Grierson' S Orph An
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Expo' GRIERSON' S ORPH AN It is paradoxical and strangely typical that Canada's internationally In the 1960s, Canadian experimental film rose to renowned avant garde cinema can trace its origins to, of all places, international prominence and critical acclaim in ground- the Canadian government. As with most things cinematic in Canada, breaking works of Michael Snow (Wavelength), Joyce even experimental film began at the NFB. It was unwittingly Wieland (Rat Life and Diet in North America) and Jack nurtured by the very man whose approach to filmmaking would later Chambers (Hart of London). fuel the experimentalists' rebellion—John Grierson. When Grierson hired Norman McLaren, he had no idea that this quiet animator The tradition gathered formal and philosophical momentum in the would help to inspire a movement which radically opposes the 1970s and 1980s with Bruce Elder, David Rimmer, Ellie Epp, Al empirical principles of the documentary. Working with the cinematic Razutis, Chris Gallagher, Vincent Grenier, Peter Mettler, Barbara medium in entirely new ways, playfully and profoundly Sternberg and others. In addition to the continuing work of these foregrounding the artifices of his own image-making, McLaren directors, Sheridan College in detonated the very perceptual frameworks of the institution which Oakville gave rise to the "Niagara employed him and, in the process, opened up the possibilities of Escarpment" school. Rick Hancox, Canadian cinematic expression. That pursuit of possibilities remains Richard Kerr, Philip Hoffman, the chief characteristic of this other essential Canadian filmmaking Mike Hoolboom, Gary Popovich tradition—the experimental film and Steve Sanguedolce produced highly personal, autobiographical WAVELENGTH Rooted in early work while maintaining the European avant garde structuralist, experimental movements and influ- tradition. Into the 1990s, enced by the American experimental filmmaking, always restless and incorporating new avant garde cinema of image-making media into its open-ended forms, continues to offer the 1940s and 1950s, startling, influential work. Just as the documentary tradition once experimental filmmaking dominated the structures of fiction in Canadian cinema, now the in Canada began to formal and philosophical investigations, once the exclusive preserve emerge fully in the of the experimental film, are increasingly evident in recent Canadian 1960s. Although some narrative feature filmmaking. experimental work continued to be In under four decades, the produced inside the NFB elusive, protean experi- by McLaren, Arthur mental film tradition has Lipsett and others, the yielded a vast, complex and most significant avant garde filmmaking took place beyond the vital body of work essential Board. Concentrated primarily, but not exclusively in Toronto and to our understanding of Vancouver, experimental filmmaking flourished within the Canadian cinema. Then and independent film scenes, on university campuses, and in the now, experimental film burgeoning visual arts community. contests the assumptions of CANADIAN PACIFIC narrative cinema, the empirical claims of the documentary, and the validity of its own complex HART OF LONDON processes of image-making. The experimental accusation, boldly and often breathtakingly rendered, contends that audiences must challenge their very ways of seeing. Evolving in a creative dialectic with the documentary (in spite of Grierson or because of him), the rich and vibrant Canadian experimental film tradition continues both to construct and detonate images in order to investigate what is present and, perhaps, illuminate what is absent. III Tom McSorley T A K E 0 N E 51 176 Canada at the Toronto festival, which and Giles Walker) Gordon Sperling becomes the premier showcase for new My American Cousin (Sandy Wilson) Carry on Sergeant! He launched the One Magic Christmas Canadian cinema. (Phillip Borsos) Director and producer. Born, Canadian Cameo series of theatrical ■ Atom Egoyan shoots his first feature, Paradise (Ishu Patel) Toronto, 1900. Starting with the shorts at ASN in 1935 and Next of Kin, marking the beginning of Ontario's New Wave. Ontario Motion Picture Bureau in continued to direct and produce ■ La guerre des tuques/The Dog Who Stopped 1924, Sparling had a 40 year the series until 1954. During the the War, Demers's first Tales for All for Les 1986 career at the Canadian Govern- war, he was the head of the Productions la Fete, is released. ment Motion Picture Bureau and Canadian Army Film and Photo ■ The Terry Fox Story wins the Best Film Events: the Associated Screen News. Unit making propaganda films for and Strange Brew the Golden Reel ■ Drabinsky sells 49 per cent of During the 1930s, he was virtually the war effort. He returned to ASN Award at the Genies. Cineplex Odeon to MCA Inc., the the only creative filmmaker in the and remained with the studios ■ Cynthia Scott's Flamenco at 5:15 wins for parent company of Universal Studios, Canadian commercial film until the production department Best Documentary Short, and Atlantis effectively putting Cineplex under industry and was the editor on was dosed down in 1957. Films of Toronto wins Best Live Action American control. Short for Don McBrearty's Boys and Girls. ■ Telefilm Canada announces a $165- million Feature Film Fund over five FILMS years to assist in the production and distribution of feature films. ■ Donald and Kiefer Sutherland The Bay Boy (Daniel Petrie) The MPAA signs an agreement with The Blood of Others (Claude Chabrol) the Province of Quebec (Bill 109) by La femme de !'hotel (Lea Pool) which only Quebec distributors will be Flamenco at 5:15 (Cynthia Scott) allowed to distribute foreign films in the Donald: Actor. Born, St. John, N.B., 1934. Kiefer: Actor. province. This effectively bars English- La guerre des tuques (Andre Melancon) Born, London, U.K., 1967. Donald is indisputably one of the Canadian distributors from operating in Low Visibility (Patricia Gruben) world's most versatile actors. From bit parts to leading roles, Next of Kin (Atom Egoyan) Quebec. ■ from American potboilers to European art house cinema, from Sonatine (Micheline Lanct5t) The Ontario Film Development Corporation comes into being with Klute to M*A*S*H to Fellini's Casanova to Ordinary People to Wayne Clarkson as its first director. Bethune: The Making of a Hero, Sutherland's career spans a vast ■ The National Screeb Institute, based and open cinematic terrain. Since making his screen debut in 1985 in Edmonton, is formed and the Local 1964, Sutherland's unique screen presence has made him Heroes Film Festival begins. much in demand. He has produced a body of work which is as ■ Events: With the tragic suicide of Claude Jutra, beguilingly diverse as it is lengthy. Son Kiefer appears to have ■ Robert Lantos and Stephen Roth of Canada loses one its finest film directors. taken the same approach, assuming a broad range of roles in ■ Denys Arcand's Le declin de l'empire RSL Productions join forces with John an equally eclectic number of films. Making an impressive Kemeny and Denis Heroux of ICC to americain wins the International Film Critics' Award at Cannes. debut opposite Liv Ullmann in Daniel Petrie's coming-of-age form Alliance Entertainment Corp. story, The Bay Boy, Sutherland the younger has become one of ■ ■My American Cousin wins the Best Film and After lengthy court appeals, the his generation's most consistent performers. Ontario Board of Censors is finally Nelvana's The Care Bear Movie wins the disbanded and replaced by the Ontario Golden Reel Award at the Genies. Film Review Board. ■ The Academy of Canadian Cinema FILMS becomes the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood (Andy Jones) ■Ishu Paters Paradise wins the Silver Bear at Anne Trister (Lea Pool) the Berlin International Film Festival. Dancing in the Dark (Leon Marr) ■ The Bay Boy wins the Best Film and Le declin de l'empire americain (Denys La guerre des tuques the Golden Reel Arcand) Award at the Genies. Loyalties (Anne Wheeler) ■ Charade by John Minnis of Sheridan Pouvoir intime (Yves Simoneau) College wins an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. FILMS 1987 Agnes of God (Norman Jewison) Events: Artie Shaw: Time is All You've Got ■ The Canada-Manitoba Cultural (Brigitte Berman) Industries Development Office (CIDO) The Big Snit (Richard Condie) and B.C. Film are established. Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. ■ Patricia Rozema's I've Heard the Banks (Donald Brittain) Mermaids Singing wins the Prix de la Crime Wave (John Paizs) jeunesse at Cannes. La dame en couleurs (Claude Jutra) ■ Brigitte Berman's Artie Shaw: Time is Joshua Then and Now (Ted Kotcheff) All You've Got wins an Oscar for Best The Masculine Mystique (John N. Smith Feature Documentary, Arcand's Le declin 52 SUMMER 1888 Nat Taylor Exhibitor, distributor, producer and journalist. Born, Toronto, 1906. An enigmatic, yet impor- tant figure in the development of a film culture in Canada, Taylor owned and operated the Twentieth Century theatre circuit, de l'empire americain is nominated for Best the largest of the independents, Foreign Film, and Norman Jewison receives 1989 and opened the world's first his third nomination, for Moonstruck. "twin" theatre in Ottawa in 1948. ■ Le declin de l'empire americain wins Events: With publisher Hye Bosin, he both the Best Film and Golden Reel ■ Drabinsky attempts to buy back launched the Canadian Film Award at the Genies. Cineplex Odeon from his American Weekly in 1942 and used the partners, but loses out