Genres: narrative

  • My Withered Tomato Friend

    “My Withered Tomato Friend” is a haunting, experimental narrative that merges the roaming voice of a battered wife with popular images of women to question the conventional ideology of representation and the denial of domestic violence. Alternating between provocative poetry and submissive prose, the voice echoes terrifying thoughts of the abused woman while gradually deconstructing – and reconstructing- manipulated found footage. “Absolutely exhilarating to watch, this is the hard edge of feminist experimental cinema.” – Piers Handling, Director, Toronto International Film Festival One Star Award, Canadian International Amateur Film Festival, 1992

  • Nancy Boy Versus Manly Woman

    A dumb jerk (Karl) – who happens to be the author of the most wildly successful underground comic book ever – receives an urgent telephone call from his old skirt (Gretchen). Innocently believing she plans to beg for a reconciliation, he consents to a meeting at her apartment, only to discover she’s hanging out with a trendy group of intellectuals and balling them too. The shock proves too much for Karl for, despite his burgeoning popularity – bolstered by numerous talk-show appearances – Gretchen couldn’t give a rat’s ass about him. He’s still a lousy lay and she’s just now…

  • At Home

    A straightforward account of what happens when a collector furnishes an apartment until he finally attains his ultimate collection…. He leaves behind his innocent, youthful romance and acquires instead human-objects, object-objects, and a life removed from his real surroundings. This story of a trivia-maniac questions extreme materialism and trivial taste.

  • Niagara

    Drawing on both the substance and spirit of hardcore music, “Niagara” sets in motion a number of male-female scenarios designed to challenge male aggression. A couple’s argument in the back seat of a car erupts into violence when the man suspects his lover of having an affair in Niagara Falls. Another couple arrives home from a dinner party and encounter an intruder in their home. As a gang runs around and commits random acts of violence, they sing the film’s chorus: Do you think he did it?/Wouldn’t be right. Would it?/he’s not the type anyway. Is he?/Hit!Hit!Hit!/He’s all rage and…

  • Nice

    Yet another girl sitting by the phone waiting for a roving boy to ring. The same old story – until she meets his latest girlfriend…

  • Nion

    This film shows the odyssey of a baby-like alien, Nion (performed by mime artist Ian Wallace), who lands on earth and discovers fame, fortune, love, and shopping. As a creature from outer space mimicking the behaviour of human beings, Nion conveys the arbitrary nature of gender roles, as well as the dangers of identifying too closely with these models, for instance when Nion explores the personae of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. An inventive film dealing with stereotypes of gender and desire.

  • Northbound Cairo

    “It’s no bag of pretzels!” Little does Max realize that it is a bag of pretzels, and much, much more. His planned trip to Georgian Bay to document a self-absorbed artist’s work is turned into a personal nightmare by the artist’s doting wife, indifferent children, and Mara, a young woman who has appeared out of an Egyptian dream to taunt him and to confront his neo-macho self-image. An idyllic drive into cottage country is transformed into a metaphorical journey through unfamiliar territory and cinematic absurdity. “Northbound Cairo” is a half-hour experimental comedy. Mara, a vivacious, young woman, has an inexplicable…

  • October Stranger

    “October Stranger” is a highly acclaimed drama about a young Ojibway Indian who must leave his youth behind on the reserve in Northern Ontario in order to pursue his writing career. It is a thoughful and gentle love story, full of fine poetry. Beautifully photographed on location near Sioux Lookout, it reveals modern life on the reserve with a rare depth and respect, as the old ways and the new come to terms with one another. It is the story of an artist finding his voice, and of a native gathering the courage to go “south” to the city.

  • Odyssey in August

    This comedy depicts a troubled young man’s journey towards self-knowledge, his attempts to find his place in the world. In the crazy spirit of Federico Fellini, “Odyssey in August” interweaves flashback, fantasy, and reality. The hero, August Dunlop, is trapped in a line up in a government waiting room; we follow August’s imaginative stream-of-consciousness through a series of ultra-fantastic places and situations.

  • Our Hero: The True Story of Virgil Huffenmeister

    “Our Hero” is a mockudrama chronicling the life and times of Virgil Huffenmeister. The film traces his story from young orphan to international superstar and his eventual downfall. This short comedy touches on such subjects as the death penalty, instant celebrity, and Elvis Presley.