North Country Cinema is a Canadian media arts collective based in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. The company was founded in 2005 by filmmakers Alexander Carson, Nicholas Martin, and

Kyle Thomas Kyle Thomas (born 23 June 1983) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. His first feature film, ''The Valley Below'', premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. It garnered two Canadian Screen Award nomina ...

, who met at the

Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, a division of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University, is a film school located in Montreal, Quebec. Informally known as MHSoC, the school accepts around 250 students a year for programs in animation, ...

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. North Country Cinema produces and distributes director-driven

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

content, and has created award-winning works that have screened at major international festivals, including the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

and

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

. In 2011, Carson and Thomas completed ''"We Refuse To Be Cold"'' and ''Not Far From The Abattoir'', respectively. These films combined to screen at over twenty-five international festivals and were both acquired by

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

for broadcast in 2012 and 2013. Both films focus on intimate narratives and personal storytelling, drawing from the experimental European New Wave cinemas of the 1960s and the gritty, character-driven American Cinema of the 1970s. In 2011, Calgary-based filmmaker Cameron Macgowan joined North Country Cinema following a collaboration with Thomas as producing partners on ''Not Far From The Abattoir''. Although Nicholas Martin still collaborates with Carson and Thomas in various capacities, he is no longer a producing partner. In 2013, North Country Cinema began production on Thomas'

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

The Valley Below ''The Valley Below'' is a Canadian dramatic film, released in 2014. The feature film debut of filmmaker Kyle Thomas,

'', a

multi-narrative Multiperspectivity (sometimes polyperspectivity) is a characteristic of narration or representation, where more than one perspective is represented to the audience. Most frequently the term is applied to fiction which employs multiple narrators, ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

set in the

badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...

of central

. Following the announcement that the film would be funded through their inaugural Micro-Budget Production Program,

Telefilm Canada Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in V ...

named

one of "10 Canadians to Watch at Cannes" in 2013. ''

The Valley Below ''The Valley Below'' is a Canadian dramatic film, released in 2014. The feature film debut of filmmaker Kyle Thomas,

'', originally titled ''Down In The Valley'', was renamed to address "practical and creative concerns regarding the public representation of the film going forward" on August 15, 2013. In 2014, Alexander Carson received the Golden Gate Award for New Visions at the San Francisco International Film Festival for his short film ''Numbers & Friends''. In July 2014, North Country Cinema announced the production of its second feature film, '' O, Brazen Age'', by writer/director Alexander Carson, produced with the support of

and the

Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal in ...

. In August, 2014, the

announced its Canadian program, including the World Premiere of ''

The Valley Below ''The Valley Below'' is a Canadian dramatic film, released in 2014. The feature film debut of filmmaker Kyle Thomas,

'' as part of official selection in the Discovery program at the 2014 festival. During the festival, ''The Valley Below'' was acquired for Canadian distribution by A71 Entertainment. Opening theatrically across Canada in March 2015, ''

The Valley Below ''The Valley Below'' is a Canadian dramatic film, released in 2014. The feature film debut of filmmaker Kyle Thomas,

'' garnered considerable critical attention, including positive reviews from both Canadian national newspapers:

The National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Mo ...

and

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

. The film garnered two

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

nominations at the

3rd Canadian Screen Awards The 3rd Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 1, 2015, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2014.Best Supporting Actor for

Kris Demeanor Kris Demeanor is a Canadian poet, musician and actor, who received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 3rd Canadian Screen Awards for his performance in the film ''The Valley Below''. Prior to his performance in th ...

and

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

for Dan Mangan's song "Wants"."Canadian Screen Awards Unveil Nominations"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', January 13, 2015. In September, 2015, the Vancouver International Film Festival announced that '' O, Brazen Age'', Alexander Carson's feature-length debut, would have its World Premiere at the festival as part of the Canadian Images program. The film went on to screen at numerous film festivals throughout 2016 and earned positive reviews from

NOW Magazine ''Now'' (styled as ''NOW''), also known as ''NOW Magazine'' is an online publication based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Throughout most of its existence, ''Now'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper. Physical publication of ''Now'' was suspen ...

and

when it was released theatrically in Canada in 2017. '' O, Brazen Age'' was also heralded as a success by Canadian filmmakers

Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan (; hy, Աթոմ Եղոյեան, translit=Atom Yeghoyan; born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. Egoyan m ...

and

Guy Maddin Guy Maddin (born February 28, 1956) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, author, cinematographer, and film editor of both features and short films, as well as an installation artist, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since completing his first film in ...

. North Country Cinema's third feature film ''

Range Roads ''Range Roads'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Kyle Thomas and released in 2021 by Calgary-based production company North Country Cinema.Eric Volmers"The Quiet Road: Calgary filmmaker's sophomore film, Range Roads, a subtle drama about estr ...

'', directed by

, was released in 2021. The film premiered at the

Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival The Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival is an annual independent film festival held each March in San Jose, California and Redwood City, California. The international festival combines the cinematic arts with Silicon Valley’s innovation. It is ...

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

before winning the awards for Best Feature and Best Director at the 2021

Rosie Awards The Rosie Awards is the name given to the Alberta Film and Television Awards, presented annually by Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA). AMPIA is non-profit professional association that supports its members by encouraging the ...

. Alana Hawley Purvis received a

nomination for Best Actress at the

10th Canadian Screen Awards The 10th Canadian Screen Awards were held on April 10, 2022, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media production in 2021.Etan Vlessing"Maitreyi Ramakrishnan to Receive Canadian Screen Awards Special Honor" ''The Hollyw ...

in 2022 for her performance as "Frankie". ''

'' is distributed in Canada by Game Theory and in the United States by

Freestyle Releasing Freestyle Releasing, LLC is an independent film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2004, specializing in releasing films theatrically. Unlike most distributors, Freestyle Releasing does not put up any prints and advertising ...

Production partners

Since 2005, North Country Cinema has produced work with the support of numerous artistic and cultural institutions and funding agencies across Canada, including

, the

Alberta Foundation for the Arts Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) is a crown agency charged with development and promotion of the arts in Alberta, Canada Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is par ...

, the

Ontario Arts Council The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is a publicly-funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to foster the creation and production of art for the benefit of all Ontarians. Based in Toronto, OAC was founded in 1963 by On ...

, the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

, the Canadian Media Production Association, the Alberta Media Fund, and the Toronto Arts Council.

Filmography

*''

'' (2021) *''The New Canada'' (2016) *'' O, Brazen Age'' (2015) *''

The Valley Below ''The Valley Below'' is a Canadian dramatic film, released in 2014. The feature film debut of filmmaker Kyle Thomas,

'' (2014) *''Back Streets'' (2014) *''Numbers & Friends'' (2013) *''The Post'' (2013) *''Braids'' (2012) *''Black Hills'' (2012) *''Not Far From The Abattoir'' (2011) *''"We Refuse To Be Cold"'' (2011) *''The Liminal State of Decay'' (2010) *''Last Communication with Laura'' (2009) *''Ghost Town'' (2008) *''Lucy James pt. 1'' (2008) *''Last Chance Saloon'' (2007) *''Searching for Heartbreak'' (2007)

References

{{reflist

External links

North Country Cinema Official Website

North Country Cinema on Vimeo

North Country Cinema on Facebook

North Country Cinema on Twitter
Film production companies of Canada