Canadian Crossing

2023 CFL Week 13 preview: Labour Day rivalries

Labour Day weekend means the major CFL rivalries are on centre stage.

BC at Montréal is not part of the rivalry on Saturday night. The CFL hasn't figured out that the Alouettes and RedBlacks belong together on this weekend. The teams do play on Thanksgiving. Someday BC will play the Atlantic Schooners on Labour Day weekend.

Usually, the "other" game runs on Friday on the long weekend but the CFL has this game on Saturday night in 2023.

The prairie teams play in Regina Sunday night. Winnipeg already has a win over Saskatchewan this season. 

Labour Day means the battle of southern Ontario in Hamilton and the Battle of Alberta in Calgary. The games start in late afternoon in the east.

Toronto is 2-0 against Hamilton so far this season. Edmonton and Calgary have not played each other.

CBS Sports Network carries the Sunday game and the Monday doubleheader.

Ottawa gets to relax and enjoy this holiday weekend.

CBS Sports Network

Sunday
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Monday
Toronto @ Hamilton, 3:30p
Edmonton @ Calgary, 7p

TSN

Saturday
BC @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Monday
Toronto @ Hamilton, 3:30p
Edmonton @ Calgary, 7p

Bye week: Ottawa

Edmonton Elks end long home CFL losing streak at 22

We wrote extensively on the Edmonton Elks winning a home game for the first time since 2019. The Ottawa RedBlacks suffered their 5th loss in a row in the 30-20 Elks win. Edmonton has a 2-game winning streak going into the Labour Day classic in Calgary. The Stampeders are a game ahead of the Elks.

2023 CFL Week 12 preview

The running joke at halftime was that Zach Collaros had thrown 4 touchdown passes. 2 of them went to Montréal. Collaros finished the night with 4 TD passes for the Blue Bombers and 2 for the Alouettes. Easy to laugh when your team scored the final 33 points of the game.

Montréal and Winnipeg came into the game with 4-game winning streaks and had veteran quarterbacks coming back from injury.

Brady Oliveria was fantastic on the ground for Winnipeg. William Stanback wasn't much of a running force for the Alouettes.

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

Toronto had its best CFL crowd (17, 906) of the season with the CNE in town. That crowd saw an exciting 39-31 Argos win over the Calgary Stampeders.

Toronto had struggled against Calgary, especially at home. The Argos had been 1-15 in the last decade against Calgary and the only win was on the road.

Javon Leake now has 4 punt return touchdowns, a new franchise record for Toronto. The latest was an 84-yard return. The league record is 5.

2023 CFL Week 10 preview

Hamilton running back James Butler got some revenge over his former club with 21 carries for 118 yards and 2 majors. The 30-13 win over the BC Lions was a bit of a shock. The Tiger-Cats snapped BC's 6-game home winning streak.

Taylor Powell finally won a start with the Tiger-Cats, going 18-23 for 222 yards and a touchdown. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 311 yards, one touchdown, and one interception for the BC Lions.

This was the first Hamilton win over a .500 + team this season: the previous 3 wins had come against Ottawa (x2) and Edmonton.

Edmonton went 0-8 with Taylor Cornelius and Jarrett Doege at quarterback. Chris Jones was adamant about not giving Tre Ford a chance, even at the end of a game. The Elks switch offensive coordinators. Jarious Jackson goes with Tre Ford. The Elks are 2-1 since then, and the one loss featured an amazing Winnipeg comeback.

The bias against Canadian quarterbacks is very powerful, especially if that Canadian quarterback went to USports (Ford did, Nathan Rourke did not).

The Elks have been running the ball more. Ford has shown some immaturity with a limited number of starts. Jackson deserves a lot of credit. Edmonton looks a lot better with Ford in charge.

With all the quarterbacks who have gone down, Canadian QB Michael O'Connor is still a free agent.

We aren't saying Canadian quarterbacks are the answer, just part of the equation. If Ford starts both of the games against Calgary, he jumps up to third on this list.

We love that the CFL is colour blind to quarterbacks but wish Canadian QBs get more love from the league.

2023 CFL Week 9 preview

Toronto has used up its 3 byes. Montréal and Hamilton have had 2 byes already with the 3rd bye for both teams in Week 20. Ottawa had had a bye so far, a bye this week, with the final bye on Week 20.

Having 9 CFL teams means each team gets 3 byes. They should be spread out more, especially for the East teams.

CFL in Halifax: 2023 Touchdown Atlantic observations

2023 CFL Week 8 preview: Touchdown Atlantic finally comes to Halifax

Touchdown Atlantic 2023 preview: CFL finally comes to Halifax

Defensive guru Rich Stubler passed away this week at 74. Stubler coached with 6 different CFL teams, starting in 1983 as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive coordinator.

He also spent time with Toronto, Edmonton, BC, Calgary, and Montréal. Stubler finished his CFL career in 2021 in Toronto as a defensive assistant.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Glen Suitor stayed out west for the Thursday game in Winnipeg with John Lu and the Saturday game in Vancouver with Farhan Lalji. We thought by now that Lalji would do play by play on a BC Lions game. Maybe when the tripleheaders start later in the season.

Marshall Ferguson made a return along with Duane Forde outside the CNE in Toronto with Matthew Scianitti on Friday night.

Dustin Nielson and Matt Dunigan formed a nice combo with Brit Dort to watch history with the first Elks home win in the 2020s on Sunday night.

Dave Naylor and Jim Barker filled in on the CFL on TSN panel. Scianitti filled in on another Sunday night for Kate Beirness.

logo credit: CFL
photos credit: TSN/CFL

2023 TIFF Rising Stars

Just announced: The #TIFF23 Rising Stars, featuring actors on the verge of making a large impact on the international stage: Adwa Bader, Almudena González, Amrit Kaur, Aria Mia Loberti, Cody Lightning, Kudakwashe Rutendo, Léah Aubert, Mark Clennon, and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne. pic.twitter.com/AGx1C7fQLQ

— TIFF Press & Industry (@TIFF_Industry) August 29, 2023

We are always excited about new, or relatively new, Canadian talent that gets the spotlight at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival through the Rising Stars program.

In recent years, TIFF has used the Rising Stars program to showcase Canadian and international talent as seen in films shown at the festival. For our purposes, we only spotlight the Canadian talent.

Here are the Canadians in the 2023 TIFF Rising Stars. All bios courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival.

"Amrit Kaur is an artistic hyphenate: an actor, comedian, director, and writer. She believes in acting as a humanitarian art form with the power to heal, transcend, and empower. Kaur will star in Fawzia Mirza's The Queen of My Dreams opposite Hamza Haq and Nimra Bucha. The film, premiering at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, follows a Pakistani woman and her Canadian-born daughter as they come of age in two eras. The actor is best known for her breakout role on Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble's HBO Max hit series, The Sex Lives of College Girls."

"Cody Lightning is a world-class, generation-defining actor. Hailing from Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, Alberta, Lightning began acting at age five in the film Geronimo. Since then, he has become one of Hollywood’s most active Indigenous actors, best known for his roles in Smoke Signals, The Brave, Brick, and many more. In 2023, Lightning will star in Marvel's upcoming Echo series. His debut feature film as a writer-director, Hey Victor!, sees Lightning revisit his iconic role in Smoke Signals."

"Kudakwashe Rutendo is a fast-rising actor from Fort McMurray, Alberta, currently based in Toronto. She was first introduced to the performing arts through LIVE poetry, and since then her passion for performance has only grown. … Rutendo landed a role starring alongside actor Tatyana Ali in the feature film Giving Hope: The Ni'cola Mitchell Story (Lifetime). She is also a theatre actor featured in productions such as Lost Heroes of Oro (Theatre by the Bay), and Vierge (Factory Theatre). Rutendo is expected to have her breakout role in the upcoming feature film Backspot (Page Boy Productions), starring opposite Devery Jacobs (Rising Stars 2018), Thomas Antony Olajide (Rising Stars 2021), and Evan Rachel Wood."

"Mark Clennon is a Jamaican-born artist whose art is expressed through various mediums. As a musician, he has garnered fans worldwide with music that The Recording Academy describes as “mesmerising,” MTV News recently described his art as “intimate and groundbreaking.” In 2022, Clennon made history with the first music video set and shot in Jamaica to depict a same-sex on-screen romance instantly highlighting him as one of Jamaica's only openly gay performers. Clennon began his career in entertainment as an actor, but took a hiatus to focus on music. I Don't Know Who You Are marks his triumphant return to acting, with which he is able to marry his love and passion for music."

2023 TIFF Canadian film preview

3 of the 4 Canadian films that feature the Rising Stars are from the Discovery section: Backspot, I Don't Know Who You Are, and The Queen of My Dreams. Hey, Viktor! is in the Centrepiece section.

Clennon is a writer on his film. Lightning directed and co-wrote the script for his film.

Your humble narrator has seen most of the recent films featuring past year's TIFF Rising Stars. Haven't seen the 2022 film (Bones of Crows) featuring Joshua Odjick, but saw him in Wildhood. Haven't seen Quickening featuring 2021 TIFF Rising Stars Arooj Azeem.

2022 TIFF Rising Stars

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

We will have a full preview of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, opening day of the festival.

TIFF Rising Stars

We profiled the 2023 class of TIFF Rising Stars. Here is the list from all the years.

2011 Sarah Allen, Katie Boland, Sarah Gadon, Keon Mohajeri

2012 Tatiana Maslany, Connor Jessup, Charlotte Sullivan, Charlie Carrick

2013 Megan Park, Johnathan Sousa, Evelyne Brochu, Cara Gee

2014 Shannon Kook, Sophie Desmarais, Alexandre Landry, Julia Sarah Stone

2015 Deragh Campbell, Stephan James, Aliocha Schneider, Karelle Tremblay

2016 Jared Abrahamson, Grace Glowicki, Mylène Mackay, Sophie Nélisse

2017 Daniel Doheny, Mary Galloway, Théodore Pellerin, Ellen Wong

2018 Devery Jacobs, Lamar Johnson, Michaela Kurimsky, Jess Salgueiro

2019 Kacey Rohl, Mikhail Ahooja, Nahéma Ricci, Shamier Anderson

2020 Madeleine Sims-Fewer

2021 Arooj Azeem, Emma Ferreira, Phillip Lewitski, Thomas Antony Olajide

2022 Natalia Aranguren, Isaiah Lehtinen, Carmen Madonia, Joshua Odjick

2023 Amrit Kaur, Cody Lightning, Kudakwashe Rutendo, Mark Clennon

Twitter capture and photos credit: @TIFF_Net

Edmonton Elks end long home CFL losing streak at 22

Extreme mood in Edmonton pic.twitter.com/j7o6L30fEm

— CFL (@CFL) August 28, 2023

1,415 days. Almost 4 years, though there was no 2020 season. The Edmonton Elks won a CFL home game for the first time since there was a COVID-19 pandemic. Jason Kenney had been premier in Alberta fewer than 6 months.

The Elks defeated the Ottawa RedBlacks 30-20 at Commonwealth Stadium last night to break the streak. The Elks now have a 2-game winning streak after winning in Hamilton the previous week.

Canadian quarterback Tre Ford went 15-18 for 317 passing yards and a touchdown. Ford also ran 10 times for 74 yards and a major.

The game got off to a slow start as Ottawa had a 1-0 lead after the first quarter. Eugene Lewis brought an emotional spark as he caught a 66-yard touchdown pass with 41 seconds remaining in the first half.

Eugene Lewis takes it to the house!

The Elks extend their lead. pic.twitter.com/J3XrJ63kBD

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 28, 2023

Head coach Chris Jones had ignored Ford as a quarterback possibility. He has started the last 3 games; only a Blue Bombers comeback prevented a 3-game winning streak.

A few thousand in the Edmonton crowd where evacuees from the Northwest Territories due to the wildfires. They brought good luck, perhaps.

The 22-game losing streak surpassed the North American mark of 20 games set by the MLB St. Louis Browns in 1953.

The streak went through 4 head coaches: Jason Maas, Scott Milanovich (who never coached a game), Jaime Elizondo, and Chris Jones.

The Edmonton CFL franchise defeated the BC Lions 19-6 on October 12, 2019 at Commonwealth Stadium. That was the 5th and final home win in 2019.

No more nonsense around here#OurTeamOurCity #GoElks #CFL pic.twitter.com/opPeOkJTc3

— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) August 28, 2023

2023 CFL Week 12 preview

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The Elks (2-9) are only a game behind their provincial rivals — the Calgary Stampeders (3-8) — with back-to-back games coming up: Labour Day Classic in Calgary next Monday and the revenge game in Edmonton on September 9.

We will have our Labour Day CFL preview on Thursday this week, even though the weekend's games don't start until Saturday.

Twitter captures: @CFL; @TSN_Sports; @goelks
photos credit: TSN/CFL

Rojek is Canada's entry into the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

ROJEK by @ZayneAkyol is Canada’s Choice in the race for Best International Feature Film at the #Oscars2024! Congratulations to the team! We are beyond excited to follow you on this journey and wish you the best of luck moving forward. ✨https://t.co/wtt0ULcAgo #Documentary pic.twitter.com/idndMSgUAG

— Telefilm Canada (@Telefilm_Canada) August 24, 2023

For those who thought Eternal Spring had "too much" Canadian content, Telefilm Canada brings us Rojek as Canada's nominee for the Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category for the 2024 Academy Awards.

The 2022 documentary from Zaynê Akyol is about imprisoned members of the Islamic State (aka ISIS) and telling the story of the Islamic State through personal stories.

The film did have a run in Canadian theaters in January.

Rojek is in Arabic, Kurdish, French, and English. English is allowed in the category as long as the English is less than 50% of the dialogue. We feel comfortable in that this will not be a repeat of Funny Boy.

This is the second documentary that Canada has entered for the Oscars. Last year's entry Eternal Spring was the first documentary. This is also the first film from Canada where Arabic is the primary language. Incendies, Monsieur Lazhar, and Antigone all featured Arabic as a secondary or tertiary language.

The strategy didn't work too well for Eternal Spring last fall. 14 Days, 12 Nights, like Rojek, was also a year old when Canada picked that film to replace Funny Boy, though that doesn't happen too often. Let's see if Rojek has a better fate.

Canadian film review: Eternal Spring

Eternal Spring misses the Oscars shortlist cut for Best International Feature Film

2023 TIFF Canadian film preview

Telefilm Canada doesn't give breakdowns on possible nominees. Based on the upcoming TIFF schedule, these Canadian film titles could have been in the mix.

• Tautuktavuk | What We See (Carol Kunnuk, Lucy Tulugarjuk)
• Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person | Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant (Ariane Louis-Seize)
• Irena's Vow (Louise Archambault)
• Kanaval (Henri Pardo)
• The Nature of Love | Simple Comme Sylvain (Monia Chokri)
• Days of Happiness | Les Jours heureux (Chloé Robichaud)
• Ru (Charles-Olivier Michaud)

We know Telefilm Canada wouldn't have selected the vampire film or Simple Comme Sylvain since comedies are almost allergic in this category.

These titles showcase films with more of a Canadian presence than Rojek.

Akyol told the stories of women fighting against ISIS in her previous documentary, Gulîstan, Land of Roses (2016), her directorial debut.

Films such as this need countries such as Canada to tell these difficult stories. Telefilm Canada's current strategy is to pick films that have no visible Canadian content and aren't films in the Oscars conversation. If Canada won't come close to making the shortlist, why not submit a film that tells a Canadian story?

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

If Rojek makes the shortlist, that will be the first Canadian film in 7 years to have such an honour. The Xavier Dolan film It's Only the End of the World | Juste la fin du monde was the last Canadian film to make the shortlist.

Your humble narrator has seen the last 26 Canadian entries in this category, not counting Rojek. The most recent one I haven't seen is Not Me! | Sous-Sol from the Oscars in 1997.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the films on the 2024 Oscar shortlist on December 21. The five nominees will be announced on January 23, 2024. The 96th Oscars will be held on March 10, 2024.

Twitter capture: @Telefilm_Canada
video credit: YouTube/Icarus Films
photo credit: Rojek

2023 CFL Week 12 preview

The week before rivalry week in the CFL is East meets West in all 4 games.

Montréal and Winnipeg finish up the home and home that started on Canada Day in Montréal and ends Thursday night in Winnipeg.

The Calgary Stampeders get to spend time in Canada's largest city to take on the Argonauts on Friday night. The Argos want revenge for suffering its only loss in Calgary.

This is the only Toronto home game during CNE 2023. An Argos ticket gets you into the fair for free.

Hamilton travels a long way to Vancouver for a late afternoon local time start at BC Place on Saturday. The "revenge" game is on October 13.

Ottawa has a good shot to win on the road because Edmonton is playing at home. Then again, the Elks are on a 1-game winning streak. This game is set for Sunday night. The RedBlacks won 26-7 earlier in the year in Ottawa.

CBS Sports Network carries the bookends with the Thursday and Sunday games.

Saskatchewan Roughriders fans get to relax and eat some Saskatoon berry pie. Good stuff. Run the Burbs had a joke about Saskatoon berry powder. Yum!!

CBS Sports Network

Thursday
Montréal @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Sunday
Ottawa @ Edmonton, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Montréal @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Friday
Calgary @ Toronto, 7:30p
Saturday
Hamilton @ BC, 7p
Sunday
Ottawa @ Edmonton, 7p

Bye week: Saskatchewan

The Edmonton Elks snapped the 13-game overall CFL drought, scoring more points on offence, scoring 2nd half points, and playing better defence than the previous week against Winnipeg. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats struggled on offence, especially in the kicking department.

Tre Ford, a Canadian quarterback who played for a Canadian university, won a CFL game.

The Elks still have a 22 game home losing streak, dating back to 2019.

The previous Edmonton win was September 16, 2022 with a 26-24 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina.

In southern Alberta, Calgary wants a touchdown like Polly wants a cracker. Polly has a better chance of getting a cracker. Winnipeg's only touchdown came from a Pick 6 from defensive back Demerio Houston. Rene Parades is an incredible kicker but making him the Stampeders offence will come up short in most weeks.

The Shreveport Pirates saga is notable in that the 14-game losing streak was the franchise's first 14 games. The team finished the 1994 season winning 3 of the last 4 games. This was part of the U.S. experiment for the CFL during the mid-1990s.

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

We see a young quarterback struggle with his original franchise. Is he good or can he be better with a different team? Caleb Evans was kind of lost in Ottawa. Signing as the backup in Montréal was barely worth mentioning. The Alouettes didn't deserve to win the comeback victory in Ottawa Saturday night, though Evans worked very hard for that win.

The RedBlacks looked a lot better with their offence and deserved that win. This is why they play the games.

2023 CFL Week 10 preview

2023 CFL Week 9 preview

Vernon Adams Jr. has had success in part due to having plenty of time to throw the ball. The Saskatchewan defence threw the BC Lions off track. While the Lions heroically made things close in the second half, the Roughriders got a much needed win.

Adams played better with a limp in the second half than without that limp in the first half.

The return of Kian Schaffer-Baker to the Saskatchewan receiver corps was physical and psychological. Even though Jake Dolegala struggled in Montréal, we've seen this version before Sunday night in Regina.

NEWS | Elks providing tickets to August 27 game for NWT fire evacuees

With more than 3,000 evacuees in Edmonton, we want to show our support for our friends from the North

DETAILS | https://t.co/y5rvbNa3Zu#OurTeamOurCity #GoElks #YEG pic.twitter.com/xwTx5QTB1Z

— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) August 21, 2023

Football can be a distraction. The Edmonton Elks have a nice gesture going for evacuees from the Northwest Territories, offering free tickets to those who left as a result of ongoing wildfires. There will be several thousand on hand at Commonwealth Stadium Sunday night against Ottawa.

“We understand that every evacuee's primary focus is on when they can return home, but we wanted to extend the opportunity to attend Sunday's game as our way of showing that Edmontonians are here to support our friends from the North,” said Allan Watt, the Elks vice president of stakeholder relations and gameday, in a press release.

Edmonton is 902 miles or 1,452 km from Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories capital. There are about 20,000 residents of Yellowknife. Some NWT residents flew to Edmonton as part of the evacuation. The NWT evacuees might see something rare in Edmonton if the Elks pull off a home win.

The Northwest Territories wildfires as well as the wildfires in British Columbia (Kelowna, among other places) have been part of a catastrophic summer of wildfires in Canada.

2023 CFL preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Matt Dunigan with Matthew Scianitti had fun with the rain and lightning in Hamilton on Thursday night. Dustin Nielson and Duane Forde were in Calgary Friday night; Forde was there since he was on the 1998 Grey Cup winning squad being celebrated at McMahon Stadium. Farhan Lalji was warm and toasty on the sidelines on a colder than expected summer night.

Smith and Dunigan with Scianitti found their way to Ottawa Saturday evening.

Nielson and Glen Suitor with Brit Dort were in Regina for the Sunday evening contest with the BC Lions.

The American viewers may have noticed that CBS Sports Network dumped out of the rain delay coverage in Hamilton. Our educated guess is that the network can run any studio coverage but not SportsCentre, which filled part of the delay coverage on TSN. Always a reminder to set that DVR or PVR with added time just in case a summer storm rolls through a CFL game.

logo credit: CFL
photo credit: TSN/CFL
Twitter capture: @GoElks

Canadian film case study: Carmen

Carmen is about Carmen, a Maltese spinster who finds herself wondering what is next in her world. She has had an unsatisfactory life as her brother's caretaker — her brother being the local priest. When her brother dies, she loses what she had since Rita (Maltese actor Michaela Farrugia) is there to serve as her brother's caretaker, with her brother being the new priest.

You can tell the story is an awakening of a character. The only suspense is in what will happen not whether it will happen.

English actor Natascha McElhone plays Carmen. McElhone is quite good at revealing what only needs to be known. You do wonder if the actual Carmen is far less attractive than McElhone.

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late August 2023

Malta submits a Canadian film for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars

Valerie Buhagiar tells the story based on her own aunt Rita. Buhagiar is originally from Malta and has that heritage. The location shots feel like an ideal tour guide to what Malta is all about.

Carmen is a soft film, not in a bad way. The film has a definite feminist flavour and takes a few shots at the way the Catholic Church views women. The film could even serve as inspiration if you are stuck in your world.

The only Canadian reference in the film comes from Paulo (Steven Love), who is a Canadian actor, when he explains to Carmen that his mother was Maltese and his father was Canadian.

Carmen is a pleasant film stronger than what it might seem. Buhagiar gives us a compelling picture that knows how far to go and when to end.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

While Malta submitted Carmen to the Academy Awards for nomination, the film did not make the final list of films submitted from around the world.

Carmen runs on August 26 at 9 pm local time on CBC. The film is available in Canada on CBC Gem and Amazon Prime Video in the United States.

video credit: YouTube/whistlerfilm
photo credit: Carmen

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late August 2023

Welcome back to our coverage of Canadian films on the CBC. We've seen a few new films this summer, even to us, though they are Canadian films in name only.

The August 19 film lineup features very good and intense Canadian films. The August 26 mix is more eclectic.

CBC shows Canadian films on Saturday night before Hockey Night in Canada returns to the public broadcaster in October.

This summer, the CBC presentations are starting at 9 pm local time (9:30 pm in Newfoundland).

We are getting 4 films in the next 2 weeks, though some weeks have 3 Canadian films.

This is a nice service from the public broadcaster.

Here is the CBC Canadian films schedule for late August 2023.

August 19

9p Werewolf (2016)
11p Honey Bee (2018)

August 26

9p Carmen (2021)
11p Clara (2018)

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early August 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late July 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early July 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late June 2023

A recap of CBC Saturday night Canadian films in the 2022 offseason

Canadian film review: Werewolf

Canadian film review: Honey Bee

Canadian film review: Clara

Malta submits a Canadian film for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars

As we noted earlier, Werewolf and Honey Bee are intense films but definitely worth watching. Ashley McKenzie presents a raw view of drug use in Nova Scotia in Werewolf. Rama Rau brings us an intense look at foster life and why some demons stick around. Julia Sarah Stone is outstanding in Honey Bee. Michelle McLeod has a subtle role and proves why she is a Canadian actor to watch.

While we are familiar with Valerie Buhagiar as an actor, Carmen features her talents as a writer and director. The film is more Malta than Canada. While Malta submitted the film for the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards last fall, the film didn't make the final Oscars list.

Clara is a cute film filled with just enough science. As the August 19 films are intense, Clara is not.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Yes, we praise a lot of Canadian films. Watching films with commercials isn't fun. These intriguing Canadian films address issues where Canadians should be familiar, even if they aren't in their regular wheelhouse.

Saturday nights during the hockey season means the NHL on CBC. Otherwise, CBC has Canadian films in store.

Canadians can choose to watch these Canadian films on CBC Gem. For a monthly fee, you can watch them without commercials.

logo credit: CBC
photo credits: Werewolf; Honey Bee

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

The 2022 Edmonton Elks won 4 road games. The 2023 Elks haven't found success away from Commonwealth Stadium. Edmonton hopes for greener pastures in a long road trip to Hamilton to start out the CFL week on Thursday Night Football. As long as Taylor Cornelius doesn't throw a Pick 6 with his left hand, the Elks might have a chance.

Calgary hopes for better success with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by playing them at McMahon Stadium on Friday night. Winnipeg defeated Calgary earlier this season.

The Highway 417 rivalry gets a boost as the Alouettes and RedBlacks play in Ottawa on Saturday night.

The BC Lions get ready for a loud crowd at Regina as the Saskatchewan Roughriders are at home on Sunday. Saskatchewan is quite vulnerable at quarterback.

CBS Sports Network has the Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday games for those in the States.

Toronto gets its third and final bye of the season and we haven't hit Labour Day.

CBS Sports Network

Thursday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p
Sunday
BC @ Saskatchewan, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7:30p
Friday
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 9p
Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p
Sunday
BC @ Saskatchewan, 7p

Bye week: Toronto

Tre Ford didn't have to do much but did jumpstart the Elks offence with his feet and arm. Kevin Brown helped with a 65-yard touchdown run to start the game.

Matt Dunigan and Milt Stegall both agreed the hit on Zach Collaros was worth a penalty. Both agreed there wasn't intent. That said, the hit landed on Collaros' head and neck.

The focus was whether the hit was late (it was) but not on where the hit was. I would have felt better with a side hit or a gentle tap.

The Collaros play was ill-thought on so many levels. The oddity of the play is that may be the reason why the Elks losing streaks are still going. Dru Brown was able to move the Blue Bombers more efficiently than Collaros had been able to do.

Edmonton had a 22-0 lead and watched that disappear. The Elks could only score a single second-half touchdown. 29 points is a strong improvement, even if the Elks streaks are now have lost 13 straight overall and 22 at home since 2019.

2023 CFL Week 10 preview

Vernon Adams Jr. didn't miss a beat in his return as quarterback for the BC Lions. Adams went 23-32 for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns to 4 different receivers. Getting Lucky Whitehead going should make the BC offence even stronger.

The BC defence didn't allow a touchdown, just 3 field goals from Rene Parades for the Stampeders.

2023 CFL Week 9 preview

Mason Fine was playing better as the temporary Saskatchewan starter at quarterback. A hamstring pull means Fine may be out 2-3 weeks. Jake Dolegala was not that effective as a replacement in Montréal. Shea Patterson is the backup and the Riders went out and acquired quarterback Antonio Pipkin from Hamilton for punter Kaare Vedvik.

Trevor Harris is still out for an undetermined period of time. Saskatchewan is in 3rd place, good enough for a playoff spot unless an East team crosses over, something that has never happened in the history of CFL crossovers.

The Alouettes didn't have quarterback Cody Fajardo and running back William Stanback. Walter Fletcher rushed for 73 yards on 15 carries and added 68 receiving yards on a screen pass. Caleb Evans played a solid game at quarterback for Montréal.

CFL in Halifax: 2023 Touchdown Atlantic observations

2023 CFL Week 8 preview: Touchdown Atlantic finally comes to Halifax

Touchdown Atlantic 2023 preview: CFL finally comes to Halifax

Chad Kelly’s injured ankle was a lot better. Kelly went 21-28 passes for 417 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and an interception. The Argos had a 28-24 lead at halftime. This was better news for the Ottawa offence but could only score a touchdown in the second half.

Some love in the booth for the @GoElks' Indigenous logo, designed by Conrad Plews 💚#CFLGameday pic.twitter.com/3FjxRVQRil

— CFL (@CFL) August 11, 2023

The Elks frustrations reminded us of the Cleveland Browns, a NFL team that went winless in 2017. Bud Light developed an idea of refrigerators full of Bud Light that would open once the Browns won in 2018.

Cleveland started the 2018 season with a tie at home against Pittsburgh. After a loss in New Orleans, the Browns finally won 21-17 at home over the New York Jets, snapping a 19-game winless streak.

The Cleveland Browns had lost the last 3 games in 2015, 1-15 in 2016 with a home win in December, and 0-16 in 2017.

Edmonton football fans deserve a way better beer than Bud Light for their losing streaks. The idea is brilliant: Let's hope a good Canadian beer steps up to help the frustrated Elks fans.

The one individual who seemed to be doing a lot was Elks president Victor Cui. The Edmonton Elks and Victor Cui mutually agreed to part ways. Cui is definitely not the problem with the football team.

2023 CFL preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor called the wild game in Edmonton with Ryan Rishaug on Thursday. Nice interview with Rishaug and Conrad Plews, the artist who designed the Elks Indigenous logo. Looked really sharp.

Nielson and Suitor also were in Vancouver for a summer afternoon game on Saturday with Farhan Lalji.

Rod Smith and Duane Forde stayed out east in Montréal on Friday and Toronto on Sunday. Kenzie Lalonde handled the sidelines for both games.

Jim Barker filled in for Davis Sanchez on the CFL on TSN panel.

logo credit and Twitter capture: @CFL

Leftovers from TIFF 2022: What we haven't seen

We got to see a lot of Canadian films that played at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival by attending the 2022 Windsor International Film Festival. Last year's crop of Canadian films seemed really good.

We are never able to see every Canadian film, as much as we would like to do so. So let's look back at what we saw and what we haven't seen from TIFF 2022.

Here is a list of full-length Canadian films, including co-productions.

Contemporary World Cinema

Falcon Lake (Charlotte Le Bon) was one of the most beautiful and haunting films we've seen from any country in awhile. Credit to Le Bon, who trapped in adapting the story of a boy who wasn't interesting and putting the teenage girl in a stronger position. This deserved the Best Canadian First Feature Film award, if TIFF ever decides to bring back that award.

North of Normal (Carly Stone) was thought provoking and gave us characters to care about. Coyote (Katherine Jerkovic) was a quieter film and enjoyable.

So Much Tenderness (Lina Rodríguez) is a quiet film. The mother-daughter dynamic in how the Colombians adapt to Canada was incredible. Liked this a lot more than Coyote yet both films have their strengths,

The Swearing Jar (Lindsay MacKay) feels like a couple of movies within the film. There is a lot in the film and worth the watch.

The Origin of Evil | L'Origine du Mal (Sébastien Marnier) was a well-crafted film in a genre where I normally am not attached. I walked out of the film feeling good I picked up, not a sensation I had before I saw the film.

Bones of Crows (Marie Clements), Stellar | Ananghoonska (Darlene Naponse), and The End of Sex (Sean Garrity) are definitely on my want to see list.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman | Saules Aveugles, Femme Endormie (Pierre Földes) sounds fun even if it doesn't seem too Canadian.

Fixation (Mercedes Bryce Morgan) and Nightalk (Donald Shebib) might have potential in their films.

The Maiden (Graham Foy) might be a missing gem. Maybe.

The World Premiere of Anishinaabe director @darlenenaponse’s STELLAR focuses on the dreamy romantic connection between She and He amid a natural catastrophe outside of their peaceful Northern Ontario Bar. #TIFF22 https://t.co/wtEJgJoW6r pic.twitter.com/NbZYpXI8Zz

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) August 17, 2022

The World Premiere of Chandler Levack’s (@clevack) debut, I LIKE MOVIES, follows a self-obsessed teenager pursuing his dreams and testing relationships in suburban Ontario, with @neetsaiah, Romina D’Ugo, and @MeKristaBridges #TIFF22 https://t.co/aE33euL2bK pic.twitter.com/i0QzWAtGlz

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) August 4, 2022

Discovery

I Like Movies (Chandler Levack) is one of the best films about film I have ever seen. This film could have also won Best Canadian First Feature Film.

Rosie (Gail Maurice) is an undervalued treat of a film.

Pussy (Joseph Amenta) got renamed Soft. Neither title fits this film, which feels almost like a documentary at times. A truly inclusive film with realistic dialogue.

Luis De Filippis recently said to not take her movie Something You Said Last Night too seriously. We agree with her that "the film is not a drama." The film is a slice of life, a very boring, boring life.

We don't know too much about these films: The Young Arsonists (Sheila Pye) and This Place (V.T. Nayani) look like potential Canadian gems. Until Branches Bend (Sophie Jarvis) and When Morning Comes (Kelly Fyffe-Marshall) would be nice to find at some point.

Canadian film review: Black Bodies

Gala Presentations

Black Ice (Hubert Davis) is a MUST for any sports fan who has the potential to be racist at some point. I learned a ton from this documentary.

Alice, Darling (Mary Nighy) has been available on demand for some time. Hard to resist Anna Kendrick especially alongside Kaniehtiio Horn. However, I would be more concerned that Horn gets even less screen time than she did in Possessor and Sugar Daddy. Damnit, Horn has the potential as a star. We might try out this film at some point but obviously not in a rush.

Platform

Riceboy Sleeps (Anthony Shim) and Viking (Stéphane Lafleur) are outstanding in their own ways. Films you did not want to end.

Primetime

We've seen a bit of High School (Clea DuVall, Laura Kittrell) based on the bestselling memoir of the same name by Canadian pop duo Tegan and Sara. We don't know much about Lido TV (Lido Pimienta).

Special Presentations

Brother (Clement Virgo) is a powerful film in a lot of ways.

TIFF Docs

Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On (Madison Thomas) showed there was a lot we didn't know about the famous folk singer. She won an Oscar. You will find out how if you see the film. Ever Deadly (Tanya Tagaq, Chelsea McMullan) felt like 2 movies in a film but they managed to co-exist well.

To Kill A Tiger (Nisha Pahuja) is the one puzzler of TIFF 2022. The documentary won Best Canadian Feature at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and Best Documentary at the 2023 Palm Springs Film Festival.

The film's slow progress toward distribution outside Canada got a boost with Mindy Kaling and Dev Patel signing on as executive producers of the documentary. Not sure how being an executive producer for a year-old film makes sense but the idea is to bring a potential audience with their names on the project. The film will be at the Film Forum in New York on October 20 before moving on to major U.S. cities.

The question for To Kill A Tiger is whether the subject matter is the star (father demanding justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a gang rape) or how well the documentary tells that story.

We were less than impressed with Pahuja's previous film The World Before Her but maybe this is a very different film.

Canadians may be able to watch the film via the NFB site.

Still know very little about 752 Is Not A Number (Babak Payami) and The Colour of Ink (Brian D. Johnson).

Canadian filmmaker Ashley McKenzie’s (@hivisfilm) QUEENS OF THE QING DYNASTY is an affair of the heart, highlighting a once-in-a-lifetime encounter that changes everything. The North American Premiere stars Sarah Walker and Ziyin Zheng. #TIFF22 https://t.co/1B3g51TEyN pic.twitter.com/p2qkhyI3z4

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) August 4, 2022

Wavelengths

Queens of the Qing Dynasty (Ashley McKenzie) goes on the must see list. Hopefully, that will be soon. We don't know too much about Concrete Valley (Antoine Bourges).

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2022

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Here are the Top 5 films from TIFF 2022 that we want to see:

Bones of Crows (Marie Clements)
Stellar | Ananghoonska (Darlene Naponse)
The End of Sex (Sean Garrity)
This Place (V.T. Nayani)
Queens of the Qing Dynasty (Ashley McKenzie)

To Kill A Tiger might make the next 5. Maybe.

Let us know if you've seen a film we haven't that belongs on our list.

photo credits: I Like Movies; Black Ice; Riceboy Sleeps
Twitter captures: @TIFF_net (x3)

2023 TIFF Canadian film preview

The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival had some incredible films as films in general made an nice comeback. Will the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival have similar, wonderful Canadian films?

Among directors we know, glad to see a second film from Molly McGlynn after Mary Goes Round. Fitting In shows some promise. Monia Chokri has blown us away with her filmmaking so far. Babysitter was hilarious last fall and now Chokri is back with The Nature of Love | Simple Comme Sylvain.

Louise Archambault working with Sophie Nélisse is enough to get me to see Irena's Vow.

Atom Egoyan reunites with his Chloe star Amanda Seyfried in Seven Veils. The plot is encouraging. Maybe Sophie Dupuis has improved as a film writer and director. Still haven't seen Underground but maybe Solo is a decent film. Denis Côté is back with Mademoiselle Kenopsia. Côté has his own drumbeat as a filmmaker.

Given the recent concerns in Quebec over assisted suicide, the new Ariane Louis-Seize film has good timing: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person | Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant.

Backspot, the highly anticipated feature film debut by creator/director D.W. Waterson, will have its World Premiere this September at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). https://t.co/9qDb1jAGBZ@TIFF_NET @levelFILM @ACTRAToronto @TheCdnAcademy @CdnFilmFan @Area33_ pic.twitter.com/2w7RfsmLc4

— Northernstars.ca (@Northernstarsca) August 3, 2023

Devery Jacobs plays a driven cheerleader in Backspot with Elliot Page as an executive producer. That could be intriguing. If your humble narrator can pick a film based on the plot, Seagrass is tops on that list.

Boil Alert feels like a documentary that should have been made 5, 10, 20 years ago. Canadians may go out to theatres to see Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe, celebrating Ernie Coombs.

We get the irony of sitting through a documentary on the one Canadian band people love to hate. If you can stand it, Hate to Love: Nickelback is for you.

Bria Mack Gets A Life is a Crave series from Sasha Leigh Henry getting the movie treatment at TIFF 2023.

Here is a list of full-length Canadian films, including co-productions. All descriptions of films supplied by TIFF.

Discovery

Backspot (D.W. Waterson) A driven cheerleader (Devery Jacobs) struggles to handle the pressure when she and her girlfriend are both selected for an elite cheer squad, in D.W. Waterson's feature directorial debut.

I Don't Know Who You Are (M.H. Murray) After a sexual assault, a Toronto musician spends a weekend trying to find the money for HIV-preventive treatment, in this ferocious debut from writer-director M.H. Murray and writer-star Mark Clennon.

Seagrass (Meredith Hama-Brown) A week at a couples therapy retreat — where kids can explore the Pacific coast while their parents work on their issues — exposes the fractures in a biracial family, in Meredith Hama-Brown's debut feature.

Tautuktavuk | What We See (Carol Kunnuk, Lucy Tulugarjuk) An evocative, drawn-from-life tale from directors Carol Kunnuk and Lucy Tulugarjuk about two siblings' attempts to heal and overcome trauma during the pandemic.

The Queen of My Dreams (Fawzia Mirza) Fawzia Mirza's stylish feature debut mashes up the textures of Indian cinema and a Canadian coming-of-age picture, tracing key moments in the lives of a mother and daughter born three decades apart.

The North American Premiere of Ariane Louis-Seize’s HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON is a deadpan horror comedy following a young Montreal bloodsucker who can only feed on people for whom she feels sympathy. 🧛 #TIFF23 https://t.co/SLc7iqxm0j pic.twitter.com/IxYgoJKEFE

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) August 10, 2023

Centrepiece

Fitting In (Molly McGlynn) This film mines a traumatic, rare reproductive abnormality diagnosis for laughs and tears in director Molly McGlynn's second feature film, starring Maddie Ziegler as a teen who must confront her new health reality.

Hey, Viktor! (Cody Lightning) A struggling Indigenous actor tries to rejuvenate his career by getting a sequel made to the beloved film Smoke Signals, in star and director Cody Lightning's wildly funny debut mockumentary.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person | Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant (Ariane Louis-Seize) Ariane Louis-Seize’s deadpan horror comedy finds droll humour in the plight of a young Montréal bloodsucker who can only feed on people for whom she feels sympathy.

In Flames (Zarrar Kahn) Canada, Pakistan In present-day Karachi, a medical student struggles to keep her family together while being stalked by forces she can't entirely understand.

Irena's Vow (Louise Archambault) Canada, Poland In occupied Poland, a former nurse (Sophie Nélisse) risks her own life to shelter a dozen Jewish men and women from the Nazi war machine.

Kanaval (Henri Pardo) Canada, Luxembourg Kanaval is the story of one young boy's journey from a small port town on the coast of Haiti in 1975, during the town's celebrations of carnival, before a traumatic event forces him and his mother to flee to Quebec.

The Nature of Love | Simple Comme Sylvain (Monia Chokri) Canada, France Biting, funny, and socially astute, this romantic comedy from Quebecois actor, writer, and director Monia Chokri (A Brother's Love) tackles class difference and infidelity.

Ten days, hundreds of films — how do you choose? 🎬

Let us help. Reply with your favourite film from #TIFF22 and we’ll recommend you a #TIFF23 title.

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) August 15, 2023

Primetime, TIFF '23

Black Life: Untold Stories (Leslie Norville) This new CBC documentary series uses contemporary interviews and archival footage to chronicle Canada’s long history of anti-Black racism, including episodes on police brutality and the rise of hip-hop music.

Bria Mack Gets A Life (Sasha Leigh Henry) This comedy series from Sasha Leigh Henry shows what adulthood is like for a smart young Black woman reluctantly entering the workforce.

Telling Our Story (Kim O'Bomsawin) The English-language debut of Telling Our Story, a visually stunning four-part documentary series highlighting 11 different First Nations in Quebec, illuminates the rich Indigenous cultures and stories that exist within the province.

Writer-director Chloé Robichaud and actor Sophie Desmarais reunite at #TIFF23.

The World Premiere of DAYS OF HAPPINESS follows a young orchestra conductor as she faces a crossroads in her life and career in this ambitious drama. https://t.co/yhXKc6SqZx pic.twitter.com/Pa0S9RwClq

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) July 24, 2023

Special Presentations

Close To You (Dominic Savage) Canada, United Kingdom Sam (Elliot Page) has a chance encounter with an old friend (Hillary Baack) on his way home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.

Days of Happiness | Les Jours heureux (Chloé Robichaud) A young orchestra conductor faces a crossroads in her life and career in this ambitious drama that reunites writer-director Chloé Robichaud with actor Sophie Desmarais.

Ru (Charles-Olivier Michaud) Based on the Governor General's Award–winning novel by Kim Thúy, Ru is the story of the arduous journey of a wealthy family fleeing from Vietnam, before landing in Quebec.

Seven Veils (Atom Egoyan) Atom Egoyan and his Chloe star Amanda Seyfried reunite for this knotty psychodrama about a young theatre director forced to re-examine her own trauma while working on a remount of Salome.

The Beast | La Bête (Bertrand Bonello) France, Canada This heady, sci-fi examination of yearning, obsession, and existential dread by visionary French auteur Bertrand Bonello stars Léa Seydoux and George MacKay as two lovers connecting and reconnecting across time and space, all while catastrophe looms.

Gala Presentations

Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks) Nickelback is one of the most successful acts in music history — they're also the number one band haters love to hate. This intimate portrait surveys the Canadian stadium rockers' rollercoaster career.

Solo (Sophie Dupuis) Set in Montréal's vivacious drag scene, this tender character study from writer-director Sophie Dupuis (Underground) focuses on a talented young performer whose past and present merge in unexpected ways.

Swan Song (Chelsea McMullan) Chelsea McMullan takes us inside the National Ballet of Canada’s 2022 production of Swan Lake, directed and staged by the legendary Karen Kain.

Platform

The King Tide (Christian Sparkes) Ten years after a child with miraculous gifts arrives at an isolated East Coast island town, her adoptive parents must decide whether her safety is more important than their community's prosperity.

Wavelengths, TIFF '23

He Thought He Died (Isiah Medina) In his sly, elegant, and perspicacious film, director Isiah Medina plays a painter who plots a heist to steal back his work from the same museum vault where a filmmaker is shooting their next project.

Mademoiselle Kenopsia (Denis Côté) A lone woman occupies an empty building, waiting for something to break her stasis, in the new feature from director Denis Côté and actor Larissa Corriveau.

Midnight Madness

Hell of a Summer (Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk) U.S., Canada A masked killer terrorizes the counsellors of a summer camp in this sardonic slasher-comedy, the feature directorial debut from actors Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk.

An ode to the tickle trunk and Ernie Coombs. 🪄

The World Premiere of Robert McCallum’s (@RobMcZob) MR. DRESSUP: THE MAGIC OF MAKE-BELIEVE celebrates the iconic Canadian TV personality that encouraged generations of kids to be their best selves. #TIFF23 https://t.co/rSzNbc23V6 pic.twitter.com/F4Xbd0Pbp4

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) July 26, 2023

TIFF Docs

Boil Alert (James Burns, Stevie Salas) Canada, U.S. This urgent documentary by activist Layla Staats shows the faces and personal stories behind the struggle of First Nations reserves to receive a basic human right: drinkable water.

Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe (Robert McCallum) This heartfelt documentary celebrates the life and work of Ernie Coombs, the iconic Canadian children’s television personality who encouraged generations of kids to be their best selves.

Summer Qamp (Jen Markowitz) At Camp fYrefly in rural Alberta, queer, non-binary, and trans teens get to just be kids in a supportive space, surrounded by counsellors who can relate to their experience ― and help them toast the perfect marshmallow.

TIFF Classics

Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got (Brigitte Berman) 1985 Unavailable for decades, Brigitte Berman's Oscar-winning documentary about the mercurial bandleader returns to the screen in a pristine new restoration.

2022 TIFF Canadian film preview

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

TIFF 2023 — the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival — runs September 7-17.

Twitter captures: @Northernstarsca; @TIFF_NET (x4)
photo credits: Backspot; Seagrass; Summer Qamp