JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report
The opening of this year’s Hudson Film Festival promises to be sweet!
In fact, the opening film will be short and sweet — and the subject matter is all local.
The first film of the 11th edition of the film fest is a 15-minute documentary title The Symphony of Spring that focuses on the 100-acre sugarbush in Hudson known as Riversmead, owned by the Henshaw family since 1849, and how they have collected and produced maple syrup there for generations.
For director Asia Lis, who is also related by marriage to the Henshaw family, the decision to make the film hadn’t been deliberately planned when she was visiting the area in the winter of 2023.
“It was actually pretty spontaneous, I wasn’t planning on it,” Lis said in a phone interview from Iqaluit where she is a member of the production team filming the CBC series North of North. “But then I woke up in the morning, and it was sunny, it was just such a beautiful morning, and I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to take my camera and just start shooting.’”
The film demonstrates how the maple sap is collected and brought to a cabin, which had been built by the current owner Helen Henshaw’s grandfather, and is boiled into syrup. The film also delves into some of the history of Riversmead, featuring old photos of Henshaw and her relatives working on the property.
“I was kind of flattered,” said Henshaw, referring to when Lis had shared the idea of making a short film about the sugarbush.
“It’s got a very warm, ‘Hey-this-is-our-town’ feeling to it,” said film festival organizer Clint Ward. “And I think that’s a great way to start a festival.”
“I think the festival will start on a very positive note,” said Lis, who added that the process of making maple syrup is “such a beautiful tradition.”
The screening will take place on Monday, April 20, at 2 pm. at the Hudson Village Theatre. Both Lis and Henshaw will be on hand for a question-and-answer session following the screening. Henshaw also plans to bring samples of Riversmead’s own maple syrup for attendees to try.
“It’s delicious, I’ll tell you that,” said Henshaw.
The rest of the 17-film lineup of the 11th edition of the Hudson Film Festival will follow over the course of the week. The lineup includes dramas, comedies, romances and indie films.
“Of course, we’re in love with all of them (the films),” said Ward, who co-founder the annual festival that features Canadian-made movies.
To consult the Hudson Film Festival schedule of screenings and for tickets, go to www.hudsonfilmsociety.ca/hudson-film-festival-2026/
Local Journalism Initiative
Cutline:
Hudson resident Helen Henshaw is featured in the film Symphony of Spring, a 15-minute documentary about one family’s tradition of making maple syrup, which kicks off this year’s edition of the Hudson Film Festival on Monday, April 20.Credit:
From Symph