The Stratford Festival plans to film three of this season's productions for the big screen.

The festival in southwestern Ontario says King Lear, helmed by artistic director Antoni Cimolino and starring Colm Feore, will hit cinemas in February.

King John, directed by Tim Carroll and starring Tom McCamus and Seana McKenna, is due out in April.

And Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Gary Griffin and starring Geraint Wyn Davies and Yanna McIntosh, opens in May.

The festival wants to film three productions each season in an effort "to create a Canadian collection of the entire Shakespeare canon," Cimolino said in a statement.

Its film and digital media project also includes TV and online broadcasts of filmed productions.