Genres: documentary

  • 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.

  • nine + 20

    An extremely simple portrait of one of the most humble and deeply spirited people I’ve ever known. Trained in Ireland as a welder, Michael Dolan preferred dancing so he dropped the torch, put on a black suit and began performing internationally with LaLaLa Human Steps. He is now a member of the Volksopera in Vienna.

  • 427 & 401

    I noticed this graveyard in 1989 when I was commuting to a short-lived post-Bachelor of Commerce suit job in Mississauga. Its presence in the landscape was as absurd as the situation that I faced at work – bound on all sides by expressways and airports, it did not belong. Years later, I returned to pay my respects. All the lab work was done at home. The negative was hand-processed, and the print is an original that I made frame-by-frame on an optical printer and then hand-processed. (JP)

  • Christo in Paris

    Since the days of King Henry IV, Paris’s Pont Neuf has inspired artists. Now it is the focus of the environmental sculptor Christo – and the millions of Parisians who watch him create an astounding architectural poem from the oldest bridge in their city. Rich in political intrigue and artistic debate, “Christo in Paris” charts the fulfillment of the artist’s ten-year obsession: the wrapping of the Pont Nuef, the same bridge where he courted his wife, Jeanne-Claude. The result is a ravishingly beautiful tapestry of art and romance.

  • Body Scares

    “Body Scares” is a journey through four generations of women. Generation after generation the body is printed with secrets and wears all the memories of the past.

  • Christo’s Valley Curtain

    In 1974, Christo built a valley curtain across a mountain pass in the southern United States. This is a record of his struggle and stunning achievement. “‘Valley Curtain’ is by far the finest film I have ever seen about an artist and his work. Technically brilliant, beautifully paced, with not an image wasted or held too long, the film somehow makes it possible for the viewer to become involved at a deep and personal level with the whole marvelous epic. ‘Christo’s Valley Curtain’ is never didactic; it neither explains nor describes and this is its great strength . On its…

  • ZERO the inside story

    On a journey to find the origins of the number zero, a woman discovers more than she was expecting. The journey begins as a quest for the cultural roots of zero and how this concept touches human consciousness in unexpected ways. The search leads her to India, said to be the birthplace of the mysterious number, and the ancient city of Varanasi. There she maps her inner world onto the powerful mix of Hindu ritual and spirituality she encounters, finally confronting a traumatic event in her past. More than a film about the number that is not, “ZERO the inside…

  • Chulas Fronteras

    “Chulas Fronteras” is a magnificent introduction to the most exciting Nortena musicians working today: Los Alegres de Teran, Lydia Mendoza, Flaco Jimenez and others. Theirs is the music of the Northern Texas-Mexico border. It reflects the spirit of the people in their strong family life and sheer enjoyment of domestic rituals- preparing food and eating, celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary, gathering in the backyard with friends. Blank does not overlook the hardships of the Chicano migrating from state to state for seasonal work in the fields. He makes clear the role that music has in redeeming their lives by giving…

  • Dead Time

    Innovative and challenging, “Dead Time” is an investigation into the lives of four young people who grapple with drugs, crime, prostitution, family and ultimately hope for their future. Beautifully hand-processed and with an incredible soundtrack, “Dead Time” combines documentary, narrative and experimental elements into a fascinating whole. Selected Screenings: 2006 Rotterdam International Film Festival

  • Saddle: The Making of a Western Saddle

    This film is a lyrical journey that captures the major stages of making a western saddle. Beautifully filmed, it follows renowned saddlemaker Chuck Stormes as he transforms wood, leather and silver into an elegant balance of form and function. Shot on location at Stormes Saddlery in Calgary and Longview, Alberta, “Saddle” is a slice of Canada’s western culture and heritage. Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film and Video Festival “Chris Awards,” 1995