Film Categories: Politics + Policy

  • Nukie’s Lullaby

    Imagine… a nuclear bomb called Nukie appears on your TV screen and gives a speech to your children. Nukie is such a nice guy… the problem is he keeps putting his foot in his mouth. Completed when the “Star Wars” plan was announced, Nukie’s message becomes a well-timed reminder of the threat to our existence, both present and future, that the nuclear arms race holds over all of us on this globe. The film utilizes a unique animation technique involving coloured sand.

  • Nukie’s Sermon from the Bottle

    One of the most worrysome aspects of the nuclear issue is the volatile situation in the Middle East, which could spark a confrontation between the superpowers. Out of several Middle East doomsday scenarios, Amitay has chosen one which involves the belief of many Christian and Jewish fundamentalists that Armageddon is inevitable. Moreover, it will happen when the Jewish temple is rebuilt on the ruins of the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam’s most holy sights. Although the film mocks these beliefs, it is a dire warning of the unthinkable scenario alluded to in the film.

  • October 25th + 26th, 1996

    During the Metro Days of Action, a 150’ long building was inflated using the air vents in front of Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square. The October Group action references both public institution and temporary home to protest the erosion of our city. Music by Dirty Three.

  • Oh Dad!

    Using a unique animation technique, “Oh Dad!” is a boy’s account of a heated confrontation with his father over the issues of the nuclear arms race and various forms of pollution. The boy tells of his mistrust of adults and his frustration with the world that grown-ups are leaving his generation.

  • Oh Dad 1&2

    Oh Dad! Using a unique animation technique, “Oh Dad!” is a boy’s account of a heated confrontation with his father over the issues of the nuclear arms race and various forms of pollution. The boy tells of his mistrust of adults and his frustration with the world that grown-ups are leaving his generation. Oh Dad II In this continuation of “Oh Dad!,” a young boy expresses his deep concern about environmental issues in his diary. Arguing with his father, the boy tries to convince him that although he is younger, he has serious opinions. He talks about national security, militarization,…

  • Oh Dad II

    In this continuation of “Oh Dad!,” a young boy expresses his deep concern about environmental issues in his diary. Arguing with his father, the boy tries to convince him that although he is younger, he has serious opinions. He talks about national security, militarization, and acid rain. The boy grapples with what he sees as the collective responsibility of the adult world as a whole, and the responsibility of his own father, a scientist, for the damaged environment and the resulting disease, hunger and pollution. Despite the seriousness of the issues addressed, “Oh Dad II” is as warmly humorous as…

  • On Her Baldness

    “On Her Baldness” is a documentary about women who have lost their hair due to illness or who have shaved their heads by choice. Focusing on women whose baldness has forced them to confront issues of appearance, self-image and sexuality, this film challenges viewers to question and confront their own prejudices regarding the true nature of beauty and femininity.

  • Orientation Express, The

    By animating three decades of LIFE Magazine, “The Orientation Express” humorously guides us through the sexism of North American media. Hosts such as The Quaker Oats Man, Colonel Sanders, and The Kool Aid Jug explore “the feminine mystique.” This film highlights how attitudes towards women have changed and works to eliminate stereotypes which still persist today. “A technically polished animated film…devoted to an amusingly didactic re-expose of the horrors of sexual stereotyping, circa 1950.” – The Globe and Mail

  • Past History

    Adventure, romance, politics and exile are themes in this unique combination of live action, archival photographs, and animation. Stories of people long ago and far away are brought to life, tracing a history of the effects of progress and development in Latin America on past and present generations.

  • Patriotism 1

    Wieland’s kinetic romp casts David Shackman as an overexposed sleeper dogged by a patriotic march of tube steaks that finally refigures him as our most familiar icon of freedom. This pixillated short about hot dogs is the latest of Wieland’s early film works to be restored to circulation.