James Freer

James Freer (born  January 4, 1855 in Bristol , †  December 1933 in Winnipeg ) was a Canadian film pioneer.

James Freer was born in Bristol, England. Freer was initially a newspaper reporter and emigrated to Manitoba (Canada) in 1888 . There he settled as a farmer in the south of Brandon . In 1897, a short time later than the Lumière brothers , who screened one of the first films in France in 1895 , Freer became the first Canadian filmmaker . He made films about the Canadian prairies, specializing in agriculture and trains. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company , learning of Freer's films, showed them on a tour of the United Kingdom to encourage immigration to Canada. The film Ten Years in Manitoba (Ten years in Manitoba) was shown on the British Isles in the year 1898th

The performances were so successful that a second tour of Freer's films took place in 1902. This was sponsored by Sir Clifford Sifton , the Canadian Minister of the Interior, who zealously supported immigration to the Canadian west, especially from English-speaking countries. That tour was less successful, however, as it was revealed that Freer had downplayed the mosquito exposure and cold winters in Manitoba in his films.

That ended Freer's film career. He then worked for the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper . He died in Winnipeg in 1933 at the age of 78.

Web links

• Who's Who of Victorian Cinema
• Obituary
• The History of the Canadian Film Industry ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .