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Canadian acting legend Gordon Pinsent passes away at the age of 92

We literally knew that Gordon Pinsent wouldn't live forever. Does feel like he was around for a very long time.

The Canadian acting legend Gordon Pinsent passed away over the weekend at the age of 92.

Away From Her. The voice of Babar. The Rowdyman. Republic of Doyle. The Red Green Show. Due South. The Grand Seduction. Saint Ralph. This Hour Has 22 Minutes from his role as the Codfather to reading Justin Bieber's memoir. Even Big News at Grand Rock.

Pinsent was an actor long before there was a consistent film scene in Canada growing up in a part of Canada (Newfoundland) that wasn't Canada until he was 19 years old.

A check of his IMDb page shows an extensive list. Too many credits to list but Americans might be surprised than an episode of Hogan's Heroes is on that list.

Former Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams, @markcritch, @allanhawco, Sean McGinley, and Gordon Pinsent.

Farewell, B'y.

🎥 22 Minutes pic.twitter.com/Hq6KPRgUUW

— Evan Streifel (@Evan_Streifel) February 26, 2023

A lot of what Pinsent is known for came in the second half of his life. He wrote and starred in The Rowdyman in 1972, when he was over 40.

Pinsent knew when he could poke fun, such as the Codfather sketch on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. No one else could have been the Codfather.

"Gordon passionately loved this country and its people, purpose, and culture to his last breath." — statement from the Pinsent family from his son-in-law, actor Peter Keleghan. Leah Pinsent, a great actor, is married to Keleghan.

Canadian film review: The Rowdyman

If you've never seen Pinsent act without white hair, check out the classic Canadian film The Rowdyman.

Gordon Pinsent was our North Star. A true renaissance man. Actor, writer, director, painter and one time dance instructor. Gordon beat the path and made it possible for all that followed. The epitome of class & one hell of a funny guy. The Rowdy Man is gone but never forgotten. pic.twitter.com/TRpCCvK9mQ

— Rick Mercer (@rickmercer) February 26, 2023

 

Three Legendary Gords 🍁🎶🎥
~ Photo of Gord Downie, Gordon Lightfoot & Gordon Pinsent taken six years ago, February 2nd, 2017. #RestInPeace #GordonPinsent ❤️ pic.twitter.com/p7V8Q7lRWA

— I AM Canadian (@honouringgord) February 26, 2023

Pinsent was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1979. He was promoted to Companion in 1998.

Pinsent was married for 45 years to actor Charmion King, who died in 2007.

Gordon had an enormous capacity for joy in absolutely everything he did. It was infectious and educational. There wasn’t a moment without a twinkle of mischief and a determination to enjoy the moment. pic.twitter.com/xEATSy4kZd

— @realSarahPolley (she/her) (@realsarahpolley) February 26, 2023

Polley pointed out in a later tweet that the young boy with Pinsent is her brother Mark. Pinsent was an ideal choice as Julie Christie's husband in Polley's directorial debut Away From Her.

Pinsent had 6 Genie Award nominations, winning 3 awards for Klondike Fever, John and the Missus, and Away From Her. He also directed John and the Missus.

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The River of My Dreams is a 2016 documentary currently running on the Documentary Channel in Canada. Hope to see that really soon and then have a review. Would be a good watch if you are in Canada.

photo credit: The Rowdyman
Twitter captures: @Evan_Streifel; @rickmercer; @honouringgord; @realsarahpolley

2023 Canadian Screen Award nominations

Samantha Bee will host the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards conclusion program on April 16 on CBC. The CBC show will not be live as in pre-pandemic times.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announced the Canadian film and Canadian television nominations earlier today. We have the prominent nominees in separate articles for Canadian film and Canadian television.

Canadian Screen Week will run April 11-14 at Toronto’s Meridian Hall.

2022 Canadian Screen Award nominations

2022 Canadian Screen Awards nominations: Film

2022 Canadian Screen Awards nominations: Television

Besides the typical awards, there are also special Canadian Screen Awards:

Board of Directors Tribute — Paul Pope, Jennifer Podemski
Academy Icon — Catherine O'Hara
Changemaker Award — Tracy Moore
Earle Grey Award — Peter MacNeill
Gordon Sinclair Award — Lisa LaFlamme
Humanitarian Award — Ryan Reynolds
Lifetime Achievement Award — Pierre Bruneau
Radius Award — Simu Liu

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CBC will carry the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards on April 16 at the Meridian Hall in Toronto. The telecast concludes a week of awards presentations.

Overview Canadian television Canadian film

photo credit: Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television

2023 Canadian Screen Awards nominations: Film

The 2023 Canadian Screen Awards film nominations showcase some really incredible Canadian films.

If you are the filmgoer who loves to know which Canadian film got the most nominations, you should know Brother led the way with 14 nominations. Stéphane Lafleur's Viking was close behind with 13 nominations. David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future had 11 nominations.

Truly happy to see Babysitter and Falcon Lake get major nominations. They are films I would watch again because they were that enjoyable. Such a strong year that Canadian films such as I Like Movies and North of Normal didn't show up in major categories.

One odd statistic: There were only 3 nominees for adapted screenplay instead of the usual 5 nominees. Your humble narrator has seen all 3 films for adapted screenplay while only having seen Riceboy Sleeps in the original screenplay category (so far).

We weren't thrilled with Wolves yet the film made the Best First Feature Film Award nominee list. The film is adventurous, at least.

Eternal Spring, which was Canada's nominee for the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, didn't show up in the major categories, including best documentary.

The acting categories are now gender neutral. For 2023, there are 4 identifiable males and 4 identifiable females in each category. We are thrilled to see a gender neutral category but still want 10 in each category to reward as many acting performances as in previous years. Elliot Page will benefit if the actor ever does another Canadian film.

Best Motion Picture
Babysitter
Brother
Falcon Lake
Riceboy Sleeps
Summer with Hope
Viking

Best Director
Clement Virgo Brother
David Cronenberg Crimes of the Future
Charlotte Le Bon Falcon Lake
Anthony Shim Riceboy Sleeps
Stéphane Lafleur Viking

Performance in a Leading Role
Monia Chokri Babysitter
Lamar Johnson Brother
Joseph Engel Falcon Lake
Kelly Depeault Noémie dit oui
Seung-Yoon Choi Riceboy Sleeps
Maxime Le Flaguais Rodéo
Larissa Corriveau That Kind of Summer | Un Été Comme Ça
Steve Laplante Viking

Performance in a Supporting Role
Nadia Tereszkiewcz Babysitter
Mohammed Marouazi Breathe | Respire
Marsha Stephanie Blake Brother
Aaron Pierre Brother
K.C. Collins Chien Blanc
Sara Montpetit Falcon Lake
Jean-Luc Kanapé Nouveau-Québec
Leili Rashidi Summer with Hope

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2022

2022 TIFF wrapup

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review

Original Screenplay
Marie Clements Bones of Crows
Anthony Shim Riceboy Sleeps
Sadaf Foroughi Summer with Hope
Sophie Jarvis Until Branches Bend
Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K. Boulianne Viking

Adapted Screenplay
Catherine Léger Babysitter
Clement Virgo Brother
Charlotte Le Bon Falcon Lake

Best Feature Length Documentary
Batata
Dear Audrey
Handle with Care: The Legend of the Notic Streetball Crew
To Kill a Tiger
zo reken

Best First Feature Film Award
Falcon Lake
The Maiden
Noémie dit oui
Rodéo
Wolves

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CBC will carry the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards on April 16 at the Meridian Hall in Toronto. The telecast concludes a week of awards presentations. 

Overview Canadian television Canadian film

photo credits: Brother; Babysitter

Canadian film review: The Go-Getters

Owen (Aaron Abrams) and Lacie (Tommie-Amber Pirie) are messed-up individuals, almost cartoonish in how bad they are. They seem to hate each other more than anything else. Yet they end up working together, raising $98 to get to Brockville from Toronto.

The Go-Getters is a film full of uncomfortable people doing uncomfortable things. They try hair-brained schemes to raise the money and fail miserably. They want a better life but that hasn't be in the cards up to this point.

Yet watching them fail and screw up is pretty entertaining. 

Kevin (Kristian Bruun) is Owen's level-headed brother. He is more in the role of "I told you so."

A film such as this could go very badly. Jeremy Lalonde, used to directing (and often writing) films with less than uplifting characters, directed this 2018 film, co-written by Abrams and Brendan Gall.

The casting of Pirie was rather excellent, helped by the fact that she and Lalonde have worked together in How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town and later in James vs. His Future Self.

Other Canadian actors of note in the cast include Lalonde collaborator Jonas Chernick, Ennis Esmer, Amy Jo Johnson, Scott Thompson, Christine Horne, Kate Hewlett, and Teresa Pavlinek.

Regular readers know your humble narrator is not a fan of physical comedy for the sake of physical comedy. This film has that element where it's not annoying.

A disgruntled alcoholic and a junkie hooker as leads make for an odd film. Yet it somehow works.

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The Go-Getters is available in the United States on Tubi.

video credit: YouTube/Canadian Film Fest
photo credit: The Go-Getters film

Canadian film review: Familia

Ideally, we would see the catalogue of a filmmaker in chronological order. We became aware of Louise Archambault with Gabrielle, Canada's entry to the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. Then we saw And the Birds Rained Down | Il pleuvait des oiseaux in Windsor in 2019. Those films piqued our interest in seeing Familia (2005)

Michèle (Sylvie Moreau) has a gambling problem. She needs to find a new place quickly. Michèle and her teenage daughter Marguerite (Mylène St. Sauveur) end up at the home of Michèle's long-time friend Janine (Macha Grenon) and her tweener daughter Gabrielle (Juliette Gosselin) and young son.

Janine is too wound up while Michèle is more laid back. They have an Odd Couple vibe not in terms of neatness but responsibility. Marguerite leads Gabrielle into the world of sex, drinking, and drugs. Michèle and Janine have their demons, even if Janine's aren't as obvious.

This theme is similar to The Rest of Us, the recent Canadian film release with Heather Graham and Sophie Nélisse. Familia is a bit more raw than the other film in a good way.

Familia/family is referred in a few scenes in the film. There is a relationship between people but we couldn't figure out exactly what that relationship was, even with subtitles. The idea of people not related by blood yet forming a family is an intriguing subject matter.

Canadian film notebook: TIFF offering a digital version of Bell Lightbox

Canadian film review: The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom

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I've seen Macha Grenon in French and English (she played Julia Sarah Stone's mother in The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom) and have been quite impressed. She sneaks up on you in this film. Not to give away the ending but what Janine pulls off at the end will floor you.

Familia marked the debut feature film for Archambault, who wrote and directed the film. The film seems a little slow in the beginning like not much will happen but Archambault brings a lot in the end of the film with both women. The young son is more of an after thought as the film is about the relationships between the 4 women.

You definitely see the potential for what Archambault has done. Familia is a bit uneven in small moments but turns into a film you will remember for awhile.

Familia won the 2005 Claude Jutra Award for the best feature film by a first-time film director. The film also made the Toronto International Film Festival's Top Ten list of the best Canadian films.

photo credit: Familia

Canadian film review: Paperback Hero

The 1970s is a decade filled with Canadian film with Americans in lead roles because their recognition might draw people to the theatre. Paperback Hero took advantage of that with Keir Dullea and Elizabeth Ashley in the lead roles.

By 1973, when Paperback Hero came out, Dullea had starred as astronaut David Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Ashley had already won a Tony Award.

Rick Dylan (Dullea) is a big shot in Delisle, Saskatchewan. Rick is a star hockey player and known as "The Marshal." He gets opportunities to move on to bigger cities such as Saskatoon, but is content to be the big fish. Loretta (Ashley) is the woman who wants to be with Rick, even as his head turns easily for the next pretty girl to come along.

Dylan hurts a young woman in a neighbouring town, having an argument that the bruise he inflected wasn't even the size of a quarter.

He is caught at a time where he could have been playing in the NHL but there aren't that many teams. The small town can't afford to have good quality ice at the local rink.

Dylan has gained a persona as a gunslinger, recalling a much different area in that part of Canada.

The script from Barry Pearson and Les Rose and direction from Peter Pearson show the deterioration of a man when the pond dries up. The idea is better than the execution. The audience is drawn to him but knows things will only get worse for him.

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Ashley's traditional Southern accent is missing but her voice doesn't sound like she belongs in Canada. She also struggles because she can act really well and we don't always know why she follows Dylan the way she does.

The leads are American though there are plenty of Canadian actors such as Dayle Haddon, Franz Russell, George R. Robertson, Margot Lamarre, Ted Follows, and Linda Sorensen.

There are some odd moments where the local police officer approaches Loretta and says he has some questions for her. We then get a montage of Saskatchewan scenes that don't correspond to the previous scene.

Paperback Hero incorporates the Gordon Lightfoot song If You Can Read My Mind but the film title has little to do with the lead character, though maybe he thinks he is the hero in his mind.

Calling Paperback Hero a good film is being nicer than even Canadians would be. The film isn't bad. Could have used more hockey, something you rarely say about a Canadian film. Good story, decent execution, with strong performances from its American leads. There were worse films from this time on either side of the Canada-U.S. border.

Paperback Hero won 3 awards at the Canadian Film Awards in 1973: Film Editing, Overall Sound, and Cinematography.

The film is available here via ClassicCanukCinema.

photo credit: Paperback Hero

Canadian film review: Emporte-moi | Set Me Free

On the surface, Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free has a lot going for it. We profiled that earlier this month as the film ran on Turner Classic Movies. Did the film live up to the anticipation?

The trailer conveys a bit of fun and reflection within the film. There are a few dark moments in the life of Hanna (Karine Vanasse). Her father (Miki Manojlovic) is a struggling poet with a violent temper at times. Her mother (Pascale Bussières) works hard to support the family and is usually tired.

Hanna stands out in her class coming from a Jewish father and a Catholic mother and not identifying with either religion. While co-habitation is a bigger thing in Quebec, at the times, her unmarried parents made her stand out.

Hanna's search for a role model takes her into the theatre to Nana, played by Anna Karina, in Vivre sa vie, the Jean-Luc Godard film.

Hanna experiences her first kiss from her older brother Paul (Alexandre Mérineau) at the beach. She meets Laura (Charlotte Christeler) where she has her first romantic kiss. Hanna introduces Paul to Laura, who shows more interest in Paul. 

Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free also speaks to the impact of role models on a young woman going through a lot in her life. Nana serves that purpose as does her teacher (Nancy Huston). Huston was one of the writers for the film.

Hanna takes that comparison to Nana to an extreme in what is an uncomfortable scene but necessary in telling Hanna's story.

The dark moments are a bit of a shock to the system. Vanasse has a lot on her plate and handles that with surprising courage and determination. Léa Pool asks a lot and gets a lot from her lead actress. The film has a good pace and makes you care about the characters.

Did the film live up to the hype? No film ever lives up to what you might think in your head. The film is realistic in the good times and the bad times. Your heart pulls for Hanna, even if the odds aren't good. Pool and Vanasse create a performance where you really want to know what is going on in her brain.

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

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Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free was Canada's nominee for the Academy Awards for what was then the Best Foreign Language Film but did not reach the shortlist. The film did win the Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Canadian Film of 1999. The film did receive 8 Jutra nominations, winning 4 awards: Best Actress (Vanasse), Supporting Actress (Bussières), Direction, and Art Direction. Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free garnished Genie nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay.

photo credit: Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free
video credit: YouTube/varineas

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

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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.

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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).

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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