Join us in celebrating National Canadian Film Day on April 17. Our country’s rich and unique culture is often reflected in a slew of under-appreciated cinematic gems, a treasure trove that often remains undiscovered even by Canadian movie lovers. These films, with their distinct Canuck flavour, are a testament to our loonie and budding creativity. We asked our That Shelf staff of writers to weigh in with their picks for a Canadian film that should be on everyone’s watch list. So kick off your festivities by adding a few of our favourites to your #CanFilmDay viewing schedule. – Kate MacDonald

 

City of Gold (1957)

“Best of” lists too often favour dramatic features due to laziness, but decades of Canadian film history consist mainly of documentaries and shorts. With that in mind, I’ll plug Colin Low and Wolf Koenig’s classic Oscar-nominated NFB documentary City of Gold, the best work from two of this country’s formative filmmakers. It’s a fantastic portrait of mining life in the Yukon, and the riches and hardships entailed in searching for gold in ‘them thar hills.’ The film illustrates how archival material can assume a dynamic force with the right aesthetic and was a key work in pioneering the method of zooming in on a photo while panning, which was later adopted by Ken Burns and popularized as the “Ken Burns effect”…but we got there first! – Pat Mullen

 

Last Night (1998)

Don McKellar’s debut feature film as a director that he also wrote and starred in about the world ending. What would you do if you knew the world was ending? McKellar’s Patrick wants to spend his last moments on earth alone, but fate has other ideas for him. Including a fake Christmas dinner hosted by his parents and helping a stranded woman played by Sandra Oh as she tries to find her husband. Also features a delightful supporting performance from David Cronenberg, who runs a power plant and decides to call every single customer to thank them for their patronage. Last Night is heartfelt and funny, but also will make you emotional as you contemplate how you would spend your last day alive. – Dakota Arsenault 

 

The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open (2019)

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open discusses an important issue within Canada: the all-too-common domestic abuse cases involving Indigenous women. Based on real-life experiences, the film captivates the harrowingly authentic situations through eerily long takes that reflect real-time. Its cinematography draws you in and the magnifying glass it holds up to the horror fills you with emotion that most fiction simply can’t achieve. I recommend all Canadians give themselves a chance to sit with this exquisite film. – Kate MacDonald

 

Incendies (2010)

I hadn’t seen it until I recently did a deep dive into Denis Villeneuve’s filmography and I’m recommending it to everyone. – Colin Biggs

Incendies is also recommended by Joe Lipsett.