The Toronto Fall Season kicks off at Marshall McLuhan

On November 17th, 2009, we kicked off our fall season in Toronto, and things suddenly got so hectic that I no longer had time to write. Now I'm catching up.

The first day of our Toronto run of festivals was at Marshall McLuhan CSS. We've been to McLuhan a few times, and it's always a blast. The volunteers are always amazing, and the turnout we had was pretty spectacular. Imagine 600 students attentively watching Meatballs in a school gym outfitted with a huge screen and powerful digital projector? At McLuhan, they didn't need to imagine it. Meatballs was our Morning Gala, and REEL CANADA Executive Director Jack Blum was on hand along with REEL CANADA Facilitator Norma Dell'Agnese to answer questions after the film. Jack and Norma both happen to be stars of Meatballs, which is currently celebrating it's 30th anniversary, and remains one of Canada's most popular films ever.

Here are Jack and Norma being introduced by a couple of super-star student volunteers:


Meanwhile, across the hall, producer Niv Fichman was wowing students after a screening of The Red Violin with his stories of what it takes to get a film made in Canada. Niv brought the famous violin for show & tell, and left with a few would-be filmmakers' screenplays in his hands.



Tara Spencer-Nairn, the star of New Waterford Girl and Corner Gas (among many other movies and TV shows) was kind enough to participate in a special "spotlight appearance" that we cooked up, which gave her a chance to talk to students about what it's like to work in the film industry, and answer their questions. Tara showed a few clips of her work and let the students guide the discussion. It was an informative, eye opening chat, and we sure hope she'll come out to do it again sometime!

Here's Tara with Niv Fichman and that famous violin:


In the afternoon, young environmental activist and journalist Emily Hunter came to talk to students about conservation, ecology and doing something about the issues you believe in, after a screening of Sharkwater. Check out more about Emily and her work on her website. Here she is after an inspiring Q&A with about 500 students.



The most overwhelming and incredible part of the day came at the end, when the talented, beautiful and incredibly sweet [mega-superstar] Lisa Ray came to present Deepa Mehta's Water, in which she starred. Lisa is an internationally renowned actress, and she's probably one of the most gracious and lovely guests we've ever been lucky enough to host. Lisa is currently battling a rare form of cancer, and you can read more about her incredibly inspiring journey and outlook on life on her blog, http://lisaraniray.wordpress.com. While Lisa mainly talked about her work and not her personal life, her very presence was an inspiration and a reminder of the resilience, grace and strength people are capable of showing during difficult times. For me personally, meeting Lisa Ray was probably the most affecting moment ever at REEL CANADA.

Here's Lisa with a group of fans at Marshall McLuhan, holding the school mug they've just presented her with.



Stay tuned tomorrow for a post about our day at Monarch Park CI.

PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI Opens Tonight

Hi everyone,

We still haven't had time to sift through our photos and videos from the amazing day we had in Windsor earlier this week, but I wanted to update you on a great festival that we just had at Northern Secondary School in Toronto.

Northern is a REEL CANADA alumni - with two festivals under their belt, this year the school took on the challenge of mounting their own festival with a bit of help from us. The school organized their own projectors, screens and crew to staff the screening rooms, and showed four films today to a group of senior media, drama and English students. We provided REEL CANADA catalogues, DVDs, facilitators, lots of advice, and of course, help in finding some very cool guests.

Citizen Duane, a comedy about a young man who decides to run for mayor of his town, played to a packed house. Actor Devon Bostick (currently starring in Saw VI, for the horror fans) came out to the school to talk to students about his experiences in the film business, which he's been in since he was in grade one.

An enthusiastic crowd was on the edge of their seats for a screening of Pontypool, which was preceeded by a terrific short film called Deadspiel - a truly Canadian take on the zombie genre, in which the zombies are all members of a curling team. Director Jay Molloy was on hand to answer questions about his award winning short, which was recently named Best Zombie Short at the Toronto's Zombie Short Film Festival.

We also played One Week, and producer Avi Federgreen talked to students about working in the Canadian film business, and how he abandoned a lucrative career in computers to pursue his passion of working in film. An inspiring discussion for the aspiring filmmakers in the crowd.

The big story of the day, though, was our screening of the new Canadian documentary Prom Night in Mississippi.

In 1997, Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman offered to pay for the senior prom at Charleston High School in his home town in Mississippi under one condition: the prom had to be racially integrated. His offer was ignored. In 2008, Freeman offered again. This time the school board accepted, and history was made. Canadian filmmaker Paul Saltzman followed the students, teachers and parents in the lead-up to this very big day in the history of a small town.


Saltzman came out to Northern with his producer, Patricia Aquino, to talk to students about the film. Prom Night in Mississippi opens theatrically in Toronto tonight, so students at Northern got a sneak peak at this doc hours before the public audience. Tonight, Morgan Freeman himself will be coming into town for a special benefit screening to kick off the film's release. If you'd like to see the film for yourself, here are some upcoming screening times at theatres around the GTA:

Kennedy Commons 2
(Kennedy Rd & 401, 416-335-5323)
Nov 13, 2009 - 3:35 , 5:45 , 7:55 , 10:05
Nov 14, 2009 - 11:15 AM , 1:25 , 3:35 , 5:45 , 7:55 , 10:05
Nov 15, 2009 - 11:15 AM , 1:25 , 3:35 , 5:45 , 7:55 , 10:05
Nov 16, 2009 - 3:35 , 5:45 , 7:55 , 10:05
Nov 17, 2009 - 3:35 , 5:45 , 7:55 , 10:05
Nov 18, 2009 - 3:35 , 5:45 , 7:55 , 10:05
Nov 19, 2009 - 3:35 , 5:45 , 7:55 , 10:05

SilverCity Mississauga
(Hwy 5, east of Hwy 403, 905-569-3373)
Nov 13, 2009 - 12:15 , 3:50 , 6:40 , 9:20
Nov 14, 2009 - 12:15 , 3:50 , 6:40 , 9:20
Nov 15, 2009 - 12:15 , 3:50 , 6:40 , 9:20
Nov 16, 2009 - 3:50 , 6:40 , 9:20
Nov 17, 2009 - 3:50 , 6:40 , 9:20
Nov 18, 2009 - 3:50 , 6:40 , 9:20
Nov 19, 2009 - 3:50 , 6:40 , 9:20

Varsity
(55 Bloor St W, 416-961-6303)
Nov 13, 2009 - 1:30 , 4:10 , 9:30
Nov 14, 2009 - 1:30 , 4:10 , 7:00 , 9:30
Nov 15, 2009 - 1:30 , 4:10 , 7:00 , 9:30
Nov 16, 2009 - 1:30 , 4:10 , 7:00 , 9:30
Nov 17, 2009 - 1:30 , 4:10 , 7:00 , 9:30
Nov 18, 2009 - 1:30 , 4:10 , 7:00 , 9:30
Nov 19, 2009 - 1:30 , 4:10 , 7:00 , 9:30

For more info, you can also check out the film's website, www.promnightinmississippi.com.

Feore Your Consideration...

My colleague Mark and I are currently at the train station in Windsor waiting for our ride back home after an amazing festival day here. It's been a long and really fantastic couple of days, so stay tuned here for photos and reports about it in the coming days.

Meanwhile, here's a little story for you. While setting up for our REEL CANADA Festival here in Windsor, I noticed a star for Colm Feore (a Windsor native) on their walk of fame:



The star was right in front of the (really beautiful) Capitol Theatre, where we were holding our event:



By coincidence, we were screening on of Colm Feore's films there in the afternoon. Bon Cop Bad Cop:



At the end of the screening, our Facilitator Norma Dell'Agnese asked the students to name the (American) sci-fi film that Feore co-starred in with Vin Diesel. The sharp Windsorites got it right away. Hint: this was outfit ...



While Colm was unfortunately unable to be with us in Windsor for this screening, he has been a great supporter of REEL CANADA, and has come out to schools in the past. Here he is with some student volunteers at Parkdale C.I. in Toronto last year:



That's it for our little photo-spotlight on Windsor's own Colm Feore. Next up on the RC blog, we'll share some video clips with you of a Windsor Q&A with filmmakers Adam Brodie and Dave Derewlany (check them out at www.adamanddave.com).

WINDSOR FILM CHOICES ANNOUNCED!

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, we're launching our season with a nine school event in Windsor, Ontario, on Tuesday - in fact, less than three days away!

We're heading out there on Monday November 9th to set up our travelling roadshow in the beautiful and historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Windsor. On the morning of November 10th, students from nine high schools across he public and Catholic school boards will be descending on the place to watch three films over the course of the day.

Windsor's films are going to be:

Bon Cop Bad Cop

This action packed comedy about two very different policement who are thrown together to solve a crime committed right on the Quebec / Ontario border is sure to be a hit. When it was added to our catalogue in Season Three, it was REEL CANADA's #1 film of the year - and it's remained popular ever since.


How She Move

How She Move is an inspirational story with a solid dance core which is full of wild choreography and booming rhythms. The best news is, we're bringing two of the talented young dancer / actors from the film to talk to the students! If we're lucky, maybe they'll even dance for us.



Pontypool

Scary, spooky and suspenseful, Pontypool plays with words and meanings and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end! At least one of the stars of Pontypool will be with us in Windsor ... possibly a couple! Wait until the 10th for the final reveal.


As a special bonus, we will also be featuring the short films of Toronto based comedians and filmmakers Adam & Dave. You can check out their stuff at www.adamanddave.com. They'll be with us in Windsor to show some of their short films and talk to students.

Check back here next week for exclusive photos, interviews and reviews of the Windsor event!

OUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SEASON!

Dear friends,

It has been a very hectic summer and early fall at REEL CANADA headquarters. We've been busy moving into a fabulous new office (here's a picture I took of my desk, on my phone - I'm especially pleased about the amazing poster for the Canadian classic The Rowdyman that I managed to find - it stars Gordon Pinsent, who is also in the REEL CANADA film Away From Her):




It's been a while since we have written to you, so let me update you on our fabulous Fall Season plans.

First of all, check out the beautiful cover of our Fifth Edition catalogue. You might recognize Joshua Jackson on the front cover. He stars in One Week, one of the awesome Canadian films that we've added to our catalogue this year.



We're going to be launching our Fall Season in Windsor Ontario with a nine school event at their historic Capitol Theatre on November 10th - less than a week away!!!

The following week, we're kicking off our Toronto dates, with the following four schools:

--> Marshall McLuhan C.S.S. on Tuesday November 17th

--> Monarch Park C.I. on Thursday November 19th

--> Woodlands School (in Mississauga) on Tuesday November 24th

--> Ursula Franklin Academy on Thursday November 26th.

In the next couple of days, I'll be announcing each school's film selections and giving you a sneak peek at the special guests and workshops we have in store for them.

But wait, there's more!

On December 2nd, we'll be doing an event in Pemberton, B.C., in association with the Whistler Film Festival. We're thrilled to be going to this new community, and we can't wait to bring you the scoop on that event.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for my next post, which will reveal the film picks from the students in Windsor.

- Kat

REEL CANADA FILM REVIEW: The Snow Walker

film reviewed by Jenny Shen of Earl Haig Secondary School.

Set in around 1953, The Snow Walker stays true to its name, portraying a vividly poignant tale of survival and redemption in the cold Arctic tundra. With vast, breathtaking shots, and lively, well-casted characters, this cinematic adaptation of Farley Mowat’s short story, Walk Well My Brother, is certainly one to steal the hearts of nature lovers and cultural enthusiasts.

Director Charles Martin Smith – who has acted in Never Cry Wolf, another film inspired by a Farley Mowat story – shows a unique and visionary perspective to living at one with nature and finding peace within oneself. In The Snow Walker, Barry Pepper plays the cocky bush pilot Charlie Halliday, who, during a routine job, comes across an Inuit family seeking aid for a sickly woman, Kanaalaq (Annabella Piugattuk). Bribed into the deal, Charlie promises to bring her to Yellowknife for medical treatment, taking both Kanaalaq and a set of ivory tusks. However, Mother Nature has other plans, and as the pair fly their way across the desolate land, a storm unfurls, taking out an engine and crashing the plane. Lost and stranded, a frustrated and ever-arrogant Charlie sets out to find the nearest town, deserting his new companion under an oath that he will send a plane for her. Nonetheless, as starvation, insects, and the elements take their toll, the rescuer becomes the rescued, and Charlie finds himself under the care of Kanaalaq, who has followed him. As the indigenous woman nurses him back to health, she shows him how to live off the land, reflecting its own beauty and resourcefulness in herself. As the duo journey on, they overcome language barriers, share hidden memories, and create an unbreakable bond of trust.

The Snow Walker is presented well, with a simple storyline that reaches out to most audiences. The musical score suits the brilliant scenery, and the dialogue is succinct and clear. The characters, on the whole, are entertaining and believable, and the routines and traditions of Inuit life are respected and accurate.

Even so, the film does have its flaws; namely, the superfluously antagonistic Pierce (Jon Gries), Kanaalaq’s arbitrary advances in the English language, and the frequent, sudden cuts from the main storyline to Yellowknife, where Charlie is presumed dead. Moreover, the black-and-white flashbacks, though pivotal to the plot, are rather lacking in terms of quality and transition.

Yet, in spite of all this, The Snow Walker shines through, quietly drawing in its viewers with poetic landscapes, lovely musical scores, and a compelling cast to boot. All in all, it is an exceptional story that, in its own bittersweet way, portrays the ageless instinct to hope and to live.

REEL CANADA FILM REVIEW - Bollywood, Hollywood

film reviewed by Lauren Clarke of Earl Haig Secondary School.

Deepa Mehta’s comical parody, “Bollywood / Hollywood,” combines the classic Hollywood romance with the eccentric and overbearing Bollywood culture and in turn gives us the conventional story line with a slight twist. Rahul is a “self designated techno geek” who is constrained by his family's expectations to marry a nice Indian girl. He decides to hire a woman, Sue (Sunita), to act as his fiancé and date to his sister’s wedding. And, of course, in typical Hollywood fashion they fall in love; not without some obstacles but fall in love they do. I would have liked to have seen a more expanded plot-line; it was a bit too simplistic and stereotypical for my liking. However the use of the “Bollywood” style music was delightful and complemented the story beautifully. The music and the love for the domineering and obnoxious typecast of the Indian culture drove the movie. “Bollywood / Hollywood” is a predictable movie, but you will have a few laughs along the way.

Looking Back at REEL CANADA 2008-2009: Glebe C.I., Ottawa, Ontario. March 11, 2009.

Another busy year of festivals and films is coming to an end here at REEL CANADA. Now that we have a moment to catch our breath, it seems like a good time to give this blog the kick-start that it deserves. In the coming weeks, I will be posting some student reviews and articles, as well as some news and information about what is going on in Canadian film and with REEL CANADA.

First, though, let's take a look back at our terrific 2008-2009 festival season.

On March 11th, 2009, the REEL CANADA film festival rolled into Glebe Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, Ontario. With the help of student volunteers and teaching staff, the REEL CANADA team transformed the Auditorium, Library and a lecture room into three Cinema venues. Students were treated to their choice of two screenings from a program of six.

In the auditorium, the first screening of the day was François Girard's The Red Violin. Writer/actor Don McKellar and producer Niv Fichman were on hand to speak with students after the film and to answer any questions about the film that they may have had. Don had already been busy that morning, with a screening of Highway 61 in the lecture room venue. Don stars in Highway 61, which is directed by Bruce McDonald. Students took part in a lively Q&A session with Don about the film.

Rounding out our morning, a screening of the acclaimed Québécois film C.R.A.Z.Y. took place in the Library. Our guest for the morning, Pierre-Luc Brillant, stars as Raymond Beaulieu in the film, the older brother of the lead protagonist. Pierre-Luc answered questions from the audience, fielding questions in both English and French.

The afternoon brought three new films to our Glebe cinema screens. Hockey epic The Rocket was shown as our Gala screening in the auditorium. Canadian film critic Tom McSorley was in attendance to chat about cinema with the students following the screening. Meanwhile, David Weaver's dark comedy Siblings was screening for students in the library venue. After the film, students took part in a filmmaking workshop with REEL CANADA Executive Director Jack Blum.

Our guests Don McKellar and Niv Fichman kept themselves busy during the afternoon session as well, attending a screening of Last Night, a film that was not only written by and stars McKellar, but was his debut directorial feature as well. He and Fichman, a producer of the film, took part in a Q&A session with students following its screening in the lecture room.

The REEL CANADA festival at Glebe C.I. this year was a great success. We offer our deepest thanks to our guests and facilitators, as well as all of our student volunteers, teachers and support staff. With your help, we were able to deliver a terrific program, open some eyes, and even survive a surprise visit from the CBC! (Please click here to view a CBC piece on REEL CANADA featuring some footage from our day at Glebe C.I.)

If you took part in the REEL CANADA festival at Glebe C.I., please feel free to leave a comment below, or to email me at mark@reelcanada.com with your thoughts and comments about the day. Next week, I will be posting another wrap-up of one of our events from this year, as well as a review of a Canadian film by a Canadian high school student! Stay tuned for more updates.

REEL CANADA Update: The News for the New Year

Greetings and Happy New Year from all of us here at REEL CANADA.

After a busy and productive autumn season for us here, we are hard at work gearing up for many exciting events and projects in the first half of 2009. Later on in this update, I'll be letting you know about some interesting new things happening with this blog in the coming months, and we'll also give you some information about our upcoming REEL CANADA days in Ontario!

November was a busy month here at REEL CANADA. We put on a multi-school festival in Windsor on November the thirteenth and held our first-ever REEL CANADA day in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Our upcoming REEL CANADA days commence with our visit to Glebe C.I. in Ottawa, Ontario on March 13. Following this, we have festival days lined up at Parkdale C.I., Northern Secondary School, R.H. King Academy and Ursula Franklin Academy, all located in Toronto, Ontario. To cap our 2008/2009 festival season off, we will be holding our second annual Cineplex day at (location) on April 15th. For this event, we will be hosting a number of schools from the Toronto area for a day of Canadian cinema on the big screen. We will post further updates on all of these events as the film line-ups become finalized.

In addition to all of our upcoming festival days, we are starting a new project with our blog. In order to capture the spirit of our program, we are inviting students to write reviews of the Canadian films that they have seen through REEL CANADA. They will be posted here to the blog weekly, and will be open to comments and discussion about the films. Our first round of film critics are being sorted out as we speak and we hope to post some student reviews as soon as possible. If you are a REEL CANADA participant from the past, present or future, and wish to submit Canadian film reviews to be included on our blog, please contact me at mark@reelcanada.com for more information. This also goes for any of our REEL CANADA participating teachers who wish to get involved.

We have much to do and much to look forward to. Please check back soon for more news and information, and for the first of our REEL CANADA student film reviews.

Thank you,

Mark and Kat
REEL CANADA

"Sharkwater", 2006, Rob Stewart

When many people think of sharks, they think of swimming alone at night while a cello line plays at an increasing speed and intensity. Soulless killers, they say! Row upon row of merciless, gnashing teeth! The very fabric of our darkest nightmares! When Rob Stewart thinks of sharks, he thinks of intelligent and sensitive animals fighting for their very existence as a species against a world that has misjudged them. He sees friends. And in his first feature film, Sharkwater, Rob Stewart does an excellent job of turning the perceptions of his viewers around.

Filmed over the course of Stewart's personal fight to protect these endangered creatures, this documentary pulls very few punches. The scenes of violence against animals is frequent and brutal. It will often leave you wondering how our species could care so little about other species. Whether on his own, or teamed up with organizations such as Greenpeace, Stewart's journey is an arduous one. Every conceivable obstacle is tossed at he and his colleagues thought the course of this film. Violence, legal problems, pirates (!) and even flesh eating disease are all nipping at Stewart's heels. In the end, though, he managed to bring a good deal of attention to an injustice that is being largely ignored in our world today.


Although it is his first documentary, Sharkwater is gorgeously shot. The underwater footage is consistently stunning. It is little wonder that Stewart's previous career had been that of an underwater photographer for some of the world's most prominent natural publications. He plunges with his camera directly into the action. Where most people would never dare explore, Stewart is there, swimming amongst the sharks with absolutely no fear. It is fascinating to watch the sharks swim up to him, curiously, as he reaches out to pet them on the snout. It truly challenges the traditional perception that we have been dealt regarding these creatures.

Sharkwater is not a joyful film. While it is beautiful to see the oceanic world come alive onscreen, the dire message and visceral scenes of animal cruelty are not for the faint of heart. This film will confront you and perhaps make you question where you stand in the sphere of animal rights. That being said, every good documentary should cause the viewer to ask questions, and Sharkwater raises them at every turn.

Windsor film choices announced!

Hey REEL CANADIANS,

We're one week and two days away from our very first REEL CANADA festival of the 2008-09 school year.

The season launches on Thursday November 13th in lovely Windsor, Ontario where eight schools will be participating in the day - all watching the same films and hooking up for webcast Q&As with our special guests. Here's what the students in Windsor selected:

In the morning, a program of short films, including:
- The Big Charade
- The Cat Came Back
- Evelyn: The Cutest Evil Dead Girl
- Hardwood
- I Met The Walrus (Academy Award nominee)
- Knight of Atomikaron + The Wrong Number (with filmmakers Adam Brodie and Dave Derewlany in attendance - that's them in the photo!!)
- Milo 55160 (with director David Ostry in attendance!!)
- Terminus

In the afternoon, the Windsorites will be watching Fido, a quirky zombie comedy that teaches us all a valuable lesson: just 'cause you might be hungry for brains doesn't mean you can't be a nice guy. Fido was directed by Vancouer-based filmmaker Andrew Currie and stars the hilarious Billy Connolly, along with Canadians Henry Czerny and Carrie-Anne Moss (of The Matrix). Canada has an international reputation for producing awesome horror films, but this light-hearted take on the zombie genre is full of laughs and will win over even the most squeamish among you - we promise!

We're bringing Rob Gray to Windsor with us for a live Q&A at Brennan, one of our host schools. The Q&A will be broadcast via webcast to all the other schools, and students from all eight schools will be able to ask questions and participate. Rob is the talented Production Designer responsible for Fido's fabulous look and slick style.

Check back here next week for reports from Windsor, including photos, interviews with our guests and more!

- kat

"Les Boys", 1997, Louis Saia

Canada's game! A war of sticks & blades! A story of blood, sweat and beers!

"Les Boys" is the quintessential sports movie. Like many other films of it's sort, it follows a ragtag group of shlubs in their struggle to achieve an unlikely goal. While it does fall victim to many of the trappings and clichés of its Hollywood counterparts (the group of hilariously mismatched teammates with questionable athleticism, the "dire situation", the "big game"), "Les Boys" manages to pull itself away from the pack by incorporating a thick and very distinct Quebecois flavour.

Director Louis Saia does a great job of infusing the numerous characters with memorable personalities, which is no easy task with a cast of this size. There is enough time spent with most of the characters, that you have a feel for what makes them tick by the end of the film. It's no small surprise that these characters (and the film itself) became so well-loved in Quebec that they went on to be included in three sequels!

The plot, admittedly, is by-the-numbers sports comedy fare. Pub-owner and team coach, Stan, gets himself into some hot water with local gangster and overall bad apple, Méo. Méo agrees to call the debt off if Stan's team, "Les Boys", can beat his team. However, if "Les Boys" lose, Stan loses his pub. After a sizable amount of introductory and character-based scenes establish "Les Boys" as a group of goofy, predominantly middle aged men, it becomes apparent that they must fight - and win - against Méo's team of obvious ringers and bruisers.

While we have all seen movies with similar (possibly nearly identical) plot lines, "Les Boys" manages to stay charming and entertaining throughout. It also delves into some subject matter that you would rarely see explored in a sports film (certainly not in an American sports film). I won't spoil that for you, though. If you've enjoyed films portraying the battle of the "everyman" against insurmountable odds (for questionable ends) in the past, then I can certainly recommend that you check out "Les Boys". Even if just for some innovative and exotic new insults to throw at your friends while out on the ice.

REEL CANADA News Update

Hey Folks,

This is just a quick update on what we at REEL CANADA have been up to lately:

A new season of REEL CANADA begins with visits to Windsor (Nov 13) and Vancouver (Nov 25), so we are gearing up for those now! As well, we're printing a new version of our catalogue, with FIVE new exciting film additions (Away From Her, Citizen Duane, The Corporation, How She Move, Sharkwater).

I've seen a couple of the films and so far they are just great. We have been going through the catalogue and have watched several films followed by some written reviews that will be posted weekly to help you decide which films you would like viewed at your school. So far, Sharkwater has caught my eye as being one of the best films I've seen this year.

It's been pretty busy around the office planning our visits to schools in Toronto, Windsor, Vancouver And Ottawa. We are very excited to come to your school and enhance your knowledge on Canadian film.

A quick note to all the students who have any feedback, comments, or ideas to help REEL CANADA in anyway, DONT BE SHY! Send us a message, leave us a comment, WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!


That's all for now,

- L.W -

"The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz", 1974, Ted Kotcheff

“You think I never read a book. I’ve read books. Big deal. They always make fun of guys like me. Pusherke. Guys that want to get somewhere…”

Duddy Kravitz is a classic character of Canadian literature. Crafted by the great Mordecai Richler in his novel of the same name, Duddy is someone that we have all come across in our own lives at one time or another. Driven to succeed at any cost, they are the pushers. The cheaters. The liars who don't necessarily have their hearts in the wrong place. As much as we may wish to distance ourselves from these people, however, as the tag line of the film says; "There's a little bit of Duddy Kravitz in everyone."

The the film begs the viewer to ask themselves a few questions. How far would you be willing

to go to realize your dreams? How important is it to you that you prove yourself? How far is too far? In Duddy's pursuit of his goals, he puts himself and everyone around him to the test. Driven by his desire to prove himself to his grandfather by owning land (the mark of a "somebody"), Duddy works his fingers to the bone, hatching one scheme after another. He takes advantage of the people who care about him wherever he can. Duddy surges forward to meet his ends, leaving a trail of broken promises and hurt in his wake. His relationships with his girlfriend, Yvette, and with his best friend, Virgil, are stretched to the limit. In the end, Duddy is left wondering if in the pursuit of what he wanted, he wound up losing the things that were truly important.

Canadian Ted Kotcheff takes the helm on this adaptation of one of our country's most celebrated novels, and he brings the book to life admirably. From the streets of poor Montreal to the gorgeous wilderness that Duddy hungers to make his own, it leaps from the page to the screen vividly. A young Richard Dreyfus handles the role of Duddy Kravitz with vigor and confidence, if perhaps a tad high on intensity. The supporting cast fills out the film wonderfully, and in a few cases are pitch-perfect matches to the tone of their written counterparts. Denholm Elliott as Mr. Friar, the filmmaker, handles the role of a blacklisted drunkard with style, and Joe Silver is incredibly charming as the unapologetic owner of a Steel Mill, Mr. Farber.

The film stands as a well-done adaptation of a novel that should be on every Canadian's list of absolutely essential reading.

"Khaled" Movie Review

Khaled is a shockingly dark, grim story about an underprivileged ten-year-old boy. Beginning with schoolyard brawls based on ethnic background, to utter ignorance by school officials. This story is one of the worst possible scenarios for a child. Living in low incomehousing in Toronto, young Khaled must run his household, care for his sick and drug addicted mother as well as attend school.

Hassles from his blockheaded principal and teacher, to the sleazy landlord as well as the belligerent social worker, poor Khaled has far to much on his plate for any ten year old to handle. Grocery shopping, household cooking and cleaning, to even bathing his sick mother, Khaled tries to do it all. When his mother suddenly dies from an unnamed disease, his fear of foster care takes full flight.Past sexual assault gives Khaled all the reason to do anything he can to prevent this. Forging cheques to pay bills, becoming malnourished and unclean are only some of the controversial issues that he must encounter. As his dead mother rots in her bedroom, he attempts application of her makeup and sprays room freshener to eliminate the smell.

Although there is complete lack of hope within this film, the blind elderly neighbour seems to hold what is left in Khaled, she is the one he finally flees to. This young boy gives an example of what can go on in the minds of our youth, as well as shows how underprivileged some of today's youth are. Its as intense to watch as it ever could be. This is Asghar Massombagi's directorial debut. Its low budget digital filming and simplistic plot are far from a drawback, but only improve the tone, mood and feeling of this film.

(Side note: Here's Khaled star Michael D'Ascenzo with REEL CANADA Executive Director Jack Blum, after an appearance at A.Y. Jackson, in Toronto. He is not a little kid anymore!)

This film is definitely a tear jerker, especially when its realize that it is based upon a true story. This film touches the hearts of its viewers and develops a deep pity toward this young boy. Its story gives the viewer a heavy heart after its viewed, and leaves us in a understanding, and appreciative mood.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

- LW -