Bring “Booky Makes Her Mark” Back

“Booky Makes Her Mark” is a Canadian made-for-TV film starring Tatiana Maslany as Beatrice “Booky” Thomson, a 15-year-old growing up in Depression-era Toronto who dreams of becoming a writer.

 

Based on the books of Canadian author Bernice Thurman Hunter and directed by Peter Moss, the film features an extraordinary Canadian cast including Megan Follows, Stuart Hughes, Erik Knudsen, Sarah Allen as Booky’s sister Willa, Roberta Maxwell, and Lally Cadeau.

 

For Degrassi fans, the film also brings together an unusual number of familiar faces from the franchise: Stacey Farber, Lauren Collins, Mike Lobel, Ephraim Ellis, and Kate Todd.

 

The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario, and set in Toronto. It was produced by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Platt Productions, and Shaftesbury Films.

 

“Booky Makes Her Mark” was also recognized by the Canadian film and television industry. It received two Directors Guild of Canada nominations in 2006, a Canadian Society of Cinematographers nomination for Best Cinematography in TV Drama in 2007, and multiple Gemini Award nominations, including acting and photography categories.

 

Despite its history, cast, and industry recognition, “Booky Makes Her Mark” has effectively disappeared from public access.

 

The film was previously available through legitimate streaming services, including Netflix. Today, however, there is no readily accessible legal streaming, rental, or digital purchase option for viewers looking for the film.

 

Even more unusually, the movie does not appear to be readily circulating through unofficial uploads or archived copies online. For most people searching for “Booky Makes Her Mark” today, the movie is simply unavailable.

 

Meanwhile, the two films that followed it — “Booky & the Secret Santa” and “Booky’s Crush” — received DVD releases, and physical copies of both continue to circulate on the secondary market. Yet the original film that introduced Booky has effectively vanished from public availability.

 

The film also circulated internationally under alternate titles, further demonstrating that its disappearance from accessible viewing options is not simply a Canada-only issue. It is a preservation issue affecting viewers who may remember or want to discover the film around the world.

 

As the founder of Degrassi Vault, I first became interested in preserving access to the film because of its remarkable connection to Degrassi and Canadian television history. I also remember watching “Booky Makes Her Mark” myself when it was available on Netflix. A film that audiences could once easily discover through a major streaming service has now become extraordinarily difficult to see at all.

 

We are asking Shaftesbury to restore public access to “Booky Makes Her Mark,” and we hope CBC will also support efforts to make this piece of Canadian television history accessible again.

 

This could mean returning the film to a streaming service, making it available for digital rental or purchase, releasing it through an official platform, or partnering with a broadcaster such as CBC to make it accessible again.

 

Ideally, we would also love to see all three Booky films preserved and made available together so that new audiences can experience the complete series.

 

We are not asking for a remake or revival. We are simply asking for an existing piece of Canadian television history to be accessible again.

 

“Booky Makes Her Mark” introduced audiences to Booky, showcased an early leading performance from Tatiana Maslany, featured an exceptional Canadian cast, brought together an extraordinary collection of performers familiar to Degrassi audiences, and received recognition from some of Canada’s major film and television organizations.

 

It deserves to be seen.

 

Please join us in asking Shaftesbury and CBC to help bring “Booky Makes Her Mark” back.