by Mathieu Ravier- the artistic director of Possible Worlds, Sydney’s Canadian Film Festival.
Which Canadian film have you seen recently? Most readers, even film buffs, might need a minute to answer this. Despite being vibrant, diverse and widely-acclaimed, Canadian national cinema isn’t as widely known as say, French or Italian cinema. When I moved to Australia six years ago I was surprised how few Canadian films made it onto the screens. Sensing an injustice as much as an opportunity, I programmed the first Canadian Film Festival in Sydney: Possible Worlds. After all, I thought, aren’t Canada and Australia siblings of sorts?
We have much in common. Historically, we are Commonwealth countries with strong ties to England. We are young, multicultural nations peopled by wave upon wave of immigrants. The custodians of our lands are Indigenous peoples who lived here long before the arrival of Europeans settlers. Today, Canada and Australia are modern democracies whose artists enjoy freedom of expression. We struggle to define and assert our cultural identity in the shadow of American cultural dominance. Our most original filmmakers strive to get their films financed and seen in a competitive market.
As a result of this kinship, Canadian cinema is strangely familiar to Australians, yet refreshingly different. The humour translates easily, for example. Our perspectives on the world are in line with dominant paradigms, but they also strive to stand out from the uniform noise of a mostly American-flavoured media and entertainment landscape. Perhaps because they can’t compete with US blockbusters and the global publicity machine that supports them, the Canadian films that succeed are the ones driven by stories that need to be told, by perspectives which are uniquely personal.
Canada’s point of view on the world informs a cinema that is truly global in scope. Recently Denis Villeneuve’s deconstruction of the conflict in the Middle-East, Incendies, won him much praise, including an Oscar nomination. UN corruption in Bosnia is the subject of The Whistleblower, which offers a great role for Rachel Weisz. Last Train Home took us on an unforgettable journey alongside China’s migrant workers. The Bang Bang Club, meanwhile, profiles the Pulitzer-winning photographers who captured the complex conflicts in Apartheid-era South Africa.
Supported by the great work done by the National Film Board and a strong public broadcasting system, Canadian documentary filmmakers keep impressing us with powerful, relevant and adventurous storytelling. Recently the fascinating transmedia documentary Out My Window was recognized for its innovative, trailblazing way to tell a story. After a first ever glimpse at Sydney’s Canadian Film Festival last year, Out My Window went on to win an Emmy and countless accolades worldwide.
Canadian genre filmmaking is also alive and well. Australian audiences have warmed to films showing a keen understanding of the codes and formulas of popcorn filmmaking, as long as they displayed an original take on genre. Hobo with a Shotgun gleefully updates 80’s exploitation, Splice has fun with Cronenbergian body-horror, Pontypool injects semiotics into zombie horror while Tucker & Dale vs Evil subverts the traditional blueprint of the college-kids-in-redneck-country movie.
A year ago, Xavier Dolan’s Heartbeats took the top prize at the Sydney Film Festival, and his newfound fans are eagerly awaiting his transgender drama Laurence Anyways, likely to surface at Cannes 2012. Quebec has always had a thriving film culture sustained by a self-sufficient French-language market. Recently, a new generation of young auteurs have impressed even the toughest critics on the international festival circuit. Sebastien Pilote’s character study The Salesman impressed at Sundance, while Stéphane Lafleur’s wintry road movie Familiar Grounds recently took top honours at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Both are confident, contemplative gems borne by a singular artistic vision. They are great examples of the current vitality and promise shown by new Canadian cinema.
10 new Canadian films you should see:
SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS – Ed Gass-Donnelly
This slice of gothic noir recalls the Coen Brothers but benefits from a young gifted director’s original vision. Screens in Sydney.
YOU ARE HERE – Daniel Cockburn
The debut feature by this accomplished video artist is a complex mind-puzzle which the reader must solve. Screens in Melbourne and Sydney.
FAMILIAR GROUNDS – Stéphane Lafleur
Dysfunctional siblings go on a strange road trip in this original, strikingly assured drama. Screens in Melbourne and Sydney.
TRIGGER – Bruce McDonald
Two middle-aged women reunite a decade after the implosion of their all-girl rock band in this nocturnal love letter to Toronto. Screens in Sydney.
DAYDREAM NATION – Michael Goldbach
A smart and sexy teen movie which refuses to stick too closely to formula. Screens in Sydney and out on DVD.
BARNEY’S VERSION- Richard J. Lewis
Paul Giamatti shines in this successful adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s acclaimed novel. Out on DVD in Australia 18 August.
THE SALESMAN- Sébastien Pilote
Powerful dramatic forces simmer under the surface of this simple drama about the life of a provincial car salesman in wintry Quebec. Screens in Sydney.
OUT MY WINDOW- Katerina Cizek
The lives of high-rise inhabitants around the world come to life in this evocative and playful transmedia documentary project. Screens worldwide on your computer.
TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL- Eli Craig
Redneck country. An isolated cabin in the woods. A bunch of good looking college kids from the city out for a good time. Sounds familiar? Think again… Out in cinemas now.
KEYHOLE- Guy Maddin
Maverick Guy Maddin (My Winnipeg)’s new opus, starring Isabella Rossellini and Jason Patric, could debut at Venice or Toronto film festivals this year. Coming soon.
Possible Worlds: Canadian Film Festival runs from August 8-14th in Sydney. Full details of the programme can be found on the Possible Worlds website.
Great article. Any plans to ever bring the Possible Worlds festival to Melbourne?
Thanks Andrew. It’s something we’re investigating for next year. We toured some films and guests to ACMI in 2007, and we’d love to spread the love to Melbourne and beyond. Sign up to our newsletter and we’ll keep you posted with developments!
Matt
How about coming to Canberra? The National Film and Sound Archive would offer a great venue, along with Dendy Canberra Centre. Plus the Canberra cinema-going public are very well informed and the city has an incredibly rich intellectual and cultural scene – many people would be sure to attend such a festival.
Thanks Matt. I caught a couple of the films in ACMI and luckily some other titles you mention are screening in MIFF but would be good to see some of the other films on a big screen. Will head on over and signup.
Thanks Martin, Canberra is also on the list. We toured there a few years ago, at a cinema which is now closed down. And you’re absolutely right, the recently renovated cinema at the NFSA would make a great venue.