• 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

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

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

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

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

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)

Portrait as a Random Act of Violence

Director Randall Lloyd Okita
Year 2013
Run Time 5min
Genre Experimental
This engrossing short combines performance with stunning kinetic sculptures, evoking themes of protest, destruction and resurrection. 

Director

Randall Lloyd Okita

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

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

  • Own Voice

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

L’innu du futur

Director Stéphane Nepton (Innu)
Year 2021
Run Time 6min
Genre Experimental

An Innu man discusses his relationship with his culture, how it was taken away from him, how he fought to take it back and what it will be like for the generations to come.

Director

Stéphane Nepton (Innu)

Writer

Stéphane Nepton (Innu)

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Environment, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

French

  • 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

  • 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)

Tales from the Gimli Hospital

Director Guy Maddin
Year 1988
Run Time 72min
Genre Drama, Experimental
In his first feature film, Guy Maddin spins a faux-Icelandic saga set during the smallpox epidemic in “a Gimli we no longer know.” Shot in black & white and structured as an extended flashback told by an ailing woman in a Gimli, Manitoba hospital, the film recounts the tale of Einar the Lonely and his hospital roommate Gunnar. As the two compete for the affection of the nurses, what begins as a friendly rivalry soon spirals into jealousy and madness. 

Nominated for a genie award for Best Screenplay, Gimli Hospital is a cult classic bearing many of the surreal hallmarks that would make Maddin one of Canada’s most singular filmmaking voices.     

Director

Guy Maddin

Writer

Guy Maddin

Cast

Kyle McCulloch, Angela Heck, Michael Gottli

Producers

Guy Maddin, Stephen Snyder, Greg Klymkiw

Genres

Drama, Experimental

Interests

Classics, Cult & Offbeat Cinema

Original Language

English

  • Own Voice

Snare

Director Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe)
Year 2013
Run Time 4min
Genre Drama, Experimental

Spare and visually arresting, with a haunting soundtrack, Snare is a performance-based piece that captures the brutality of violence against aboriginal women, as well as the possibility of healing and grace.

Director

Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe)

Writer

Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe)

Cast

Akina Kennedy-Shirt

Producers

Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe), Ki Wright

Genres

Drama, Experimental

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Vtape

You Are Here

Director Daniel Cockburn
Year 2010
Run Time 78min
Genre Drama, Experimental, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Comprised of interconnected mini-narratives, this smartly- crafted commentary features characters trapped in their own bizarre social experiments. Featuring Tracy Wright and Nadia Litz.

Director

Daniel Cockburn

Writer

Daniel Cockburn

Cast

Tracy Wright, Shannon Beckner, Richard Clarkin, Jenni Burke, Robert Kennedy

Producer

Daniel Bekerman

Genres

Drama, Experimental, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Interests

Arts and Culture, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Photon Films

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

Tropical Rumours

Directors Veronica Tennant, Michael Ondaatje
Year 2004
Run Time 4min
Genre Experimental
A rich fabric of movement and imagery, inspired by Michael Ondaatje's memoir, Running in the Family.

Directors

Veronica Tennant, Michael Ondaatje

Cast

Margie Gillis, Paola Styron

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker, Literary Adaptation

Original Language

No Dialogue

Terminus

Director Trevor Cawood
Year 2007
Run Time 8min
Genre Experimental
One man manages, at a gruesome cost, to escape from the shadows of the dancing concrete figure that dogs him.

Director

Trevor Cawood

Writer

Trevor Cawood

Cast

Rob Carpenter

Producer

Robin Hays

Genre

Experimental

Original Language

English

Something’s Coming

Director Veronica Tennant
Year 2012
Run Time 3min
Genre Experimental
A creative split-screen film feature ballet and singing performances of "Something's Coming!" from West Side Story.

Director

Veronica Tennant

Cast

Guillaume Côté, Paul Nolan

Producers

Jordan Walker, Robert Budreau

Genre

Experimental

Interests

Arts and Culture, Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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