BC Archives - National Canadian Film Day

Head/End (2 min. 1967)

Landscape (8 min. 1969)

Variations on a Cellophane Wrapper (8 min. 1970)

Fracture (10 min. 1973)

Bricolage (11 min. 1984)

Narrows Inlet (10 min. 1980)

Migration (11 min. 1969)

Canadian Pacific I & Canadian Pacific II (9 min. 1974–75)

Local Knowledge (30 min, 1992)

Head/End (2 min, 1967)

Director

David Rimmer

Original Language

English

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British Columbia's Old Growth forests are virgin forests, untouched since the last ice age. They represent one of the last lines of defense against climate change, and contain scientific properties we barely understand - yet mismanagement and greed have left less than 2.6% of them standing. Only one of hundreds of valleys (outside of parks) remains entirely uncut on Vancouver Island - Fairy Creek (Ada'itsx). An indigenous led movement to prevent the cutting of this last Old Growth watershed has now become Canada's largest act of civil disobedience, and the government response has been alarming. The publicly funded Royal Canadian Mounted Police are aggressively disbanding and arresting the peaceful protesters blocking industry access to these ancient forests, despite numerous recent political conservation commitments to protecting at risk Old Growth forests in B.C. Rematriation follows concerned B.C. citizens exploring the confluence of scientific, cultural, economic and sociopolitical perspectives, as they take a stand to protect the last big trees from being cut down. Like peeling layers back from an onion, the lessons we take away reach far beyond the forests, permeating the very social fabric of Canadian identity.

Director

Alexi Liotti

Writers

Alexi Liotti, Colm Keating

Producers

Therese Goulet, David Keiss

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Environment, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

Steve Joe is a traditional archaeologist with the Moquohat Nation. Down on his luck, with bad things befalling him and others, Steve wants to set things right. The ancestors demand the repatriation of sacred artifacts so loved ones can finally be at rest, including a loved one whose tragic death haunts Steve in his sleep. Alas, the artifacts are in the hands of the dreaded Royal Western Canadian Museum, who's shipping the First Nations exhibition to Europe so "white peoples can gawk." So, turning to others on the Rez, Steve assembles a crack team of burglars while trying to bamboozle a wealthy and diabolical Russian mobster obsessed with collecting artifacts.

Director

Darrell Dennis

Writers

Leslie D. Bland, Harold Joe, Darrell Dennis

Cast

Graham Greene, Darrell Dennis, Tricia Helfer

Producers

Leslie D. Bland, Harold Joe

Genre

Action/Adventure

Interest

Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

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Ben Tyler (Jackson) is a young guy with a comfortable life, a good job as an English teacher and a sensible fiancée, Samantha (Balaban). When his doctor unexpectedly tells him he has cancer and “maybe two years, maybe one week” to live, Ben’s only chance is to start treatment immediately. Instead, he decides to buy a motorcycle and head out west.

A classic road trip movie featuring lots of Canadian icons (like Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip), One Week follows Ben’s journey from Toronto to Tofino. Along the way, Ben makes new friends and re-evaluates his life, his job and his upcoming marriage. As his fiancée and family back home struggle to understand his decision, Ben rediscovers himself, reawakens his old passion for writing and ultimately learns to appreciate life.

Director

Michael McGowan

McGowan made his film debut as a writer, director and producer with My Dog Vincent, and directed Saint Ralph, One Week, Score: A Hockey Musical and Still Mine, which was named by TIFF as one of Canada’s Top 10 films in 2012. He recently directed TV shows Reign and Between and wrote the film The Etruscan Smile. His most recent film, All My Puny Sorrows, premiered at TIFF 2021.

Writer

Michael McGowan

Cast

Joshua Jackson, Liane Balaban, Campbell Scott, Fiona Reid

Producers

Nicholas de Pencier, Jane Tattersall, Michael McGowan

Genre

Drama

Interests

ESL, Family Relationships

Original Language

English

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The final film in Carl Bessai’s Family X trilogy — following 2008’s Mothers & Daughters and 2010’s Fathers & Sons — tells thoughtful emotional truths touching on themes of jealousy, despair, affection and forgiveness. But this is a comedy, and it mines real relationships for honest laughs as four sets of siblings reunite, none of whom have been close in some time.

With a stellar cast (all of which collaborated on the film's script) including the late Cory Monteith, Gabrielle Miller and Amanda Crew, this lovably dysfunctional story presents a funny, off-kilter vision of familial connections and their intricacies.

Director

Carl Bessai

Writer

Carl Bessai

Cast

Cory Monteith, Gabrielle Miller, Amanda Crew, Tom Scholte, Dustin Milligan

Producers

Emily Alden, Carl Bessai, James Brown

Genre

Drama

Interest

Family Relationships

Original Language

English

Back to the Canadian Film Collection

In this honest look at the mythmaking of heroes and what later becomes of them, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Alan Zweig profiles Steve Fonyo, a man who ran across Canada at the age of 19 after losing a leg to cancer, following in the footsteps of Terry Fox, and raising millions of dollars for cancer research while doing so.

Although his charity marathon in 1984 was a glorious success, his subsequent exploits — precarious jobs and petty crimes —find him in a state of financial ruin in one of Canada’s toughest neighbourhoods. The unbelievable run that became his life’s greatest achievement is now a crushing burden.

Zweig’s rare and sensitive portrait of a complex one-time hero won the inaugural Platform prize at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

Director

Alan Zweig

Writer

Alan Zweig

Cast

Steve Fonyo

Producers

Peter Gentile, Mikey Lalonde

Genre

Documentary

Interest

Biography

Original Language

English

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This real-life adventure story is based on an actual Canadian WWII veteran and family man turned bank robber. Disillusioned by his post-war life, Eddie Boyd (Speedman) is torn between his desire to provide for his wife (Reilly) and his dream to go to Hollywood and become a star. Eddie is charming, ambitious and hungry for success, and ultimately turns to crime in order to attain it.

Eddie gets his start by recruiting a gang of small-time crooks and slowly turns them into a crack team of professional thieves. He launches a series of spectacular bank robberies, gaining notoriety and quickly becoming both a beloved national celebrity and public enemy number one. Part action-packed crime caper, part romance, this vibrant film brings an incredible true story to life.

Director

Nathan Morlando

Morlando’s first film, Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster, won Best Canadian First Feature at TIFF. He also directed Mean Dreams, which debuted in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. He recently produced Giant Little Ones and directed episodes of the show Cardinal.

Writer

Nathan Morlando

Cast

Scott Speedman, Kelly Reilly, Kevin Durand, Brian Cox, Charlotte Sullivan

Producer

Allison Black

Genres

Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller

Interests

Biography, History

Original Language

English

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When Arctic bush pilot Charlie Halliday (Pepper) is given two rare walrus tusks by a group of Inuit, he agrees to fly a mission of mercy, transporting a sick girl (Piugattuk) to a hospital. It’s the early 1950s, and the brash pilot has flown through the Arctic for years without seriously thinking about the people who live there or how they survive.

Everything changes when Charlie’s plane goes down in the wilderness, leaving him alone with the young girl. Forced to rely on each other, the two form a bond of friendship as the summer months quickly end and winter’s harsh conditions begin to take hold. Based on a story by acclaimed Canadian author Farley Mowat, this is a beautifully rendered tale, set in the gorgeous but desolate Arctic. Director Smith played a key role in an earlier Mowat adaptation, Never Cry Wolf.

“The Snow Walker is a powerful, poignant and transcendent film.” — Bruce Kirkland, Jam! Movies

Director

Charles Martin Smith

Actor/director Smith is known for roles in the 1973 classic American Graffiti and The Untouchables. He has directed episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Da Vinci’s Inquest, and his films include Stone of Destiny and Dolphin Tale. He directed A Dog’s Way Home, and most recently A Christmas Gift From Bob. He is currently completing the film Maybe This Time.

Writer

Charles Martin Smith

Cast

Barry Pepper, Annabella Piugattuk, James Cromwell

Producers

Rob Merilees, William Vince

Genres

Action/Adventure, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, ESL, Literary Adaptation, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

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Maggie (Karyn Dwyer) is happy with her life in Vancouver. She works at an LGBTQ+ bookstore owned by Frances (Anne-Marie MacDonald) and has recently fallen head over heels with a young artist named (Christina Cox). When the couple decide to take their romance to the next level and move in together, everything seems perfect.

That is, until Maggie’s recently-divorced mom Lila (Wendy Crewson) and brother Paul turn up at her doorstep, looking to stay with her. The unlikely foursome end up sharing Maggie’s Vancouver loft, and Maggie must decide whether to keep her relationship – and her sexuality – a secret, or reveal who she really is to her well-meaning but naïve and conservative mother.

“Anne Wheeler's sexy, funny, poignant film, from a bright script by Peggy Thompson, is a real charmer, with considerable brains.” – David Noh, FilmJournal International

Director

Anne Wheeler

Writer

Peggy Thompson

Cast

Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina Cox, Christina Cox, Karyn Dwyer

Producer

Sharon McGowan

Genre

Comedy

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ2S+

Original Language

English

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Welcome to Willard, an idyllic town in a 1950s parallel universe where the sun shines every day, everybody knows their neighbour and zombies carry the mail.

Visually captivating, sly and clever, Fido follows the Robinson family, who have been hesitant to get a zombie of their own even though everyone on the block has one. All that changes when Mom (Moss) buys Fido (Connolly), and the loveable brute becomes young Timmy’s best friend. Fido is a funny, satirical and refreshing movie with an all-star cast and a standout performance by Billy Connolly as Fido.

“Currie’s zombie comedy is in a class by itself.”
— Lori Fireman, NOW Magazine

Director

Andrew Currie

Currie attended Simon Fraser University and the CFC. His feature films Mile Zero and Fido garnered international acclaim and awards. He recently directed The Steps and produced the feature Indian Road Trip and the short film Cloud Striker. He is currently writing and directing the feature The Invisibles.

Writers

Robert Chomiak, Andrew Currie, Dennis Heaton

Cast

Carrie-Anne Moss, Billy Connolly, Dylan Baker, Henry Czerny

Producers

Blake Corbet, Mary Anne Waterhouse

Genres

Comedy, Horror

Interests

Cult & Offbeat Cinema, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

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Region: BC

David Rimmer From 1942 to 2023

Rematriation

The Great Salish Heist

One Week

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Sisters & Brothers

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Hurt

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Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

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The Snow Walker

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Better Than Chocolate

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Fido

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