Not to be missed : My Thesis Film: A Thesis Film by Erik Anderson

There's a truism in Canadian cinema which is that it's surprising it even exists. Just look at some of its major figures like Don Shebib, Joyce Wieland or even Patricia Rozema and you'd see that sometime throughout their career, and with good reason, that they've lamented the sad state of production, distribution and even reception in this country. However much cultural prestige they've been conferred, I would posit that all Canadian filmmakers are 'orphans' of a national media industry that was never that interested in fostering a domestic film industry with the goals of cultural expression or regional specificity. Instead you keep hearing about the creation of 'global' oriented 'content', while screen incentives keep being directed towards runaway American productions.

And if you've heard as many horror stories as I have from film production students about the difficulties they've encountered each step of their way to make their work and get it seen then you would understand how even just the completion of a project and then getting only one public projection could be seen as a success. 

And it's not that there hasn't been other interesting Canadian films that came out this year - I've seen more then my fair share, though I'm still wondering why... - but they seem to come out with a build-in ephemerality: Catch us if you can, or not at all...

With that in mind, I just want to signal a unique screening happening this week: I forget how many years exactly it has been in the making for - four years? or is  it five, or is it even more? - and how many requests I regret not taking up with its director, but Erik Anderson's thesis film, My Thesis Film: A Thesis Film by Erik Anderson, is finally getting screened in Toronto: On Wednesday at 6:30PM at the Lightbox. I can only speak for myself to say this is a cause for celebration and that I'm really excited to see it.

And it's another great sign of the uniqueness and perseverance of Toronto DIY filmmakers that so far this year they have already produced Fail to Appear, Mouthful, A Woman's Block, Spice it Up! and 22 Chaser (if I can indulge myself by including this gritty thriller). It's time for folks to start listening.