"Get on the Doc Bus" -- a Documentary Film Adventure

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We are excited to announce that The Skylight Guy is an official sponsor for Get on the Doc Bus, a cross-country campaign to celebrate and raise awareness of Canada’s documentary film industry. OPEN CINEMA founder and program director Mandy Leith will spend the next four months driving across Canada in her VW Westfalia bus (yay!), connecting film lovers, filmmakers, and community screening programs, with the goal of seeding a grassroots community screening network to support the country’s struggling documentary industry. So, she’s like a Johnny Appleseed, except for documentary film. ;-) Mandy, a former BBC and National Film Board editor, will kick off her journey on June 1st at Mile 0 in Victoria, BC and will end in September at Mile 0 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Along the way she will meet with filmmakers, audiences, cinemas, alternative venues, media organizations, festivals, nonprofit outreach programs, and businesses, and will document the entire journey with video, photography, and a blog. “I’ve dreamed of doing this for years,” Mandy says. "The documentary industry, and now public broadcasting, is at a crossroads. It’s time to get out there and talk to people about alternative media, democracy, community engagement and documentary." Mandy says that making her documentary pilgrimage in a Westfalia is a "dream come true." "As an avid camper, I've wanted a Westy for as long as I can remember," she says. "I'm thrilled to have found such a gem: a pristine 1991 Vanagon GL that has been babied and well maintained all its life. Documentary and Westy culture seem to go hand in hand, so it feels very exciting to bring my two passions together in one long roadtrip across Canada!" We are thrilled to support Mandy on her journey! To help make her adventure a success, The Skylight Guy has donated $1000 plus parts and phone rescue support if needed. To learn more, check out this great video: You can also go to: GetontheDocBus.com or read a great article by the Victoria Times-Colonist, which you can find here. A send-off party will take place on Wednesday May 29h, 2013, at Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria. If you're in the neighbourhood, drop by and say hi.