If by some quirk of fate you haven’t heard, Canada is celebrating its sesquicentennial this year. In acknowledgement of the country’s 150th, the Toronto International Film Festival, The Cinematheque, Library and Archives Canada, and the Cinémathèque québécoise banded together to poll the nation’s movie critics, film historians and industry professionals. They came up with a list of the 150 favourites, ranging from feature films to shorts to animation and documentaries to experimental films.
For the last year, Vancouver’s Cinematheque (1181 Howe St.) has been screening the 150 selections in a program called Canada On Screen. To celebrate Canada Day, Cinematheque presents a full week of FREE screenings of some of the selections from the list. We’ve highlighted some below.
Anne of Green Gables—Originally show on CBC Television in 1985, this Emmy-winning (for Outstanding Children’s Program) miniseries is considered one of Canadian TV’s most enduring works. Cinematheque will screen the whole thing, all 199 minutes of it, in a new restoration.
Leolo—Jean-Claude Lauzon’s second (and last) feature was voted one of the ten best Canadian films of all time in a 2015 critics’ poll. The surreal 1992 film about a dysfunctional family is presented in a new restoration.
Dead Ringers—In 1988, Canadian horror-meister David Cronenberg (Rabid, Shivers, Videodrome) delivered up one of his most profoundly uncomfortable films yet. This psychological thriller that explores the lives of identical twins, Elliot and Beverly Mantle (both played by Jeremy Irons), both world-renowned gynaecologists. Quebecois actress Genevieve Bujold plays Claire, the beautiful actress who comes between the two. 35mm print.
Goin’ Down the Road—In Daniel Shebib’s groundbreaking 1970 movie, two Maritimers strike out for the bright lights of Toronto. Goin’ Down the Road is paired with the animated short Log Driver’s Waltz (1979).
Along with these films, Cinematheque is also screening Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, Canadian Rhapsodies: A Canada On Screen Shorts Programme, My Winnipeg, La vie revée (Dream Life), Reason Over Passion (La raison avant la passion), Mommy, The Sweet Hereafter, and Mon Oncle Antoine.
For info on more screenings, times and tickets, visit cinematheque.ca.
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