Film Categories: Youth

  • Mary

    Mary is a kind of everygirl, living with her parents’ constant battling, but able only to deal with the kid stuff – the boy who picks on her at school, the embarrassment her best friend causes. I liked the kitschy ‘70s setting. It kind of reminded me, because I lived through that era, of the stuff I had to deal with when I was little. (VR)

  • As We Are

    A documentary about autistic children and the difficult and often trying process of their education. While attending special art classes in a small well-equipped studio, several children are seen during the delicate and inspired moments of learning self-discovery. Here the teachers meet, with great inventiveness and sensitivity, some of the special challenges posed by autistic children and achieve some moving breakthroughs.

  • My Quills Click When I Walk

    The porcupine and the wolf converse in a forest underwood where light literally strobes through the trees. The porcupine delights in the clicks of her quills when she walks. When the wolf attempts to compete, she cleverly works him into a duet and all is well until the two are perturbed by a bee. An animated film which takes a subtle look at sources of aggression.

  • My Summer Vacation

    “My Summer Vacation” is an elegiac, poignant contemplation of the brevity of youth and the ephemeral nature of love. Along the way we see the contrast betwen middle-class life and the sexual/drug underground. Joe, a young man in his early twenties, is on the “edge” of his youth. He has been given a film camera by his older lover (who is leaving town for the summer) and Joe decides to utilize the camera in order to find himself “the perfect summer boyfriend.” The first part of the film is a joyous, comic summer exploration of Church Street, Toronto and the…

  • No Mime Game

    An effective mime-skit showing the perils of drinking and driving. A mixture of mime, camera work, and special effects prepares us to expect the inevitable crash. An excellent film for use in driver and health education or dramatic arts classes.

  • Notes on the Circus

    It’s the Ringling Brothers – but really it’s the circus of my childhood, with all the phantastic things going on, and colours, and mystery, and the exotic, and dreams and amazement. (JM)

  • 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.

  • 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…

  • Ophelia and The Cat Lady

    Two films on one reel. With Liz Reiner (OPHELIA) and Carla Liss (THE CAT LADY). On one level the films are portraits; on another level the first is inspired by reading about the painting of John Millais’ “Ophelia,” and “The Cat Lady” is an homage to the horror films of the filmmaker’s childhood movie going.