Northern Fancon is returning for its 11th year in PG, coming to the CN Centre from Friday to Sunday
This year promises to be a big one, with special guests from every corner of entertainment and approximately 200 vendors selling all sorts of merchandise and collectibles.
Some of the guests this year include Sean Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy and Gilmore Girls, Scott Patterson from Gilmore Girls, Reka Sharma from Yellowjackets and Battlestar Galactica, Michael Hogan from Battlestar Galactica, and Keilani Rose (from Prince George) and Blair Lamora who star in Shoresy.
Organizer Norm Coyne told The Citizen that the Indigenous stars attending Northern Fancon have sparked a change in the layout of the event that he is looking forward to sharing with guests.
“There's a very natural Indigenous element that has surfaced for this year," he said. "We've got Graham Green. We've got Keilani Rose, we've got Blair Lamora, we've got a visual effects editor who worked on Batman V Superman who's now a screenwriter for Sullivan's Crossing named Ryan Atimoyoo. There's already this very distinct Indigenous element to the event and so the Lheidli T'enneh is taking over the atrium. It's gonna be the Lheidli T'enneh creative hub. So in the CN Centre the atrium and Kin 1, that is gonna be like the hub that actually merges the two … the fact that they are on board for this, and the host nation is celebrating this event is massive to me.”
Coyne also added that he is looking forward to sharing the creative film workshops with attendants, like a speed-matching workshop for those looking to get into the film industry, and a voice acting contest called Speak Up, in which the winner of the contest will receive voice acting training and a leg up in the industry.
Another notable event at Northern Fancon this year is the filming of a new documentary.
“It's called Good to be Seen and it's about Michael Hogan,” said Coyne. “He is an actor on Battlestar Galactica who sustained a brain injury after an accident. He went through, a few years of recovery and now he's trying to make it back to acting. Actually, we're gonna have a trailer that's gonna be debuting at Fancon and that trailer is his first on-screen acting gig since the accident.”
Another thing that surprised Coyne this year, was the huge contingent of Gilmore Girls fans in Prince George.
“I didn't realize that Sean Gunn was on Gilmore Girls,” said Coyne. “We were offered the male lead, the guy who played Luke on Gilmore Girls, Scott Patterson and it blew up. It's a completely different audience for us, they're doing a team-up on all three days, so people can get a photo with Luke and Kirk. That absolutely exploded, I'm pleasantly surprised that there's such a rabid fan base for that series.”
Coyne also told The Citizen that this year is the biggest one yet and wants to see the passion and the hard work of those involved be celebrated.
“The reality of live events is they take a lot of work. It's not like these are huge money-makers or anything like that. It's hosted in Prince George because of all the passion of the people that are attached to it. For live events to live on, people have to turn out. This would be the perfect year too if you haven't been to a Fancon to come, because it's going to be the biggest we've had yet.
To purchase tickets or find more information on guests or events visit the Northen Fancon website
