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Performances (18)
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Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane StoryMichael Mabbott & Lucah Rosenberg-Lee 2024 1 h 39 minA lost R&B star who eclipsed Etta James and Little Richard, trans soul singer Jackie Shane blazed an extraordinary trail with an unbreakable commitment to her truth. Forty years after vanishing from public view, this 20th century icon finally gets her second act. -
Blood and WaterRohan Fernando 2007 1 h 17 minWhen the 2004 tsunami hit the coast of Sri Lanka, 65-year-old Anton Ambrose's wife and daughter were killed. "In five minutes," he says, "I lost everything."
A year later, Anton returns to Sri Lanka. With him is his nephew, award-winning filmmaker Rohan Fernando.
A Tamil, Anton moved to California in the 1970s and became a very successful gynecologist. His daughter, Orlantha, made the opposite journey, returning to Sri Lanka where she ran a non-profit group that gave underprivileged children free violin lessons. Anton and his wife, Beulah, were visiting her when the tsunami hit.
Blood and Water is the story of one man's search for meaning in the face of overwhelming loss, but it is also filled with improbable characters, unintentional comedy and situational ironies.
To honour Orlantha's work, Anton is building a music centre and hosting a fundraising concert. Eccentric characters and oddball events immediately take centre stage. Exiled Iranian country singer Ann Claire is focused on media attention as much as on the concert. Shondale, an energetic African American computer analyst, is so moved by Orlantha's story that she drops everything to become the concert's chief organizer. The concert itself loses money, although - in a final irony - some of the underprivileged children it is designed to serve come from among the richest families in the country.
Meanwhile, Anton tours his old neighbourhood, spends time with his daughter's closest friends and seeks out advice from the archbishop of Sri Lanka. ("That's life!" the archbishop says, when Anton describes his loss.)
All this against the backdrop of Sri Lanka - a country coming apart as the decades-old civil war between Tamil Tigers and the government heats up.
Ultimately, Blood and Water is a film about the coming to terms with loss. As Anton Ambrose seeks meaning in tragedy, he must re-evaluate all he has taken for granted. In so doing, he comes to understand his daughter better than he ever did when she was alive. -
The PerformerNorma Bailey 1978 3 minThis short film from the Canada Vignettes series features tenor Roger Doucet singing the Canadian national anthem, O Canada, before a hockey game in the Montreal Forum.
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A Drummer's DreamJohn Walker 2010 1 h 25 minA rare and unique assembly of some of the greatest drummers in the world. Explosive talent, passion, humour and irresistible personality come together in a magical setting as these diverse drummers and forty students create a profound and unforgettable experience. Featuring Dennis Chambers, Kenwood Dennard, Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Mike Mangini, Raul Rekow and Nasyr Abdul Al-Khabyyr, the film engages us with a diversity of musical styles. These master drummers of rock, jazz, Latin fusion and soul have backed the likes of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Carlos Santana - and now each other. At the end of the film you will be tapping out the rhythms that live within us all, and the positive energy of these masters will pulse through you for days to come.
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Ever DeadlyChelsea McMullan & Tanya Tagaq 2022 1 h 29 minThis film discusses topics of trauma and abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.
Ever Deadly weaves concert footage with stunning sequences filmed on location in Nunavut, seamlessly bridging landscapes, stories and songs with pain, anger and triumph—all through the expressions of Tanya Tagaq, one of the most innovative musical performers of our time. -
John Kim Bell: Born to “Indspire”Roxann Whitebean 2023 4 min
In this unconventional portrait of John Kim Bell, he reflects on his formative years, which brought him to Broadway and influenced him to become the first Indigenous person in North America to lead a classical orchestra. After spending a lifetime amplifying the voices of Indigenous Peoples through the arts, he elaborates on his trailblazing work, including founding the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, known today as Indspire.
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KubotaJonny Silver 1982 20 minA film featuring architect, sculptor, and musician Nobuo Kubota in a sound-sculpture performance. From within a cage-like structure filled with traditional musical instruments and sound-making devices fashioned from ordinary objects and toys, Kubota creates an aural/visual montage of musical notes and noises. Praised by music educators as a valuable tool for teaching creativity in sound exploration and musical innovation, the film reveals the infinite percussion possibilities of simple objects and presents a portrait of a versatile performer whose imagination has led him far beyond the confines of conventional music.
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A Little SummermusikBill Davies 1972 8 minA film pastorale set in the early summer near Elora, Ontario, where music students practice out-of-doors. Lush green fields, towering elms and a rippling stream near an old farmhouse provide a rich setting for young musicians playing solo or in groups on flutes, strings, and piano. Music has charm indeed when the mood is of lilac and the sweet pipings of spring.
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Monsieur PointuBernard Longpré & André Leduc 1975 12 minThis animated short about virtuoso stage entertainer Monsieur Pointu (Paul Cormier) is screen magic at its best. Here, the man and his violin are literally taken apart - head, feet, limbs, various items of stage attire, bow, strings, and box all go into their own separate acts, with strange and amusing results.
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Montreal SymphonyBettina Ehrhardt 2010 1 h 38 minTo mark the 75th season of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, conductor Kent Nagano put together a memorable program comprised of a selection of extraordinary works. This film captures the season’s high points, as well as Nagano’s knack for finding music and poetry in everyday urban life.
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Sing a Little1951 9 minPuppet animation illustrates three songs sung by Alan Mills in his CBC studio: The Farmer's Cursed Wife, Barbara Allen, and Jack the Sailor.
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Sing with the Commodores No. 1Roger Blais & Douglas Tunstell 1951 10 minThe Commodores sing Aunt Rhoda, Polly Wolly Doodle, Sweet Genevieve, Loakie's Boat and I've Been Working on the Railroad. The words of the last four songs appear on screen for audience sing-along.
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These Forgotten VoicesBlaise Barrette 2008 43 minHere's a concert with a difference: The fifteen singers all have mental health problems. Yet they've recorded a CD and have performed on stage in front of 500 people. Filmmaker Blaise Barrette spent a year with them, filming their confidence-building adventure. From the difficult first singing lessons to the highly successful concert, Ces voix oubliées bears witness to an amazing change in the participants. An inspiring documentary that defies prejudice. In French with English subtitles.
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Toronto JazzDon Owen 1963 26 minThis short documentary profiles the mid-century Toronto jazz scene through the eyes of acclaimed filmmaker Don Owen (Nobody Waved Good-bye). The film features prominent acts from what was then regarded as the third-largest jazz centre in North America, including the Lenny Breau trio, the Don Thompson Quintet and the Alf Jones Quartet. Jazz lovers will relish this inside look at the creativity, hard work, improvisation, and stylization of these talented musicians.
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Together in HarmonyMarie-France Guerrette Dempsey 2009 27 minThis short documentary chronicles the participation of Edmonton’s Chorale Saint-Jean in the festivities organized for Quebec City’s 400th anniversary. The film is interspersed with interviews with conductor Laurier Fagnan, lyricist-composer France Levasseur-Ouimet and other people involved with this talented choir. Poignant and charming, it shows that French outside Quebec doesn’t necessarily have a bleak future. Indeed, not only is Franco-Albertan culture surviving, but it is also enriching our country’s heritage. In French with English subtitles.
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Why I SingJohn Howe 1972 57 minThis documentary is an intimate portrait of popular French singer-songwriter Gilles Vigneault and how he helped revitalize Quebec musical culture. Vigneault shows a different side of himself as he discusses some of the themes he explores in songs like his international hit “Mon Pays.”
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Wits EndRoger Blais & Douglas Tunstell 1952 10 minJane Mallet appears in Nature Woman as a physical fitness enthusiast interviewed by Peter Mews. The Commodores sing Ilklay Moor, and then Peter Mews returns in the comedy skit Ten Minutes with Marg Margetson, in which a woman radio personality answers listeners' problems.
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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.
