Interest: Classics
Hockey Night
A Canadian sports classic, Hockey Night features the on-screen debut of Yannick Bisson (Murdoch Mysteries) and memorable performances from Rick Moranis and Megan Follows (Anne of Green Gables).
Director
Paul Shapiro
Writers
Jack Blum, Paul Shapiro
Cast
Megan Follows, Rick Moranis, Gail Youngs
Producer
Martin Harbury
Genres
Drama, Family
Interests
Classics, Discrimination, Sports, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
- Own Voice
Short Film Programme
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
Foster Child
At 35 years old, filmmaker Gil Cardinal makes the decision to seek out his biological family, sending him on a journey into his own roots, uncovering an ancestry he knew nothing about. As Cardinal discovers that he was forcibly taken from his Métis mother, the film shifts into addressing the ongoing systematic oppression of Indigenous peoples.
This incredibly personal documentary was a landmark in Indigenous storytelling on film, and received many accolades including the Gemini award for directing.
Director
Gil Cardinal (Métis)
Cast
Gil Cardinal (Métis), Don Cardinal (Métis)
Producer
Jerry Krepakevich
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Classics, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
- Own Voice
Forgotten Warriors
Thousands of Indigenous people enlisted and fought for Canada in World War II, even though they could not be conscripted. While they fought for the freedom of others, they were being denied their rights back home.
As a reward for service, veterans were allowed to buy land at a cheap price. However, many Indigenous soldiers were never told about the land entitlement, and some returned home to find the government had seized parts of their reserve lands to compensate non-Indigenous veterans.
Narrator Tootoosis gives a historical overview, while Indigenous veterans share their poignant and unforgettable war memories, and the ways in which they have healed.
Director
Loretta Todd (Cree/Métis)
Writer
Loretta Todd (Cree/Métis)
Cast
Nathaniel Arcand (Cree), Gordon Tootoosis (Cree), Michèle Audette (Innu)
Producers
Michael Doxtater (Haudenosaunee), Carol Geddess (Tlingit), Jerry Krepakevich
Genre
Documentary
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Classics, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
Hunger
Rapidly dissolving images form a satire of self-indulgence in a world plagued by hunger and poverty in this Oscar-nominated film, among the first to use computer animation technology.
Director
Peter Foldès
Producers
Peter Foldès, René Jodoin
Genres
Animation, Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Classics
Original Language
No Dialogue
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
Cosmic Zoom
Director
Robert Verrall
Producers
Robert Verrall, Joseph Koenig
Genres
Animation, Documentary
Interest
Classics
Original Language
No Dialogue
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
The Street
An award-winning adaptation of a story by Canadian author Mordecai Richler about how families deal with older relatives, and the emotions surrounding a grandmother’s death.
Director
Caroline Leaf
Writer
Mordecai Richler
Producer
Guy Glover
Genres
Animation, Drama
Interests
Classics, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
The Sand Castle
A man made of sand makes other sand creatures in this inventive, Oscar-winning stop-motion film.
Director
Co Hoedeman
Producer
Gaston Sarault
Genre
Animation
Interest
Classics
Original Language
No Dialogue
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
The Log Driver’s Waltz
Director
John Weldon
Cast
Kate McGarrigle, Anna McGarrigle
Producer
David Verrall
Genre
Animation
Interest
Classics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
The Big Snit
Director
Richard Condie
Writer
Richard Condie
Producers
Richard Condie, Michael Scott
Genres
Animation, Comedy, Drama
Interests
Classics, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
Neighbours
Director
Norman McLaren
Writer
Norman McLaren
Cast
Jean Paul Ladouceur, Grant Munro
Producer
Norman McLaren
Genres
Animation, Drama
Interests
Classics, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
The Sweater
This short film, based on the book The Hockey Sweater, is an NFB classic that appeals to hockey lovers of all ages.
Director
Sheldon Cohen
Writer
Roch Carrier
Cast
Roch Carrier
Producers
Marrin Canell, David Verrall
Genres
Animation, Family
Interests
Classics, Sports
Original Languages
English, French
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
The Cat Came Back
Director
Cordell Barker
Writer
Cordell Barker
Cast
Richard Condie
Producers
Cordell Barker, Richard Condie
Genres
Animation, Comedy, Family
Interest
Classics
Original Languages
English, French
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
The Great Toy Robbery
Director
Jeff Hale
Genre
Animation
Interest
Classics
Original Language
English
Walking
Director
Ryan Larkin
Producer
Ryan Larkin
Genre
Animation
Interest
Classics
Original Language
No Dialogue
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
- Own Voice
Village Of Idiots
Directors
Eugene Fedorenko, Rose Newlove
Writer
John Lazarus
Producers
Michael Scott, David Verrall
Genres
Animation, Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Classics, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences
Original Language
English
Language Versions
FR Dub, FR Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
Sitting in Limbo
Boasting an infectious reggae score by Jimmy Cliff, the film was developed as part of the National Film Board’s Alternative Drama program, which placed non-professional actors in realistic situations. Issues including racism, poverty and teenage pregnancy are highlighted in what is also a very warm and pleasing film.
Sitting in Limbo achieved Honourable Mention for “its freshness and vitality” at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Director
John N. Smith
Smith’s credits include award-winning TV docudramas such as The Boys of St. Vincent, Dieppe and Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, as well as numerous feature films, including Dangerous Minds, A Cool Dry Place, Geraldine’s Fortune and Love & Savagery among others. Sitting in Limbo won the Best Canadian Feature Film award at TIFF 1986.
Writers
David Wilson, John N. Smith
Cast
Pat Dillon, Fabian Gibbs, Sylvie Clarke
Producers
John N. Smith, David Wilson
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Classics, Discrimination, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Astral Films
Les Boys (The “Boys”)
Stan (Girard), the very likeable tavern owner and hockey coach, allows himself to run up a huge gambling debt to Meo (Lebeau), the local Mob boss.
Meo offers Stan a deal: If his pub's team, Les Boys, can defeat Meo's band of thugs at a game of hockey, the tavern remains his. If not, the Mob will take over Chez Stan. Naturally, Les Boys, an out-of-shape group of hockey enthusiasts, are highly motivated to win the game. How they go about doing so, however, is a slapshot of laughs.
Director
Louis Saïa
Montreal director/actor/writer Saïa is known for his trilogy Les Boys I, II and III, each of which won the Golden Reel Award for biggest box-office gross in Canada. Saïa’s TV directing credits include the French-language Vice caché, Max Inc. and the Les Boys television adaptation, as well as the feature Dangerous People.
Writers
Louis Saïa, Christian Fournier
Cast
Marc Messier, Rémy Girard, Patrick Huard
Producers
Richard Goudreau, Jeffrey Tinnell
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Classics, Sports
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Dub, EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Le Club Vinland (The Vinland Club)
This fascinating drama tells the story of Brother Jean (Sébastien Ricard), a priest teaching in the Charlevoix region of Quebec in the 1940s. A passionate amateur archaeologist, Jean plans an expedition with his students to find proof of the presence of a Viking settlement along the shores of the St-Lawrence River. The film won three Prix Iris, including best actor for Ricard.
Director
Benoît Pilon
Writers
Normand Bergeron, Benoît Pilon, Marc Robitaille
Cast
Sebastien Ricard, Remy Girard, François Papineau, Fabien Cloutier
Producer
Chantal Lafleur
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, History
Original Language
French
Canadian Distributor
Les Films Opale
Face-off
In his rookie season in the NHL playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Billy Duke (Art Hindle) finds the adjustment from the minor leagues is harder to deal with than expected. To complicate matters further, he becomes smitten with a professional singer, Sherri Lee Nelson (Trudy Young) and must balance his new relationship with his hockey dreams. While Sherri is concerned with the roughness of his chosen profession, his coach is worried about her effect on him, forcing him to make the ultimate decision: Love or Hockey?
Featuring the 1970 Maple Leafs players as part of the cast as well as other NHL legends of the time such as Bobby Hull, Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe, Face-Off is one of the great hockey movies and a unique look into the National Hockey League of almost 50 years ago.
Director
George McCowan
Writer
George Robertson
Cast
Art Hindle, Trudy Young, John Vernon, George Armstrong
Producer
John F. Bassett
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, Sports
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
eOne