We are pleased to announce that a short film we produced with Spot On Media for our recent Able Artist event, EXHIBITION: Zena Bernstein will be included in the 2019 Kingston Canadian Film Festival in the category “Local Shorts: NEW VOICES”.
The film takes a close look at the work and life of local artist and renowned illustrator of the Newberry Medal award-winning children’s classic, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh.
“We are so delighted that the Festival will bring Zena Bernstein’s work and life to a new audience. We hope the film will encourage festival goers to think about the value of the arts, their concepts of ability, and to see the world around them in a new way,” said Katherine Porter, Executive Director of H’art Centre.
TICKETS and SCREENING INFO
Local Shorts: NEW VOICES
Saturday, March 2 at 9:30 am
Isabel Bader Centre Film Screening Room
ONLINE TICKETS: Please visit the Festival website.
IN PERSON BEFORE THE FESTIVAL
Monday-Friday; 3-6 pm
The Spire, 82 Sydenham Street (laneway entrance, main level)
Call 613 777.0161 during box office hours
Email boxoffice@kingcanfilmfest.com anytime
About the Festival
The Kingston Canadian Film Festival is the largest festival in the world dedicated exclusively to Canadian film. They bring the best Canadian feature films of the year to a number of traditional and unconventional venues in downtown Kingston. In addition, KCFF presents four short film programs (with dedicated slots for local artists and youth), free workshops and networking, industry guest appearances and talks, receptions, special events, music, comedy, and awards.
Learn more
About Able Artists
Able Artists is H’art Centre’s ongoing series of talks, performances and workshops that brings professional Canadian artists with disability and leaders in the inclusive arts movement to Kingston to share their work and insights with future leaders.
Learn more about Able Artists
About the Artist
Zena Bernstein received her B.F.A. Degree from Syracuse University and took graduate courses in psychology at Boston College, and gross human anatomy at Columbia University, New York City. She was born in Plainfield, New Jersey and now permanently resides on Horse Thief Bay on the St. Lawrence River, in Canada.
Zena’s work focuses on the varied beauty of the natural world. Working primarily in watercolours and acrylics, her drawings depict world she has observed in Horse Thief Bay complete with wild flowers, animals, fairies, elves, and trolls. Believing in the importance of protecting the world around us, her art becomes its advocate.
Her technique of using layer on top of layer of dots is a very slow but rewarding process. Using a very dry brush, each dot is laid on individually, through a technique called pointillism. Beginning with the lightest of colour first and slowly building up the layers, often applying as many as six.
Her paintings are spontaneous. She does not do any preliminary planning or sketches first, often not really knowing what she is going to paint. “It is more of an adventure that way”, she says.
She has recently completed a book on the fairies, trolls, and elves of the Thousand Islands and more specifically, Horse Thief Bay entitled, The Alderwild Wood. Learn more
The film was made possible with the generous support of Bill & Nancy Gray.
