Canadian Crossing

Sarah Polley gets Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay but not Best Director

I'm very happy today and so grateful to the incredible collective of cast and crew who made Women Talking.

— @realSarahPolley (she/her) (@realsarahpolley) January 24, 2023

Women Talking did get Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Sarah Polley for Best Adapted Screenplay. The absence of any female directors is a shock. Polley would have made sense being up for Best Director. The film also got shut out of any acting nominees.

Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) is still the last Canadian director to have an Oscar nomination.

Polley's fellow contenders for Best Adapted Screenplay are All Quiet on the Western Front (screenplay by Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell); Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (written by Rian Johnson); Living (written by Kazuo Ishiguro); and Top Gun: Maverick (screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks). Polley adapted the screenplay from the Miriam Toews novel of the same name.

This is Polley's second Oscars nomination, having been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Away From Her.

The other Best Picture nominees are All Quiet on the Western Front; Avatar: The Way of Water; The Banshees of Inisherin; Elvis; Everything Everywhere All at Once; The Fabelmans; Tár; Top Gun: Maverick; and Triangle of Sadness.

Women Talking, technically not a Canadian film, opens in the U.S

American-Canadian actor Brendan Fraser got a Best Actor nomination for The Whale.

Besides Best Picture, James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water was also nominated for best sound, production design and visual effects.

Toronto's Daniel Roher is up for Best Documentary Feature Film for Navalny about Russian political dissident Alexey Navalny.

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

We have the Top 5 films for the Best International Feature Film: Argentina (Argentina, 1985); Belgium (Close); Germany (All Quiet on the Western Front); Ireland (The Quiet Girl); and Poland (EO).

Your humble narrator is pulling for Close and EO. Hoping to see the other nominees before the Academy Awards ceremony.

These films made the shortlist but didn't advance to the Top 5 for Best International Feature Film: Austria (Corsage); Cambodia (Return to Seoul); Denmark (Holy Spider); France (Saint Omer); India (Last Film Show); Mexico (Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths); Morocco (The Blue Caftan); Pakistan (Joyland); South Korea (Decision to Leave); and Sweden (Cairo Conspiracy).

All Quiet on the Western Front is also up for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. 

Congratulations to the cast and crew of @RRRMovie - winners of the #criticschoice Award for Best Foreign Language Film.#CriticsChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/axWpzUHHDx

— Critics Choice Awards (@CriticsChoice) January 16, 2023

RRR (India) won Best Foreign Language Film at the Critics Choice Awards on January 15. The film beat out these other nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany); Argentina, 1985 (Argentina); Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico); Close (Belgium); and Decision to Leave (South Korea).

Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) won Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language at the 2023 Golden Globes on January 10. The other nominees were All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany); Close (Belgium); Decision to Leave (South Korea); and RRR (India).

The Independent Spirit Awards has its ceremony on March 4. These are the nominees for Best International Film:

Corsage (Austria/Luxembourg/France/Belgium/Italy/England) Marie Kreutzer
Joyland (Pakistan/USA) Saim Sadiq
Leonor Will Never Die (Philippines) Martika Ramirez Escobar
Return to Seoul (South Korea/France/Belgium/Romania) Davy Chou
Saint Omer (France) Alice Diop

Canadian film review: Eternal Spring

Eternal Spring gets the nod from Canada for Best International Feature Film

Eternal Spring, which was Canada's nominee for Best International Feature Film, was a potential nominee for Best Documentary Feature Film and Best Animated Feature Film. The film didn't make the cut in either category. This was the first documentary and animated film that Canada submitted in the Best International Feature Film category.

Fire of Love, a Canadian co-production, is a nominee for Best Documentary Feature Film. Turning Red, the "Canadian film" that isn't, is a nominee for Best Animated Feature Film.

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review

Turning Red shows the beauty of Toronto thanks to Domee Shi

The thought of Women Talking losing out to Top Gun: Maverick in 2 Oscars categories is a nauseating thought. The Academy has clearly returned to a pre-pandemic approach in many ways.

We talk about films that appear Canadian but are not. Still rooting for Turning Red and Women Talking because they are good films. 

Polley's speech for Best Adapted Screenplay, if she wins, will be the reason to watch the Oscars. 

Ryan Gosling, Denis Villeneuve get Oscar nominations

2022 Oscars through the lens of Canada

Canadians Oscars nomination scoreboard

Christopher Plummer (finally) wins his first Oscar

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The 95th Academy Awards will be held on March 12, 2023.

Twitter captures: @realsarahpolley; @CriticsChoice
photo credit: Women Talking

Canadian film review: Soft Shell Man

A deep sea diver has an accident while diving in the Indian Ocean. Alex (David La Haye) regains consciousness in the hospital and starts flirting with the female doctor.

Un crabe dans la tête profiles his behaviour, which is clearly changed from the accident where he is really interested in women. Alex starts a relationship with a journalist named Marie (Isabelle Blais). He is also interested in Sara (Chantal Giroux), a woman who is deaf. Sara is Marie's co-worker and the girlfriend of Sam (Emmanuel Bilodeau), Alex's best friend.

Alex is fascinated with the silence around Sara, which feels tied back to the accident. He also seems to break into places throughout the film.

Un crabe dans la tête | Soft Shell Man shows a deterioration within Alex as reflected by images of crabs and the jerking of the camera.

There are subplots such as Alex helping his agoraphobic friend Audrey (Pascale Desrochers) by working with a drug dealer and a gallery owner who wants to run some of Alex's photos.

Un crabe dans la tête is a film you can see through different lenses. The film could be seen as a romantic comedy with Alex's many attempts at love. Personality changes based off a traumatic incident. The ending gives us a different take.

The film is all about Alex yet writer/director André Turpin creates strong female characters in Marie and Sara. The portrayal of Sara is particularly poignant because she treats her deafness as a small bump in getting through life.

Turpin is mostly known as a cinematographer for Cosmos, Un 32 août sur terre, Maelström, Un crabe dans la tête, Childstar, Familia, Congorama, Incendies, Tom à la ferme, Mommy, Juste la fin du monde, Ma vie avec John F. Donovan, and Matthias & Maxime. Turpin is also married to Canadian filmmaker Louise Archambault, who worked on this film.

Turpin also directed Endorphine, which we reviewed. The 2015 film was Turpin's first full-length feature since this film. He also directed the Jules & Fanny segment in Cosmos (1996). Canada also submitted Cosmos for the Academy Awards.

Canadian film review: Endorphine

Un crabe dans la tête is a creative adventure of a film with complex ideas in a simply told story. This might be limited to those who love quirky, independent films but does well in this genre.

The film has minor inconsistencies but has the energy and script to have you follow to see what happens.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Un crabe dans la tête | Soft Shell Man was Canada's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2002 Oscars. The film received 4 Genie Award nominations: Best Motion Picture, Best Screenplay (Turpin), Best Actor (La Haye), and Best Cinematography (Turpin).

The film may be available here.

photos credit: Un crabe dans la tête | Soft Shell Man

Canadian film notebook: Turner Classic Movies to show Emporte-Moi

Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free became my white whale after your humble narrator saw Goin' Down the Road, which was the white whale up to that point.

There was a possibility before the pandemic of seeing the film for free but the people couldn't find a copy with subtitles.

Turner Classic Movies will air the film early in the morning of January 13 at 3:45 am Eastern (after you go to bed on January 12).

Let's go through a few reasons why this film has been a white whale for your humble narrator.

Léa Pool — a Canadian filmmaker whose films have dazzled, most notably Lost and Delirious.

Karine Vanasse — a Canadian actor I have enjoyed in a number of performances in English and French, all as an adult. She is a teenager in this film. Curiosity to how she is as an actor as a teenager.

Vivre sa vie — There are many references to Anna Karina and this wonderful Jean-Luc Godard New Wave film.

Pascale Bussières — She plays Vanasse's mother in this film. Bussières is charming on screen no matter what kind of role she plays.

Some regular readers could point out our OCD on the Canadian nominees for Best International Feature Film. While the OCD is a factor, my genuine interest in seeing this film overshadows that OCD. That doesn't hurt as a reason to see the film but not the primary focus.

There is always a possibility the film may not live up to the hype. Willing to find out for myself. There will be a review, no matter how the film turns out.

Beans won the 2021 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award

Anne at 13,000 Ft. wins 2020 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award

And the nominees for the @Rogers Best Canadian Film Award are:
-BROTHER, directed by Clement Virgo
-CRIMES OF THE FUTURE, directed by David Cronenberg
-RICEBOY SLEEPS, directed by Anthony Shim

The winner of the $100,000 prize will be revealed at the #TFCAawards gala on March 6! pic.twitter.com/MX0FZaHSq1

— Toronto Film Critics (@TFCA) January 8, 2023

The Toronto Film Critics Association announced the 3 finalists for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, which carries a cash prize of $100,000.

• Brother (Clement Virgo)
• Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg)
• Riceboy Sleeps (Anthony Shim)

All 3 films made the TIFF Top 10 Canadian films for 2022. Brother and Riceboy Sleeps played at the Toronto International Film Festival and Windsor International Film Festival with the latter film winning the 2022 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film.

We have seen all the nominees going back to 2019. We recently saw Crimes of the Future. While that was an intriguing film, either Brother and Riceboy Sleeps would be logical picks to win the award.

We won't know the winner until the 26th annual TFCA Awards, which will be an in-person gala at the Omni King Edward Hotel on March 6. The cash prize of $100,000 is the largest purse in Canadian film.

We will have seen 16 of the last 17 winners (counting 2022), the exception being The Stairs from Hugh Gibson (2016). Maybe we will see that film before the March 6 ceremony.

Seeing Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free will only leave 2 other films we have not seen that have been a TFCA winner, both from David Cronenberg: Spider (2003) and A History of Violence (2005).

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Reviews will come at some point for these films (more than likely). Did pick off a couple of recent TIFF Top 10 films. Charlotte (2021) and the aforementioned Crimes of the Future (2022) are both featured on Hulu in the United States. If you want to go way back. finally saw Barney's Version (2010), which is also available on Hulu.

Rather unusual to have TIFF Top 10 films in such a major outlet south of the border. David Cronenberg films do well in the States. Barney's Version has a number of American and non-Canadian actors. Charlotte is more of a European film than a Canadian film.

That leaves 4 not seen from the 2022 list and 2 from the 2021 list.

photo credit: Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free
Twitter capture: @TFCA

Canadian film case study: Just a Breath Away

Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume feels like a Hollywood film with a slight French feel. An earthquake triggers an underground smoke cloud. The cloud is more of a concern for their daughter Sarah (Belgian actor Fantine Harduin), who survives in a bubble.

The case study concept covers a wide variety of technically Canadian films. Early on in the film, Mathieu (French actor Romain Duris) says he has been to Canada secretly to find a solution for their immuno-compromised daughter. Anna (French actor Olga Kurylenko) expresses her disdain of the prospect of living in Canada, even if that means a life for her daughter. To be fair, they do live in Paris.

That was the visible Canadian content for the whole film. No Canadians in a significant acting role.

Everything is laid out perfectly for Mathieu and Anna. They reach the top floor, conveniently just above the cloud. He remembers that the neighbour has an oxygen tank and happens to be one floor below. Mathieu happens to be an excellent climber.

Mathieu and Anna are separated though he lives close to his wife and daughter. There is no visible tension between them before or after the earthquake. There isn't even much to their personalities.

Sarah communicates with her friends in a Zoom type setting, even in 2018. She wonders whether she is in love with Noe, a boy who is also immuno-compromised. Her character is way more interesting than her parents.

I've seen more Romain Duris French films than I can count. Seeing him as an action hero is farcical at best.

Duris was featured in another Canadian film in 2018 (The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur) where both films were nominated for Best Motion Picture at the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards.

Schitt's Creek, Anne with an E win big at 7th Canadian Screen Awards

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume is a very easy film to consume if you ignore a number of basic realities. An intriguing premise not backed up well by the script from Guillaume Lemans and the direction from Daniel Roby. Soft on conflict and tension, the film is interesting but could have been intriguing.

There is plenty of action as in an action film, but lovers of the genre won't find as much action versus an actual action film. 

Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume is comme ci comme ca, which means so-so, neither good nor bad.

The film received 8 Canadian Screen Awards nominations in 2019. The film won for makeup and visual effects. The other nominations were for Best Motion Picture, Best Director (Daniel Roby), Best Supporting Actor (Michel Robin), Best Original Screenplay, and for overall sound and sound editing.

video credit: YouTube/Unifrance
photo credit: Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume

Happy Holidays 2022 includes Season 11 of Letterkenny

The holiday tradition continues in 2022 with a new season of Letterkenny debuting on Crave on Christmas Day and Hulu on Boxing Day. Makes me wish I was back in my Airbnb where I stayed in Windsor, watching Letterkenny on Christmas Day. Those on the U.S. side have to wait an extra day to get their present.

The trailer mentions several themes for the upcoming season. We only mention 2 words: chip flavours. Sounds like that would go well with the Caesar episode from Season 10. Canada has way more interesting chip flavours than the United States. Watch and learn.

The pattern has been to have 6 episodes with an extra episode coming within months.

Our happy holidays message also applies to Hanukkah, which started on the evening of December 18 and runs through the evening of Boxing Day on December 26.

As we wind down 2022, here are some random thoughts for our holiday notebook.

Carey Price is one of our favourite NHL players for a lot of reasons. Talented goalie, his amazing resolve (especially on Saturday nights), a Canadian goalie who stayed in Canada.

This made his social media appearance on Bill C-21 all the more surprising. The weapon Price is carrying isn't being banned. Indigenous people, of which Price is one, are exempt.

Bill C-21 is going after assault rifles, not hunting rifles. There is this nuance of assault vs. hunting yet most weapons are distinct.

Hunting is a part of the Canadian landscape. Having guns for hunting is not and should not go away. Quite frankly, the handguns pouring into large Canadian cities, a lot from the United States, is the larger concern.

One of the changes that came after the École Polytechnique shooting was a long-gun registry. Stephen Harper dismantled that long-gun registry after he became prime minister. Many of Justin Trudeau's supporters hoped he would bring back that registry.

This isn't just about Bill C-21 and the potential loss of guns. The MontréalCanadiens sent out a response saying Price didn't know about the history of the mass shooting. Price came out with his own response and said he did know about the mass shooting in Montréal in 1989. The fact that the right-wing gun group Price was supporting had a coupon code that said POLY has a lot to do with why people are upset.

Canadian film review: Polytechnique

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

CBC News Explore is a new online approach to news from CBC News. This is only available on Canadian soil. With a nightly 1-hour newscast and a 24-hour news network, many stories fall through the cracks or don't have enough context.

Hopefully, CBC News Explore is a way to get some guidance on some of those news stories. The channel can be streamed for free, again on Canadian soil.

We also recommend Canadaland and its offspring podcasts as an option to learn more behind Canadian news stories. Watching a 30-minute TV newscast just before you go to bed doesn't give much insight into what is happening in Canada.

Happy Holidays 2021 includes Season 10 of Letterkenny

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Canadian TV programs have dominated Sunday nights in the U.S. on the CW Network. The U.S. network finished up Season 1 of Family Law on December 11. Season 4 of Coroner finished up Sunday with back-to-back episodes. That marks 10 episodes for Family Law and 12 episodes for Coroner.

Global has renewed Family Law for Season 3. The CW status of any show is up in the air due to new ownership i.e., Nexstar. Hopefully, a show where production costs are already paid for will help in that decision process.

Family Law has been a pleasant surprise in terms of character development. Jewel Staite is very comfortable playing a lawyer who is a recovering alcoholic.

There were some amusing Easter eggs in Episode 5 of Season 1, Until Death Do Us Part.

A guest of one of the main characters is watching TV. That show turns out to be Jann. Later in the show, one of the women in a lesbian couple is watching Wynonna Earp.

You might expect an Easter egg to tie back to programs on that network. While Global airs Family Law, Bell Media (CTV) produces Jann and Wynonna Earp.

The fun for the American audience is that both shows within the show can be found in the United States. Jann is on Hulu in the States, though only the first 2 seasons (where the bleep is Season 3?). Wynonna Earp airs on Netflix in the U.S.

Looking back at the last 20 Canada Oscars entries for international films

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

Eternal Spring was worthy of making the Academy Awards shortlist for Best International Feature Film but missed the cut. There are a lot of good films on the shortlist.

You can draw inspiration from our look back at previous nominees. Well, maybe not Chien de Garde. Such a terrible film.

Jason Loftus and his crew should be proud of the film they made.

Your Favorite Woman Tour pre-sale tix are live Wednesday, 12/14 at 10am your local time!
✨ code: WITCH ✨ at https://t.co/vBO6SRZZuT pic.twitter.com/leOkT9Yel5

— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) December 13, 2022

Samantha Bee is having a U.S. tour with a stage show entitled Your Favorite Woman starting in April. Her Full Frontal with Samantha Bee was cancelled by Warner Brothers Discovery after 7 seasons on TBS. 

"Many of the best segments we did on 'Full Frontal' focused on making complex issues more accessible," said Bee in a prepared statement. "And I am called to do that once again. Not sure why. Nothing much is happening in the world of women's bodily autonomy, so I am taking it upon myself to teach the parts of Sex Ed that should’ve been taught by your gym teacher."

This will be a boost after not having a live audience for the show since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We still miss the TV show. The Daily Show has an opening and CBC late night could use a take on the news.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The NHL looked very different 12 months ago with postponements of games due to the latest COVID-19 variant. Glad for a sense of relative normalcy.

CBC and Citytv have New Year's Eve programming instead of Hockey Night in Canada on December 31. The league takes off for a holiday December 24-26.

We don't cover the World Juniors as part of our hockey coverage anymore. We do provide the basic information before the tournament begins. The 2023 version runs from Boxing Day (December 26) through January 5 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick.

This is the third straight year the tournament has been held on Canadian soil, mostly due to the pandemic. Edmonton had the tournament by itself in 2021 and that city shared the tournament with Red Deer, Alberta in 2022. Halifax and Moncton took over from Novosibirsk and Omsk, Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Halifax will host Group A, featuring Canada, at the Scotiabank Centre. Moncton will host Group B, featuring the United States, at the Avenir Centre. Halifax previously co-hosted the 2003 tournament with Sydney, Nova Scotia.

TSN covers the tournament with the NHL Network showing the TSN feed unless the United States is involved.

Canada scored 2 goals in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, so there was some progress

2022 FIFA World Cup preview for Team Canada

Canada did really well in the World Cup qualifying through CONCACAF and made its first World Cup (for the men) since 1986. Yet the Canada team drew a really tough group in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Sometimes, such things get exaggerated. Croatia and Morocco, the teams that advanced out of Group F, finished third and fourth, respectively, in the whole tournament. Croatia defeated Morocco 2-1 in the third place game. Canada looks better as a result of how the other teams did in the rest of the tournament.

Montréal's Morocco community embraced their home country's success in the World Cup. Morocco was the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals.

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2022

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The fine folks at CanadianCrossing.com are taking a holiday break. The CBC winter schedule preview runs on December 28. The NHL month in preview for January will run on December 30. The year to come in travel and politics will run that first full week in January. Breaking news will run as needed, such as if a famous director passes away over the holidays. Schedules are subject to change. We have a lot of archive material to read over the holidays, including many film reviews.

video credit: Letterkenny/Hulu
photo credit: cpoo31/Instagram
Twitter capture: @FullFrontalSamB

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

#EternalSpring For Your Consideration in 3 Categories for the Oscars: Best International, Best Documentary, and Best Animated Film. The first Canadian film EVER to qualify for these categories simultaneously. #oscars2023 pic.twitter.com/ut3st1AGeI

— Eternal Spring (長春) 🇨🇦's Choice for 2023 Oscars (@loftyskydocs) December 12, 2022

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its 15-film shortlist for Best International Feature Film. Let's take a look at the titles.

2023 Academy Awards shortlist for Best International Feature Film
Country	Film
Argentina	Argentina, 1985
Austria	Corsage
Belgium	Close
Cambodia	Return to Seoul
Denmark	Holy Spider
France	Saint Omer
Germany	All Quiet on the Western Front
India	Last Film Show
Ireland	The Quiet Girl
Mexico	Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Morocco	The Blue Caftan
Pakistan	Joyland
Poland	EO
South Korea	Decision to Leave
Sweden	Cairo Conspiracy

Your humble narrator has seen a number of films from other countries in the Academy Awards category (thanks in part to the 2022 Windsor International Film Festival).

Austria (Corsage) Marie Kreutzer
Belgium (Close) Lukas Dhont
Canada (Eternal Spring) Jason Loftus
Finland (Girl Picture) Alli Haapasalo
Poland (EO) Jerzy Skolimowski
Spain (Alcarràs) Carla Simón

The Austria, Belgium, and Poland entries are on the shortlist. Now that we know the frontrunners, finding some of them will be relatively easy.

For the first time in 4 years, there is not an entry for Best Documentary Feature in the running for Best International Feature Film. Flee (Denmark), Collective (Romania), and Honeyland (North Macedonia) were the only 3 films to be on both shortlists.

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, not a Canadian film, and Fire of Love, a Canada co-production, did make the documentary shortlist.

Close and EO were outstanding. Corsage was unusual but good in its way.

Variety reported on the voting changes this year in the Academy Awards category. The significant change is a 1-15 voting scale instead of a 7-10 voting scale. This might have made a dark horse candidate, such as Eternal Spring, less likely to crack the Top 15.

Eternal Spring was in more discussions than any recent Canadian entry. Canada has only had a single entry on the shortlist in the last decade: Juste la fin du monde | It's Only the End of the World made the shortlist in the movie year 2016.

Saying this was the best film Canada has submitted in some time is not saying a whole lot. The hope was that a shortlist would draw more eyes to the Jason Loftus film.

Looking back at the last 20 Canada Oscars entries for international films

Canadian film review: Eternal Spring

Eternal Spring gets the nod from Canada for Best International Feature Film

The Independent Spirit Awards announced its 5 nominees for Best International Film. They have more leeway since they aren't limited to the film each country submits to the Academy Awards.

Corsage (Austria/Luxembourg/France/Belgium/Italy/England) Marie Kreutzer
Joyland (Pakistan/USA) Saim Sadiq
Leonor Will Never Die (Philippines) Martika Ramirez Escobar
Return to Seoul (South Korea/France/Belgium/Romania) Davy Chou
Saint Omer (France) Alice Diop

The 2023 Golden Globes are back on television on January 10. Here are their nominees for Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Close (Belgium)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
RRR (India)

The Critics Choice Awards airs January 15 on the CW network in the United States. Here are their nominees for Best Foreign Language Film:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico)
Close (Belgium)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
RRR (India)

The Critics Choice Awards list is the same as the Golden Globes with the addition of Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. Both that film and All Quiet on the Western Front are available on Netflix (at least in the United States).

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

While Malta did submit Carmen, a Canada co-production, for the Best International Feature Film Oscars category, the film is not eligible to participate in the category. Variety reported that the film likely "failed to meet its required seven-day theatrical run by Nov. 30."

There are nuanced rules and a theatrical run is definitely necessary to be in the running.

Jason Loftus interview with Tom Power on Q (CBC Radio One)

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The Oscars shortlist of 15 films will be reduced to the list of 5 official nominees on January 24, 2023. The 95th Academy Awards will be held on March 12, 2023.

Twitter capture: @loftyskydocs
video and photo credit: Eternal Spring

Looking back at the last 20 Canada Oscars entries for international films

My mild OCD means I can be obsessed with lists. As we've noted in the past, there is something about the Canadian entries for the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.

We have prided ourselves for having seen a bunch of those films in a row. Now with Eternal Spring, we have now seen the last 20 years of Canadian nominees. 21 if you count Funny Boy, which we've seen, and we don't count that film. Sorry, Telefilm Canada.

We will know tomorrow if Eternal Spring makes the shortlist, which would only be the second Canadian film on the shortlist in the last decade.

While we are reflecting on the last 20 films Canada has submitted for the Academy Awards, we have now seen 25 of the last 26 entries, including the last 23 entries. We just saw Un crabe dans la tête (2002), which we will review early in 2023.

We have seen Cosmos (1997), August 32nd on Earth (1998), Maelström (2000), and Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001). Denis Villeneuve wrote and directed August 32nd on Earth and Maelström and directed a segment of Cosmos. We are now missing Emporte-moi | Set Me Free (1999).

Canadian film review: Eternal Spring

Eternal Spring gets the nod from Canada for Best International Feature Film

In the last 20 years, Canada has had 5 films make the Top 5 cut with 1 film winning the award: The Barbarian Invasions. Water, Incendies, Monsieur Lazhar, and War Witch were the other 4 films to reach the Top 5. 3 other films made the shortlist: Days of Darkness, The Necessities of Life, and It's Only the End of the World. All but the last film came in the first decade (2003-2012) of the last 20 years.

If we were to rank the last 20 entries, which we don't prefer to do, here is some idea of what we think:

Top Tier

The Barbarian Invasions (2003), C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005), The Necessities of Life (2008), I Killed My Mother (2009), Mommy (2014)

Second Tier

Water (2006), Days of Darkness (2007), Incendies (2010), Monsieur Lazhar (2011), Félix et Meira (2015)

Third Tier

Far Side of the Moon (2004), War Witch (2012), Gabrielle (2013), It's Only the End of the World (2016), Antigone (2019)

Fourth Tier

Hochelaga, Land of Souls (2017), Family First (2018), 14 Days, 12 Nights (2020), Drunken Birds (2021), Eternal Spring (2022)

Eternal Spring deserves a better fate but the film is too fresh in my mind to move up. Was hoping for that film to be more in the conversation for the shortlist, though the film is also Oscar-eligible in Best Animated Feature and Best Documentary Feature. Some of this list is subjective: Gabrielle was more uplifting where War Witch, with no visible Canadian content, was too depressing. Family First is one of the worst films I've seen on any list in any context. That film deserves its own tier.

C.R.A.Z.Y. and Mommy are such well-crafted films: still can't believe neither made the shortlist.

The last decade doesn't come close to the previous decade for Canadian films in this category.

Looking back at Canada's Oscars entries for international films

The short-term criticism of Gabrielle (2013), Mommy (2014), and Félix et Meira (2015) was that they didn't match up to the strength of the previous 3 films, all of whom made the Top 5 Academy Awards cut. Mommy should have made the cut. Those 3 films look a lot stronger by comparison to recent films.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Here are the last 20 Canadian films to be nominated in this category for the Academy Awards and whether they made the cut. The Barbarian Invasions | Les Invasions barbares is still the only Canadian film to win the Oscar in this category.

2003 The Barbarian Invasions | Les Invasions barbares Denys Arcand (won the Oscar)
2004 Far Side of the Moon | La face cachée de la lune Robert Lepage
2005 C.R.A.Z.Y. Jean-Marc Vallée
2006 Water Deepa Mehta (nominated)
2007 Days of Darkness | L'Âge des ténèbres Denys Arcand (shortlist)
2008 The Necessities of Life | Ce qu'il faut pour vivre Benoît Pilon (shortlist)
2009 I Killed My Mother | J'ai tué ma mère Xavier Dolan
2010 Incendies Denis Villeneuve (nominated)
2011 Monsieur Lazhar Philippe Falardeau (nominated)
2012 War Witch| Rebelle Kim Nguyen (nominated)
2013 Gabrielle Louise Archambault
2014 Mommy Xavier Dolan
2015 Félix et Meira Maxime Giroux
2016 It's Only the End of the World | Juste la fin du monde Xavier Dolan (shortlist)
2017 Hochelaga, Land of Souls | Hochelaga terre des âmes François Girard
2018 Family First | Chien de garde Sophie Dupuis
2019 Antigone Sophie Deraspe
2020 14 Days, 12 Nights | 14 jours, 12 nuits Jean-Philippe Duval
2021 Drunken Birds | Les Oiseaux ivres Ivan Grbovic
2022 Eternal Spring Jason Loftus

photo credit: C.R.A.Z.Y. film

Canadian film review: Dawn, Her Dad and the Tractor

The family's matriarch has passed on. Don returns home as Dawn (Maya Henry). Her sister Tammy (Amy Groening) is upset over not knowing what had happened to her sibling. John Andrew (Robb Wells), the patriarch, wanders around wondering what to do. Byron (Reid Price), Tammy's fiance, is trying to be helpful.

Running a farm is hard enough when everyone is on board. Now that the children's mother has passed on, there are still farm chores. The tractor becomes a symbol of rebuilding the relationship between Dawn and John Andrew.

Dawn gets love and support from allies in town and one notable detractor. Her family slowly comes around. The tractor looks a lot better after they work on it.

Henry and Groening have strong chemistry as siblings working on layers of issues. They work through love and hate; neither giving an inch (centimetre?).

The film is longtime actor Shelley Thompson's full-length feature debut as writer and director. Thompson makes good use of the soundtrack though most of the songs feel like aimless background music.

The script has some false endings and feels staggered in the final 30 minutes. Thompson develops strong characters, especially with the siblings dynamic. The father is stronger and more aware in the second half of the film.

The story feels rather authentic for a trans person in a small, rural town.

There is a lot of heart in the script. The characters feel like they are in the soil in rural Nova Scotia.

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The beauty of Nova Scotia is definitely a co-star with filming in Windsor, Chester, Halifax, and Antigonish.

The film has its moments but slips at times where it feels like a TV-movie, which is quite unfortunate. The subject matter and most of its execution tips the scales toward seeing the film. Don't expect too much from the film.

Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor is currently available on Crave in Canada.

video credit: YouTube/Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor-Movie
photo credit: Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor

Canadian film review: Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers has had great success of late in front of the camera (Blood Quantum, Night Raiders, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open) and behind the camera (The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open).

So taking a step to do a documentary on opioids and addiction might seem unusual. Somehow, this makes sense for someone such as Tailfeathers and her concern for her community.

Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy is a personal documentary in that Tailfeathers' mother is a physician on the front lines of this battle. The documentary focuses on Tailfeathers' home in the Kainai Nation community in Alberta.

The film explores the quandary between abstinence, an approach that works well for alcoholism, versus harm reduction, which can be more helpful for dealing with the addiction of opioids. Convincing the community of the differences in approach is a significant challenge.

We see the Kainai Nation visiting Vancouver Downtown Eastside, where The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open was set. They learn how harm reduction is helping cut the fatality rate.

Tailfeathers talks with people who are suffering as well as those who are helping those in need. The story of George and Leah is so important: they want to get help but they have 4 steps to get into a treatment centre. Even then, some of those steps have wait lists.

Tailfeathers also shows the push back from nearby Lethbridge residents, including violence and death.

Tailfeathers does have an agenda in that harm reduction is a meaningful approach to a very serious problem. She takes great care to show examples of why harm reduction is a working option.

Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy is also a personal documentary when she tells us that her cousin passed away from an overdose. Personal when her mother Esther forms a detox centre as a transition step to see if the patients want to go to a rehab centre.

There is a concern in taking such a personal interest in a story in a documentary. Tailfeathers helps us see the personification in what is mostly are faceless tragedies.

The film is surprisingly easy to follow and you feel the concerns of these people. This should be required viewing in Canada and the United States.

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Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy won the Canadian Screen Award earlier this year for Best Feature Length Documentary. The documentary also received 2 other Canadian Screen Award nominations for Best Cinematography in a Documentary and Best Editing in a Documentary. The film was 1 of 5 winners of the Rogers Audience Award at the 2021 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy is available via the National Film Board in Canada.

video credit: YouTube/NFB
photo credit: Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2022

From new voices in fiction and documentary to some of our most storied and award-winning filmmakers.

Announcing TIFF’s annual Canada’s Top Ten list of features and shorts for 2022: https://t.co/jP5NP89pn8 #SeeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/hUULZwW2p2

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) December 8, 2022

The TIFF Top 10 list of Canadian films in 2022 feels like a return to normal in that your humble narrator has seen quite a few films on the list thanks to the Windsor International Film Festival.

Then again, there are titles that may be difficult to find, even for Canadians. Ste. Anne made the 2021 list but hasn't had a theatrical release anywhere, according to IMDb.

Let's get acquainted with the list of Canadian films. Here is the 2022 Top Ten list with the directors:

Black Ice (Hubert Davis)
Brother (Clement Virgo)
Cette Maison (Miryam Charles)
Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg)
I Like Movies (Chandler Levack)
Something You Said Last Night (Luis De Filippis)
To Kill a Tiger (Nisha Pahuja)
Riceboy Sleeps (Anthony Shim)
Rosie (Gail Maurice)
Viking (Stéphane Lafleur)

To Kill a Tiger won Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Viking received Special Mention for Best Canadian Feature Film.

Riceboy Sleeps won the Platform Prize at TIFF 2022. Black Ice won the People's Choice Documentary Award at TIFF 2022.

The only 2 films on the list that didn't play at TIFF are Cette Maison and Crimes of the Future. The latter film is available in the United States on Hulu.

Your humble narrator has seen 5 of the Canadian films on the list: Brother, I Like Movies, Something You Said Last Night, Riceboy Sleeps, and Rosie. We have previously weighed in on these films in our 2022 Windsor International Film Festival reviews.

Of the remaining 5 films, Viking and Black Ice would be at the top of my list. To Kill a Tiger might be fine. We have an open mind for Cette Maison and Crimes of the Future.

Eternal Spring, Canada's Oscars entry for Best International Feature Film, which didn't play at TIFF, did not make the list. Perhaps more subjective than objective but North of Normal deserved to be on the list.

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2021

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2020

Your humble narrator has seen 7 of the 10 films from the 2021 TIFF Top 10 Canadian film list: All My Puny Sorrows, Drunken Birds, Learn To Swim, Night Raiders, Maria Chapdelaine, Scarborough, and Subjects of Desire.

Charlotte, a Canadian film in name only, is on Hulu in the States. Ste. Anne may be impossible to find. The White Fortress looks intriguing but not really Canadian.

We've only seen 6 of the films on the 2020 list while we have seen every film on the 2019 list.

2022 TIFF wrapup

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review

One way for those in Toronto to see the Canada’s Top Ten selections is to watch them January 26-29 at TIFF Bell Lightbox. We also have the list of Top 10 short films from TIFF for 2022.

Riceboy Sleeps wins the 2022 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

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The great thing about the list is that we have Canadian film options to find to watch over the holidays and into the winter. We also have a source for potential conversations about what films would belong on our list.

Twitter capture: @TIFF_NET
photo credit: I Like Movies