Discoveries from Canada World Cinema

"A Species Odyssey" portrays the origins of Mankind from the moment the first primate stood up on their hind legs and set off to conquer the African Savanna, to modern Man, setting off to conquer space. 7 million years of triumph fraught with difficulties and extraordinary events that make Man what he is today.

After a brief visit with the neighborhood flower vendor, a vibrant young man searches for his true love Norma, only to deliver a bouquet of terror to an unsuspecting young woman.

As Pacworlders excitedly decorate for Berry Day, Pac is saddened about missing his parents as he receives a picture ornament of them from his Aunt Spheria. The teens reminisce of their childhood Berry Day as they enjoy Christmas eggnog. Since Berry Day is one of the happiest days of the year, Betrayus launches a plan to get rid of the day by capturing Santa Pac and his Round Deer and to possess the gifts and Berry Day decorations. All Pac wants for Berry Day is to see his parents Sunny and Zac and is overjoyed when they arrive. But, his parents tell him they want to see the tree of life in the secret location which is forbidden. Are these Pac’s real parents or are they a trick from Betrayus and Dr. Slimestein? Let’s hope Berry Day can be merry after all.

Brie Traverston is up for partner at her firm if she can successfully coordinate a Christmas wedding reshoot and ignore all the feelings that come with working with the one-that-got-away Eddie Chapman and his possibly new girlfriend Isabella.

The tragic story of the Great War is told through the accounts of the British and Canadian soldiers who were the first and last to die in battle. Private John Parr, a British bicycle scout who was the first British combat casualty on the Western Front, and Private George Price, a Canadian infantryman who was shot and killed just minutes before the Armistice went into effect in 1918

Follows Chris Daniels, a man who receives a call that his daughter has been kidnapped. The kidnappers demand that he completes a series of different missions to get her back, including one crucial direction to not hang up the phone.

In July 1990, a dispute over a proposed golf course to be built on Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) lands in Oka, Quebec, sets the stage for a historic confrontation that would grab international headlines and sear itself into the Canadian consciousness.

This scintillating production of Shakespeare’s boisterous comedy will stir your emotions even as it challenges you with its pointed social commentary. Is the story of Kate and Petruchio one of courtship or of conquest? The breaking down of a defiant spirit or a breakthrough that liberates a heart deprived of love? You decide – but either way, this is an experience not to be missed!

In the fall of 1964, just over a year before his death, Buster Keaton traveled to Canada to make The Railrodder, a short subject that now enjoys a small cult following. Documenting this mobile production in fascinating and unexpected detail, Buster Keaton Rides Again offers a rare glimpse of the comedy legend’s temperament, philosophies, hobbies, marriage (his third), and the occasionally combative creative process behind the scenes. An intimate look at one of cinema’s most enduring legends.

In search of their next hit series, filmmakers Adam Rodness & Stu Stone embark on an investigation to find a man they believe to be a serial killer. Are they in over their heads? Yes.

An adult Martin Roy reminisces about his life in the 1966/67 school year. At fifteen years old and in his last year of junior high school, he breathed, ate and slept hockey. He collected hockey cards, played street hockey with his friends, tried skating and ice hockey for the first time in his life, but was most fascinated with his local national league team, the Montréal Canadiens, and its star player, Henri Richard. He dreamed of growing up and working for the Canadiens franchise. But a more immediate goal was to get tickets to one of their games, using M. Richard and his banker father, Hervé, as possible conduits to that goal.

A CIA agent infiltrates the research team of a scientist who seeks to capture the essence of a dying leukemia patient.

A bard, desperate to be rid of a curse, finds a shady wizard who promises to help him.

A struggling writer on the verge of success finds his love for the woman of his wildest dreams drawing him deeper into the depths of passion and jealousy, until he realizes he has been framed for murder.

A lost orphan boy and a giant elephant team up to take down an elephant poaching syndicate.

It’s 1922 in the Quebec countryside, and Claudine Perreault has big plans for her son, François. He’ll enter the priesthood so that God will forgive her for bearing a child out of wedlock. But 17-year-old François is dead set against joining the seminary. Enraged, Claudine strikes him so violently he goes deaf. After his mother’s death, François begins a different kind of relationship with a woman when he buys the wild and aloof young Amica from an Innu peddler.

Based on the journal of Knud Rasmussen's "Great Sled Journey" of 1922 across arctic Canada. The film is shot from the perspective of the Inuit, showing their traditional beliefs and lifestyle. It tells the story of the last great Inuit shaman and his beautiful and headstrong daughter; the shaman must decide whether to accept the Christian religion that is converting the Inuit across Greenland.

A star-studded musical celebration in tribute to Leonard Cohen—the Montreal-born writer, composer, performer and man of letters—that took place in November 2017 at the Bell Centre.

When 9-year-old Megan dedicates her Christmas wish to helping her mom Cara find love, she enlists the help of their blended family to make it come true. But when the letter goes viral, will Cara realize that what she was looking for was on her doorstop the whole time?

Follows six best friends from college, now in their 40s, who reconnect for their 25 year reunion weekend. As secrets are revealed, one will force them all to reevaluate their lives

Margaret Fish is planning a surprise party for her dentist husband, Bob. Meanwhile, at the office, Bob is having a mid-life crisis while insects munch on what's left of his plants. When Bob returns home, Margaret has a terrible time getting him into the room where everyone's hidden until he's halfway through changing clothes and talking about how horrid all their nebbishy friends are (the same friends hidden all over the room).

Zoe Cain wants a baby. Single, and tired of the saturated NYC dating scene, she decides to go it alone. Using an anonymous sperm donor, the chances are slim but Zoe quickly becomes pregnant. She is elated but things get more than complicated when not one, but two eligible bachelors walk into her life…

In late summer of 2011, five young friends on a road trip went missing after being attacked by nomadic cannibals in a huge RV. Video was recorded by the victims & recovered by police as evidence in their still-unsolved murders.

Over the course of one week in 1988, the search for a missing teammate, parental expectations, a burgeoning sexual awakening and the rock concert of the century all threaten to jolt a 16-year-old into adulthood. With the long Victoria Day weekend signaling the end of school, and the Stanley Cup playoffs afoot, the summer of 1988 arrives in Toronto. Ben Spector, a smart, sensitive kid from a Russian immigrant family, hits the Bob Dylan show with his buddies and runs into Jordan Chapman, the class jerk and Ben's tormentor on the ice-hockey rink. Jordan is five dollars shy of scoring some drugs, and Ben begrudgingly spots him the dough. But the next day, Jordan fails to show up at school or hockey practice. With days passing and Jordan's whereabouts a mystery, Ben finds himself in an uncomfortable predicament, especially when a romance with Jordan's sister tentatively blooms in the midst of the ordeal.

Three troubled couples attend a two day marital retreat in hopes of saving their marriages. Unbeknownst to them, their psychiatrist is not who they think he is.

After investigating the Gilbert Rozon affair together in October 2017 in the wake of the #MeToo movement, journalists Émilie Perreault and Monic Néron are teaming up to sign this hotly current documentary that examines the failures of the justice system in matters of sexual assault.

Emily Price tries to balance family life and leading crunch negotiations between a Canadian politician and the president of a country whose natural resources are being exploited.

After a woman is found butchered in her New York apartment, suspicion falls on her estranged husband, an ad executive who has suddenly left town on a cross-country road trip. He takes along a beautiful girl he met in a bar and a drifter he picked up along the way. A cop sets out after the husband, but he's more interested in shaking him down than bringing him back.

Dave is young and rebellious. A self-proclaimed King, influenced but not unconscious. As he sets out to find the stranger who danced with his girlfriend grabbing her ass, as if nothing had happened, he decides to take justice into his hands. Between violence, heartbreak and friendship betrayal, Dave will put his finger through the wringer and rush forward, unable to stop.

A medical student is desperate to solve a murder to prove that she's not having a psychological breakdown, as her family and friends believe her to be.

Follows a family in crisis where a teenager, her grandfather, and his trusty basset hound struggle to keep the household together at Christmas.

When a young female mouse makes a deal with the devil to become a rock star and learns the price, her boyfriend has to help her avoid damnation.

A young boy who is a victim of bullying hopes his mother's magic potion will make him a war hero like his father, but in the end discovers that all he needed was to believe in himself. Not your typical coming of age story, Sgt. Fruit Fly shows what happens when a boy can just be a boy.

Alex is an ambitious architect who is looking forward to celebrating Christmas at her mother’s beautiful Swiss Inn, until she finds out that her former best friend Beth who married Alex’s ex-boyfriend Jesse will also be there. Could a new romance with the Inn’s handsome manager and single-father Liam be the key to show Alex the magic of Christmas and open her up to forgiveness this holiday season?

A world-famous Anishinaabe musician returns to the reserve to rest and recharge — only to discover that fame (and the outside world) are not easily left behind.

Tommy, 10 years old, is well known by Social Services. He is considered a danger to society. Gilles, his guardian at this halfway house, sees potential for redemption in this kid driven by violence.

Disguised as executives from a Dutch Oil Company, Aliens from outer space buy a local farming company and promise to create jobs for the failing farming town. Their goal is to use crop circles to heat up the temperature of the earth and eventually turn the entire planet into a Club-Med for extra-terrestrials.

A separated couple meet again after 10 years when the body of their missing son is found. Amid the guilt of losing a loved one, they hesitantly move toward affirmation of life, acceptance of death, and even the possibility of reconciliation.

Bureaucracy shapes our lives and guides us from the cradle to the grave. This documentary lays bare the idiosyncrasies of bureaucracy, whether in Canada, Austria, Hungary, the Vatican or the Virgin Islands. It also attempts to make the functioning of the public service more comprehensible. The absurdities of bureaucratic behaviour are exposed with humour and irreverence.

A struggling father uses a bedtime story to impart an important life lesson to his son.

Eliza Sloane seems to be living her dream life until her boyfriend breaks her heart and she doesn’t get an expected promotion. Her best friend Sofia approaches her with a new path in life: move to the Hamptons and “marry a rich guy with a huge trust fund”.

An estate agent is forced into witness protection soon after selling the apartment of a girl who died in suspicious circumstances. However, when the deceased girl's mother is also found dead, all signs point to a murderer on the loose, and it becomes apparent the agent's new identity may not protect her from the killer.

An out-of-work Irish immigrant in Montreal remains hopeful that his luck is about to change but his disillusioned family grow tired of his constant lying, pigheadedness and instability.

After the death of his mother, a man tries to discover a meaning to his life, to the universe and to rebuild a relationship with the only family he has left: his gay brother.

During a snowstorm that strands her family at a hotel, attorney Megan runs into her high school sweetheart, Brad, sparking tension as her husband Jim disappears and her daughter Lisa vanishes. Cut off from the outside world and unsure who to trust, Megan must navigate a night of secrets, danger, and her own past to save her family before it’s too late.

The Raccoons on Ice is the second of four specials leading up to the television series The Raccoons. It initially aired on CBC and in syndication on December 20, 1981.

Four friends set out by boat for an idyllic vacation on a private, remote island. But unknown to them, a weaponized shark has escaped from a top secret military lab nearby, a shark that was genetically engineered with hate in its blood, and programmed to hunt any human within range. Now, these friends must band together to battle an all new brand of predator who will stop at nothing to remain at the top of the food chain.

A multiple murder investigation in a small hunting town focuses on one suspect, Wendy Sinclair, who operates a battered women's shelter where each of the victims' wives have sought shelter.

Daniel is in danger of losing his inn after another more modern establishment opens next door and steals his guests. He goes to the bank for a loan, but they tell him to hope for a miracle. Then a limo pulls up carrying the hottest rock star and biggest movie actress around. The two inns compete for these prestigious guests, Daniel trying to save his inn, the other man (Mark) trying to drive Daniel out of business for good (and steal his fiancee).

Powerful story about love, struggle and passion of an over protective mother and her piano prodigy.

The title of this French-Canadian film translates to In the Belly of the Dragon, but don't assume that it's just another kung fu epic. Rather, the film is a likeable mixture of science fiction and humor, centered around the money-making schemes of star David La Haye. Unable to make ends meet with his minimum-wage job, La Haye hires himself out as a guinea pig to genially loopy scientist Marie Tifo. It is the doctor's contention that a person's intelligence can be artificially increased. La Haye proves her right...up to a point, that is. Extremely popular in Canada, Dans le Ventre du Dragon has yet to receive proper distribution in the States.

When Celeste loses her job as a teacher in Rocheport because of her non-curriculum style of teaching, her boss puts her forward for an au pair job with infamous NY Property Tycoon Richard Trapp. With nothing to lose and an amazing opportunity to gain, Celeste applies and gets the job! As Celeste settles into this new life in the big apple, it isn’t all plain sailing, as she struggles with the children, and this isn’t helped by Richard’s girlfriend Julie – who is desperate to marry Richard and send the children to boarding school.

Made for the landmark anthology series, For the Record, Seer Was Here is an example of the bold dramatic programming made at the CBC in the mid-70s, while theatre director John Hirsch was serving as the head of the drama department. Saul Rubinek plays an inmate of a cruel Vancouver prison who brings humour, warmth, a little joy and self-understanding to the fellow prisoners of his cell block. An irreverent satire also featuring Eric Peterson and Martin Short. “Absolutely great, It’s also funny. Very Funny. Very Warm. Very touching… in some ways, a Canadian One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” (Calgary Herald, 1978)

As Birdie and Alden's relationship grows, they share a love of true crime podcasts. But when their favorite host dies, they help Officer Newton investigate sinister suspects.

A young man, convicted of the murder of a clerk, who has been on death row for five years and now awaits his execution while his family desperately seek a reprieve.

A science-fiction film centered around planet Earth receiving a coded message from outer space and the subsequent disappearance of 12,000 inhabitants of Sepuvedra, a free-trade port. The government and the army are convinced that they have been kidnapped by aliens and Professor Larsen, an eminent astrophysicist and UFO expert, is assigned to lead an urgent investigative mission into the deserted town.

Follows Liza, who retreats to a '70s variety show in her mind as she struggles to cope with the impending death of her mother, trying to work through parts of their past without losing herself in the process.

The owner of a historic inn decides to enter a prestigious cooking contest to win funds for renovations and get free publicity, but she is a horrible cook. She recruits a renowned chef to help but the kitchen isn't the only thing heating up.