Spotlight Sublist: 2023 - 9 - Dinner With a Celebrity
A Bear Named Winnie
It was during the early days of World War I that veterinarian Lieutenant Harry Colebourn (Michael Fassbinder) purchased a small bear cub and named her Winnie after his hometown of Winnipeg. As the specter of war looms heavy in the conscience of the citizens and children of London, Winnie becomes the star attraction at the zoo. When a man named A.A. Milne brings his young son to visit the zoo, the story of the bear and her friendship with a far away soldier inspires him to create one of the most beloved characters in the history of children's literature.
Director
John Harrison
Writers
Simon Vaughn, John Goldsmith, John Harrison
Cast
Michael Fassbender, Gil Bellows, David Suchet, Stephen Fry, Jonathon Young
Producers
Simon Vaughn, Kim Todd
Genres
Comedy, Family
Interest
History
Original Language
English
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 has recently directed episodes of Coroner, and executive produced and co-directed The Porter. He’s also the executive producer of the upcoming docs The Art of Dance and Emmanuel.
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
Louis Cyr: l’homme le plus fort du monde (Louis Cyr)
The top-grossing film of the year in Quebec, Louis Cyr won two Canadian Screen Awards and nine Jutra Awards, including Best Film.
Director
Daniel Roby
Roby’s feature film debut, La peau blanche, premiered at TIFF and went on to win the Canadian Screen Award for Best First Feature. He followed that with Funkytown, Louis Cyr (which swept the awards season) and Dans la brume. His most recent films are A Breath Away and Most Wanted.
Writer
Sylvain Guy
Cast
Antoine Bertrand, Guillaume Cyr, Rose-Maïté Erkoreka
Producers
Caroline Héroux, Christian Larouche
Genre
Drama
Interests
Biography, History, Sports
Original Language
French
Maurice Richard (The Rocket)
But this is much more than a sports movie. Director Binamé frames the story in a cultural context: It isn’t until Richard, a man of few words, begins to speak his mind about the inequalities and prejudice directed toward French Canadians that he finds his voice.
Many feel that the riots caused by Richard’s suspension in 1955 were the spark that fuelled the Quiet Revolution in Quebec. This hockey blockbuster is chock-full of heart and history.
The Rocket was nominated for 13 Genie Awards and won nine.
Director
Charles Binamé
Binamé’s Eldorado screened at the prestigious Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 1995. He also directs for hit TV shows such as Reign, Flashpoint, Rookie Blue and Republic of Doyle. His latest film, Elephant Song, won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Writer
Ken Scott
Cast
Roy Dupuis, Julie Le Breton, Stephen McHattie, Patrice Robitaille
Producers
Daniel Louis, Denise Robert
Genre
Drama
Interests
Biography, Discrimination, History, Social Justice & Politics, Sports
Original Languages
English, French
Maudie
The fragile but determined Maudie (Sally Hawkins) yearns for independence from her over-protective family and dreams of creating art. When she answers an ad for a housekeeper placed by a reclusive fish seller (Ethan Hawke), she gains more than just the freedom she wanted, as the unlikely pair develops a relationship that is intensely intimate and just as challenging.
A touching and inspiring story about following one's dreams in spite of life's obstacles, Maudie is an absolute charmer.
"Maudie breaks your heart with its infectious positivity." - Tomris Laffly, Time Out
Director
Aisling Walsh
Walsh's previous projects include feature films The Daisy Chain and Song for a Raggy Boy, as well as directing over a dozen TV movies and shows, including Room at the Top, which won a BAFTA for Best Miniseries, and the TV movies A Poet in New York and An Inspector Calls. She most recently made the TV movie Elizabeth Is Missing. Next she will be directing Ethel's Orchestra and producing The Ballroom.
Writer
Sherry White
Cast
Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke
Producers
Mary Young Leckie, Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke
Genres
Drama, Romance
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, ESL, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, History, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Long Time Running
Long Time Running chronicles the emotional and epic 2016 tour that The Tragically Hip embarked on after iconic frontman Gord Downie announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Intimate moments, behind-the-scenes and on-stage footage, personal interviews with the band and close friends reveal the heart-breaking final performances of that now-legendary final tour.
No other band encapsulated the rugged soul of Canada quite like the Hip, and it was completely in character for Downie – the everyman poet laureate of Canada – to go out on his own terms, with a powerfully galvanizing tour that delivered some of the most exhilarating performances of band’s history.
“Long Time Running, named after a languid blues song from the band's second album, is both a history lesson and a eulogy for a group with 16 Juno Awards to its credit.” – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and MailDirectors
Nicholas de Pencier
Baichwal and de Pencier are known for their CSA-winning docs, Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark and Anthropocene. They are frequent collaborators, with Baichwal directing and de Pencier as her cinematographer and producer. Their credits include The Holier it Gets, Act of God and Payback, and their newest film together, Into the Weeds.
Jennifer Baichwal
Baichwal and de Pencier are known for their CSA-winning docs, Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark and Anthropocene. They are frequent collaborators, with Baichwal directing and de Pencier as her cinematographer and producer. Their credits include The Holier it Gets, Act of God and Payback, and their newest film together, Into the Weeds.
Writer
Jennifer Baichwal
Cast
Gord Downie, Rob Baker, Paul Langlois, Davis Manning, Johnny Fay
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, Female Filmmaker
Original Language
English
Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry it On
A must-see for both lifelong and new fans of her work, this exceptional documentary premiered at TIFF in 2022 and was nominated for the DGC Allan King award for Best Documentary Film.
Director
Madison Thomas (Ojibwe/Saulteax)
Writer
Andrea Warner
Cast
Buffy Sainte-Marie (Cree)
Producer
Stephen Paniccia
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, History, Indigenous Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
La Bolduc
La Bolduc was one of the highest-grossing Canadian films of 2018 and was a nominee for the Prix Iris for Best Film.
Director
François Bouvier
Film and TV director Bouvier was nominated for the Best Director Genie in 1990 for his film Les matins infidèles. Since then, he has directed numerous television shows and films, including Histoires d'hiver and Maman Last Call, starring Patrick Huard. He recently directed the TV series Ruptures and the film La Bolduc. Currently he is completing work on the film La Cordonnière.
Writers
Frédéric Ouellet, Benjamin Alix
Cast
Debbie Lynch-White, Émile Proulx-Cloutier, Mylène Mackay
Producers
Valérie d'Auteuil, André Rouleau
Genre
Drama
Interests
Arts and Culture, Biography, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
French
The Grey Fox
After going in and out of prison for over 30 years after a career of stagecoach robbing, Bill Miner is released in 1901 to a completely new reality. Lost about what to do next, Miner finds his inspiration for his next great adventure from the film The Great Train Robbery. His plan to commit the first ever train robbery leads to a thrilling heist and an intriguing tale full of twists and turns.
Based on the true story of William Miner (nicknamed the Gentleman Bandit), The Grey Fox won 4 Genie Awards including Best Picture and has been included on TIFF’s top 10 list of the Best Canadian Films of All Time.
Director
Phillip Borsos
Borsos was a four-time Canadian Film Award, Genie Award winner, and an Oscar nominee. He released his debut feature, The Grey Fox, to much acclaim in 1982, at age 27. He also directed The Mean Season, One Magic Christmas, Bethune: The Making of a Hero and Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog, before his tragic death from leukemia at age 41.
Writer
Jonathon M.B. Hunter
Cast
Richard Farnsworth, Jackie Burroughs, Ken Pogue
Producers
David Brady, Peter O'Brian
Genres
Action/Adventure, Drama
Interests
Biography, Classics, History
Original Language
English