Descendants of WWI Vets Re-enact Key Canadian Battles for Galafilm’s Landmark Production The Great War for the CBC and Radio-Canada

Montreal, July 19th, 2006: After more than two years of research and preparation, today is the first day of filming of Galafilm’s TV series THE GREAT WAR, a landmark, four-hour epic to mark the 90th anniversary of Canada’s involvement in the First World War. It will be broadcast in two episodes, on CBC and Radio-Canada, during Easter 2007.

For the next two weeks, 150 descendants of Canadian WWI veterans will re-enact their great-grandfathers’ struggles in a startlingly realistic setting for Galafilm’s epic production The Great War. For the duration of filming, they will live in tents and trenches, and undergo authentic military training.

The 150 descendants and participants were chosen through an open call last year, with ads placed on radio, the internet, and in local newspapers. Last October, a group of them traveled to England and to battlefields in Belgium and France, to see first-hand the sites of Canadian battles they would be re-enacting this summer in rural Quebec. The filmed scenes of that trip will form a documentary spine of the television series. The cast includes Justin Trudeau as Talbot Papineau, Michael Rudder as Canon Scott, and Noel Burton as Charly Stewart.

On Sunday, July 23, the public is invited to a behind-the-scenes look at The Great War, where visitors will see the re-created First World War encampment, complete with trenches. They can stroll through the nearby Museum, watch a parade of troops, and speak with the actor-descendants. The Canadian Forces will also have vehicles, weapons, and equipment to help visitors compare modern army life with the Great War experience. It all takes place at the Saint-Bruno Training Area and Firing Range - National Defense.

THE GREAT WAR is written and directed by Brian McKenna, an award-winning filmmaker and journalist. The Montreal-based McKenna is best known for his provocative, prize-winning films about Canada's history: The Valour and the Horror; The Killing Ground; War at Sea; Web of War; War of 1812; Fire and Ice: The Rocket Richard Riot; Chiefs; and Korea: The Unfinished War. In 2003, McKenna was honoured with the prestigious Gordon Sinclair Award For Broadcast Journalism at the 18th Annual Gemini Awards. For The Valour and the Horror, easily the most controversial documentary series in Canadian history, McKenna was awarded both the Gemini and Gemeaux Awards for Best Documentary Series, the only director ever honoured for the same film in English and French. Overall, McKenna has won the prize for best television documentary writing in Canada four times. McKenna is a founding producer of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Oscar-winning current affairs show, The Fifth Estate, where his investigation into a CIA brainwashing project won the Gold Medal for Investigative Journalism at the New York Film Festival. He is also the founding chairman of the Canadian Committee to Protect Journalists, prompted by his experience with war, torture and terrorism.

THE GREAT WAR is produced by Galafilm in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Radio-Canada, the Québec Film and Television Tax Credit administered by SODEC, and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Produced with interim financing of National Bank of Canada - TV and Motion Picture Group. Galafilm Distribution distributes THE GREAT WAR worldwide.

For over 15 years, Galafilm has been at the forefront of independent film and television production in Canada. Founded and helmed by Arnie Gelbart, the company has grown into one of Canada’s leading producers with an expertise in international co-productions. Synonymous with high-quality production, Galafilm’s catalogue boasts nearly 300 hours of award winning and commercially successful entertainment content that aims to entertain Canadian and international audiences. Galafilm’s diverse slate includes documentaries, youth programs, television series, MOWs, and feature films.

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