Missed some of last year's best Canadian films? This cross-country festival has you covered

The Oscars might be over, but Canadian awards season is just heating up. The month of March will see both the 2019 Juno Awards (on the 17th) and the Canadian Screen Awards, which will honour the best homegrown television and film on one big night on March 31st.

As far as the television nominees goes, you'll be hard-pressed to find too many Canadians that haven't heard of of the big players. Take Anne with an E, Schitt's Creek, Letterkenny and Workin' Moms, for example, all of which have several major nominations. But on the film side it gets a bit tricky, in large part just because it's not always easy to find cinemas that play Canadian movies. Thankfully that will not be the case over the course of March — at least if you live in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, St John's or Iqaluit. Those six cities will collectively be hosting the Academy Canadian Screen Arts Festival, which will run every Saturday in March leading up to the awards themselves. The screenings will include door prizes, special guests and pre-taped content created especially for the series by the filmmakers. And we have the full lineup right here:

March 2, 2019
Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume
Language: French with English Subtitles
Directed by Daniel Roby
Starring: Olga Kurylenko, Romain Duris

A deadly mist envelops Paris. Survivors find refuge on the roofs of the capital. With no information or electricity, a couple attempts to survive this disaster and save their daughter...But as the hours go by, if they want to make it through this alive, they will have to try their luck in the mist...

8 Canadian Screen Award nominations including:

• Best Motion Picture

• Achievement in Direction

• Achievement in Make-Up

• Achievement in Overall Sound

• Achievement in Sound Editing

• Achievement in Visual Effects

• Original Screenplay

• Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

March 9, 2019
Immaculate Memories: The Uncluttered Worlds of Christopher Pratt
Language: English
Directed by Kenneth J Harvey
Starring: Christopher Pratt

Filmmaker Kenneth J. Harvey and artist Christopher Pratt embark on a seven-day road trip across Newfoundland in search of the places where Pratt's iconic paintings were conceived. An honest, funny, eloquent, bizarre and sometimes unsettling account of Christopher Pratt's life and art.

1 Canadian Screen Award nomination:

• Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary.

Director Kenneth J. Harvey will be in attendance at the St John's, NL screening on March 9, 2019.

March 16, 2019
Sashinka
Language: French with English Subtitles
Directed by Kristina Wagenbauer
Starring: Carla Turcotte, Natalia Dontcheva

When Sasha's mother arrives on her doorstep like a hurricane without warning, the young musician is unable to hide her trepidation. As Sasha prepares for the most important concert of her career, she must find a way to survive the remaining 24 hours, confronting both the volatile woman and the past that Sasha had worked hard to leave behind her.

3 Canadian Screen Award nominations including:

• Achievement in Editing

• Achievement in Music – Original Song

• Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Director Kristina Wagenbauer will be in attendance at the Montreal, QC screening on March 16, 2019.

March 23, 2019
What Walaa Wants
Language: Arabic with English Subtitles
Directed by Christy Garland

What Walaa Wants is the compelling story of a defiant young girl navigating formidable obstacles and disproving the negative predictions from her surroundings and the world at large.

3 Canadian Screen Award nominations including:

• Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary

• Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Documentary

• Best Editing in a Feature Length Documentary

March 30, 2019 (expect in Toronto, where it will run March 29)
Stockholm
Language: English
Directed by Robert Budreau
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Ethan Hawke, Mark Strong

Based on the absurd but true 1973 hostage crisis in Stockholm that was the origins of the psychological phenomenon, the Stockholm Syndrome. The black comedy focuses on a female bank employee (Noomi Rapace) who falls for her captor, an unhinged American outlaw (Ethan Hawke) as she turns against the police and aids in his escape attempt.

6 Canadian Screen Award nominations including:

• Achievement in Costume Design

• Achievement in Editing

• Achievement in Hair

• Achievement in Sound Editing

• Achievement in Visual Effects

• Adapted Screenplay

Academy Canadian Screen Arts Festival. March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30. Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, St John's and Iqaluit. For information on specific venues in each city, please click here.