CBC Arts explores the 50 greatest films directed by Canadians

Despite this Denis Villeneuve quote, CBC Arts decide to compile a list of the top 50 films … directed by Canadians.

This is definitely not a list of the top 50 Canadian films. Several of these films are definitely not Canadian.

People vote for best director at the Canadian Screen Awards and the Academy Awards. The criteria is often tied to how great the film is as opposed to whether the director made a significant impact.

The director's impact is more significant when that director is also the writer, or has a close partnership with the writer, something you don't see in a lot of American blockbuster films. Certain genres of film — i.e., action — tend to get a brighter spotlight regardless of director ability and talent.

The major problem with the list is the dominance of 4 directors: Denis Villeneuve with 5 (2 of them Canadian); Norman Jewison with 3 (0 Canadian); David Cronenberg with 6 (6 Canadian, some in name only); and James Cameron with 4 (0 Canadian). Their films comprise 36% of the whole list.

There are 9 films from female directors: 3 of them from Sarah Polley. There are only 1 each on the list from legendary Canadian directors Patricia Rozema and Alanis Obomsawin. The list has 5 films from Indigenous directors, 3 of them women.

Clement Virgo made the list with 2 films, the only director of African descent on the list.

Xavier Dolan and Guy Maddin only had a single film on this list. Atom Egoyan has 2 films.

As ever, every Canada Day weekend I watch a Canadian film. In honour of Bruce Macdonald’s mystifying exclusion in ⁦@CBCArts⁩ recent list of 50 films by Canadian directors who made films loved by Americans, I am watching this stone-cold classic of Canadian cinema. pic.twitter.com/73lMpqq17b

— Graeme Burk (@graemeburk) July 2, 2023

The list doesn't include any films from Bruce McDonald, Charles Officer, Léa Pool, Thom Fitzgerald, Deepa Mehta, Jason Reitman, Robert Lepage, Gary Burns, Mina Shum, Maxime Giroux, Ingrid Veninger, Anne Émond, and Stéphane Lafleur.

Let's hear in their own words as to the criteria for this list.

What is the greatest film ever directed by a Canadian? It's a trickier question than it seems, and one that perhaps stokes the flames of a long and storied divide: the one between the filmmakers who have stayed in Canada to help build up our own industry… and those who left for greener pastures (at least the money kind of green). But there's no denying how significantly Canadian filmmakers have shaped the art of cinema — no matter where they're working.

"There have been many lists centered around the best 'Canadian films,' as there should. Canadian films — those made within our own systems of production — are a distinct representation of our artistry that deserve to be celebrated as their own entity. But why should we narrow ourselves when we've also done so much for cinema everywhere? What happens when we look at every single movie ever made by a Canadian filmmaker — anytime, anywhere — and stack them up against one another?"

Let's see the list:

1. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner | ᐊᑕᓈᕐᔪᐊᑦ (Zacharias Kunuk)
2. Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley)
3. The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan)
4. Incendies (Denis Villeneuve)
5. Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (Alanis Obomsawin)
6. Crash (David Cronenberg)
7. Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg)
8. C.R.A.Z.Y. (Jean-Marc Vallée)
9. In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison)
10. Titanic (James Cameron)
11. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron)
12. My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin)
13. Videodrome (David Cronenberg)
14. Moonstruck (Norman Jewison)
15. Les Ordres | Orders (Michel Brault)
16. Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman)
17. American Psycho (Mary Harron)
18. La région centrale | The Central Region (Michael Snow)
19. Pour la suite du monde | For Those Who Will Follow (Michel Brault)
20. Jésus de Montréal | Jesus of Montreal (Denys Arcand)
21. Last Night (Don McKellar)
22. Exotica (Atom Egoyan)
23. Arrival (Denis Villeneuve)
24. Women Talking (Sarah Polley)
25. Mommy (Xavier Dolan)
26. The Fly (David Cronenberg)
27. Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve)
28. I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (Patricia Rozema)
29. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg)
30. The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn)
31. A Married Couple (Allan King)
32. The Terminator (James Cameron)
33. Rhymes for Young Ghouls (Jeff Barnaby)
34. Brother (Clement Virgo)
35. Polytechnique (Denis Villeneuve)
36. Fiddler on the Roof (Norman Jewison)
37. Goin’ Down the Road (Donald Shebib)
38. Mon oncle Antoine | My Uncle Antoine (Claude Jutra)
39. Monsieur Lazhar (Philippe Falardeau)
40. Rude (Clement Virgo)
41. Café de Flore (Jean-Marc Vallée)
42. Sicario (Denis Villeneuve)
43. Manufactured Landscapes (Jennifer Baichwal)
44. Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg)
45. Le déclin de l’empire américain | The Decline of the American Empire (Denys Arcand)
46. Take This Waltz (Sarah Polley)
47. Les bons débarras | Good Riddance (Francis Mankiewicz)
48. Beans (Tracey Deer)
49. Aliens (James Cameron)
50. Les invasions barbares | The Barbarian Invasions (Denys Arcand)

Honourable Mention: Wavelength (Michael Snow)

Your humble narrator has heard of or seen all of these films, except for A Married Couple (Allan King). As much as I think I know about Canadian film, I am always ready to admit there is a lot I don't know. Sounds like an intriguing film.

There are some good choices on the list. Jean-Marc Vallée had his 2 best films on the list. Tracey Deer made the list with Beans. Denys Arcand has 3 films on the list, all very worthy. Though the only Canadian film to win an Oscar in the international film category being ranked behind a James Cameron directed Hollywood sequel feels insulting.

Ivan Reitman makes the list for Ghostbusters but not Stripes (a way better film) and not even Meatballs, an actual Canadian film.

Wavelength is an honourable mention because the film is shorter than 60 minutes, which was a criteria requirement.

CBC Arts said 83 participants submitted ballots, voting for a total of 230 different films. Each participant was asked to select the top 10 films directed by Canadians.

The actual order is quite sad in a number of cases, depending on your vantage point of view.

Credit to the list: the top 8 films are all Canadian and while we think Crash is severely overrated, those 8 are a good sampling of Canadian film.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

There is a question of bias, even among experts. American films with Canadian directors are often seen as "better" than Canadian films. There is also a fear that the experts won't select enough films from Villeneuve, Jewison, Cronenberg, and Cameron. The fact that 4 directors account for 36% of the list is problematic. 

The fact that 2 American big budget sequels beat out Hard Core Logo, Emporte-Moi, and The Hanging Garden is rather ridiculous.

The Canadian films on this list do deserve some love and praise from filmgoers. If some of these films are unfamiliar, do a bit of research and check out some of them.

Feel free to agree or disagree with our findings or the list itself in the comments section.

photo and video credit: CBC Arts
Twitter capture: @GraemeBurk