Jusqu’au déclin (The Decline)

Director Patrice Laliberté
Year 2020
Run Time 83min
Genre Thriller
A survivalist expert recruits a group of ordinary people united by fears of an impending societal collapse, and trains them at his remote lodge in the woods. When one of their training activities leads to a fatal accident, the group is divided about what to do and the tensions soon turn violent. Divided into opposing factions each with a full arsenal, they enter into a true fight for survival, one far greater than what they’d trained for.

"A first feature for director Patrice Laliberté and several of his principal collaborators, The Decline is lean, credible and well-crafted” - Dennis Harvey, Variety

Director

Patrice Laliberté

Writer

Patrice Laliberté

Cast

Guillaume Laurin, Marie-Evelyne Lessard, Réal Bossé, Nicolas Krief

Producer

Julie Groleau

Genre

Thriller

Original Languages

English, French

You Are Here: A Come From Away Story

Director Moze Mossanen
Year 2018
Run Time 84min
Genre Documentary

What would you do if 6,600 people unexpectedly landed in your small town with no place to stay? For the 11,000 people of Gander, Newfoundland, this incredible event happened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, when nearly 40 planes are rerouted and grounded there.

This documentary shows how this town in Newfoundland came together to feed, shelter and support all of the stranded airline passengers for 6 days.

With interviews from a selection of airline passengers and residents of the town, this emotional and inspirational documentary tells the incredible true story that inspired the smash-hit musical Come From Away.

Director

Moze Mossanen

Moze Mossanen is a director, writer and producer who has created a body of popular and critically acclaimed work that includes a unique blend of drama, documentary, music and performance. His films include Dance for Modern Times, Year of the Lion, Roxana, and Nureyev. His doc, Unsung: Behind the Glee, won one CSA, and You Are Here: A Come From Away Story, was released on HBO Canada and won two CSAs, including Best Documentary. 

Writer

Moze Mossanen

Producer

Peter Gentile

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, ESL, History

Original Language

English

Mon oncle Antoine (My Uncle Antoine)

Director Claude Jutra
Year 1971
Run Time 104min
Genre Drama
A small asbestos-mining town in Quebec of the 1940s is the setting for this legendary, bittersweet slice-of-life comedy.

Orphaned 14-year-old Benoît (Gagnon) arrives to live with a foster family and becomes a part of the exploits of village life, both comic and tragic. In the film’s set piece, Benoît goes with his uncle Antoine (Duceppe), the town undertaker, to collect the remains of a young lad, who must be buried despite an unrelenting snowstorm. Gagnon gives a hauntingly realistic portrayal of a young boy discovering life’s funny and tragic turns.

Often chosen as the finest Canadian film of all time, Mon Oncle Antoine won eight Canadian Film Awards, including Best Film, Director and Actor.

“In the loneliness and grandeur of the midnight journey of Benoît and Antoine, there is a haunting beauty.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Director

Claude Jutra

A prolific filmmaker, Jutra directed more than 30 productions, including Kamouraska, Surfacing (based on Margaret Atwood’s novel by the same name) and By Design. Mon oncle Antoine currently ranks second on the Toronto International Film Festival’s list of the top ten Canadian films of all time.

Writers

Claude Jutra, Clément Perron

Cast

Jacques Gagnon, Jean Duceppe, Claude Jutra, Lyne Champagne, Olivette Thibault

Producer

Marc Beaudet

Genre

Drama

Interests

Classics, Family Relationships

Original Language

French

Remember

Director Atom Egoyan
Year 2015
Run Time 94min
Genre Drama, Thriller
Thrilling yet emotionally powerful, Remember follows retired veteran Zev Guttman (Plummer), who is asked to fulfill his friend’s dying wish: to hunt down a Nazi that has escaped capture for decades following World War II, and thus close their painful, personal chapter of the Holocaust. But as Guttman suffers from memory loss, shining light on this history reveals secrets even darker than he could have expected.

A riveting journey that will keep you guessing until the very end, Remember’s engrossing twists and incredible performances are simply unforgettable.

“This is one of those rare mainstream releases that gets everything right, right down to its knockout ending.”
— Scott Marks, San Diego Reader

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

Benjamin August

Cast

Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, Henry Czerny, Bruno Ganz

Producers

Ari Lantos, Robert Lantos

Genres

Drama, Thriller

Interests

Discrimination, ESL, Family Relationships, History

Original Language

English

Into the Forest

Director Patricia Rozema
Year 2015
Run Time 101min
Genre Drama
Director Patricia Rozema has made a brilliant career telling stories about the lives of strong women, and Into the Forest is no exception. Based on Jean Hegland’s novel, Into the Forest tells the terrifyingly plausible story of a not-too-distant future where the power goes out for good, and two sisters (Page and Wood) must stick together in their isolated, rural home without gas, water, electricity or any of the technological conveniences that we take for granted.

As with many science fiction stories, the scariest thing isn’t the loss of power, but the quick disintegration of human society. Without electricity or fuel, the threat of a lawless and terrifying existence looms near, even in the remote woods that the sisters call home. Page and Wood deliver fabulous performances, showcasing a range of emotions as the limits of their sanity, safety and family are tested.

Director

Patricia Rozema

Rozema is a director, writer, and producer whose work has garnered 13 awards, including the Le prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival and two Emmys. Her credits include short films, television, and feature films such as I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Mansfield Park, Grey Gardens, and Into the Forest. Her film Mouthpiece was named one of TIFF’s Top Ten Canadian Films of 2018. 

Writer

Patricia Rozema

Cast

Elliot Page, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Minghella, Callum Keith Rennie

Producers

Niv Fichman, Aaron L. Gilbert, Elliot Page

Genre

Drama

Interest

Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Falls Around Her

Director Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe)
Year 2018
Run Time 100min
Genre Drama

When a world-famous Anishinaabe musician (Cardinal) returns home in search of peace and quiet, she finds that her international fame allows her no time to relax. As she tries to combat a constant series of requests for her time, she also begins to fear that she is being trailed by an unwanted pursuer. With her sister’s guidance, she manages to find happiness through her family, old friends and some unexpected new romance.

Falls Around Her was the opening gala film at the 2018 imagineNATIVE festival where it won the Audience Choice Award.

“Tantoo Cardinal is enthralling” - Samantha Edwards, NOW Magazine

Director

Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe)

Writer

Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe)

Cast

Tantoo Cardinal (Cree/Métis), Tina Keeper (Cree), Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis)

Producers

Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe), Jamie Manning, Simone Urdl, Jennifer Weiss

Genre

Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Indigenous Filmmaker

Original Language

English

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up

Director Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
Year 2019
Run Time 98min
Genre Documentary

On August 9, 2016, a 22-year-old Cree man named Colten Boushie was killed by a gunshot to the back of his head after entering a rural farm property in Saskatchewan with his friends. When an all-white jury acquitted the white farmer of all charges, the case received international attention and sent Colten’s family and community on a quest to fix the Canadian justice system.

Sensitively directed by Tasha Hubbard, this profoundly affecting documentary weaves a narrative encompassing the filmmaker’s own family story, the history of colonialism on the Prairies, and a vision of a future where Indigenous children can live safely on their homelands.

Nîpawistamâsowin was the opening night film at Hot Docs 2019, where it won the prize for Best Canadian Documentary.

Director

Tasha Hubbard (Cree)

Hubbard is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and an associate professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies. Her NFB documentary Two Worlds Colliding won a Gemini and a Golden Sheaf Award. She has also directed the short film 7 Minutes, and the feature docs Birth of a Familynîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, which won 14 awards, including the CSA for best documentary and Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs 2019. She is a founding director of the International Buffalo Relations Institute. Her documentary Singing Back the Buffalo won three awards and was nominated for four others.

Writer

Tasha Hubbard (Cree)

Producers

Tasha Hubbard (Cree), George Hupka, Jon Montes, Bonnie Thompson

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Discrimination, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Languages

English, Other Language

Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre (My Internship in Canada)

Director Philippe Falardeau
Year 2015
Run Time 108min
Genre Comedy, Drama
All eyes are on independent politician Steve Guibord (Huard), as he holds the swing vote on Canada’s decision to go to war in the Middle East. The pressure’s on from both sides of Parliament — and from his wife and daughter.

Frozen in the spotlight, Guibord’s closest ally becomes Souverain (Exantus), his naïve intern from Haiti, who commands the situation with playful quips, charming idealism and a good dose of humour.

Written and directed by Oscar nominee Philippe Falardeau, Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre’s satirical spin is a fun — and relevant — political farce. The film was nominated for three Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Picture, and earned the Special Jury Citation for Best Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Director

Philippe Falardeau

Quebecois director and screenwriter Falardeau has won more than 32 international awards for his films, which include Monsieur Lazhar, La moitié gauche du frigo, C’est pas moi, je le jure!, The Good Lie, Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre, and My Salinger Year. He also directed the TV shows Le temps des framboises, and Lac-Mégantic - ceci n’est pas un accident

Writer

Philippe Falardeau

Cast

Patrick Huard, Suzanne Clément, Irdens Exantus

Producers

Luc Déry, Kim McCraw

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Newcomer Stories, Social Justice & Politics

Original Languages

English, French

Jude (LeBlanc) is a nurse and single mom struggling with health issues while trying to raise her son, Ciel (Gordon). Ciel is a dreamy 12-year-old boy who loves music, magic and, of course, his mother. Silence (Johnson) is a middle-aged boxer who lands in Jude’s hospital after an illegal fight. Down on his luck but trying to turn his life around, Silence is lost until he meets Jude.

As Jude’s illness becomes more serious, Ciel learns to trust Silence, a new source of strength in their small, tight-knit family. Beautifully acted, shot in vibrant colour, and featuring an unforgettable soundtrack, Nurse.Fighter.Boy is sure to cast its spell on you.

Nurse.Fighter.Boy is a … gem of a movie.” — Liz Braun, Sun Media

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.  

Writers

Charles Officer, Ingrid Veninger

Cast

Clark Johnson, Karen LeBlanc, Daniel J. Gordon

Producers

Ingrid Veninger, Justine Whyte

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, ESL, Family Relationships, Sports, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

In July of 1990, the Oka Crisis was a critical moment in contemporary Canadian history and a turning point for Indigenous affairs. That summer, as the small Quebec community was thrust into the international spotlight, master filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin spent 78 nail-biting days filming the armed stand-off between the Mohawks of Kanehsatake, Quebec, the Quebec police and the Canadian army.

This powerful documentary takes you right to the heart of the action, painting a sensitive and deeply affecting portrait of the people behind the barricades.

Winner of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Best Canadian Feature Film prize.

Director

Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Legendary Abenaki filmmaker Obomsawin has made over 50 documentaries on issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Trick or Treaty?, Is the Crown at War with Us?, Our People Will Be Healed and Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger. Her most recent film is the short documentary Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair. Next, she is set to appear in an episode of Marie Clements' Bones of Crows: The Series.

Writer

Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Producers

Wolf Koenig, Colin Neale, Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Genre

Documentary

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Classics, Environment, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English