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Cette maison (This House)

Director Miryam Charles
Year 2023
Run Time 75min
Genre Documentary, Drama, Experimental

Drawing from the events surrounding her fourteen-year-old cousin’s murder in 2008, director Miryam Charles wants to finally unpack her grief and the trauma associated with it. Through dream-like reenactments of her own childhood and an imagined life for her cousin, Charles delves into the changing emotional, political, and historical climates surrounding her family as Haitian-Canadians in Quebec.


This beautifully crafted film is a bold and thought-provoking look at family, and a moving tribute to a life tragically cut short.


“A daring blend of documentary and fantasy that invests a deeply personal drama with a wide historical scope.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker

Director

Miryam Charles

Writer

Miryam Charles

Cast

Schelby Jean-Baptiste

Producer

Felix Dufour-Laperriere

Genres

Documentary, Drama, Experimental

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Newcomer Stories

Original Language

French

Canadian Distributor

H264 Distribution

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Short Film Programme

Director Various
Year 2022
Genre Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
In addition to the feature films in this catalogue, we also offer a wealth of Canadian short films suitable for various grade levels. They cover a variety of themes and topics, and encompass fiction and documentary, live action and animation. For the full list, check out our Short Film Programme page, and use the filters at the top to find something that meets your needs. 

If you’d like to show several short films together as a programme, please feel free to get in touch for advice and tips on selecting the perfect combination for your needs. 

Director

Various

Genres

Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

Interests

Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Bullying, Classics, Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Discrimination, Environment, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+, Literary Adaptation, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics, Sports, Strong Female Leads

Original Languages

English, French

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Indigenous-made Short Films

Director Various
Genre Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller
In addition to the feature films in this catalogue, we also offer a wealth of Indigenous-made short films suitable for various grade levels. They cover a variety of themes and topics, and encompass fiction and documentary, live action and animation. For the full list, check out our Short Film Programme and filter by Indigenous filmmaker. 

 

Director

Various

Genres

Action/Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Family, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Languages

English, French, Other Language

  • Own Voice

Indigo

Director Amanda Strong (Michif)
Year 2014
Run Time 9min
Genre Experimental
Inspired by Indigenous stories and vividly-realized through stop-motion animation, a woman trapped in a cluttered space is freed by "Grandmother Spider," who still has some important webs to weave.

Director

Amanda Strong (Michif)

Writer

Daniel T. Fischer

Producers

Luke Sargent, Brett Long, Amanda Strong (Michif)

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Vtape

Cycles

Director Joe Cobden
Year 2016
Run Time 4min
Genre Experimental
Through playful choreography and piano harmonies, a man revisits abstract memories of a failed relationship.

Director

Joe Cobden

Cast

Joe Cobden, Marc Bendavid, Romina D'ugo, Laura Harris

Producers

Joe Cobden, Alyssa Swanzey

Genre

Experimental

Interest

Arts and Culture

Original Language

No Dialogue

  • Own Voice

Bundle

Director Jamie Whitecrow (Anishinaabe)
Year 2020
Run Time 4min
Genre Experimental
 A look at the Anishinaabeg tradition of carrying a small bundle at all times containing items that are essential to maintaining spiritual and emotional wellbeing.

Director

Jamie Whitecrow (Anishinaabe)

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

I Have Seen The Future

Director Cam Christiansen
Year 2007
Run Time 6min
Genre Animation, Experimental

An animated music video about a father-son tennis game set on a hot summer day in the suburbs. Content Note: Coarse language

Director

Cam Christiansen

Writer

Kris Demeanor

Cast

Cam Christiansen

Producers

Cam Christiansen, Maureen Hodgan

Genres

Animation, Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, Family Relationships, Sports

Original Language

English

Language Version

None

  • Own Voice

How To Be Alone

Director Andrea Dorfman
Year 2010
Run Time 6min
Genre Animation, Experimental

Narrated by Tanya Davis to beautiful hand-drawn illustrations by Dorfman, Davis’s eloquent poem is full of powerful truths. With over 9.5 million views on YouTube, the film is an online sensation.

Director

Andrea Dorfman

Writer

Tanya Davis

Producers

Walter Forsyth, Andrea Dorfman

Genres

Animation, Experimental

Interest

Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Language Version

EN CC

A Short Film About Falling

Directors Peter Lynch, Max Dean
Year 2007
Run Time 15min
Genre Experimental
Using a robotic chair as the axis of entwined stories tied to the theme of suspension, Lynch and Dean explore autobiography in this challenging and complex work.

Directors

Peter Lynch

Lynch earned international success with his wildly popular and critically-acclaimed Project Grizzly. His features include The Herd, Cyberman, A Whale of a Tale and Dem Bones. Lynch won a Genie for his short film Arrowhead. His most recent feature film, Birdland, was released in 2018.

Writers

Peter Lynch, Max Dean

Cast

Hadley Obodiac, Trystan Lackner

Producer

Mehernaz Lentin

Genre

Experimental

Interest

Arts and Culture

Original Language

English

In the Groove

Director Clarence Ford
Year 2006
Run Time 2min
Genre Experimental
This combination of hockey, dance, figure skating and rock/funk takes place on ice and features champion figure skater Kurt Browning.

Director

Clarence Ford

Cast

Kurt Browning

Producer

Sandra Cassaro

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, Sports

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Found

Director Paramita Nath
Year 2009
Run Time 6min
Genre Experimental
An impressionistic journey told through old photos, animation and home movies as Toronto poet Souvankham Thammavongsa discovers her father's scrapbook documenting their family's escape from Laos in the 1970s.

Director

Paramita Nath

Writers

Souvankham Thammavongsa, Paramita Nath

Cast

Souvankham Thammavongsa

Producers

Paramita Nath, Ted Biggs

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences, History, Newcomer Stories

Original Language

English

Bus No. 9

Director Michael Downing
Year 1999
Run Time 3min
Genre Drama, Experimental
A chance encounter at a bus stop becomes an excuse for a sultry tango pas de deux.

Director

Michael Downing

Cast

Chinny Hoan, Marc Roumy

Producers

Jonathan Orson, Joel Awerbuck

Genres

Drama, Experimental

Interest

Arts and Culture

Original Language

English

Baba (Dance)

Director Jonathan Lawley
Year 2006
Run Time 3min
Genre Experimental
Different people, cultures and styles of dance come together in one expression of love and life. Choreographed by Tré Armstrong.

Director

Jonathan Lawley

Writer

Jonathan Lawley

Cast

Stacey Armstrong, Cassidy DeFreitas, Alana Elmer

Producer

Wayne Lawley

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories

Original Language

Other Language

Gloria Victoria

Director Theodore Ushev
Year 2012
Run Time 9min
Genre Experimental

Recycling elements of surrealism and cubism, this Genie-nominated animation explores relationships between art and war. Content Note: Violence

Director

Theodore Ushev

Producer

Marc Bertrand

Genre

Experimental

Interest

Arts and Culture

Original Language

No Dialogue

Language Version

None

Canadian Distributor

National Film Board (NFB)

  • Own Voice

Grandfather on the Prairies

Director Andrew Genaille (Sto:lo & Ojibway)
Year 2018
Run Time 3min
Genre Animation, Experimental, Family

Jason meets his great-great-greatgrandfather and soon finds himself in a hilarious debate about what it means to be a hunter.

Director

Andrew Genaille (Sto:lo & Ojibway)

Writer

Andrew Genaille (Sto:lo & Ojibway)

Cast

Andrew Genaille (Sto:lo & Ojibway)

Producers

Andrew Genaille (Sto:lo & Ojibway), Lisa Genaille (Sto:lo & Ojibway), Robert Genaille (Sto:lo & Ojibway)

Genres

Animation, Experimental, Family

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, History, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Language Version

None

Very Nice, Very Nice

Director Arthur Lipsett
Year 1961
Run Time 7min
Genre Experimental

An avant-garde collage of photography and sound that looks behind the business-as-usual face we put on in life, showing anxieties we’d rather forget.

Director

Arthur Lipsett

Producers

Colin Low, Tom Daly

Genre

Experimental

Interest

Arts and Culture

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

National Film Board (NFB)

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Nous Nous Souleverons (We Will Rise Up)

Director Natasha Kanapé Fontaine (Innu)
Year 2015
Run Time 4min
Genre Experimental

Through a performance of her own powerful poem, Innu poet Natasha Kanapé Fontaine invites us to rise up and bring light to the world.

Director

Natasha Kanapé Fontaine (Innu)

Genre

Experimental

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

French

  • Own Voice

Throat Singing in Kangirsuk

Directors Manon Chamberland (Inuk), Eva Kaukai (Inuk)
Year 2019
Run Time 3min
Genre Experimental

A mesmerizing duet between two Inuit throat singers forms the soundtrack for this journey through the four seasons of the Arctic.

Directors

Manon Chamberland (Inuk), Eva Kaukai (Inuk)

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

Inuktitut

  • Own Voice

Zaasaakwe

Director Madison Thomas (Ojibwe/Saulteax)
Year 2017
Run Time 5min
Genre Experimental

A powerful call to action to all Indigenous people to shout for joy and celebrate their identity.

Director

Madison Thomas (Ojibwe/Saulteax)

Writer

Madison Thomas (Ojibwe/Saulteax)

Cast

Danni Black

Producers

Madison Thomas (Ojibwe/Saulteax), Darcy Waite (Cree)

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Sisters and Brothers

Director Kent Monkman (Cree)
Year 2015
Run Time 3min
Genre Documentary, Drama, Experimental
In a pounding critique of Canada’s colonial history, this short film draws parallels between the annihilation of the bison in the 1890s and the devastation inflicted on the Indigenous population by the residential school system. Part of the Souvenir series, it’s one of four films by First Nations filmmakers that remix archival footage to address Indigenous identity and representation, reframing Canadian history through a contemporary lens.

Director

Kent Monkman (Cree)

Producer

Anita Lee

Genres

Documentary, Drama, Experimental

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, History, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Languages

English, French

Canadian Distributor

National Film Board (NFB)