Interest: Classics
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
Pour la suite du monde (For Those Who Will Follow)
In 1962, Michel Brault and a team of filmmakers travelled to the island to document the resumption of the practice decades after it had been abandoned, shedding light and wit on this “resourceful” tradition.
A balance of grace, humour, and up-close observation, Pour la suite du monde is known as a landmark achievement in documentary filmmaking and was screened at the Cannes film festival.
Directors
Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault
Writers
Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault
Producers
Jacques Bobet, Fernand Dansereau
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Classics, Environment, History
Original Language
French
Nobody Waved Good-bye
Peter (Kastner) is an 18-year-old growing up in 1960s suburban Toronto who is totally fed up with his parents’ middle-class lifestyle. He’s on the verge of finishing high school but the thought of a conventional life climbing the corporate ladder is unbearable.
Peter yearns to strike out on his own with his girlfriend Julie, but a life of petty crime and poor decisions looms. Told in stark black and white, this tale of teenage rebellion is timeless and relatable.
One of the National Film Board’s first narrative features, Nobody Waved Good-bye is a cinematic treasure and a true Canadian classic.
Director
Don Owen
Owen was a pioneer of English Canadian filmmaking who joined the NFB in 1960, where he worked as a cinematographer on the short film À Saint-Henri le cinq septembre and directed the short Runner. His first feature, Nobody Waved Goodbye, won a BAFTA and is considered a classic of Canadian cinema. His directing credits include Notes for a Film About Donna & Gail, The Ernie Game (which won the Canadian Film Awards for best feature and direction), Partners, and Unfinished Business. Ladies and Gentlemen… Mr. Leonard Cohen won the Canadian Film Award for Best TV Information.
Writer
Don Owen
Cast
Peter Kastner, Julie Biggs, Claude Rae, Charmion King
Producers
Tom Daly, Roman Kroitor, Don Owen
Genre
Drama
Interests
Classics, Family Relationships
Original Language
English
This memorable slasher film was remade in 2008, but we’ll stick to the original, thanks! This gruesome and wildly fun cult hit was a drive-in-theatre hit all over the country, and garnered Jamie Lee Curtis a Genie nomination for her performance.
Director
Paul Lynch
Writers
Robert Guza Jr., William Gray
Cast
Leslie Nielsen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Stevens
Producer
Peter R. Simpson
Genre
Horror
Interests
Classics, Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English
The Man Who Skied Down Everest
While many explorers have climbed the legendary peak of Mount Everest, Yûichirô Miura had a different dream. This Japanese skier and daredevil became the first person to ever ski on the treacherous slopes of the highest mountain in the world, descending nearly 4200 feet. While becoming famous in Japan for his achievement, it wasn’t until Canadian filmmaker F.R. Crawley released this documentary that he received widespread international attention.
Showing all of the dangers and thrilling moments of his journey up and down the mountain, this tense and engaging film won the Oscar for Best Documentary and became a formative work in the sports documentary genre.
Directors
Bruce Nyznik, F.R. Crawley
Writers
Yûichirô Miura, Judith Crawley
Cast
Yûichirô Miura, Douglas Rain, Shintaro Ishihara
Producer
F.R. Crawley
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Classics, Global Experiences, Sports
Original Language
English
La vie heureuse de Léopold Z (The Merry World of Léopold Z)
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
An important figure in the development of Québec cinema, Carle was a prolific filmmaker whose work includes shorts and feature films, documentaries, and television. He made several films with the NFB, including the classic La vie heureuse de Léopold Z. His credits also include Les Plouffe, La Vraie nature de Bernadette and Maria Chapdelaine. An Officer of the Order of Canada, a Grand Officer of the Ordre National du Québec and a Knight in France’s Légion d'honneur, he has received numerous international prizes, Genies, Canadian Film Awards and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.
Writer
Gilles Carle
Cast
Guy L'Écuyer, Paul Hébert, Suzanne Valéry
Producer
Jacques Bobet
Genre
Comedy
Interest
Classics
Original Language
French
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
An Officer of the Order of Canada, Smith’s credits include award-winning TV docudramas such as Dieppe, Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, and the Gemini Award-winning The Boys of St. Vincent. He also directed numerous feature films, including Sitting in Limbo, which won Best Canadian feature at TIFF in 1986, Dangerous Minds, A Cool Dry Place, Geraldine’s Fortune and Love & Savagery among others. In 2013, he won the Directors Guild of Canada Lifetime Achievement Award.
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
Goin’ Down the Road
Joey (Bradley) and Peter (McGrath) are best friends from a small town in Nova Scotia. With their seasonal work becoming scarce, they decide to pack up their meagre belongings and head west to Toronto, where they’re convinced better luck awaits them. Finding work at a soda bottling plant, the duo try to adjust to the decidedly different pace of life in the big city.
A charming yet realistic portrait of a very Canadian experience, Goin’ Down the Road is known as one of Don Shebib’s finest films, and has landed on the Toronto International Film Festival’s Top 10 Canadian Films of All Time list for four decades in a row.
Director
Donald Shebib
Writers
William Fruet, Donald Shebib
Cast
Doug McGrath, Paul Bradley, Jayne Eastwood, Cayle Chernin
Producer
Donald Shebib
Genre
Drama
Interest
Classics
Original Language
English
John and the Missus
But one obstinate miner (Pinsent) refuses to accept this fate — or the meagre government payout — and with the support of his “Missus” (Burroughs), decides to dig in his heels and stay behind in a seemingly futile attempt to save his town… and his home.
Unfolding slowly with deep affection for life in this remote town, John and the Missus is a true Canadian classic and features a tour-de-force performance from Pinsent, who won a Genie Award for the role.
Director
Gordon Pinsent
Pinsent was a Companion of the Order of Canada, recipient of three lifetime achievement awards, and Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals from the Governor General of Canada. A much-loved Canadian actor, writer and director, he began his career in the theatre. With over 150 acting credits on film and television, he played a broad spectrum of memorable roles, from the 1960s show Quentin Durgens, M.P., to the Oscar-nominated Away From Her. He wrote, starred in and directed iconic films such as The Rowdyman and John and the Missus, and won nearly 20 Gemini, Genie and Canadian Screen Awards over the course of his career.
Writer
Gordon Pinsent
Cast
Gordon Pinsent, Jackie Burroughs, Roland Hewgill
Producers
John Hunter, Peter O'Brian
Genre
Drama
Interest
Classics
Original Language
English
Exotica
Dark, engaging and with a brilliant ensemble performance from its many players, Exotica is one of Egoyan’s most engaging and alluring films. A hypnotic thriller about desire, obsession and loneliness, it won eight Genie Awards.
Director
Atom Egoyan
Egoyan is a Companion of the Order of Canada, and received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 2015 for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. He has produced a significant body of work in film, television, and theatre. He has won over 60 awards, and was nominated for 80 others, including two Academy Award nominations for The Sweet Hereafter. His films have screened at festivals and in major retrospectives around the world, and a number of books have been written about his work. His films include Exotica, Ararat, The Captive, and Seven Veils, among many others.
Writer
Atom Egoyan
Cast
Bruce Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Don McKellar, Arsinée Kahnian, Mia Kirshner
Producers
Atom Egoyan, Camelia Frieberg
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Interests
Classics, Cult & Offbeat Cinema
Original Language
English