Film Categories: film studies

  • Fifty Feet that Shook the World

    This stop-motion homage to the silent, Russian classics takes a twisted look at the on-going war between film and video (imagine Jan Svankmajer remaking Potemkin!). Originally made for LA Flicker’s “Attack of the 50 Foot Reels” (one roll of Super 8 film, edited in camera, sound created without seeing the footage). Awards: Ann Arbor Film Festival 2004, Best Animation; Athens Independent Film Festival 2004, 2nd Place Animation; Humboldt Film Festival 2004, Honorable Mention

  • Vanauley Project, The

    Cinema circa 1895 as it was with Louis Lumière… Four single-shot vignettes photographed with a vintage hand-cranked 35mm movie camera. These are the first in a series of 35mm observational films created without the assistance of a motion picture laboratory. Hand-processed and printed by the filmmaker, the project acts as an anthropological document of a neighbourhood in transition while celebrating the textural beauty and analog simplicity of early motion picture technology.

  • Paradise Lost

    A poetic assembly of 1950s’ and 1960s’ Soviet film print fragments and graphic text that elicits a romantic tale of an individual’s fall from grace.

  • Working Portraits

    A document in the form of a portrait. Shot in June 2000 at Philip Hoffman’s Independent Imaging Retreat in Mount Forest, Ontario, this films stays close to the participants and the film medium itself as they work on their projects. With Becka Barker, Helen Hill, Deirdre Logue, Kelly Krotine, Alexis Rubenstein (1975-2002) and Karyn Sandlos. Thanks to Phil Hoffman, Sabastjan Henrickson of Niagara Custom Lab in Toronto, and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto. “Process must not be viewed as a goal or an end in itself, nor must it be confused with an infinite perpetuation of itself.” –…

  • Popcorn with Maple Syrup: Film in Canada from Eh to Zed

    The first movie star in the world, the first three actresses to win Academy Awards, the first performer in a nude scene, the first actress to kiss on-screen, the first nickelodeon – all were Canadian. From drive-ins to IMAX to Mike Myers to “The Barbarian Invasions,” a rambunctious history of the Canadian movie industry, including some key triumphs and disappointments, unfolds in “Popcorn with Maple Syrup: Film in Canada from Eh to Zed”. “‘Popcorn with Maple Syrup’ might be the most exhaustive and entertaining overview of this country’s film biz ever undertaken.” – Bill Brownstein, Montreal Gazette “A jaunty, packed…

  • Super Super 8: Experimental Works for Educational Environments

    Available for purchase in the CFMDC Shop: https://www.cfmdc.org/shop. 1) 4x8x3 by Chris Kennedy (2004 / Regular 8 / 3 min.) 8mm unsplit. Streetcars circle. The ferry leaves and returns in one gesture. Camera and character dance. 2) All U Can Eat by Stevi Urben (2003 / Super 8 / 12 min.) Increasingly separated from his place of birth, a 70-year-old Jewish native of Quebec fuses personal and historical memory to create a sense of belonging. 3) Coolie Gyal by Renata Mohamed (2004 / Super 8 / 5.5 min.) In this coming-out story, an honest and sincere letter is read from…

  • Fem Crit: Experimental Works for Educational Environments

    Available for purchase in the CFMDC Shop: https://www.cfmdc.org/shop. This collection of works made by women and dedicated to feminist subject matter is political, poetic and provocative. The works explore the complexities of identity and womanhood, addressing often-difficult issues such as domestic violence, body image and poverty, and locating the intersections where language, race, class and gender collide. “Fem Crit, a creative and thought-provoking compilation of seven super 8 and 16mm short films, presents candid and edgy kaleidoscopes of women’s personal experiences and reflections… These films showcase a range of creative narrative and filmmaking styles – useful for class discussion on…

  • Queers on the Verge: Experimental Works for Educational Environments

    Available for purchase in the CFMDC Shop: https://www.cfmdc.org/shop. This compilation brings together challenging and innovative film and video works that explore lesbian/gay/bi/trans culture by both Queer pioneers and emerging makers. It covers a broad range of subject matter including gender and sexual identity, social dynamics, coming out, the impact of AIDS, and Queer youth culture. “Queers on the Verge… is an excellent compilation of short subjects featuring contemporary gay, lesbian, and transgender themes. This DVD is highly recommended and will be a great catalyst for discussion in high school and colleges, not just to gay audiences. It should be accessible…

  • Made By Hand: Experimental Works for Educational Environments

    Available for purchase in the CFMDC Shop: https://www.cfmdc.org/shop. In response to an increasingly technological world, there has been an explosion in the number of “handmade” films – those created by working directly with the material of the film. This compilation showcases recent works that use a range of handmade and artisanal techniques, including photograms, hand-processing, cameraless animation and collage. “Well-crafted and entertaining, this collection is an excellent presentation of short abstract films. Repeated imagery, animation, home movies, playful use of color, photograms, dance, and different light effects provide both fanciful and introspective moments of sheer film appreciation. These films would…

  • Material Incidents: A Collection of Digital Videos

    MATERIAL INCIDENTS is a DVD compilation of work featuring the following titles: TABULA RASA (1993-2004) 7:30 min. Filmed in a South Bronx high-school, “Tabula Rasa” explores the ambiguousness of appearances cultivated by institutions, the clues that tell the history of objects, colours, textures, architecture and, ultimately, psychological states. Second Prize, Media City 11; Jury’s Citation, Black Maria Festival HERE (2002) 7:00 min. “Here” plays as some form of synthetic/organic haiku or renga (Japanese linked poetry), linking semblance to semblance working with the primal power and suggestiveness of transient colours. Gold for Best Experimental Film, New York Film Expo COLOR STUDY…