According to the CRTC, we're all mandated to take in such-and-such a percent of Canadian content every day (otherwise, you know, we'll turn American overnight and wake up caring about NASCAR or something). So how about this weekend, instead of napping through some Corner Gas reruns, pretending to still enjoy Clumsy like you did when you were in grade 7, or idly thumbing through your well-thumbed stack of Pamela Anderson (or Keanu Reeves) fold-outs, go out and catch the premiere of a Canadian film?

Remember last September when the election buses were rolling across this great nation and Harper made that comment about "ordinary people" not caring about the Canadian culture industry? Remember how Layton and Dion got all up in arms about it? Remember when it was the cause célèbre of all your Tweets and Facebook status updates for about ten minutes? Well why not put your money where you mouth (er, keyboard) is by checking out one of these two Canadian films premiering in Toronto this weekend...

Tactfully released to coincide with Pride Week, The Baby Formula is the story of Athena and Lillith, a couple who undergo an experimental procedue to synthesize sperm from their own stem cells and impregnate each other. Think of it as a more queer-positive spin on that DeVito/Ahnuld flick Junior, except you know, with actual emotions and stuff. Directed by Alison Reid in faux-documentary style, Hour has called The Baby Formula "A genuinely laugh-out-loud funny and moving film." It opens tomorrow, June 19th, at the AMC Cinemas. Click here for showtimes, or here to check out the trailer.

If the environment is more your bag, another mockumentary, Mark Leiren-Young's The Green Chain may be right up your alley. The story of seven people whose lives are in one way or another tied to the fate of trees, The Green Chain weighs the feel-good benefits of tree-hugging against the reality that the lumber industry crucially fuels the Canadian economy, aiming that there are few clear cut (sorry) answers when it comes to considering issues of conservation vs. deforestation. It's also notable for featuring Canadian starlet Tricia Helfer, best known as the blonde cyborg bombshell that'll break your heart and snap your baby's neck in Battlestar Galactica. The Green Chain also premieres at the Carlton tomorrow, June 19th. Click here for showtimes, or here for more info.

If these films don't melt your butter, or your too caught up in Pride and NXNE excitement this weekend (or you don't live in Toronto), I guess you could just rent Last Night or Ginger Snaps instead. Just remember: it's our home-grown film industry, and these films aren't going to see themselves. I don't want to sound like I'm chest-beating too obviously for the First Weekend Club (though I am a member), but films don't generally stay in theatres if they flop opening weekend. So get out there, see something, and if you like it, tell your friends, family and any other alleged Can-Cinephiles you may cavort with.

As another great conservationist once put it: the power is yours.