“A POWERFUL SENSE OF CANADA” – CANADIANS REACT TO SESQUI’S FILM HORIZON 360°

Close to 20,000 Canadians provided their thoughts about our film HORIZON 360° – A Visual Symphony of Canada over the course of the summer of 2017.

From the early start of the SESQUI project, we wrestled with the question “what is the Canada we want to embody?”. Faced with the same questions that politicians, cultists and curators likely frequently ponder, we asked:

  • geographically – what should we profile?
  • culturally –  what should we include?
  • traditional vs. progressiveness – where is the balance?
  • landscape vs. people vs. appreciation of freedoms – how much of each?
  • education – how much do we show vs. tell? (we erred on the side of show)

In the final analysis, it would appear HORIZON 360° as a whole was greater than the sum of its parts. As our director Drew Lightfoot commented at our film’s world premiere in Calgary “when Canadians look back on HORIZON 50 years from now, what will they know about the Canada of 2017 and what we aspired to be?”. Audience feedback? Nailed it.

Here’s a range of comments and video encapsulation that validate our representation of Canada in its 150th year:

I) TIME CAPSULE SUMMARY FOR CANADA 150

“What a wonderful expression of Canada.”Julie

“It was excellent. Priceless!!! What a way to summarize the beauty of our beautiful country Canada 150!!!!”Ana

“Amazing. Great depiction of Canada and Canadians.” Stephen

II. AUTHENTIC & FULLY REPRESENTATIVE

“Absolutely amazing! A true vision of Canada.” Patricia

“Excellent – well balanced and not preachy.” Boyd

“Loved it! Totally Canadian.” Kevin

“Fantastic representation of Canada.” Janet

“Excellent. Excited. Combined Nature and Culture Perfectly.” John

“Amazing. Really captures every angle of Canada!” Yahoo

“Well done – great balance of content and physical regions.” M. Vergers

III) COMPREHENSIVE & APPRECIATIVE OF DIVERSITY

“Loved the blend of Canada today (dancing/skateboarding) with our past heritage and cultural groups.” Lynn

“It was a beautiful capture of Canadian culture.” Shiyung

“Impressed by the scenes and choices of different backgrounds and generations included.” Anna

“Excellent representation of the diversity of Canada” Michael

“Wow! what a diverse country we live in!”  Shawn

“Very nice, inclusive, ties us together. Unique touch on 1st Nations!”, Van

“I loved the diversity and the scenery of this amazing country. Loved how you focused on ordinary people!!!!”Sheila

“Made me realize even more why I am proud to be Canadian and how we harmonize with all cultures in Canada.”Peter

“‘Perfectly imperfect’ Showed real Canadians.” Laura

“Excellent focus on the NEW aspects of Canada.” David

“Very well done including all faces, genders and life.” Kate

“Amazing diversity of Canada, its people and its land.” Maria

“It was fantastic, loved the cultural representation.” Susan

IV) A FORUM FOR EDUCATION & LEARNING

“Fantastic experience to see an overview of Canada.” Ellen

“Awesome! Educational!” Linda

“Surprised!! Where is that in Canada? Now I know :).” Omneya

“Wow, wish everyone in Canada could see this.” Tiffany

“Wow. I felt like i travelled across Canada in a flash.” Megan

“It was so amazing – beautiful, awe-inspiring, so educational as to the diversity of our incredible country” Judith