New film looks into history of Cedar Mains Farm
By Bill Rea

A 30-minute film, looking into the times of the abandoned Cedar Mains Farm, is going to be shown this Saturday night (Feb. 16) at Empire Cinema in Bolton.

Entitled Cedar Mains Farm: A Forgotten Landscape, the film is the creation of independent film maker and Etobicoke resident Mark Magro. It is a historical documentary about an abandoned parcel of farmland in the area of Highway 50 and Old Church Road. Filled with interesting buildings and natural features, its story becomes a forgotten part of Canadian history.

"I'm always intrigued by local history," Magro commented.

From the battle of Waterloo to the Second World War, the owners of this land were intertwined with some of the most important events in modern times, according to promotional material issued by Wanted Media, of which Magro is CEO. Examining the mandates on conservation from Heritage Caledon and the Toronto Conservation Authority reveals the complex nature of bureaucracy. Attempting to make sense of heritage preservation in Canada, the film questions why these important structures are being neglected.

The property is currently owned by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

Caledon council, late last year, agreed to a $300 grant for the film.

This overlooked corner of land has a story to tell, Magro maintained. It is a part of the fabric that the country and communities were built upon.

Magro said he got the idea for the film while attending the Toronto Film School, where he was a student in the documentary section. He said he saw photographs of the property on a Web site and the interest grew from there.

"It's done through visuals and a variety of photographs," Magro said, adding it's narrated by Frank Marino, an instructor at the film school.

Magro said this is his first official film project, and he two others in the works. They are documentaries of a similar nature; one set in Port Perry and the other in Uxbridge.

Saturday's showing is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.