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Performing Arts (21)
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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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Between the LaughterBarbara K. Lee 2006 43 minThis feature-length documentary looks at Stephen O'Keefe, a deaf, stand-up comedian. Faced with the usual challenges that life presents - marriage, children and career - Stephen works extra hard just to be able to hear (with the aid of a cochlear implant) and communicate with those around him. While many hearing-impaired people find life isolating, Stephen embraces the spotlight and chooses to step forward and entertain people.
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Capturing GeorgeScott Smith 2009 6 minGeorge F. Walker's career has spanned almost four decades, but Rolly and Stevie (from Walker's play Criminal Genius) have succeeded in tying the notoriously elusive dramatist down. To a chair. With lots of rope. Director Scott Smith's wicked reversal of theatrical order puts Walker in the centre of one of his own creations. This film was produced for the 2009 Governor General's Performing Arts Award.
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Diana LeblancMary Lewis 2015 4 minThis short follows grand dame of the theatre Diana Leblanc as she prepares for a role in The Dybbuk (Soulpepper Theatre Company) and gets ready to direct an opera (Madame Butterfly). The film weaves together archival footage, photographs, and animation depicting Leblanc as a young ballerina, offering an intimate reflection on her life’s passions, challenges, and lessons.
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 2015 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
Dashan - Ambassador to China's Funny BoneGuy Nantel 1996 50 minThis documentary introduces us to Mark Rowswell, a Canadian comedian virtually unknown in his own country who has an enormous following in mainland China, where he is known as Dashan.
The film provides a unique look at China through the eyes of a man who has become fully at home in Chinese culture—his appearances on national television have been known to draw up to 600 million viewers. It shows Rowswell performing, talking about his art and popularity, and discussing the West’s role in the development of the new China. -
Horse Drawn MagicDorothy Todd Henaut 1979 27 minThis documentary short introduces us to the Caravan Stage Company, the world's only horse-drawn open-air theater. Every summer it tours British Columbia and Alberta, bringing live entertainment to communities where television is often the main diversion. In a montage of short sketches, the film shows the troupe on the road and in performance. Hard work and laughter are basic ingredients of this unconventional lifestyle.
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Janine Sutto: 70 Years of PassionMichel La Veaux 2014 5 minFor more than 70 years, actress Janine Sutto, the grande dame of Quebec theatre, has brought to the stage her passion for her art: portraying life. An impeccable woman of slight build but great vitality, she has the look of someone who has fulfilled her dreams.
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 2014 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. -
Lay Down Your HeartMarie Clements 2022 1 h 5 minAn intimate look into the mind of Niall McNeil, an artist and performer with Down syndrome, and his unique chosen family. In Lay Down Your Heart, Niall introduces us to his many “family members,” his multiple “children,” his renowned “ex-wife” and director of the film Marie Clements, and other bonds forged through open-hearted creativity.
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Mise en ScèneChelsea McMullan 2012 7 minThis short film is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to award-winning director, writer and composer Des McAnuff. Set to the song The Wind and the Rain, it begins with Des unaccompanied and builds to a grand finale in true Shakespearean tradition. A tribute to a time of limited means and creative ingenuity, the piece blends film and theatrical language to create a surreal mise-en-scène.
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. -
The Magical Life of Long Tack SamAnn Marie Fleming 2003 1 h 28 minFilmmaker Ann Marie Fleming travels the globe to piece together the story of her great-grandfather, the cosmopolitan Long Tack Sam – an internationally renowned Chinese acrobat and magician who overcame isolation, poverty, cultural and linguistic barriers, extreme racism and world wars to become one of the most successful acts of his time. This first-person road movie celebrates the spirit of Long Tack Sam's magic and art in a richly textured and exhilarating testament to his legacy.
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The Next Big Thing - MontrealMurray Battle 2003 54 minThis feature documentary from The Next Big Thing series follows several Toronto comedians to Montreal's Just For Laughs comedy festival, an intensive and competitive proving ground for these comedians trying to become “the next big thing.”
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The Next Big Thing - TorontoMurray Battle 2003 57 minIn this feature documentary from The Next Big Thing series, 6 aspiring comedians try out for Montreal’s Just For Laughs comedy festival auditions and struggle to make it in Toronto's comedy scene.
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An Overwhelming PassionClaude Guilmain 2017 4 minIn this concise portrait, director and art director Brigitte Haentjens talks about what inspires her work in theatrical creation. Her artistic choices are a response to a deep, dark need to rummage through a text until light bursts forth. Known for being outspoken and for her unconventional artistic approaches, Haentjens has left an indelible mark.
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Robert Lepage2009 6 minFor Robert Lepage, every production begins with a sense of exploration and discovery, whether it is an intimate one-man show, or a re-staging of Wagner's epic Ring Cycle. Lepage's work marries technology with ritual, magic with cutting-edge effects to completely reinvent theatrical space. Director J. Peter Allen borrows a page from Lepage's favourite creative mediums (film and stage) to fashion a subtly shifting view of the famed director, playwright, actor and filmmaker at work.
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The SentryClaude Guilmain 2010 5 minActor Françoise Faucher has embodied some of the greatest roles in French literature during her more than 60 years on stage. In this short documentary, she recalls the moments that led her to the theatre – and, as we watch images from her remarkable acting career, she speaks powerfully of how the best of our potential lies in our artistic expression.
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Lorraine Pintal - So The Light Never DiesAriane Louis-Seize 2019 5 minDirected by Ariane Louis-Seize, this tribute film was created as a gift for Lorraine Pintal, director of Montreal’s Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. Featuring some of the most memorable characters and performers of Pintal’s career, the film’s succession of surreal scenes from different dramatic worlds introduces viewers to the exceptional woman of theatre, stage director, and friend whom they consider to be the “ghost light” of Quebec theatre.
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Suzanne LebeauSophie Dupuis 2016 4 minIn this documentary short, two actresses pay tribute to Suzanne Lebeau on the set of one of her many plays. One of them is Isabelle Miquelon, who brought this great woman of the theatre's words to life on stage in Le bruit des os qui craquent. The other is a young actress who tells us about the passion for telling truth to children that has driven Suzanne Lebeau throughout her career.
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Greetings: Te'skennongweronne - Yves Sioui DurandCarlos Ferrand 2017 4 minIn a space outside of time, Indigenous playwright Yves Sioui Durand encounters the masks that have been created for his plays over a period of more than 30 years. Inhabited by the spirit of the Elders, these faces influence the actors’ every move as they bring to life the memory of the First Peoples of the Americas.
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Uncommon HeroJohn L'Ecuyer 2011 4 minThis short film pays tribute to Paul Thompson, a man who has created a uniquely Canadian theatrical tradition through his passion, vision and tireless innovation. At 14, he was given a ticket for the Stratford Festival. Fifty years later, it's hard to imagine Canadian theatre without his inspired leadership.
From Theatre Passe Muraille to the National Theatre School, Paul has mentored generations of actors and playwrights, forging a vibrant and distinctly Canadian theatre tradition. -
What If?Noam Gonick 2011 5 min"Always remember to play," says Leslee Silverman, the visionary force behind the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, to 10-year-old William. The little boy stands at centre stage, rehearsing an exciting new role - that of Leslee Silverman.
Silverman observes with her customary wisdom and good humour. Drawing from Winnipeg's rich cultural tradition, she engages young people in the adventure of theatre, fired by the conviction that art belongs to everyone.
