Acclaimed docu-series Search and Rescue: North Shore is returning to Knowledge Network for a second season, premiering May 28th showcasing local volunteer heroes in action.
North Shore Rescue Series – Photo credit Grant Baldwin Silvapark Films
Search and Rescue: North Shore Season 2
Premieres Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 8:00pm
Five episodes in the series, airing on Tuesdays until June 25th
Directed and produced by Silvapark Films’ Grant Baldwin and Jenny Rustemeyer (This Mountain Life, Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, Search and Rescue: North Shore Season 1), the series gives viewers unprecedented access to the North Shore Rescue (NSR) team as they respond to distress calls they receive (approximately 130 calls each year) from Vancouverites and tourists alike.
“Following the tremendous popularity of season 1, we’re excited to be partnering again with Silvapark Films to bring audiences another compelling season,” said Michelle van Beusekom, CEO of Knowledge Network. “This kind of on-the-fly storytelling in life and death situations requires extraordinary skill and agility, and the access is based on a deep relationship of trust and respect for all involved.”
Returning to the screen is NSR Team Lead, Mike Danks, along with many other active team members. Season 2’s storyline expands further to Squamish showcasing the courageous efforts of the search and rescue team there. No two rescue situations are alike for the highly trained volunteer search and rescue teams as they must swiftly jump into action when a call is received. Thinking on their feet, the teams works alongside other first responders to assess the situation and make an action plan to find those in trouble and return them to safety.
Modern day innovative technology, equipment and teamwork with other first responder organizations are helping both NSR and Squamish SAR save lives. Grant Baldwin, Director of Search and Rescue: North Shore says that the complicated retrievals the teams are performing are incredible to see. “We wanted to document more of the process for how these are done – ultimately giving the audience a real sense of what is involved with the rescues they see on the news.”
The first season premiered on Knowledge Network in November 2020 and it won five Leo Awards in 2021 including Best Documentary Series, Best Direction in a Documentary Series, Best Musical Score in a Documentary Series, Best Picture Editing in a Documentary Series, and Best Cinematography in a Documentary Series.
DOXA Documentary Film Festival present its 23rd edition May 2-12, 2024, screening a lineup of thought-provoking documentaries, bringing filmmakers and audiences together around Vancouver. You can enter to win tickets to the mid-week Gala film!
The festival will have 8 World Premieres, 1 International Premiere, 17 North American Premieres, and 8 Canadian Premieres!
DOXA 2024
Date: May 2 to 12, 2024
Location: Various Theatre Venues (SFU Goldcorp Centre, VIFF Centre, The Cinematheque, and The Vancouver Playhouse)
Tickets: $16-$21 for general admission and special presentations
Tickets available in packs: 5 Ticket pack $70, 10 ticket pack $120
Festival pass (excluding Industry Program) $195; Festival pass + Industry Pass $245
The DOXA Documentary Film Festival showcases 48 features and mid-length films, 34 short films, as well as industry events and opportunities for filmmakers, audiences, and industry professionals to connect. View the full program of events online.
This year’s Opening Presentation is Shannon Walsh‘s Adrianne & The Castleon May 4th at the Vancouver Playhouse. Inventive and whimsical, Adrianne & The Castle is the story of Alan St-Georges and the castle he built by hand with his beloved late wife Adrianne, which now stands as a “temple” to their love. Walsh will be speaking about her work as part of the DOXA Industry program on Monday, May 6th in an event co-presented by the Directors Guild of Canada and DOC Northwest, and celebrating the launch of her new book, The Documentary Filmmaker’s Intuition.
DOXA is proud to showcase the World Premiere of nanekawâsis, the latest film from festival alum Conor McNally. George Littlechild, a celebrated and beloved nêhiyaw (Cree) artist, shares his wisdom, perspectives on social issues and his own personal history in this charming and affecting portrait of an artist’s life and work. This Mid-week Gala screening will take place at VIFF Centre on Wednesday, May 8th at 7:45pm (enter to win tickets below).
nanekawâsis directed by Conor McNally
Additional Canadian filmmakers launching their World Premieres are: Ryan Dickie’s film Tea Creek, which chronicles the Indigenous food sovereignty work of activist Jacob Beaton; and The Originals (directed by Niall Patrick McNeil and Mike McKinlay), about the history of BC’s Caravan Farm Theatre—a legendary outdoor theatre company established in 1978. Short films Cake and Death (William Brown), Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying (Natalie Baird and Toby Gillies), and Twig (Claire Sanford) enjoy world premieres during this year’s festival as well.
DOXA’s Closing Presentation gives pride of place not only to Canadian directors but also to a Canadian music legend. Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee’s Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story is a mesmerizing journey from the R&B of 1950s Nashville to the nightlife of Toronto in the ‘60s that follows trailblazing transgender performer Jackie Shane, as she fearlessly navigates music and life. The film will screen on Saturday, May 11th at SFU’s Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, following the Closing Awards Ceremony.
DOXA Spotlights and Program Streams
There will also be a guest curated program from Dennis Lim, a New York-based film curator and writer, and beyond the festival’s cornerstone Justice Forum and Rated Y for Youth programs, DOXA 2024 will include four Spotlight programming streams:
Paint Me a Film, featuring works that engage critically with the camera’s role as both disruptor and co-creator, examining the mediums of film and photography in and of themselves; True Lies, a selection of experimental and hybrid films that blur the lines between narrative and documentary forms; The Devil Stole Our Laughter, which takes its name from a quote by Mexican land defender Isela González Díaz and features films that follow individuals and communities living in the aftermath of change and disruption, as they search for meaning in the landscape; and Children of the Sun, titled after the late Lebanese painter and poet Etel Adnan’s work of the same name, featuring a collection of films from both Lebanon and Palestine, two places which are deeply and historically intertwined.
Enter to Win
I have a pair of tickets to give away to the mid-week gala featuring the World Premiere of nanekawâsis, here’s how you can enter to win:
Playland Amusement Park will soon have Canada’s fastest electric launch coaster – the Thundervolt, which is anticipated to open in July, 2024.
PNE/Playland photo (from April construction update)
The Thundervolt’s three-car train carries 12 passengers at a time with 1.3 G’s of acceleration through an illuminated tunnel, up a steep incline before an 18-metre drop. The ride, built by Zamperla of Italy will occupy the previous location of the retired Corkscrew coaster (1994-2018)
Total Track Length: 380 metres (1247 feet)
Maximum height: 18 metres (59 feet)
Train Length: 8.2 metres (27 feet)
Number of Trains: 1
Vehicles per Train: 3
Passengers per Train: 12
Launch Acceleration: 1.3 G
Playland Coasters Over the Years
I grew up in the age of the Super Big Gulp (1972 to 1994) and the Wild Mouse (1979 to 2008… I think I still have a bruise from that one). Over the last 100+ years, several coasters have thrilled fair-goers at the PNE and Playland, from the Corkscrew to Kettle Creek Mine, which has been your favourite?
Giant Dipper Coaster at the PNE Playland 1940 Vancouver Archives Photo
The ride portion at the fair has held many names including “Happyland” before becoming “Playland” a few decades ago. There have been at least three iterations of a wooden coaster at the PNE including the Giant Dipper. According to Chuck Davis’ records, in 1927: “The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) and his brother Prince George (later the Duke of Kent, and still later King George VI) visited Vancouver.” While here, “Edward tried out the Dipper one afternoon and liked it so well he returned in the evening.”
Located on the West side of the grounds, the Giant Dipper was demolished in 1948 to make room for an expanding Hastings Racecourse track. There was also a smaller coaster called the Baby Dipper, which was torn down in 1944.
Baby Dipper Coaster at the PNE Playland Vancouver Archives Photo
When a new wooden coaster went up in 1958 (at the location you find it today) it was the largest in Canada. The coaster was built board by board back then, and it still reaches speeds of 45mph/72kmh and a height of 23m/75ft. It was designed by Carl E. Phare and was built by Walker LeRoy as a part of the vision for Playland and was named top woodencoaster in Canada (2019) and is ranked 7th in the world.
Find more memories in the Roller Coaster Database here.
PNE/Playland Wooden Coaster – Submitted
About the PNE
Owned by the City of Vancouver, the PNE is a healthy and vibrant non-profit organization dedicated to delivering over 3 million visitors a year with memorable experiences through access to first-class cultural, music, sporting and family entertainment events, as well as access to public space for passive recreation. Founded in 1910, the PNE’s home is Hastings Park, a multi-facility venue in Vancouver where the organization manages four activity streams: the annual PNE Fair, Playland Amusement Park, Park Care and Facility Maintenance and an expansive portfolio of year-round events. All revenues generated are invested back into park space, community programs and non- revenue generating educational and entertainment experiences.
This year’s Vancouver Sun Run is happening on Sunday, April 21st and for those participating or spectating, here is the route map and road closure information for the 2024 event:
The 2024 Vancouver Sun Run presented by HerbaLand Naturals takes place on Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 9:00am throughout Downtown Vancouver.
It is open to international elite competitors, recreational runners, joggers and walkers, wheelchair competitors, teams, schools and children. Included in entry is a shirt, personalized race bib with timing tag, water stations, live entertainment along the course, and the finishers party at BC Place. You can register up until Thursday, April 18th at noon.
Vancouver Sun Run Road Closures
Expect closures along the route from 8/8:30am until about 12:00pm. The run begins at Georgia and Thurlow, continues west on Georgia to Denman, south on Denman to beach Ave, souteast on Beach to Pacific, south over the Burrard Bridge, south on Burrard to 3rd Ave, east on 3rd to Fir, south on Fir to 4th Ave, east on 4th to 6th Ave, east on 6th Ave under the Cambie Bridge to 3rd Ave, east, 3rd Ave to Columbia, South on Columbia St to 6th Ave, East on 6th Ave to Quebec Ave, North on Quebec Ave to Terminal and continue on Pacific BLVD to Griffiths Way to finish.
For the Mini Sun Run and Finish Area in False Creek, expect closures from Pacific Blvd from Nelson to Carrall, Expo Blvd from Quebec to Pat Quinn Way, and Cambie Bridge Pacific Ave Exit from 5:00am to 1:00pm.
Vancouver Sun Run Route and Course Map
START AREA: Georgia, from Seymour to Bute FINISH AREA: Pacific Blvd – BC Place Stadium to Pat Quinn Way
In a remarkable journey spanning four decades, the Vancouver Sun Run has solidified its status as a staple event in British Columbia’s event history. What began in 1985 as a vision to promote fitness and well-being among Vancouverites has grown into a massive celebration of athleticism, drawing participants from all walks of life. As the Vancouver Sun Run marks its 40th year, it not only commemorates its own history but also the stories of countless individuals who have made each step a part of their personal journey toward health and accomplishment.
Follow the Vancouver Sun Run on Facebook for up-to-date information and instructions.
BC Youth Week is back May 1-7 as communities province-wide offer diverse events and activities to showcase the creativity, talent, and contributions of young people. Select a region below to view events.
BC Youth Week is an annual, provincial celebration of the youth in British Columbia’s communities from May 1 to 7. It’s a week of fun intended to build a strong connection between youth and their communities while highlighting their interests, accomplishments, and the diversity of youth province-wide.
