Animated Documentary To Premiere

A Nova Scotia film consortium breaks new ground this weekend when a one-hour animated documentary on fairies premieres on Canadian television.

Fairy Folio, a co-production of Ghostship Animation Studios Inc. and Eco-Nova Productions, airs on Sunday, April 11, at 1 p.m. on the CTV network.

Dartmouth animator Frank Forrestall says the documentary was a challenge from several perspectives. Artists painted the original characters, using their imaginations to create images of the ethereal subject matter. But those creative images then had to be transformed into "living" creatures using the time-consuming and structured processes of animation.

And then there was the topic itself. "Calling it a documentary is a bit tongue in cheek," said Mr. Forrestall. "This is really an educational film but it does what any good documentary does, it tries to educate people. It shows people that fairies are not the friendly creatures we expect them to be thanks to literature."

While animation may be the specialty of Forrestall's Ghostship studios, the animated format is a new twist for Eco-Nova Productions. That metro-based firm specializes in more traditional documentary films and television series associated with the underwater world, including the popular The Sea Hunters series that has been sold to 180 countries.

Eco-Nova founder John Davis said the Halifax-based company now has unique partnerships with several film specialists like Mr. Forrestall. "This incubation/co-operative model helps each group produce its own shows, thereby helping to develop and expand the local film industry," said Mr. Davis. "It also means that, as a collective, we can bring together about 90 per cent of the skills we need to complete a production."

Such a co-operative spirit is part of what makes the project so unique, said Ann MacKenzie, CEO of the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation, which helped finance Fairy Folio with an original equity investment. "We are proud to be able to support emerging talent like Frank Forrestall and to partner with producers like John Davis who help create innovative models like this. These young entrepreneurs are the successful filmmakers of the future."

Nova Scotians can get a preview of the fairies that will be featured in the animated documentary during an art show and sale of the original character paintings on Saturday, April 10 at 7 p.m. at Argyle Fine Arts, Historic Properties, Halifax.