When you think about documentaries, certain things come to mind: verité shooting, archival footage, interviews, narration. Embedded in this idea of what could be called the “well-made doc” is a set of
Keep Reading“Distances and differences keep us apart, and we often forget to remind each other of our own stories,” says Ann Marie Fleming in her 2003 film The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam,
Keep Reading“Documentary? That’s a very sophisticated and misleading word. And not very clear. The term should be documentary style…You see, a document has use, whereas art is really useless.” —Walker Evans (1903-1975) When
Keep ReadingWhat is a feminist film? This question can cause confusion when it comes to reflecting on the history of filmmaking that’s been labeled as such, given that the definitions will vary depending
Keep ReadingAt a Toronto variety store, amid racks of candy, lottery tickets and cigarettes, a Korean couple battles their Canadian-born children. The father demands that his kids finish school, get married and start
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In one of the more emotional moments—and there are many—in Peter Raymont’s often-shattering Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire (2004), Canadian General Roméo Dallaire recounts his rage at Belgium’s withdrawal of its troops
Keep ReadingLet’s talk about some typical Canadian documentaries. Where do they take place? In rural India, where Hindu girls practice military drills and swear death to their religious enemies while their peers preen
Keep ReadingWhen Nettie Wid’s KONELĪNE: our land beautiful (2016) collected three Canadian Screen Award nominations this year, it was another highlight in British Columbia’s rich documentary legacy. It’s a history of innovation, resilience and
Keep ReadingAlberta’s competing identities are reflected in the visual economies that comprise its documentary history, but they are also constituted by it.
Keep ReadingWhen Greg Tourino, a science librarian at Simon Fraser University and former graduate cinema student was asked in BCLiving Magazine about his passion for Black Canadian film, his answer could stand for
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