Spotlight Sublist: 2023 - 5 - The Urban Garden
- Own Voice
Black Cop
In a powerhouse lead performance, Ronnie Rowe Jr. plays the titular Halifax police officer in Black Cop. Frustrated with the community and the system he serves, this cop lashes out, using the badge to harass the privileged white citizens on his patrol.
Flipping the script in ways both humorous and disturbing, Cory Bowles’ feature debut is a stylistically brazen and morally ambiguous exploration of race, power and policing.
The film won 10 awards at film festivals around the world, and the John Dunning Discovery Award at the CSAs.
Director
Cory Bowles
Writer
Cory Bowles
Cast
Sebastien Labelle, Ronnie Rowe, Sophia Walker
Producer
Aaron Horton
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Northern Banner Releasing
waydowntown
But when the pals decide to make a bet about who can stay indoors the longest, they each start reaching their breaking points in increasingly funny and unexpected ways.
As the bet unravels, the desire for a breath of fresh air brings loyalties, values and relationships under highly comic scrutiny.
Waydowntown won Best Canadian Film at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for four Canadian Comedy Awards.
“A smart, sardonic satire.” – Stephen Holden, The New York Times
Director
Gary Burns
Calgary-born writer and director Burns’ film credits include Kitchen Party, featuring Scott Speedman in his first starring role, The Suburbanators and Radiant City, which won the Genie Award for Best Documentary. Burns co-directed The Future is Now!, and most recently wrote and directed Man Running, and produced Circle of Steel.
Writers
Gary Burns, James Martin
Cast
Fab Filippo, Don McKellar, Marya Delver, Gordon Currie
Producers
Gary Burns, Shirley Vercruysse
Genre
Comedy
Interest
Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
- Own Voice
Rude
Director
Clement Virgo
Virgo rose to prominence with his first feature, Rude, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered two Genie nominations. He has also directed the films Poor Boy’s Game and Lie With Me, and hit TV shows such as The Wire, Regenesis and The Listener. He recently produced the show Greenleaf and directed episodes of Empire and Billions. His most recent film, Brother, premiered at TIFF 2022.
Writer
Clement Virgo
Cast
Sharon Lewis, Rachael Crawford, Richard Chevolleau, Maurice Dean Wint, Clark Johnson
Producers
Karen King, Damon D'Oliveira
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
eOne
- Own Voice
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
Two Indigenous women from vastly different backgrounds find their worlds colliding on an East Vancouver sidewalk when domestic violence forces one of them, a pregnant teen named Rosie (Violet Nelson), to flee her home.
Àila (Tailfeathers) swiftly offers her shelter, and as their intimate yet challenging encounter develops, the women weave a fragile bond, and must face their own unique struggles with the complexities of motherhood, class, race, and the ongoing legacy of colonialism.
Directors
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi), Kathleen Hepburn
Writers
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi), Kathleen Hepburn
Cast
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi), Violet Nelson (Kwakwakaʼwakw)
Producers
Alan Milligan, Tyler Hagan, Lori Lozinski
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Version
EN CC
Canadian Distributor
levelFILM
Le confessionnal (The Confessional)
Unfolding in flashbacks between the past and the present, the film follows the story of an adopted man on a search for his true identity, as recounted by his mother to a priest in a private confessional. Family secrets are on the line, blurred by the filming of I Confess. Further, lies and intrigue are clouding the air with mystery — and the foreshadowed sparks of the Quiet Revolution are growing louder.
Winner of the Genie for Best Film, Best Director and several others.
Director
Robert Lepage
Writer
Robert Lepage
Cast
Lothaire Bluteau, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patrick Goyette
Producers
Philippe Carcassonne, David Puttnam, Denise Robert
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
Arts and Culture, Family Relationships
Original Language
French
Language Version
EN Subtitles
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Defendor
Outfitted in a homemade costume, Defendor may not have special powers, but he is nonetheless dedicated to protecting the streets and fighting crime. He battles a corrupt cop (Koteas), befriends the tough and streetwise Kat (Dennings) and schemes to bring down a local mob boss, all while a court-appointed psychiatrist (Oh) tries to get to the bottom of his conviction that he is, in fact, a superhero.
Turning the superhero genre on its head, Defendor is a bittersweet and emotionally affecting take on our comic book–obsessed culture.
Director
Peter Stebbings
Stebbings’ directorial debut was Defendor, and his second film, Empire of Dirt, was nominated for five CSAs. As an actor, his numerous credits include Citizen Duane, The Borgias, Bates Motel, Counting for Thunder and his newest film Percy Vs Goliath. He recently directed The Disappearance, which garnered four CSAs, and episodes of Frankie Drake Mysteries, The Sounds, and Killjoys. He is currently writing and directing the feature Running with Monsters.
Writer
Peter Stebbings
Cast
Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Sandra Oh, Elias Koteas
Producer
Nicholas Tabarrok
Genres
Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Dub
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal)
Combining religion and some unconventional theories about Jesus, the troupe’s work begins to ruffle some feathers in the Catholic church, even as the life of main actor Daniel (Bluteau) starts to mirror the Messiah’s journey in unexpected and poignant ways.
Told with sharp humour and heart, the film received critical acclaim and won numerous awards, including the Genie for Best Picture and the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Director
Denys Arcand
Writer
Denys Arcand
Cast
Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Rémy Girard, Gilles Pelletier
Producers
Roger Frappier, Pierre Gendron
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Classics
Original Language
French
Language Versions
EN Subtitles, FR CC
Canadian Distributor
eOne
Last Night
Last Night received 13 Genie nominations, winning Best Actress (Oh), Best Supporting Actor (Rennie) and the Claude Jutra Award for the direction of a first feature film (McKellar). The film also won the Prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes film festival.
Director
Don McKellar
McKellar is a prolific filmmaker and actor whose work has garnered numerous awards. He wrote Highway 61, The Red Violin and Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, and wrote, directed and starred in Last Night (which won the Prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes film festival), and Childstar, and has directed several other films. He recently starred in Meditation Park, Crimes of the Future, and directed Sensitive Skin. Currently, he is writing episodes for Park Chan-wook’s The Sympathizer, which he is also executive producing.
Writer
Don McKellar
Cast
Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, David Cronenberg, Callum Keith Rennie, Sarah Polley
Producers
Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta, Niv Fichman, Daniel Iron
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Interests
Classics, Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Language Versions
EN CC, FR Dub
Canadian Distributor
Rhombus Media
My Winnipeg
What is real and what is fantasy is left up to the viewer to sort out, but don’t be fooled by Maddin’s fantastical approach — some of the most shocking stories in My Winnipeg are the true ones! Shot in Maddin’s signature black-and-white style and narrated by the director, the film is funny, touching and mesmerizing.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching a Guy Maddin film, this delightfully strange ode to a surprisingly fascinating Canadian city is a great place to start.
My Winnipeg won the Toronto International Film Festival’s award for Best Canadian Feature and the Toronto Film Critics’ Association Award for Best Canadian Film.
Director
Guy Maddin
Writers
Guy Maddin, George Toles
Cast
Darcy Fehr, Ann Savage, Louis Negin
Producers
Michael Burns, Phyllis Laing, Guy Maddin, Jody Shapiro
Genres
Comedy, Documentary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
eOne
- Own Voice
Meditation Park
Meditation Park opens with Maria (Cheng Pei Pei), the matriarch of a Chinese-Canadian family, hosting a birthday celebration for her workaholic husband, Bing, (Tzi Ma), along with her similarly overworked daughter (Sandra Oh in a brilliant performance) and her own family.
Maria clearly reveres Bing and the sacrifices he has made for their family – so when she discovers another woman’s panties in his pocket, she's forced to confront the harsh reality that her world may not be what it seemed.
As Maria wrestles with what to do about her discovery, she befriends a group of local eccentrics and a grumpy neighbour (Don McKellar). Maria’s journey of self-discovery soon teaches her everyone’s lives are more complicated than she has been led to believe.
“Shum mines her favourite theme – immigrant experience in Canada – in what seems at first to be a gentle slice of life but eventually develops a powerful emotional force.” – Susan G. Cole, NOW MagazineDirector
Mina Shum
Vancouver-based Shum is best-known for her feature films Double Happiness and Meditation Park, both starring Sandra Oh. Her documentary Ninth Floor was on TIFF’s 2015 list of Canada’s top ten films. Other features include Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity; and Drive, She Said. Most recently, she has directed episodes of Frankie Drake Mysteries, Murdoch Mysteries and October Faction. She is currently directing the feature One (Nine).
Writer
Mina Shum
Cast
Tzi Ma, Pei-Pei Cheng, Sandra Oh
Producers
Raymond Massey II, Mina Shum, Stephen Hegyes
Genre
Drama
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, ESL, Female Filmmaker, Newcomer Stories, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Canadian Distributor
Mongrel Media