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Acting (19)
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Andrea Martin: Nine Lives... and Counting!Michelle Mama 2024 4 minA bona fide icon, the indefatigable Andrea Martin is behind some of the most recognizable comedic performances to ever hit screens or stages. From the legendary show Godspell to the characters that made SCTV a household name, and recent roles where she continues to buck stereotypes with hilarious effect, Nine Lives… and Counting! pays tribute to an incandescent career of reinvention. -
The AfterLifetime of Colm FeoreHannah Cheesman 2019 5 minAfter winning a lifetime achievement award, there’s nowhere left to go but down… into the bowels of the Afterlifetime Achievement Agency, a placement service that helps Laureates find their next gig.
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Anniversary1963 19 minHere you will see Marie Dressler, Mary Pickford, Norma Shearer, Walter Huston and a host of other Canadians who achieved world renown on the silver screen. Slapstick, romance, tragedy, comedy--it's all here in an entertaining sampling of what audiences have applauded down the years. You see the audiences too, and the theatres where early movies first drew in the fans. As guide you could hardly find a more knowledgeable or familiar figure than Walter Pidgeon, a Canadian with eighty or more films to his credit. He recalls the personalities of the great stars he has known and explains how the technology developed that shows the stars on the screen.
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Buster Keaton Rides AgainJohn Spotton 1965 55 minIn this film Keaton rides across Canada on a railway scooter and, between times, rests in a specially appointed passenger coach where he and Mrs. Keaton lived during their Canadian film assignment. This film is about how Buster Keaton made a Canadian travel film, The Railrodder. In this informal study the comedian regales the film crew with anecdotes of a lifetime in show business. Excerpts from his silent slapstick films are shown.
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Canadian FamousKevin McMahon 2013 7 minThis short film is a tribute to Eric Peterson, one of Canada’s most accomplished actors. In a career spanning over 4 decades he has portrayed a broad range of memorable characters, from a World War I flying ace in Billy Bishop Goes to War to left-wing lawyer Leon Robinovitch in Street Legal (CBC TV) and the irascible Oscar Leroy in Corner Gas (CTV). Having secured a place in the nation’s cultural treasure trove, Peterson decides to express gratitude to the Canadians who prize his talents—and sets out, on foot, to thank every single one of them…
This film was produced by the NFB in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2013 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
Catherine O’Hara: All of Us ShineHart Snider 2021 4 minFrom SCTV and Home Alone to Best in ShowSchitt’s Creek, Catherine O’Hara collaborates with fellow performers throughout her legendary career to take comedy to new heights.
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Geneviève Bujold: Art = LifeRobin McKenna 2018 4 minThis portrait of one of Canada’s most famous actresses was inspired by the filmmaking aesthetic of her friend, Michel Brault. Geneviève Bujold: Art = Life evokes Brault’s observational and improvisational approach in a stylized, black-and-white look at the actress that’s both intimate and introspective.
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I Am Syd StoneDenis Thériault 2020 1 h 21 minWhile shooting a film in a small town, a famous actor puts his personal life and career in jeopardy by starting an intense affair with another man.
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Imaginary HeroineSherry White 2012 4 minThis short film pays tribute to actress and comedian Mary Walsh. Layering archival photographs of downtown St. John’s and evocative imagery, it tells the remarkable story of a little girl who grew up next door to her family. Inspired by Mary Walsh’s one woman play Dancing with Rage, the film reveals the heart of the unique characters created by Newfoundland’s grand dame of comedy.
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
June NightMike Maryniuk 2020 4 minWorking in sublime self-isolation during the strange pandemic spring of 2020, avant-garde filmmaker Mike Maryniuk composes a surreal ode to rebirth and reinvention. Juxtaposing archival imagery with handcrafted animation, he conjures up a shimmering utopian dreamscape, a post-COVID world shaped by the primordial forces of nature—haunted by the genial spectre of Buster Keaton.
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Michael J. FoxJohn Bolton 2017 4 minDirector John Bolton explores Michael J. Fox’s dedication to the craft of acting over the course of an illustrious career. A candid and charming interview features stories about some of his best-loved characters and the process of bringing them to life, shedding light on what drives him as a performer, writer and pop-culture icon.
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RemembranceRandy Bradshaw 2009 4 minAn award-winning actor, writer, producer and director, Paul Gross has struggled to find the right balance between the heart and the head, between intellect and emotions. But sometimes a story comes along, captivates a filmmaker and simply won't leave. For Gross, this story was Passchendaele, a film based on his grandfather's experiences in a WWI battle that became synonymous with Canada's courage and resolution in the face of epic tragedy. This film was produced for the 2009 Governor General's Performing Arts Award.
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The RailrodderGerald Potterton 1965 24 minThis short film from director Gerald Potterton (Heavy Metal) stars Buster Keaton in one of the last films of his long career. As "the railrodder", Keaton crosses Canada from east to west on a railway track speeder. True to Keaton's genre, the film is full of sight gags as our protagonist putt-putts his way to British Columbia. Not a word is spoken throughout, and Keaton is as spry and ingenious at fetching laughs as he was in the old days of the silent slapsticks.
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Ryan Reynolds: I'm a Laureate?Christopher Auchter 2021 4 minRyan Reynolds reflects on his childhood, family and career—punctuated by diversions into the charitable side of Twitter to appeal to his Canadian sense of self.
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Sandra Oh, InspirationKaren Lam 2019 4 minInspired by Sandra Oh’s words and actions, director Karen Lam experiments with the concept of representation in the performing arts.
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Tantoo CardinalDarlene Naponse 2020 4 minA moving portrait of actress Tantoo Cardinal, travelling through time and across the many roles she’s played, capturing her strength and her impact—and how she shattered the glass ceiling and survived.
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The Unboxing of Paul Sun-Hyung LeeKathleen Jayme 2023 4 minPaul Sun-Hyung Lee shares his love of family, acting and toys in this special episode of his Funboxing Sundays YouTube show. Okay, see you!
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William Shatner Sings O CanadaJacob Medjuck 2011 5 minWhen William Shatner gets a Lifetime Achievement Award from Canada's Governor General, he shows appreciation as only Shatner can. In this short film, the most famous space cadet in showbiz takes helm of our heritage and treats us to a memorable rendition of Canada's national anthem.
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Who Is the Real Martin Short?Aleysa Young 2017 5 minHe’s a legend, a comic genius, and a national treasure… but who is the real Martin Short? This film goes straight to the source in an attempt to get to know the person behind the persona. It looks at the inspiration for some of Short’s favourite roles and uncovers the depth of his talent for observing, absorbing and developing idiosyncratic characters.
