In 1911, Parks Canada was founded, becoming the world’s first national parks service. On the eve of its centennial, FilmCAN and Primitive Entertainment, in conjunction with Parks Canada, Discovery World HD, and the Rogers Cable Network Fund, are pleased to present THE NATIONAL PARKS PROJECT (NPP) a ground-breaking collaborative film, music, television and new media project that features contributions by more than 50 of Canada’s most acclaimed filmmakers and musicians, celebrating the inspirational beauty of Canada’s national parks.

In the tradition of the Group of Seven, Margaret Atwood’s Survival and other cultural touchstones, the National Parks Project aims to explore the ways in which the wilderness shapes our cultural imagination, and to contextualize it for our modern, technology-driven society. From May to October, 2010, the project sent groups comprised of one filmmaker and three musicians to a park in each province and territory, to capture their experience in a short film and soundtrack. Each quartet was selected with the aim of putting together people that had never worked together before, in the spirit of exploring unfamiliar ground. Musicians and filmmakers from across the artistic spectrum were selected – arena rockers are represented beside avant-garde experimentalists, and directors range from 30-year veterans to young filmmakers releasing their first feature film.

The project has resulted in the following:

The National Parks Project, film collection. 127min feature film comprised of the 13 short films created for the project. Screenings at Berlinale, SXSW, HotDocs, DOXA, Possible Worlds (Sydney), Reykjavik IFF, Nouveau Cinema (Montreal) and others.

The National Parks Project, documentary series. 13X30min episodes for Discovery World HD, chronicling the making of the NPP, and the artists' adventures in the park. Gemini Award winner for Best Performing Arts or Arts Documentary program or series /  Gemini Award nominee for Best Cross-Platform Project, non-fiction.

The National Parks Project Interactive. An immersive interactive portal through which users can screen the NPP films and music, and engage with over 3hrs of additional documentary segments following the creation of the NPP films and music. Winner, FWA Site of the Day / Winner, Atomic Award for Best Transmedia.

The National Parks Project album and EPs. Distributed by Last Gang Records, with proceeds to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

To experience the project visit the National Parks Project Interactive.

For more information visit the National Parks Project info site.