My first memories of Olena are
from our undergrad in Canadian cinema classes back at the University of
Ottawa – a period of taking Gary Evans courses on the NFB and John Grierson, and
going through the classic Canadian cinema books like those by Leach and Melnyk.
I’m no longer sure how exactly we
got there but I have a nice memory of attending that year's Genies (now the Canadian
Screen Awards) where we got to meet Dave Foley and one of the Passchendaele
producers (this was before either of us have seen it).
Fast-forward a few years and we’re
both living in Toronto working in the industry and it’s good to know
that the passion is still going strong. For Olena this includes working for both TIFF and Hot Docs in their Industry Programming.
Finally, I’m really impressed with the selection and variety on Olena’s list as it reflects a deep knowledge of Canadian cinema and a sincere appreciation. Thanks for contributing!
Finally, I’m really impressed with the selection and variety on Olena’s list as it reflects a deep knowledge of Canadian cinema and a sincere appreciation. Thanks for contributing!
Here’s hoping, what with all of the
current changes in film funding and production in this country, that new and
interesting works will keep on getting made. Though I’m sure that it will!
100 Best Canadian Films is an open series of
personal surveys of the history of Canadian cinema. Other lists includes those
by Dan Browne, Réalisatrices
Équitables and Films Fatales Montréal, Helen
Faradji, Fabrice
Montal, Stephen
Broomer, Paul
Corupe, David
L. Pike, Jerry
White, André
Loiselle, Paul
Williams, Greg Klymkiw, Pat Mullen, Jason Anderson, Daniel Kremer, Yves Lever, Piers Handling, Marcel Jean, Mike Hoolboom and myself. Please let me know if you’re
interested in contributing. – D.D.
***
Confessions
of a Canadianaphile
I
started off with good intentions. “I know a hundred essential Canadian works”,
I said with conviction. But my list of titles scribbled on a piece of paper
amounted to much more than a hundred.
I
tried to eliminate titles. “Perhaps I could neglect some of the classic films”,
I said to myself. Many names will surely be repeated on other lists in this
blog. But in re-watching works by Roman Kroiter, Arthur Lispett or Ryan Larkin
online, they still elicit wonder.
I
tried to compromise. “Perhaps, I'll just list feature films instead of
essential works”, I said in desperation. But denying that Kids in the Hall,
Emily Kai Bock or Simon Olivier Fecteau had any influence on the Canadian
cinema zeitgeist felt neglectful. Denying these works as essential reimagines
cinema as a silo, rather than a complex weave of references and influences.
I
resolved to cheat. And here we are: 150 essential works to mark what they say
is a 150 years, in chronological order to map the changing tides of the
cultural landscape. Everything from a harrowing doc showcasing the pov of a
rape victim; an Oscar-winning animated short film; a CBC television series
concentrated around mocking the CBC itself; and even an unnecessarily
controversial comedy (remember when that federal bureaucrat was fired for
organizing a screening of Young People Fucking?); there's
something for everyone. Some are the best; some are the most influential; but
all are not-to-be-missed. – O.D.
Olena Decock’s 150 Best Canadian Films
Year
|
Title
|
Director
|
Format
|
1952
|
Neighbours
|
Norman McLaren
|
Short
|
1954
|
Corral
|
Colin Low
|
Short
|
1954
|
Paul
Tomkowicz: Street-railway Switchman
|
Roman Kroiter
|
Short
|
1957
|
Chairy
Tale, A
|
Norman McLaren, Claude Jutra
|
Short
|
1958
|
Days
Before Christimas, The
|
Wolf Koenig, Terence Macartney-Filgate, Stanley Jackson
|
Short
|
1958
|
raquetteurs,
Les
|
Michel Brault, Gilles Groulx
|
Short
|
1961
|
Very
Nice, Very Nice
|
Arthur Lispett
|
Short
|
1962
|
Lonely
Boy
|
Wolf Koenig, Roman Kroitor
|
Short
|
1963
|
Pour
la suite du monde
|
Pierre Perrault, Michel Brault
|
Documentary
|
1964
|
À
tout prendre
|
Claude Jutra
|
Feature
Length
|
1964
|
Nobody
Waved Goodbye
|
Don Owen
|
Feature
Length
|
1965
|
Ladies
and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen
|
Donald Brittain, Don Owen
|
Documentary
|
1967
|
In
the Labyrinth
|
Roman Kroitor, Colin Low, Hugh O’Connor
|
Documentary
|
1967
|
Things
I Cannot Change, The
|
Tanya Ballantyne Tree
|
Documentary
|
1967
|
Warrendale
|
Allan King
|
Documentary
|
1968
|
Pas
de deux
|
Norman McLaren
|
Short
|
1968
|
Walking
|
Ryan Larkin
|
Short
|
1969
|
A
Married Couple
|
Allan King
|
Documentary
|
1970
|
Goin'
Down the Road
|
Don Shebib
|
Feature
Length
|
1970
|
On
est au coton
|
Denys Arcand
|
Documentary
|
1971
|
Acadie,
l'Acadie?!
|
Pierre Perrault, Michel Brault
|
Documentary
|
1971
|
Mon
oncle Antoine
|
Claude Jutra
|
Feature
Length
|
1972
|
Street
Musique
|
Ryan Larkin
|
Short
|
1975
|
Shivers
|
David Cronenberg
|
Feature
Length
|
1977
- 1993
|
Passe-Partout
|
TV
Series
|
|
1979
|
Brood,
The
|
David Cronenberg
|
Feature
Length
|
1979
|
Fast
Company
|
David Cronenberg
|
Feature
Length
|
1979
|
Mourir
à tue-tête
|
Anne-Claire Poirier
|
Feature
Length
|
1980
|
Sweater,
The/Le chandail
|
Sheldon Cohen
|
Short
|
1981
|
Not
a Love Story: A Film About Pornography
|
Bonnie Sherr Klein
|
Documentary
|
1981
|
confort
et l'indiférence, Le
|
Denys Arcand
|
Documentary
|
1983
|
Videodrome
|
David Cronenberg
|
Feature
Length
|
1984
|
Sonatine
|
Micheline Lanctôt
|
Feature
Length
|
1985
|
Anne
of Green Gables
|
-
|
TV
Series
|
1986
|
déclin
de l'empire américain, Le
|
Denys Arcand
|
Feature
Length
|
1986
|
Fly,
The
|
David Cronenberg
|
Feature
Length
|
1987
|
I've
Heard the Mermaids Singing
|
Patricia Rozema
|
Feature
Length
|
1988
|
Dead
Ringers
|
David Cronenberg
|
Feature
Length
|
1988
- 1994
|
Kids
in the Hall
|
-
|
TV
Series
|
1989
|
Jésus
de Montréal
|
Denys Arcand
|
Feature
Length
|
1990
- 1996
|
Road
to Avonlea
|
-
|
TV
Series
|
1991
|
Highway
61
|
Bruce McDonald
|
Feature
Length
|
1991
|
Montréal
vu par...
|
multiple directors
|
Feature
Length
|
1992
|
Léolo
|
Jean-Claude Lauzon
|
Feature
Length
|
1993
|
Kanehsatake:
270 Years of Resistance
|
Alanis Obomsawin
|
Documentary
|
1993
|
Thirty
Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
|
François Girard
|
Feature
Length
|
1993
- 2008
|
Royal
Canadian Air Farce
|
-
|
TV
Series
|
1993
- present
|
This
Hours Has 22 Minutes
|
-
|
TV
Series
|
1994
|
Double
Happiness
|
Mina Shum
|
Feature
Length
|
1994
|
Exotica
|
Atom Egoyan
|
Feature
Length
|
1994
|
Yes
Sir! Madame...
|
Robert Morin
|
Feature
Length
|
1995
|
confessionnal,
Le
|
Robert Lepage
|
Feature
Length
|
1995
|
When
Night is Falling
|
Patricia Rozema
|
Feature
Length
|
1996
- 1997; 2003 - 2005
|
The
Newsroom
|
-
|
TV
Series
|
1996
|
Hard
Core Logo
|
Bruce McDonald
|
Feature
Length
|
1996
|
Kissed
|
Lynne Stopkewich
|
Feature
Length
|
1996
|
Tu
as crié LET ME GO
|
Anne-Claire Poirier
|
Documentary
|
1997
|
Cube
|
Vincenzo Natali
|
Feature
Length
|
1997
|
Project
Grizzly
|
Peter Lynch
|
Documentary
|
1997
|
Sweet
Hereafter, The
|
Atom Egoyan
|
Feature
Length
|
1998
|
violon
rouge, Le
|
Francois Girard
|
Feature
Length
|
1998
- 2000
|
Twitch
City
|
-
|
TV
Series
|
1999
|
Emporte-moi
|
Léa Pool
|
Feature
Length
|
1999
|
Last
Night
|
Don McKellar
|
Feature
Length
|
1999
|
New
Waterford Girl
|
Allan Moyle
|
Feature
Length
|
2000
|
Maelstrom
|
Denis Villeneuve
|
Feature
Length
|
2000
|
waydowntown
|
Gary Burns
|
Feature
Length
|
2001
|
Atanarjuat:
The Fast Runner
|
Zacharias Kunuk
|
Feature
Length
|
2001
|
invasions
barbares, Les
|
Denys Arcand
|
Feature
Length
|
2001
|
Un
crabe dans la tête
|
André Turpin
|
Feature
Length
|
2001-2018
|
Trailer
Park Boys
|
-
|
TV
Series
|
2002
|
Bollywood/Hollywood
|
Deepa Mehta
|
Feature
Length
|
2002
|
FUBAR
|
Mike Dowse
|
Feature
Length
|
2003
|
La
grande seduction
|
Jean-François Pouliot
|
Feature
Length
|
2003
|
Love
that Boy
|
Andrea Dorfman
|
Feature
Length
|
2003
|
Mambo
Italiano
|
Émile Gaudreault
|
Feature
Length
|
2003
|
Saddest
Music in the World, The
|
Guy Maddin
|
Feature
Length
|
2004
|
Ryan
|
Chris Landreth
|
Short
|
2004
|
Shake
Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire
|
Peter Raymont
|
Documentary
|
2005
|
C.R.A.Z.Y.
|
Jean-Marc Vallée
|
Feature
Length
|
2005
|
Metal:
A Headbanger's Journey
|
Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen, Jessica Joy Wise
|
Documentary
|
2005
|
Water
|
Deepa Mehta
|
Feature
Length
|
2006
|
Away
From Her
|
Sarah Polley
|
Feature
Length
|
2006
|
Manufactured
Landscapes
|
Jennifer Baichwal
|
Documentary
|
2006
|
Monkey
Warfare
|
Reg Harkema
|
Feature
Length
|
2006
|
Une
dimanche à Kigali
|
Robert Favreau
|
Feature
Length
|
2007
|
Eastern
Promises
|
David Cronenberg
|
Feature
Length
|
2007
|
My
Winnipeg
|
Guy Maddin
|
Documentary
|
2007
|
Up
the Yangtze
|
Yung Chang
|
Documentary
|
2007
|
Young
People Fucking
|
Martin Gero
|
Feature
Length
|
2009
|
Cairo
Time
|
Ruba Nadda
|
Feature
Length
|
2009
|
Carcasses
|
Denis Côté
|
Documentary
|
2009
|
Invisible
City
|
Hubert Davis
|
Documentary
|
2009
|
J'ai
tué ma mère
|
Xavier Dolan
|
Feature
Length
|
2009
|
Polytechnique
|
Denis Villeneuve
|
Feature
Length
|
2009
|
Reel
Injun
|
Neil Diamond
|
Documentary
|
2010
|
Hard
Core Logo 2
|
Bruce McDonald
|
Feature
Length
|
2010
|
High
Cost of Living, The
|
Deborah Chow
|
Feature
Length
|
2010
|
How
to Be Alone
|
Andrea Dorfman
|
Short
|
2010
|
Incendies
|
Denis Villeneuve
|
Feature
Length
|
2010
|
Modra
|
Ingrid Veninger
|
Feature
Length
|
2010
|
Rush:
Beyond the Lighted Stage
|
Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen
|
Documentary
|
2010
|
This
Movie is Broken
|
Bruce McDonald
|
Feature
Length
|
2011
|
Café
de Flore
|
Jean-Marc Vallée
|
Feature
Length
|
2011
|
Edwin
Boyd: Citizen Gangster
|
Nathan Morlando
|
Feature
Length
|
2011
|
Hobo
With a Shotgun
|
Jason Eisener
|
Feature
Length
|
2011
|
Monsieur
Lazhar
|
Phillippe Falardeau
|
Feature
Length
|
2011
|
"Niagara Falls"
by Ohbijou
|
Jared Raab
|
Music
video
|
2011
- 2014
|
En
audition avec Simon
|
-
|
Web
series
|
2012
|
100
Musicians
|
Charles Officer
|
Short
|
2012
|
Boxing
Girls of Kabul
|
Ariel Nasr
|
Documentary
|
2012
|
Crackin'
Down Hard
|
Mike Clattenburg
|
Short
|
2012
|
End
of Time, The
|
Peter Mettler
|
Documentary
|
2012
|
Goon
|
Mike Dowse
|
Feature
Length
|
2012
|
Laurence
Anyways
|
Xavier Dolan
|
Feature
Length
|
2012
|
Lesser
Blessed, The
|
Anita Doron
|
Feature
Length
|
2012
|
Liverpool
|
Manon Briand
|
Feature
Length
|
2012
|
"Oblivion"
by Grimes
|
Emily Kai Bock
|
Music
video
|
2012
|
Rebelle
|
Kim Nguyen
|
Feature
Length
|
2012
|
Stories
We Tell
|
Sarah Polley
|
Documentary
|
2012
|
World
Before Her, The
|
Nisha Pahuja
|
Documentary
|
2013
|
Asphalt
Watches
|
Shayne Ehman and Seth Scriver
|
Feature
Length
|
2013
|
F
Word, The
|
Mike Dowse
|
Feature
Length
|
2013
|
Grand
Seduction, The
|
Don McKellar
|
Feature
Length
|
2013
|
Noah
|
Walter Woodman, Patrick Cederberg
|
Short
|
2013
|
Rhymes
for Young Ghouls
|
Jeff Barnaby
|
Feature
Length
|
2013
|
Sarah
préfère la course
|
Chloé Robichaud
|
Feature
Length
|
2013
|
Vic
+ Flo Saw a Bear
|
Denis Côté
|
Feature
Length
|
2013
|
When
Jews Were Funny
|
Alan Zweig
|
Documentary
|
2014
|
"Beat the Drum
Slowly" by Timber Timbre
|
Chad Vangaalen
|
Music
video
|
2014
|
Heartbeat
|
Andrea Dorfman
|
Feature
Length
|
2014
|
In
Her Place
|
Albert Shin
|
Feature
Length
|
2014
|
My
Prairie Home
|
Chelsea McMullan
|
Documentary
|
2014
|
Porch
Stories
|
Sarah Goodman
|
Feature
Length
|
2014
|
Tu
dors Nicole
|
Stéphane Lafleur
|
Feature
Length
|
2014
|
Valley
Below, The
|
Kyle Thomas
|
Feature
Length
|
2015
|
Bacon
& God's Wrath
|
Sol Friedman
|
Short
|
2015
|
Closet
Monster
|
Stephen Dunn
|
Feature
Length
|
2015
|
How
Heavy This Hammer
|
Kazik Radwanski
|
Feature
Length
|
2015
|
HURT
|
Alan Zweig
|
Documentary
|
2015
|
Ninth
Floor
|
Mina Shum
|
Documentary
|
2015
|
o
negative
|
Steve McCarthy
|
Short
|
2015
|
Sleeping
Giant
|
Andrew Cividino
|
Feature
Length
|
2016
|
Angry
Inuk
|
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
|
Documentary
|
2016
|
Jean
of the Joneses
|
Stella Meghie
|
Feature
Length
|
2016
|
Old
Stone
|
Johnny Ma
|
Feature
Length
|
2016
|
Operation
Avalanche
|
Matt Johnson
|
Feature
Length
|
2016
|
Stairs,
The
|
Hugh Gibson
|
Documentary
|
2016
|
"Miniskirt"
by Braids
|
Kevan Funk
|
Music
video
|
2017
|
Unarmed
Verses
|
Charles Officer
|
Documentary
|
