Colm Feore has starred in dozens of high-profile screen and stage projects, but when a recent short film he narrated was discussed on a podcast by the Kelce brothers, he says he knew he “made it.”

Former football player Jason Kelce name-dropped The Girl Who Cried Pearls as “incredibly artistic and just so well done” while talking about the Oscars on New Heights with his brother Travis, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Taylor Swift’s husband-to-be.

“I know we’ve made it now because my daughter’s boyfriend’s mom sent us all the link to the Kelce brothers’ podcast,” joked Feore during an interview from his home in Stratford, Ont., last week.

“I mean, because they reach millions upon millions of people. So it’s been pretty thrilling and obviously a bit gratifying.”

Feore voiced most of the characters in the National Film Board short that’s about a boy who falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls.

The film will screen on National Canadian Film Day, an annual showcase of the country’s cinema that includes 2,000 free screenings across Canada on Wednesday.

Feore will participate in a special screening of the animated short that includes a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the film.

Celebrities helped pick films

This year, many of the films were chosen by more than 50 notable artists including Neve Campbell, Jann Arden, Sook-Yin Lee, Eric McCormack and Sarah Polley.

The idea of celebrity programmers came to the husband-and-wife team of executive director Jack Blum and artistic director Sharon Corder of Reel Canada, while thinking about this year’s theme, “Let’s Dream Together.”

“A group of notable Canadians who have impacted the culture whether it’s Margaret Atwood or Deepa Mehta or Atom Egoyan or whether it is Rick Mercer … get them each to recommend one film that they want all Canadians to see or think all Canadians should watch,” Blum said.

The choices include Clement Virgo’s Brother, Jean-Marc Vallee’s C.R.A.Z.Y., David Cronenberg’s Crash and Eastern Promises and Don McKellar’s The Grand Seduction.

The event is supported by sponsors, including Cineplex, Telefilm Canada, Landmark Cinemas and CBC. Organizers hope this year’s 13th edition will break attendance records.

“We hit more than 83,000 attending live events in person and there’s more than two million watching on streaming because all of the broadcasters,” Blum said, referencing the approximately 20 streaming channels also participating in screenings.

Audiences will also have an opportunity to preview more than 40 unreleased films including director Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks, which was nominated for seven Canadian Screen Awards and opens this weekend.

The film follows a music journalist in 2011 as she sets out to have a summer she will never forget, hooking up and writing a book about Alanis Morissette. The film stars Barbie Ferreira and Devon Bostick.

“The awards are coming up, people in the community are thinking about who to vote for. We are saying, come and see the films now. And then you’ll be invested in the awards when they happen,” said Blum, with Corder adding that all eight of the Canadian Screen Awards best picture nominees will be available to watch.

Tribute to Graham Greene

A special tribute to the late Indigenous actor Graham Greene will celebrate his career with screenings across the country of his 1991 film Clearcut.

“And one we’re very excited about is on his home reserve at Six Nations in Brantford and his family will be there,” said Corder.

Notable anniversaries include 30 years since Bruce McDonald’s Hard Core Logo with a four-day retrospective taking place at the Calgary Underground Film Festival, where McDonald and Callum Keith Rennie will be in attendance.

Polley’s Oscar-nominated film Away From Her turns 20 years old, as does Bon Cop, Bad Cop.

Feore joked that when he looks in the mirror he can certainly believe it’s been 20 years since he played played Detective Martin Ward.

The comedic box-office hit famously teamed him up with Patrick Huard, who played Detective David Bouchard, as the two try to solve a murder on the boundary between Quebec and Ontario.

“I was actually shooting a film the other day where the young woman said, ‘It was actually required viewing in my drama class at school,”‘ he laughed.

Every province and territory is participating in National Canadian Film Day with schools, libraries, seniors homes and theatres across the country showcasing movies.

To find free tickets, go to its website. If tickets are sold out, some will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at each location.