Chris Knight looks at a new socially minded film-and-speaker series

New film series aims to shine a light on social issues

Mid-pandemic is arguably not the best time to introduce a new film- and- speaker series that includes in-cinema screenings. But when your first offering is a documentary about social and political change called Now, waiting might seem disingenuous.

Besides, The Impact Series, as it’s called, has been in the works for more than a year. “We’ve had to adapt,” says founder Jim Sherry, but adds: “We think people will come out to view this in cinemas. The films are certainly cinematic.”

The series, with a focus on social change, kicks off Sept. 26 with screenings of Now in more than 25 locations across Canada, including Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax and Montreal. ( A full list can be found at theimpactseries. net.) Directed by Jim Rakete, Now looks at the work of young activists struggling to stop climate change.

“I wanted to launch the series with something that was talking to the younger generation,” says Sherry. “Opening with Now was a no- brainer. It’s an incredible film, tremendously inspiring. It was shot during the rise of Greta Thunberg, and watching that spark become a flame is incredible.”

He’s hopeful that young people in particular will respond to the film. “Millennials are the No. 1 target group.”

Now will have a second screening on Oct. 1, after which the series will move on to additional titles, including Love Child, about a couple trying to flee Iran after having an extramarital affair; Watson, about controversial environment activist Paul Watson; and Sing Me a Song, which looks at a Buddhist monk’s engagement with technology when the internet comes to his home in rural Bhutan.

Sherry is a long- time player in the Canadian film industry, having held positions at Alliance Atlantis and Maple Pictures, in addition to founding the Toronto-based distribution and production company D Films in 2009. Last year, Netflix retained Sherry’s company to oversee the Canadian strategy and licensing of its high-profile theatrical films.

This year he founded Screen to Stream Media, with The Impact Series as its first project. The underlying philosophy was deeply personal.

“For me it was after the birth of my second child,” he says of the timing. “I started to look a little deeper at the decisions we were making.” The arrival of a new human, coupled with the innocent but probing questions about the world from the older sibling, moved Sherry to ask himself what he could do.

To that end, The Impact Series is more than a mere screening series. Screenings will include a recorded introduction from the filmmaker, as well as a post-screening discussion of some of the ideas raised. The series website will also foster online discussion, and the films will move to on-demand and streaming services after their cinema debut.

“At first, this was a film series that had a starting point and an ending point,” says Sherry. “But social issues have to reach a certain critical mass of discussion before they’re adequately addressed. So now the ending point doesn’t exist. We’ll continue to have discussions on the platform. The experience is more robust.”

Pandemic or not, he’s excited for the launch. “The seeds have been sown,” he says. “We’re very proud.”

Now screens at locations across Canada on Sept. 26 and Oct. 1. More information at theimpactseries. net.