Rideau Hall, Sunday, August 17, 2014

I would like to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall Movie Nights for this special presentation under the night sky!

And what a wonderful gathering this is going to be. It’s a Rideau Hall first; never before have we held an outdoor movie night to screen Canadian films of the highest quality.

How many of you are ready for a fantastic show?

We are going to start with a number of short films to mark the 75th anniversary of the National Film Board. Some of you may remember these films from your childhood. In fact, I’m sure many people here have found themselves humming the tune in the Log Driver’s Waltz at one point in their lives.

And if you are seeing these shorts for the first time, you are certainly in for a treat!

We will then move on to our feature presentation: The Grand Seduction, from director Don McKellar. The film stars a wide range of Canadian luminaries, including Mary Walsh and Gordon Pinsent, both of whom have been appointed to the Order of Canada. We thought it would be a good idea to invite Don McKellar, the director of the film, to come and share his experience with us tonight. Other members of the crew are also present, and we thank them for being with us.

Canadians are well-known around the world for their directorial, production, animation and acting talents. We are a creative people who know how to put on an unforgettable show!

Canada’s landscape itself offers unparalleled majesty. It is often a character unto itself! Tonight, for instance, the grandeur of Newfoundland and Labrador is on full display in The Grand Seduction, and it is truly magnificent.

In fact, Canada’s incredible vistas are used as backdrops in many of today’s most popular films. We are a versatile nation, to be sure.

Canadians are making art and sharing it with the world, and we are the fortunate beneficiaries of their work.

I love Canadian films and what they say about our people and our country. I admire Canadian filmmakers for their art and for sharing their stories, which helps us come to know ourselves as Canadians—showing us who we are. And I am moved to see such enthusiastic support among so many for Canada’s art excellence.

Celebrating Canadian cinema is a natural extension of what Rideau Hall is all about and what honours like the Order of Canada and other governor general awards represent: the celebration of homegrown Canadian talent.

By showcasing Canadian films on these grounds, we are honouring and expanding on that tradition.

Let me thank all of our partners, as well as everyone who helped make this evening possible. To see this event finally come to fruition after so much effort—to see all of you here—is a wonder to behold.

So I now invite you all to sit back, relax, eat some popcorn and enjoy Rideau Hall Movie Night!