Global Experiences Archives - National Canadian Film Day

Twelve-year-old Samir struggles to come to terms with his father’s death while participating in the funeral ceremonies that reflect both his family’s Muslim and Christian beliefs.

Director

Jay Kamal

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Maylin, a fantastic chef, is kept in the shadows by her father who gives her brothers credit for her cooking. When a local dignitary visits, Maylin gets a chance to step into the spotlight.

Director

Yuan Zhang

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, French

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Aurora (Noëlle Schönwald) is an environmental lawyer who flees to Canada from her home in Columbia after the death of her husband. With the help of a Canadian couple, she makes her way to Toronto, but her attempts to start a new life are challenging, and she comes to realize that the past is not so easily left behind.

Director

Lina Rodríguez

Writer

Lina Rodríguez

Cast

Noëlle Schönwald, Deragh Campbell, Natalia Aranguren

Producer

Brad Deane

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

In this compelling drama from writer-director Albert Shin, a wealthy woman from Seoul seeks to secretly adopt the unborn child of a troubled teenager from a desolate farm in the South Korean countryside. As the teenager’s pregnancy progresses, their business transaction becomes something that is far more complicated than they first expected.

Set against the misty South Korean countryside, the film treats its three subjects with equal affection, and Shin delivers an honest, powerful drama that packs an enormous emotional punch.

Director

Albert Shin

Writers

Pearl Ball-Harding, Albert Shin

Cast

Ji-hye Ahn, Hae-yeon Kil, Kyung-Ik Kim, Da-Kyung Yoon

Producers

Igor Drljaca, Albert Shin, Hyun Chan Yoon

Genre

Drama

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Language

Other Language

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Based on the award-winning novel by Canadian author Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey is the story of Gustad Noble (Seth), whose life is thrown into turmoil when he is asked by an old friend to deposit a large sum of money at the bank where he works. Set in Bombay on the eve of the war between India and Pakistan, Gustad’s troubles become an allegory for the chaos and upheaval occurring around him.

His son would rather become an artist than attend engineering school, his daughter has malaria and his wife (Razdan) spends an increasing amount of time with a neighbour that he fears is a witch. On top of all this, the local government threatens to tear down the wall surrounding his housing complex. Ingeniously, Gustad asks an artist (Chowdhry) to paint a multi-faith mural on the wall so believers of all religions will be compelled to save it. A rich and thoughtful portrayal of the power of spirituality and how to overcome even the most daunting of circumstances.

Director

Sturla Gunnarsson

Born in Iceland and raised in Vancouver, Gunnarsson earned an Oscar nomination for his debut feature doc, After the Axe. His films include Beowulf and Grendel, Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie and Monsoon, and he has directed hit TV shows such as Motive, Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Art of More, and most recently Schitt’s Creek and Ransom.

Writer

Sooni Taraporevala

Cast

Roshan Seth, Soni Razdan, Ranjit Chowdhry, Om Puri, Kurush Deboo

Producers

Paul Stephens, Simon MacCorkindale

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, History, Literary Adaptation, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

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, Lawrence Schiller

Writers

Yûichirô Miura, Judith Crawley

Cast

Yûichirô Miura, Douglas Rain

Producer

F.R. Crawley

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Global Experiences, Sports

Original Language

English

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

In Montreal's West Indian community, Pat (Dillon) shares an apartment with two unmarried mothers on welfare and is naturally jaded on the subject of men. But she soon finds herself involved with the hopeless Fabian (Gibbs). A high-school dropout, Fabian doesn’t stand much of a chance in the job market. His work at a local warehouse lasts just long enough to launch them both on the road to economic disaster.

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.

Writer

David Wilson

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

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

When Julie Keith finds a mysterious note in her box of Halloween decorations asking for help, it begins an adventure to find its writer in Masanjia, an illegal labour camp in China. A political prisoner as a result of his spiritual beliefs, Sun Yi details in his letter the physical and emotional abuse he’s been subjected to, and his message goes viral, leading to the closure of the camp.

Now free from the camp, Sun Yi begins to document his experience as a human rights activist while Julie, the recipient of his letter continues to raise awareness of his fight. Through their combined efforts, they seek to effect change against a Chinese government that is notorious for the suppression of differing ideologies.

“What begins as an unusual “message in a bottle” story builds to a powerful tale of human suffering, compassion and perseverance” - Kevin Crust, The Los Angeles Times

Director

Leon Lee

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

African rebels kidnap Komona (Mwanza) and force her to become a child soldier, but a miraculous event makes them fear that she has supernatural powers. Wonderfully played by Rachel Mwanza, whose performance is nothing short of a revelation, Komona’s trials and tribulations are compelling from start to finish. The topic of child soldiers is of course fraught with painful realities, but this story of a young “war witch” is an absolute tour-de-force of magic realism.

Montreal’s Kim Nguyen — who won several directing awards for his thoughtful work — travels a long way from Canada to tell this important tale.

A poignant and impossible love story filled with wonder, the film was nominated for an Oscar and won 10 Canadian Screen Awards.

Director

Kim Nguyen

Writer

Kim Nguyen

Cast

Rachel Mwanza, Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien, Serge Kanyinda

Producers

Pierre Even, Marie-Claude Poulin

Genre

Drama

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

French

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

A life in Canada, a secret past in Jordan. A dying mother (Azabal) in Montreal leaves separate letters to her twin children to be read once she passes away. Jeanne (Désormeaux-Poulin) is to deliver hers to the father the twins never knew, and Simon (Gaudette) is to give his to the brother they didn’t know they had. The siblings travel to the Middle East separately, where they uncover a startling and painful family history.

Incendies is the kind of film you’ll want to watch more than once. With intricate timelines and a family drama spanning two very different continents, the twists and turns of Denis Villeneuve’s celebrated adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad’s award-winning play are explosive, frightening and emotionally intense.

Winner of eight Genie Awards and nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Director

Denis Villeneuve

Writer

Denis Villeneuve

Cast

Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard

Producers

Luc Déry, Kim McCraw

Genre

Thriller

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences

Original Language

French

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Interest: Global Experiences

Baba (Drama)

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Roses Sing on New Snow

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So Much Tenderness

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In Her Place

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Such a Long Journey

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The Man Who Skied Down Everest

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Sitting in Limbo

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Letter From Masanjia

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Rebelle (War Witch)

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Incendies

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