Interest: Biography
Our Man in Tehran
These events were fictionalized in the Hollywood film Argo, but this fascinating doc sets the record straight through archival footage and the words of those who experienced it, all culminating in the fantastical plan devised to smuggle the fugitives out.
“Sometimes, the truth can be more entertaining than fiction. If Argo was a high-stakes political thriller…it was also a simplistic and escapist escape movie about the power of Hollywood to defeat evil. So now…we Canadians respond with a documentary to reclaim our true story.” — Simon Houpt, The Globe and Mail
Directors
Larry Weinstein
Weinstein has received three Gemini awards for his work, including Best Direction for Beethoven’s Hair. Weinstein also directed the docs Mulroney: The Opera, The Devil’s Horn, Leslie Caron: The Reluctant Star, and Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas, and co-directed Our Man In Tehran. His latest, Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies, premiered at Hot Docs 2019.
Drew Taylor
Our Man in Tehran was Taylor’s first film after careers in baseball and bio-engineering. He has also directed Lost and Found.
Writers
Drew Taylor, Robert Wright
Producers
Niv Fichman, Larry Weinstein, Drew Taylor
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, Global Experiences, History, Literary Adaptation, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
What Are You?
The mixed-race identity is explored through a series of interviews recounting the isolation, discrimination and self-discovery that come from being stuck between two cultures.
Director
Richard Pierre
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
Starlight and Other Sounds
Governor General Award-winning composer Alexina Louie shares her process for creating her engaging and often eclectic works.
Director
Josephine Anderson
Writer
Josephine Anderson
Producer
Shirley Vercruysse
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Radical
Director
Deanne Foley
Writer
Mary Walsh
Cast
Mary Walsh
Producer
Annette Clarke
Genre
Comedy
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Mohawk Girls
With insight, humour and heart, director Tracey Deer (who left Kahnawake to attend school and pursue filmmaking) returns to her community to follow these Mohawk girls and tell their stories. Her deeply emotional documentary reveals the complex hope, heartache and promise of growing up Indigenous in the 21st century.
Director
Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
Deer is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and writer who has directed documentaries such as Club Native and Mohawk Girls, which was adapted into a TV series that ran for five seasons and earned numerous CSA nominations. Her narrative feature debut, Beans, won eleven awards, including Best Picture at the CSAs. She has also directed episodes of Hudson & Rex, Rutherford Falls, Three Pines, and Outlander.
Writer
Tracey Deer (Mohawk)
Producers
Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick, Adam Symansky, Joanne Robertson
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
McLaren’s Negatives
Director
Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
Writer
Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
Cast
Patrick Coutu
Genre
Animation
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Lost Moccasin
Bradford Bilodeau tells the story of how he reconnected with his birth family after being raised apart from them due to his forced adoption in the Sixties Scoop.
Director
Roger Boyer
Writer
Roger Boyer
Cast
Bradford Bilodeau
Producer
Darcy Waite (Cree)
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, Indigenous Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Own Voice
2023 - All You Can Watch Buffet
2019 - 100 Years of Snow and Sass
2017 - 150 Canadian Films
Mighty Jerome
Director
Charles Officer
Actor, writer and filmmaker Officer’s first feature, Nurse.Fighter.Boy, was nominated for 10 Genies, winning one. Officer also directed the docs Mighty Jerome, The Skin We're In, Unarmed Verses, and Invisible Essence: The Little Prince, as well as the feature Akilla's Escape, which won five CSAs. He directed episodes of Coroner, and executive produced and co-directed The Porter, which was nominated for an Emmy. Officer passed away in 2023. He changed the Canadian film and television landscape with his fierce dedication to portraying Black perspectives and experiences, and is greatly missed.
Writer
Charles Officer
Cast
Nykeem Provo
Producers
Tracey Friesen, Selwyn Jacob
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Biography, BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination, History, Social Justice & Politics, Sports
Original Language
English
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
Colm Feore is brilliant as Gould, humanizing the difficult genius whose studio recordings, imaginative radio documentaries and insightful writings are still influential in contemporary classical circles.
“Instead of a laborious bio-pic, we get a sly, quick-witted meditation on a character always likely to elude our grasp.” — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
Director
François Girard
Girard won a Grammy for Secret World Live, a Peter Gabriel concert film. Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould won four Genie Awards, including Best Picture. The Red Violin won eight Genies and an Oscar for Best Original Score. His recent films include Boychoir, starring Dustin Hoffman, and Hochelaga terre des âmes, which was nominated for eight CSAs, winning four. His latest, The Song of Names, premiered at TIFF 2019.
Writers
François Girard, Don McKellar
Cast
Colm Feore, Gerry Quigley, Gale Garnett, Don McKellar
Producer
Niv Fichman
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, Classics, History
Original Language
English
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, History
Original Language
English