Amidst a mostly Catholic community, a small tiny Anglican church offers more to the community of Placentia than people may think, and holds many connections and history to the rest of the world.

TRAILER

Christopher Newhook
Parks Canada/Placentia Area Historical Society/Rosedale Manor
christophernewhook.studio
rosedalemanor.ca
Kevin Noseworthy
Escape Quest

​
Escape Quest - Placentia Plunder
Tom O'Keefe
President - Placentia Area Historical Society

placentiahistory.ca

STILL FRAMES

CREDITS
Directed by
​James Newhook

Produced by
College of the North Atlantic
Peter Buckle
Keith Bonnell

Featuring
Christopher Newhook
Kevin Noseworthy
Tom O'Keefe

Director of Photography
James Newhook

Co-Cinematography
Ben Power

Editor
James Newhook

​Music
"Butterflies In Love"
by Sir Cubworth

Filmed on location
​Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
SPECIFICATIONS
​Genres: Documentary, History
​Runtime: 12 minutes, 59 seconds
​
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Quality: 4K (2160x3840)
Recording Format: BlackMagic RAW
Camera: BlackMagic URSA
Editing Software: DaVinci Resolve
Sound Mix: Single System Stereo
Colour: Colour (4K)
​Country of Origin: Canada
Filming Date: April 16th, 2022
Platforms: YouTube, Vimeo, FilmFreeway, FilmHub, Facebook, Free Movies Plus, Viddsee, Future Today
AWARDS/SCREENINGS
Ogeechee International History Film Festival 🇺🇸
Certificate of Merit for Excellence in Historical Filmmaking 🎗️​

Spotlight Documentary Film Awards 🇺🇸
Spotlight Silver Award 🏆

Bath Archaeo-Heritage Film Festival 🇺🇸
​Official Selection/Heritage Documentary Nominee 🎗️​

A TO Z CINEMA FILM FESTIVAL 🇮🇳
Best Documentary Short Film 🏆
​
Cinema Ticket International Film Festival 🇮🇳
Best Documentary Short Film 🏆

​WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival 🇨🇦​
Honourable Mention 🎗️

Leda’s Monologues Film Festival 🇬🇷
Finalist
​Florence Indie Film Festival 🇮🇹
Semi-Finalist
​Kansas City Independent Film Festival 🇺🇸
Semi-Finalist
Vancouver Independent MovieMaker Awards 🇨🇦​
Semi-Finalist
CNA Final Film Festival 2022 🇨🇦​
​Official Premiere

Nickel Independent Film Festival 2023 🇨🇦​
Official Selection

​The Nickel at King's Point 🇨🇦​
Screening at King's Point, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Paris Awards Film Festival 🇫🇷
Official Selection

HISTORY International Film Festival Austria 🇦🇹​
Official Selection
​
LANE DOC FEST 🇺🇸
Official Selection

 LONG STORY SHORTS | International Film Festival 🇷🇴 
Official Selection

Ural Shorts 🇷🇺
Official Selection

Golden Eyes 🇫🇷
​Official Selection

The Archaeology Channel (TAC) International Film Festival 🇺🇸
Official Entry

Cloven Hoof Film Fest 🇺🇸
Official Selection

Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival 🇨🇦
Official Selection

Heritales - International Heritage Film Festival 🇵🇹
Official Selection
Last updated - October 9th, 2024
EXTERNAL LINKS

About St. Luke's Cultural Heritage Centre
St. Luke's is built on the site of the oldest Catholic church in Newfoundland, and is the successor to a number of different buildings of many different religions over its long history. The current building was built between 1906 and 1908 and was rumored to be the site of the smallest church in Newfoundland up until renovations were made to extend the church some time in the 1950s and 1960s to account for the influx of residents from the resettlement program, and the American base in nearby Argentia.
Renovations were made after filming for the church to be more accessible, such as installing a new wheelchair accessible ramp, a new bathroom and fire escape, and new paint along with lights/sound equipment to allow for a variety of different activities to happen inside.
Renovations were made after filming for the church to be more accessible, such as installing a new wheelchair accessible ramp, a new bathroom and fire escape, and new paint along with lights/sound equipment to allow for a variety of different activities to happen inside.
A book sale happening inside the church in 2023.
A book sale happening inside the church in 2023.
​​The site is home to an original church built by the Recollect friars in 1689 and was likely continued to be used once England took control of Placentia from the French in 1713. Prince William Henry, later King William IV was stationed in Placentia in 1786 and gave money to build the old St. Luke's, and presented a silver communion service, a coat of arms, the communion service now located in St. John's, and the coat of arms still hanging in the church today. Surrounding the church are a number of gravestones, some dating back to as early as the 1660s, a few of which are now on display in the O'Reilly House museum. Its deep history attracts many visitors to view one of the oldest graveyards in Newfoundland, and possibly North America. - heritage.nf

WHERE TO WATCH

DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY
The idea for "The Little Church That Could" came for my final documentary assignment during my time in the Digital Filmmaking program at CNA (College of the North Atlantic). I have a background in history as my hometown of Placentia is filled to the brim with history and ties to the French, the British, the Basques, and the Americans just to name a few, with many historic events happening in the area alone, despite being a very small town. Ever since I was little I was involved with St. Luke's, as my father would pull off a solstice event every year inside the church on December 21st, the darkest day of the year. It was a great event every year it was pulled off, with many residents never being inside the building until then with their Catholic roots, so to see the site being active and celebrated with music, stories, and videos helped provide purpose to the church for many people. I was eventually hired by St. Luke's/The O'Reilly House museum to be a tour guide for a number of years, helping guide many residents through both sites, and in turn learnt many things myself hoping to eventually help put St. Luke's and Placentia in the spotlight of many curious history lovers like myself. In 2020 St. Luke's was purchased by the historical society and deconsecrated as a church, now allowing the historic site to be preserved and used for many different activities and events going forward, saving it from possible destruction or renovation. "The Little Church That Could" details how the historical society plans to use the site, including an escape room inside the building tied to the history of the area, helping teach many people about a place that most don't pay attention to.
© James Newhook/Focusyn Films 2024