Earlier this week, all across Canada, film fans lined up at their local Canadian Tire, to vote their favorite movie that the country produced. Okay, that didn't really happen, but a panel of industry types all cast their votes for Canada's Top Ten, which as you might guess, celebrates the finest in nation's cinematic output in a given a year. And this year, quite a few high profile titles made the cut (with titles ranked alphabetically, not numerically).
Among those earning honors were David Cronenberg's heady "Cosmopolis," Xavier Dolan's dazzling "Laurence Anyways," the hockey comedy "Goon" and Sarah Polley's absolutely wonderful documentary "Stories We Tell" ("Take This Waltz" was on last year's list, in case you were wondering). Meanwhile, festival and arthouse faves like Deepa Mehta's "Midnight's Children" and Kim Nguyen's "Rebelle" also won favor with Canadian cinema insider types.
But let you think this is some kind of insider self-congratulatory thing, select movies from the lineup will tour the country stopping at Vancouver’s Pacific Cinematheque, Edmonton’s Metro Cinema, Montreal’s PHI Centre and Toronto's TIFF Bell Lightbox. See the list below — have you seen these movies yet? Check out a trailer for them below.
Canada’s Top Ten feature film selections for 2012, ordered alphabetically.
Cosmopolis, David Cronenberg (Entertainment One Films) (review)
The End of Time, Peter Mettler (Mongrel Media, National Film Board)
Goon, Michael Dowse (Alliance Films) (review)
Laurence Anyways, Xavier Dolan (Alliance Films) (review)
Midnight's Children, Deepa Mehta (Mongrel Media)
My Awkward Sexual Adventure, Sean Garrity (Phase 4 Films)
Rebelle, Kim Nguyen (Mongrel Media) (review)
Still, Michael McGowan (Mongrel Media)
Stories We Tell, Sarah Polley (Mongrel Media, NFB) (review)
The World Before Her, Nisha Pahuja
Canada’s Top Ten short film selections for 2012, ordered alphabetically.
Bydlo, Patrick Bouchard (NFB)
Chef de meute (Herd Leader), Chloé Robichaud (Locomotion Distribution)
Crackin' Down Hard, Mike Clattenburg
Kaspar, Diane Obomsawin (NFB)
Ne crâne pas sois modeste (Keep a Modest Head), Deco Dawson (Microclimat Films Inc.)
Lingo, Bahar Noorizadeh
Malody, Phillip Barker
Old Growth, Tess Girard
Reflexions, Martin Thibaudeau (Locomotion Distribution)
Paparmane (Wintergreen), Joëlle Desjardins Paquette (Locomotion Distribution)