About A Nation Soars
A Nation Soars is a trilogy of documentaries narrated by Dan Aykroyd and accompanied by a suite of educational initiatives that explore how aviation changed the course of the First World War, such as its vital part in Canada’s nation-defining victory at Vimy Ridge.
Produced by Sound Venture Productions and The Royal Canadian Geographical Society in collaboration with a number of key supporting partners, the documentaries — Drawn to Victory, Wings of Courage, and Flight Path of Heroes — highlight the lesser-known, distinctly Canadian aspects of the war.
From the early days of flight in 1914 to the aerial photography that produced the battle-winning maps of Vimy Ridge, A Nation Soars offers a fascinating and refreshing look at Canada’s part in the Great War.
Why now?
It has been 100 years since the first trenches were dug on the Western Front. Five generations of Canadians separate today’s youth from the men who helped define Canada’s place in the world on the battlefields of Europe.
Only a few members of that wartime generation — those who witnessed the conflict but were too young to take part — are still alive. The war is slipping beyond the fringes of living memory. And, as we live through the centenary of 1914-18, there is a great opportunity, and some might even say an obligation, to make sure Canadians do not forget.
If we want to understand today’s world we need to know what happened yesterday. Through its films and educational material, A Nation Soars makes that crucial connection to the past. It reminds Canadians — particularly young Canadians — about their nation’s important role in the Great War and how that role forever changed Canada.
