Eternal Romance, OSFS and Canada all celebrate anniversaries in 2017

Eternal Romance #1

2017 marks a number of anniversaries, including the 20th anniversary of my supernatural comic book Eternal Romance, the 40th anniversary of the Ottawa Science Fiction Society (OSFS), and the 150th anniversary of Canada's Confederation.

My roots are in Canada, comics and fandom, so there are lots of reasons to celebrate.

Forty years along, OSFS is not the same organization as when I first became involved years ago, and there's a reason for that.

In the early days of OSFS, fen (plural for fan) came together because there really wasn't anywhere else to go. We were seeking like-minded people who loved to read science fiction, fantasy and comic books. We were delirious with joy when we found others who adored Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. Who and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and even wanted to dress up like characters from those stories.

We didn't have a con to go to and show off our costumes or shop for geeky things, so we created one: Maplecon.

Janet as General Leia at Ottawa Comiccon 2017

We did those things before they were cool. Now there's a comic-con every weekend, and a new Star Wars movie every year. I can walk into a comic book shop and buy a Green Lantern ring or a Wonder Woman tiara or a Spider-Man hoodie that makes a pretty good makeshift costume if I want to -- something that I could only dream of in my youth.

I remember OSFS members calling people who didn't share our passions "mundanes." The mundanes didn't get us. J.K. Rowling called these types of people "muggles" -- the ones who didn't understand or who didn't embrace the magic.

The mainstream has embraced the magic.

OSFS has had an impact. We have been the trailblazers. OSFS is not the same organization it once was, but we should recognize and celebrate what it accomplished.

OSFS gave us a voice, an outlet for our passions, and for many, lifelong friendships.

Happy 20th anniversary Eternal Romance, happy 40th anniversary OSFS, and happy 150th anniversary of Confederation Canada!

CFI celebrates 80th birthday August 27 with free public celebration in Ottawa

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI), Canada’s oldest film institute and the second-oldest in the world, is turning 80 years old. To celebrate, the CFI is hosting a free public celebration at Jean Pigott Place, Ottawa City Hall, on Thursday, August 27, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

"This birthday party will be a way to celebrate our eight decades of service to Ottawa and Canadian film,” says Tom McSorley, Executive Director of the now octogenarian Canadian Film Institute. “As Canada's oldest non-profit, non-governmental cultural organization dedicated to cinema, we are proud to have been supported by receptive, generous, and sophisticated Ottawa cinema audiences. It’s a way of saying thank you to the city, our sponsors and embassy partners, and all who come to our events. It's also a moment to look ahead to, hopefully, another 80 years.”

McSorley has been a part of the CFI for over twenty years, and is a film critic with CBC’s Ottawa Morning and an Adjunct Professor of Film Studies at Carleton University.

Guests attending the CFI’s 80th Anniversary Celebration will be treated to an assortment of food and drink generously provided by local Embassies and organizations, and will have the opportunity to mingle with representatives from the Institute and its partner organizations, sponsors, friends, collaborators, and alumni. A special presentation of speeches and video of congratulations from prominent Canadian filmmakers will begin at 6:00 p.m. The CFI will also announce its upcoming programming season.

The CFI welcomes donations and fundraising support. Guests who wish to make a donation of $25 or more will be issued a charitable tax receipt. The event is free for all to attend, with refreshments offered by donation.

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) was incorporated in 1935 as a federally-chartered, nongovernmental, non-profit cultural organization. More information about the organization and the 80th anniversary at Jean Pigott Place, Ottawa City Hall, can be found online at www.cfi-icf.ca.

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L'Institut canadien du film (ICF), le plus ancien institut de cinéma au Canada et le deuxième plus ancien au monde, a quatre-vingt ans. L'ICF marquera publiquement l'occasion par une fête à la Place Jean-Pigott de l'hôtel-de-ville d'Ottawa le jeudi 27 août prochain de 17 h 30 à 20 h.


« Cette fête d'anniversaire est une façon de célébrer nos huit décennies de service envers la ville d'Ottawa et le cinéma canadien, » dit Tom McSorley, directeur exécutif du désormais octogénaire Institut canadien du film. « À titre de plus ancien organisme culturel non gouvernemental sans but lucratif consacré au cinéma, nous sommes fiers d'avoir reçu l'appui des auditoires de cinéma réceptifs, généreux et raffinés d'Ottawa. C'est une façon de remercier la ville, nos commanditaires et nos partenaires des ambassades, ainsi que tous ceux qui viennent à nos événements. C'est aussi le moment d'envisager, du moins nous l'espérons, encore quatre-vingt ans d'activités pour l'Institut. »

McSorley fait partie de l'ICF depuis plus de vingt ans. Il est critique de cinéma à l'émission Ottawa Morning au réseau CBC et professeur adjoint d'études cinématographiques à l'Université Carleton.


Les invités à la fête du 80e anniversaire de l'ICF pourront profiter d'aliments et de boissons généreusement offerts par les ambassades et organismes locaux, et se mêler aux représentants de l'Institut et de ses organismes partenaires et commanditaires, de même qu'aux amis, collaborateurs et anciens de l'Institut. Une présentation spéciale de bons vœux et un vidéo de félicitations par d'éminents cinéastes canadiens débuteront à 18 h. L'ICF y annoncera aussi le programme de sa prochaine saison.


L'ICF est reconnaissant de tout don ou appui à des collectes de fonds. Un reçu d'impôt d’œuvre caritative sera émis aux invités souhaitant donner 25 $ ou plus. L'événement est gratuit pour tous, les rafraîchissements étant des dons.

L'Institut canadien du film (ICF) a été créé en 1935 en tant qu'organisme culturel non gouvernemental sans but lucratif à charte fédérale. On trouvera à www.cfi-icf.ca de plus amples renseignements sur l'ICF et sur la célébration de son 80e anniversaire Place Jean- Pigott à l'hôtel-de-ville d’Ottawa.

Janet and Ronn - Rhymes with Comic-Con (Toronto and Ottawa)

After a successful Lucifers Sword MC:  The Life and Death in an Outlaw Motorcycle Club.graphic novel signing at Ottawa's Comic Book Shoppe on February 28, Ronn Sutton is packing his bags to bring more books to Toronto Comicon, taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from March 20-22, 2015.

Ronn and I (Janet Hetherington) are both guests at the convention, so look for us in artists' alley. Show hours are Friday: 4-8 pm; Saturday 10-7 pm; Sunday 10-5 pm. Ronn will have copies of Lucifers Sword available for purchase and signing, For whatever reason, the books have been hard to find in Ottawa, so this is a chance to get a copy from the artist himself if you don't have one.

I, alas, do not have any copies to bring of The Last Outlaw DVD, but if you have a copy and bring it, I will be happy to sign it.

Both Ronn and I will be taking commissions at the show, so see us for our availability and rates. Also stop by just to chat!

Then, on Mother's Day weekend, Ronn and I will be appearing at a show that's closer to home - Ottawa Comiccon. This comic-con is at the EY Centre in Ottawa (in Ottawa South, near the airport), The show runs May 8-10, 2015 on Friday from 2-8 pm; Saturday from 9:30-7 pm; and Sunday from 10:30-5 pm.

We always look forward to seeing old friends and new faces at the different comic-cons. And with spring finally in the air, it will be fun venturing out from the studio to get into the convention vibe.

See you there!

Canada Post offers Haunted Canada stamps on Friday the 13th

Hey, hey horror fans!

Canada Post is releasing new Haunted Canada stamps for domestic mail on Friday the 13th this June.

From Canada Post's online description: Swap ghost stories with your friends across Canada! Include these spine-tingling stamps on all your domestic mail. A unique foil treatment gives each stamp special ghostly effects.

The first in a multi-year series, this collection of 5 Haunted Canada stamps tells some popular ghostly tales:

• Alberta’s Ghost Bride: The ghost of a 1920s bride who died in the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is said to inhabit the hotel to this day.
• Saskatchewan’s St. Louis Ghost Train: Believers say a ghostly glowing light is a CNR conductor who lost his head to a passing train in the 1920s.
• Ontario’s Fort George: Phantom footsteps and ghosts make this one of the most haunted places in Canada.
• Quebec’s Château Frontenac: The hotel’s namesake is said to wander hotel halls in his 17th century garb.
• PEI’s Northumberland Strait: A burning ship is often spotted between NB and PEI. As would-be rescuers approach, the ship disappears into the mist.

Could a Bonesetter stamp be far behind?

Issue date: June 13, 2014
Stamp designer: Lionel Gadoury, Context Creative
Stamp value: Permanent, always worth the going rate
Number of stamps included: 10
Product # 413910111 - $8.50

CFI welcomes acclaimed Canadian director Peter Mettler to Ottawa Jan. 31

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI), is pleased to present The Enlightened Screen: Peter Mettler, the latest installment of an ongoing screening and guest artist series which profiles Canada’s leading independent filmmakers.

On January 31, 2013, the CFI will celebrate the career of the acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, by screening his 2012 release, The End of Time. Tackling mankind’s perception of time, The End of Time takes viewers on a journey around the globe, with visits to the particle accelerator in Switzerland, lava flows in Hawaii, inner city Detroit and to a Hindu funeral rite. It has been selected as one of Canada’s Top Ten films of 2012.

 

Peter Mettler will be in attendance to introduce The End of Time and following the screening, he'll participate in a discussion with CFI executive director Tom McSorley as well as a question and answer session with the audience.

 

“Mettler’s provocative films explore unique ideas and feature breathtaking images,” says McSorley.

 

“The Canadian Film Institute is honoured to have him in Ottawa, showcasing his most recent production. He is one of the most important and influential figures in contemporary Canadian cinema, having worked with Atom Egoyan, Robert Lepage, and others, in addition to his own remarkable films.”

 

This special screening will take place at the Auditorium at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $8 for CFI members, seniors, and students and can be purchased on-site with the box office opening half an hour before the start of the film. Showtime is 7:00 pm.

 

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) was incorporated in 1935 as a federally-chartered, non-governmental, non-profit cultural organization. It is the oldest film institution in Canada and the second oldest film institute in the world. More information can be found online at www.cfi-icf.ca.

CFI to screen "The Boxing Girls of Kabul" by Oscar-nominated Canadian Ariel Nasr January 30

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI), will present a special screening of The Boxing Girls of Kabul on Wednesday, January 30, at 7:00 pm at the Auditorium at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa, Canada.

Directed by independent Afghan-Canadian filmmaker, Ariel Nasr, this powerful documentary follows three young Afghan women, who risk everything in their pursuit to become world-class boxers, despite training without even the most basic facilities.

Led by their trainer, an ex-boxer who once dreamed of competing in the Olympics, the film follows his proteges as they travel to boxing competitions in Vietnam and Kazakhstan. The film also reveals the life-threatening risks these athletes and their families face by participating in a sport that many in their country believe is inappropriate for women.

A National Film Board production, The Boxing Girls of Kabul was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award while Nasr, the film’s director who makes his home in Montreal, was nominated for an Oscar in the Short Film - Live Action category for his work as a producer on the film Buzkashi Boys.

Nasr will be in attendance to introduce The Boxing Girls of Kabul and, following the screening, will participate in a discussion with CFI executive director Tom McSorley, as well as a question and answer session with the audience.

This special screening will take place at the Auditorium at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $8 for CFI members, seniors, and students and can be purchased on-site with the box office opening half an hour before the start of the film. Showtime is 7pm.

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) was incorporated in 1935 as a federally-chartered, non-governmental, non-profit cultural organization. It is the oldest film institution in Canada and the second oldest film institute in the world. More information can be found online at www.cfi-icf.ca.