Remembrance Day is about remembering the people who have served the nation. The Yorkton Film Festival’s Open Cinema program hosted a screening of Front Lines and a presentation by Bill Waiser on Canada’s contribution to the first World War.
The screening of the film, which compiles actual letters written by Canadian soldiers in World War I, comes on the 100th anniversary of John McRae’s poem In Flanders Fields, the 100th anniversary of the second Battle of Ypres when Canada first saw action.
Waiser spoke of the impact of the war in Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole, what Saskatchewan contributed to the war effort as well as how the country was perceived during and after the conflict.
“Canadians in 1914 didn’t expect to play a significant role in the war. It was supposed to be a quick, decisive war that was over by Christmas. Instead, it degenerated into a long, bloody stalemate and Canada ended up playing a major fighting role.”
He says that the main goals of the presentation is to remember the men and women who fought in the first World War. As many people are relatively unfamiliar with what happened in the first World War, it’s important to remember what happened and the people who fought and died in the conflict.
“I’m not here to celebrate the war in any way, I’m here to commemorate Canada’s participation in that war, and the men and women who were involved in that war, and not to forget them.”
Waiser’s contribution to remembering people goes beyond the presentations, as he is part of the University of Saskatchewan’s Great War Commemoration Committee, which has also put together resources surrounding the first World War pulled from the Archives and Special Collections at http://greatwar.usask.ca/.
From the Yorkton Film Festival’s perspective, this is part of a larger program for the Yorkton Film Festival, which is using its film archives to educate people about the World Wars. Randy Goulden, Executive Director of the Yorkton Film Festival, says it’s part of a grant the festival received from Heritage Canada, with the films being accompanied by presentation, with screenings in Calgary, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, as well as local high schools.
“We’re getting interest from groups who want us to come out, usually we have to ask the groups, now they’re coming to us.”
She says that with the large amount of films that have been accumulated by the festival over the years means they can change the content for the audience. For instance, in presenting to a younger audience, the film used is an animated one.
Goulden also says that the Yorkton Public Library’s support of the Open Cinema program makes it possible to continue to screen films on different subjects.
“It’s because of organizations like the library that we can continue to this.”
