 Hi, art lovers! | | |  | Nish Media | | | What’s the best feature film directed by a Canadian? It’s been a minute since I last asked you that question, but over on the site, CBC Arts contributors have been going deep on the topic for weeks, all in response to this special project — CBC Arts Presents: The 50 Greatest Films Directed by Canadians.
That feature, which went live earlier this summer, captured the results of a country-wide survey of critics, film programmers and journalists. But for all the great films that made the top 50, so many deserving titles weren’t included — which is why we’ve been commissioning essays about must-see movies: stories that fill the representational gaps in Canada’s film history.
The essay series isn’t over. (Watch for more in the weeks ahead.) But in case you missed these stories when they first ran, definitely bookmark the following links.
Here’s Alex Heeney on Rustic Oracle, a mother-daughter drama directed by Sonia Bonspille Boileau. (Alex calls it “the best fiction feature film I’ve seen that addresses the national tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls,” and you can stream it for free on CBC Gem.)
In his essay, Radheyan Simonpillai champions Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community, directed by Jennifer Hodge and Roger McTair. Released in 1983, the doc focuses on Toronto’s Jane and Finch area, and as Rad writes in his piece, the film “engages in a conversation about anti-Black racism and overpolicing that hasn't aged one bit.” (Watch it here.)
Matthew Hays recommends Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives, a portrait of Canadian lesbian life during the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. Fun fact: Matthew screens the doc for his film class at Concordia University every year. “And each time, students marvel at the power of the women interviewed,” he writes. (It’s streaming on the NFB site.)
One more movie you can watch right now: Double Happiness, directed by Mina Shum. It’s Danita Steinberg’s all-time fave — “an absolute ‘90s banger that should be talked about more.” | | | | | And because we promised you eye candy ... | | | | |  | Isabella Vella | | Mercury with an Unrequited Love by Isabella Vella. See it in person at Toronto’s Dianna Witte Gallery. Isabella’s one of the local artists whose work is featured in the gallery’s Summer Salon exhibition. It’s on to Sept. 9. | | | | |  | Shary Boyle | | Eek! You’re looking at a scene from Shary Boyle’s The Trampled Devil. A video of the performance will be screening at Charlottetown’s Victoria Park on Aug. 26 as part Art in the Open — a festival I will forever associate with this CBC Arts short doc. Not familiar with the event? The (awesome) official tag line sums it up. It’s “the only day of the year Charlottetown is a gigantic art gallery.” | | | | |  | Lisa Hirmer | | Here’s another sneak peek at Art in the Open programming. This piece by Lisa Hirmer will be appearing in Victoria Park as well. | | | | |  | Alissa Bilodeau | | This is why I miss Instagram’s chronological feed! The algorithm fed me this picture from Caravansérail in Rimouski, Que., AFTER the exhibition was over. Silver lining: at least I’m now following the artist, Quebec City’s Alissa Bilodeau. | | | | |  | Terry Manzo | | | | | Two words: Goblin Macbeth. Now appearing at Bard on the Beach in Vancouver — and coming soon to the Stratford Festival — it’s the classic play performed by monsters. | | | | |  | ITV | | | | | Yep! The character’s a businessman with major anger issues, and he’s murdering Canadian stereotypes. | | | | |  | Art Gallery of Ontario | | | | | | | To find the answer, the Art Gallery of Ontario is diving into its photo archive. | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
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I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time! | | | | | |
