Opening Gala Film: Blueberry Grunt
Where
In Blueberry Grunt, Newfoundland writer-director Sherry White (Maudie) explores a marriage strained by shared trauma. During a seemingly innocent camping trip to pick blueberries, a couple’s underlying conflicts surface, testing their relationship and resilience. As tensions rise, they must confront both personal struggles and the elements, leading to an intense fight for survival that challenges their bond.
Canada, 2025, 89 minutes
Director Sherry White
Distributor Blue Pinion Films
Director and writer Sherry White and actor Joel Thomas Hynes will join us for the event and a special post-screening Q&A hosted by Jeff Douglas of CBC Radio One’s MAINSTREET.
Join us on this special evening as we award and screen the winner of The Nourish Youth Food and Film Challenge. This year’s theme, Celebrating Local, invited young Nova Scotia filmmakers to share their unique stories about local food, farms, traditions, and community.
Sponsored by Telefilm Canada, CBC Atlantic, and Nourish Nova Scotia
Sherry White
Sherry is a Canadian screenwriter and filmmaker working in film and television as a writer, director and producer. Sherry wrote the award-winning feature film, Maudie, starring Ethan Hawke and Sally Hawkins, released by Mongrel and Sony Pictures Classics in 2017. Other film writing credits include Relative Happiness, Down to the Dirt, and The Breadmaker. She also wrote and directed the genie nominated feature film Crackie, which screened at over thirty festivals worldwide, including Toronto International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary, and Torino Film Festival, where it took home the jury prize. It was also named one of the top ten films in Canada for 2009 and screened at the MOMA in New York City March 2010. Sherry had also directed several award-winning short films that played at various festivals across the Globe. Her second feature film, Blueberry Grunt will hit the festival circuit in 2025. @streely
Host Jeff Douglas
Jeff Douglas is a born storyteller from Truro, N.S., with a rich background in theatre and narration. His adventurous spirit has taken him across Canada, from mushing dogs in Yukon to parachuting with the 442nd Squadron’s search-and-rescue team. Recently, he traversed Nova Scotia, the Ocean Playground, uncovering thrilling stories. A seasoned host of award-winning shows like Ancestors in the Attic and Working Over Time, Jeff holds three Gemini nominations and a Kari Award for his role in the iconic “I Am Canadian” campaign. Since returning to the Annapolis Valley in 2019, he has become the voice of CBC Radio One’s MAINSTREET. @nsjeffdouglas
