CBC today announced a new 11-part original talk show launching as a companion to a special Saturday night line-up of celebrated Canadian films. Hosted by journalist Johanna Schneller and featuring candid studio conversations with some of the creative talent behind many of Canada’s greatest films, THE FILMMAKERS launches this Saturday, July 22 at 8:30 p.m. (10 NT). Each half-hour episode centres on one film that will air immediately after the talk show, debuting with Atom Egoyan’s THE SWEET HEREAFTER - the first of 11 Canadian features airing Saturday nights on CBC (full schedule and broadcast times below).

THE FILMMAKERS taps into how some of Canada’s most significant films were made and why we need to watch them, through lively and surprising conversations with a diverse mix of creators, directors and artists including: Xavier Dolan, Sarah Polley, Director X, Atom Egoyan, Mina Shum, Kim Nguyen, Don McKellar, Deepa Mehta, Zacharias Kunuk and Jennifer Baichwal, as well as guest panelists Connor Jessup, David Suzuki, Stephanie Morgenstern, Cameron Bailey, Sook-Yin Lee, Eli Glasner, Edward Burtynsky, Cazhhmere and Academy Award-winner Sylvain Bellemare.

THE FILMMAKERS will air Saturday evenings on CBC a half hour before each of the following Canadian feature films:

July 22 - The Filmmakers 8:30 / film 9 p.m.THE SWEET HEREAFTER - Directed by Atom Egoyan

July 29 - The Filmmakers 8:30 / film 9 p.m. STORIES WE TELL - Directed by Sarah Polley

August 5 - The Filmmakers 9:00 / film 9:30 p.m. LAST NIGHT - Directed by Don McKellar

August 12 - The Filmmakers 9:00 / film 9:30 p.m. INCENDIES - Directed by Denis Villeneuve

August 19 -The Filmmakers 8:30 / film 9 p.m. DOUBLE HAPPINESS - Directed by Mina Shum

August 26 - The Filmmakers 8:30 / film 9 p.m. REBELLE (WAR WITCH) Directed by Kim Nguyen

September 2 - The Filmmakers 8:30 / film 9 p.m. J’AI TUÉ MA MÈRE (I KILLED MY MOTHER) Directed by Xavier Dolan

September 9 - The Filmmakers 10:00 / film 10:30 p.m WATER - Directed by Deepa Mehta

September 16 - The Filmmakers 8:30 / film 9 p.m ATANARJUAT (THE FAST RUNNER) - Directed by Zacharias Kunuk

September 23 - The Filmmakers 8:30 / film 9 p.m. MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES Directed by Jennifer Baichwal

September 30 - The Filmmakers 8:30 / film 9 p.m. ACROSS THE LINE (fka COLE HARBOUR) Directed by Director X

In addition to the weekly broadcast, THE FILMMAKERS and a series of vignettes, including Amanda Parris' Film 101 tips, will be available to stream online at cbc.ca/arts. The series will also be made available on CBC’s educational platform Curio.ca.

For more information and updates on THE FILMMAKERS, visit www.cbc.ca/arts and follow @cbcarts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective. In 2017, CBC/Radio-Canada will at the heart of the celebrations and conversations with special 2017-themed multiplatform programming and events across Canada.

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For more information on THE FILMMAKERS or to request an interview, please contact:

Teaghan Hawke, publicist, CBC

teaghan.hawke@cbc.ca

416.205.6863