Newfoundland is getting e-cinema, courtesy of the National Film Board and the Shorefast Foundation, which on Wednesday announced plans to distribute films electronically on Fogo Island.

The effort will give island residents access to Canadian cinema such as shorts, documentaries and animation. The films can be delivered via high-speed Internet or hard drives and projected anywhere such as galleries, schools and theaters. Fogo is the largest of the islands off Newfoundland and Labrador, home to roughly 2,700 people.

‘The NFB is always exploring ways to make our rich collection available in all regions of Canada. E-cinema has great potential to deliver high-quality films that touch on important local issues, especially in communities that do not normally have access to a true cinematic experience’ said NFB chairman Tom Perlmutter in a statement.

The partnership will be the board’s first English-language e-cinema effort. It follows an NFB pilot project that delivered cinema to five French-speaking Acadian communities in 2007.

The Fogo Island initiative is set to launch in November. The Shorefast Foundation is designed to help the economic and social revitalization of the island.