Interest: Classics
In this feature drama based on an actual incident, Newfoundlanders share their food, culture and homes with a group of Tamil refugees found off the coast. Starring Brendan Foley and Noreen Power.
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
John N. Smith, Sam Grana
Cast
Noreen Power, Brendan Foley
Producer
Sam Grana
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, Newcomer Stories
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
Pippi Longstocking
Nobody sees the world quite like Pippi Longstocking, an irrepressible and irresistible nine-year-old who also happens to be the strongest girl in the world. After travelling for years with her pirate father, Pippi settles down in a small town with her horse and her monkey, only to be rudely bothered by a meddling socialite and a couple of bumbling thieves out to get her father’s treasure. Throughout everything, Pippi’s boundless energy and wit make this a perfect story for all ages, complete with catchy musical numbers and memorable shenanigans.
Based on Astrid Lindgren’s classic novel series, Pippi Longstocking continues to charm audiences and remains a positive role model for her indomitable spirit.
Directors
Michael Schaack, Clive A. Smith
Writers
Astrid Lindgren, Catharina Stackelberg
Cast
Melissa Altro, Catherine O'Hara, Carole Pope
Producers
Waldemar Bergendahl, Michael Hirsh
Genres
Animation, Comedy, Family
Interests
Classics, Family Relationships, Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Nelvana
À tout prendre (Take It All)
Director
Claude Jutra
A prolific filmmaker, Jutra directed more than 30 productions, including Kamouraska, Surfacing (based on Margaret Atwood’s novel by the same name) and By Design. Mon oncle Antoine currently ranks second on the Toronto International Film Festival’s list of the top ten Canadian films of all time.
Writer
Claude Jutra
Cast
Claude Jutra, Johanne Harelle
Producers
Claude Jutra, Robert Hershorne
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
French
Canadian Distributor
Les Films Cassiopée
A Christmas Story
Director
Bob Clark
Writers
Bob Clark, Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown
Cast
Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin
Producers
Bob Clark, René Dupont
Genres
Comedy, Family
Interests
Classics, Family Relationships
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Warner Home Video
The Grey Fox
After going in and out of prison for over 30 years after a career of stagecoach robbing, Bill Miner is released in 1901 to a completely new reality. Lost about what to do next, Miner finds his inspiration for his next great adventure from the film The Great Train Robbery. His plan to commit the first ever train robbery leads to a thrilling heist and an intriguing tale full of twists and turns.
Based on the true story of William Miner (nicknamed the Gentleman Bandit), The Grey Fox won 4 Genie Awards including Best Picture and has been included on TIFF’s top 10 list of the Best Canadian Films of All Time.
Director
Phillip Borsos
Borsos was a four-time Canadian Film Award, Genie Award winner, and an Oscar nominee. He released his debut feature, The Grey Fox, to much acclaim in 1982, at age 27. He also directed The Mean Season, One Magic Christmas, Bethune: The Making of a Hero and Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog, before his tragic death from leukemia at age 41.
Writer
Jonathon M.B. Hunter
Cast
Richard Farnsworth, Jackie Burroughs, Ken Pogue
Producers
David Brady, Peter O'Brian
Genres
Action/Adventure, Drama
Interests
Biography, Classics, History
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Films We Like
Wedding in White
A harsh and note-perfect portrayal of small-town Ontario during World War II. Naive and withdrawn, teenage Jeannie (Kane) is utterly inexperienced with men until she meets Billy (McGrath), a soldier friend of her brother’s, when they come home on furlough. The sexual assault that ensues – and its tragic consequences – throw the family into turmoil as they navigate the mores of the times and their community.
Driven by incredible performances and direction, this acclaimed Canadian classic claimed three Canadian Film Awards including Best Feature Film.
“One of the most merciless, strangely touching portraits of character I’ve ever seen in a movie.” – Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times
Director
William Fruet
Writer
William Fruet
Cast
Donald Pleasence, Carol Kane
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, History, Literary Adaptation
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Cinepix / Famous Players Distribution (C/FP)
Back to God’s Country
The first (and earliest surviving) feature film made in Canada by Canadians, Back to God’s Country tells the story of Delores LeBeau, who goes on a treacherous journey to the Arctic with her husband on a vessel captained secretly by the man who murdered her father. In a tense and action-packed sequence, Delores must save her husband from the malicious Rydal and survive in the unfamiliar Arctic conditions.
Written and starring female filmmaking pioneer and creative powerhouse of the silent era, Nell Shipman, this is also the most successful silent film in Canadian history and is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019.
Director
David Hartford
Writers
Nell Shipman, James Oliver Curwood
Cast
Nell Shipman, Charles Arling, Wheeler Oakman, Wellington A. Playter
Producers
James Oliver Curwood, Ernest Shipman
Genre
Action/Adventure
Interests
Classics, History, Literary Adaptation
Original Languages
English, French
Canadian Distributor
Canadian Photoplays Ltd.
On Christmas Eve, a snow plow operator (Guy L’Ecuyer) in Montreal is suddenly called upon to work in an unexpected snowstorm which becomes a problem as he has not finished his Christmas shopping. Determined to get all his gifts while continuing to clear the roads, Léopold has a series of comedic misadventures that become increasingly ridiculous as his time begins to run short.
Originally commissioned as an NFB documentary about snow clearing, director Gilles Carle creatively reframed it as a narrative film to create a unique blend of documentary and direct cinema that also cheekily comments on contemporary social and political issues. It won the Best Feature prize at the 1965 Montreal International Film Festival.
Director
Gilles Carle
Writer
Gilles Carle
Cast
Guy L'Écuyer, Paul Hébert, Suzanne Valéry
Producer
Jacques Bobet
Genre
Comedy
Interest
Classics
Original Language
French
Canadian Distributor
Columbia Pictures of Canada
- Own Voice
Winter Kept Us Warm
Doug (John Labow) is a well liked senior and Peter (Henry Tarvainen) is a shy freshman at the University of Toronto. The two young men become fast friends and start spending a lot of time together. But when their friendship” starts to move toward romance, they face the tough challenge of how to deal with their newfound emotions (and their girlfriends). The first example of an LGBTQ-themed story by Canadian filmmakers, it remains a universally relatable story about young romance and the struggles of youth.
One of the first Canadian feature films to receive international critical attention, Winter Kept Us Warm was the first English-language film to premiere at Cannes and received a Special Jury Prize at the Montreal International Film Festival.Director
David Secter
Writers
David Secter, John Clute, Ian Porter
Cast
John Labow, Joy Fielding, Henry Tarvainen, Janet Amos, Iain Ewing
Producer
David Secter
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interest
Classics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Filmmakers Distribution Center
Follows the tense relationship between a young gay man and his family before and after he enlists in the First World War.
Director
Robin Phillips
Writer
Timothy Findley
Cast
Jean Leclerc, Brent Carver, Martha Henry, Ann-Marie MacDonald
Producer
Richard Nielsen
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, Family Relationships, Global Experiences, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Toronto Star
Lies My Father Told Me
Director
Jan Kadar
Writer
Ted Allan
Cast
Jeffrey Lynas, Yossi Yadin, Marilyn Lightstone, Len Birman
Producers
Anthony Bedrich, Harry Gulkin
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, Family Relationships, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)
- Own Voice
A Winter Tan
After being dismissed from her university, prominent feminist writer Maryse Holder (Burroughs) undertakes a sexual pilgrimage to Mexico in the mid-70s. Her hedonistic quest leads her to accumulate an ever-growing list of encounters, which she chronicles as a study of sexual power in relationships. As the undertaking becomes self-destructive and begins to span years, the emotions fuelling her mission start to boil over, alienating her from everyone, including herself.
Based on Holder’s own letters, this unique collaboration between five directors is an astonishing work that stands as Jackie Burroughs’s masterpiece, with an all-time great performance.
Directors
Aerlyn Weissman, Jackie Burroughs, John Walker, Louise Clark, John Frizzell
Writer
Jackie Burroughs
Cast
Jackie Burroughs, Hernando Gonzales, Anita Olanick, Diane D'Aquila
Producer
G. Phillip Jackson
Genre
Drama
Interests
Biography, Classics, Female Filmmaker, Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Cineplex Odeon Films
Tales from the Gimli Hospital
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
The Rubber Gun
A funky street community in Montreal is threatened both from within and without — by drugs, cops and the disillusioned group’s eventual disintegration. With Stephen Lack.
Director
Allan Moyle
Director, screenwriter and actor Moyle wrote the seminal Canadian films Montreal Main and The Rubber Gun, and directed the latter. His film credits also include Times Square, Pump Up the Volume, Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story and Weirdsville. He most recently directed the documentary How Sweet It Is.
Writers
Stephen Lack, Allan Moyle, John Laing
Producers
Stephen Lack, Allan Moyle, Paul Haynes
Genre
Drama
Interest
Classics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
St. Lawrence Film Productions
The Rowdyman
Director
Peter Carter
Writer
Gordon Pinsent
Cast
Will Geer, Frank Converse
Genre
Drama
Interest
Classics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Crawley Films
Two young women move to the city, work in a dress factory and share a room, eventually having to cope with the fact that sharing everything is driving them apart. Starring Jackie Burroughs and Michèle Chicoine.
Director
Don Owen
Writers
Don Owen, Gerald Taaffe
Cast
Jackie Burroughs, Michèle Chicoine
Producer
Julian Biggs
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)
Fighting Back
A story of the resilience and determination of a group of children in London, Ont., battling leukemia at a time when no child had survived the disease.
Director
John Kastner
Writer
John Kastner
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Classics, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
- Own Voice
Outrageous!
This cult classic was nominated for five Genie awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell, who also won a Silver Bear at the Berlin festival for his performance.
Director
Richard Benner
Writers
Richard Benner, Margaret Gibson
Cast
Craig Russell, Hollis McLaren
Producers
William Marshall, Hend.rik van der Kolk
Genre
Comedy
Interests
Classics, LGBTQ2S+
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Requiem pour un beau sans-coeur (Requiem for a Handsome Bastard)
The last three days in the life of a notorious convicted murderer, as seen through the eyes of eight different people. Winner of the Best Canadian Feature Award at TIFF 1992.
Director
Robert Morin
Writer
Robert Morin
Cast
Gildor Roy, Jean-Guy Bouchard
Producers
Lorraine Dufour, Nicole Robert
Genre
Drama
Interest
Classics
Original Language
French
Canadian Distributor
Coop Vidéo de Montréal
Au clair de la lune
Director
André Forcier
Writers
André Forcier, Jacques Marcotte, Michel Pratt, Guy L'Écuyer
Cast
Guy L'Écuyer, Michel Côté, Pierre Giard, Marcel Fournier
Producers
Bernard Lalonde, Louis Laverdière
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Classics, Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Family Relationships
Original Language
French
Canadian Distributor
National Film Board (NFB)