Zombiemania

The story of how one Pittsburgh boy’s fascination with monsters drove him to the very top of the Hollywood food chain. In 1989, Greg Nicotero, much to his parents’ chagrin, quit medical school and headed for Hollywood to pursue a dream of making monsters. Together with gore masters Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman, Nicotero went on to create KNB EFX Group, one of the most prolific makeup effects studios in the world. After twenty years as the “go to guy” for the world’s most successful horror/sci-fi films, Greg Nicotero is the first one directors like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez call.

Is horror a man’s world? You might assume so – but you won’t be thinking that way for long once you investigate the vast contribution women have made to horror movies for well over a century. In 2020, award-winning Australian critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas released the definitive book on the subject: 1000 Women in Horror, 1895–2018, an encyclopaedic work celebrating the many women – filmmakers, actors, producers and technicians – who have shaped the genre since the moment cinema’s light first flickered.

Fanarchy explores the rise of fan culture and ways in which fans are threatening the Hollywood system by becoming a creative force in their own right. With affordable technology at their fingertips, fans are producing more new content per month than studios or networks combined. Whether it's an original idea or a personal spin on a favorite film or TV show, fans are taking the reins and blurring the line between amateur and professional. Written and directed by Halifax’s own Donna Davies, Fanarchy exposes the burgeoning media landscape and the issues that complicate it – copyright, intellectual property and the concept of originality in a remix culture.

High Hopes: The Business of Marijuana delves into the constantly evolving world of medical marijuana. With legalization just around the corner, demand continues to escalate, with medical marijuana being used to treat a growing number of illnesses and conditions, and the results are promising. Like with most new growth industries, everyone is trying to get in on the action. Director Donna Davies follows the stories of consumers and entrepreneurs determined to carve out a place for themselves in the marijuana marketplace.

Songs of Unama’ki ventures into the “land of the fog” – Cape Breton – where traditional music of the Mi’kmaq shines despite the passage of time. Directed by Mi’kmaw filmmaker Dawn Wells and Jeff Miller, this transportive documentary mines archival material (including recordings captured by folklorist Helen Creighton) and highlights fiddle legend Lee Cremo, tying these gems of yore to gifted artists of today who prove this music is rich and perennial.