Brett Pardy reviews Igor Drljača’s documentary The Stone Speakers, which questions what selective presentations of history for tourist consumption mean for the country’s current identity.
[Read more…] about The Stone Speakers raises questions about selective presentations of historyHot Docs ’19: Conviction, Buddy, Willie, and more
Our capsule reviews highlight six of the standouts at the 2019 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival: Conviction, Buddies, Willie, In My Blood It Runs, We Will Stand Up, and Push. Watch out for them as they travel the festival circuit and arrive on home viewing platforms.

Interview: Edge of the Knife tells a pre-colonialism story of the Haida legend of ‘The Wildman’
Co-director and Haida artist Gwaai Edenshaw discusses his landmark film Edge of the Knife (Sgaawaay K’uuna), the first feature film made in the Haida language. This is an excerpt from the ebook The Canadian Cinema Yearbook which is available for purchase here.
[Read more…] about Interview: Edge of the Knife tells a pre-colonialism story of the Haida legend of ‘The Wildman’Interview: Stupid Young Heart is a nuanced look at white supremacy
Finnish Director Selma Vilhunen and screenwriter Kirsikka Saari discuss their new film Stupid Young Heart, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. They tell us about creating realistic teenagers on screen and responsibly portraying white supremacist groups.
[Read more…] about Interview: Stupid Young Heart is a nuanced look at white supremacyDebra Granik frames poverty as a systemic failure to empathize
Debra Granik’s films — Down to the Bone, Stray Dog, and Leave No Trace — focus on individuals who struggle to navigate an unfriendly social support system in an attempt to get help. This is the fourth piece in our Special Issue on Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, which is now available as an ebook.
[Read more…] about Debra Granik frames poverty as a systemic failure to empathizeReview: First Stripes depicts masculinity in training
First Stripes reveals how training designed to equalize recruits ends up reproducing a conservative set of norms.
This is an excerpt from the ebook The 2019 Canadian Cinema Yearbook, which also contains an in-depth interview with the film’s director, Jean-François Caissy, and the film’s editor, Mathieu Bouchard-Malo (who also edited Genèse and The Great Darkened Days).
Listen to our podcast on First Stripes and Boys State.
[Read more…] about Review: First Stripes depicts masculinity in training