genie Awards.[6] The overall series won the Gemini Award for Best Performing Arts Program or Series at the 26th Gemini Awards.[7]
| Province/Territory | Park | Musicians | Filmmaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Waterton Lakes | Cadence Weapon, Laura Barrett, Mark Hamilton | Peter Lynch |
| British Columbia | Gwaii Haanas | Sarah Harmer, Bry Webb, Jim Guthrie | Scott Smith |
| Manitoba | Wapusk | Kathleen Edwards, Matt Mays, Sam Roberts | Hubert Davis |
| New Brunswick | Kouchibouguac | Casey Mecija, Don Kerr, Ohad Benchetrit | Jamie Travis |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Gros Morne | Jamie Fleming, Melissa Auf der Maur, Sam Shalabi | Sturla Gunnarsson |
| Northwest Territories | Nahanni | Shad, Jace Lasek, Olga Goreas | Kevin McMahon |
| Nova Scotia | Cape Breton Highlands | Tony Dekker, Old Man Luedecke, Daniela Gesundheit | Keith Behrman |
| Nunavut | Sirmilik | Andrew Whiteman, Dean Stone, Tanya Tagaq | Zacharias Kunuk |
| Ontario | Bruce Peninsula | John K. Samson, Christine Fellows, Sandro Perri | Daniel Cockburn |
| Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward Island | Chad Ross, Sophie Trudeau, Dale Morningstar | John Walker |
| Quebec | Mingan Archipelago | Sebastien Grainger, Dan Werb, Jennifer Castle | Catherine Martin |
| Saskatchewan | Prince Albert | Andre Ethier, Mathieu Charbonneau, Rebecca Foon | Stéphane Lafleur |
| Yukon | Kluane | Graham Van Pelt, Ian D'Sa, Mishka Stein | Louise Archambault |