We are 5 days away from the 2020 version of National Canadian Film Day. Getting the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Top 10 Canadian films of the previous year can be like a shopping list for films to see.
When the list comes out, we mention how many we've seen but we don't follow up with the list later on to see what films we have seen.
Top 10 best Canadian films in the 2010s
Noting that 3 of our top 10 Canadian films on the decade did not appear on a TIFF Top 10 list: Cloudburst (2011); All the Wrong Reasons (2013); and Women Who Act (2015).
Leading up to National Canadian Film Day 2020 on Wednesday, let's look at the 100 Canadian films TIFF honoured in the last decade.
2019
And the Birds Rained Down Louise Archambault | Quebec
Anne at 13,000 ft Kazik Radwanski | Ontario
Antigone Sophie Deraspe | Quebec
Black Conflux Nicole Dorsey | Newfoundland/Quebec
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Kathleen Hepburn | British Columbia
Matthias & Maxime Xavier Dolan | Quebec
Murmur Heather Young | Nova Scotia
One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk Zacharias Kunuk | Nunavut
The Twentieth Century Matthew Rankin | Quebec
White Lie Calvin Thomas, Yonah Lewis | Ontario
I have now seen all but Anne at 13,000 ft and Black Conflux. We reviewed The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.
2018
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky | Ontario
Sgaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife) Gwaai Edenshaw, Helen Haig-Brown | British Columbia
Firecrackers Jasmin Mozaffari | Ontario
The Fireflies Are Gone (La disparition des lucioles) Sébastien Pilote | Quebec
Freaks Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein | British Columbia
Genèse (Genesis) Philippe Lesage | Quebec
Giant Little Ones Keith Behrman | Ontario
Mouthpiece Patricia Rozema | Ontario
Roads in February (Les routes en février) Katherine Jerkovic | Quebec
What Walaa Wants Christy Garland | Ontario
We have seen 7 of the 10 films, except for Sgaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife); Freaks; and What Walaa Wants. Most excited about seeing Edge of the Knife. Standouts include Giant Little Ones and Mouthpiece.
2017
Adventures in Public School
Allure
Ava
Les Affamés
The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches
Luk'Luk'I
Never Steady, Never Still
Our People Will Be Healed
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
Unarmed Verses
I've seen all 10 of these films, including Luk'Luk'I. Allure and The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches were not fun to watch for different reasons. The rest of the films on this list were good to great.
2016
Angry Inuk
Hello Destroyer
It’s Only The End Of The World
Maliglutit (Searchers)
Mean Dreams
Nelly
Old Stone
Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves
Werewolf
Window Horses (The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming)
I've seen 8 of these films except for Maliglutit (Searchers) and Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves. I would be willing to see any of the remaining films. I was not a fan of Old Stone or Hello Destroyer. Werewolf is intense. Window Horses is one of the best Canadian films in the last 5 years. This is a very eclectic list.
TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2019
TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2018
TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2017
TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2016
2015
Closet Monster Stephen Dunn
The Demons (Les démons) Philippe Lesage
Les êtres chers (Our Loved Ones) Anne Émond
The Forbidden Room Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson
Guantanamo’s Child: Omar Khadr Patrick Reed and Michelle Shephard
HURT Alan Zweig
Into the Forest Patricia Rozema
My Internship in Canada (Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre) Philippe Falardeau
Ninth Floor Mina Shum
Sleeping Giant Andrew Cividino
We have seen 8 of the 10 films, except for Guantanamo’s Child: Omar Khadr and HURT. Closet Monster and Sleeping Giant make a fine double feature. Standouts include Our Loved Ones; Into the Forest; and My Internship in Canada.
2014
Mommy Xavier Dolan
Corbo Mathieu Denis
Félix et Meira Maxime Giroux
In Her Place Albert Shin
Maps to the Stars David Cronenberg
Monsoon Sturla Gunnarsson
The Price We Pay Harold Crooks
Sol Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Susan Avingaq
Tu dors Nicole Stéphane Lafleur
Violent Andrew Huculiak
We have seen 5 of the 10 films, except for In Her Place; Monsoon; The Price We Pay; Sol; and Violent. I know of In Her Place but the rest are relatively unknown. Standouts include Mommy; Félix et Meira; and Tu dors Nicole.
2013
Asphalt Watches Shayne Ehman and Seth Scriver
Enemy Denis Villeneuve
The F Word Michael Dowse
Gabrielle Louise Archambault
Rhymes for Young Ghouls Jeff Barnaby
Sarah préfère la course (Sarah Prefers to Run) Chloé Robichaud
Tom à la ferme (Tom at the Farm) Xavier Dolan
Vic et Flo ont vu un ours (Vic + Flo Saw a Bear) Denis Côté
Watermark Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky
When Jews Were Funny Alan Zweig
We have seen 9 of the 10 films, except for Asphalt Watches. Standouts include Gabrielle and Rhymes for Young Ghouls.
2012
Cosmopolis David Cronenberg
The End of Time Peter Mettler
Goon Michael Dowse
Laurence Anyways Xavier Dolan
Midnight’s Children Deepa Mehta
My Awkward Sexual Adventure Sean Garrity
Rebelle Kim Nguyen
Still Michael McGowan
Stories We Tell Sarah Polley
The World Before Her Nisha Pahuja
We have seen 8 of the 10 films, except for The End of Time and Midnight’s Children. The World Before Her was a chore to watch. Still is out in the market as Still Mine. Standouts include My Awkward Sexual Adventure and Stories We Tell.
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
2011
Café de flore Jean-Marc Vallée
A Dangerous Method David Cronenberg
Edwin Boyd Nathan Morlando
Hobo With a Shotgun Jason Eisener
Keyhole Guy Maddin
Marécages Guy Édoin
Monsieur Lazhar Philippe Falardeau
Starbuck Ken Scott
Take This Waltz Sarah Polley
Le Vendeur Sébastien Pilote
We have seen 5 of the 10 films, except for A Dangerous Method; Edwin Boyd; Hobo With a Shotgun; Marécages; and Le Vendeur. Standouts include all of the ones we’ve seen except for Keyhole.
2010
Les amours imaginaires (Heartbeats) Xavier Dolan
Barney’s Version Richard J. Lewis
Curling Denis Côté
The High Cost of Living Deborah Chow
Incendies Denis Villeneuve
Last Train Home Lixin fan
Modra Ingrid Veninger
Splice Vincenzo Natali
Trigger Bruce McDonald
Trois temps après la mort d’Anna (Mourning for Anna) Catherine Martin
We have seen 3 of the 10 films: Les amours imaginaires; Incendies; and Trigger. Barney’s Version and Splice should be easy to find.
photo credit: Mommy film
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