The Gabhouse Guide to What You Should Watch on National Canadian Film Day (April 16th)
I structure the majority of my life around movie-watching time- at the theatre, at home, with my dad, with my friends, or my online-movie-watching-club.
Nothing can ever come between me and my love for cinema- so when there’s a whole day to celebrate it, especially CANADIAN cinema (at a time when Canadian-made is so vital), you can bet I’ll be running my mouth with a list of recommendations of what you could watch for National Canadian Film Day on April 16th!
Obviously getting out in your community to attend a local screening and supporting independent cinematic experiences is my best advice for any fellow cinephiles. But, if you’re maybe extremely out-of-the-way of a screening (like me), then here’s what you can watch at home!
CLASSICS
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES (1985)
(Any rendition works, obviously, but we’re focusing on the 1985 mini-series)
You can’t beat a classic, baby! Everyone loves our feisty little redhead from PEI and the sweet, sweet Raspberry Cordial her visage is plastered on.
Though technically it is a TV-mini series, the runtime IS 15 minutes shorter than 2024’s THE BRUTALIST, which to me means it’s basically just a long movie with pre-determined snack/bathroom breaks (Like when people did a fan-made episodic timestamp breakdown for the 4-hour long Scorsese film ‘THE IRISHMAN’ and people on Twitter got really mad).
Rent or Buy via Gazebo TV (Never heard of it before!)
Also in my research for this, I came across a Japanese animated version of Anne of Green Gables? Top of my watchlist immediately!
SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD (2010)
Is this an insane shoe-in as a classic? It’s true to me, at least, that a film mostly produced in America by a British writer/director should be held in the eye of movie fans as a Great Canadian film!
If you haven’t seen this film before… You’re missing out! This is one of those movies where you can say “everyone and their mothers/dogs are in it” (which is also what I say when I recognize more than 4 actors in a movie at any given time).
The film (based on a comic book series by Canadian cartoonist, Brian Lee O’Malley) follows a 22-year-old slacker, Scott Pilgrim, and his quest to defeat his new love interests ‘7 Evil Exes’ all throughout iconic Toronto locations.
Right off the bat, you’ll catch glimpses of Pizza Pizza, Second Cup, Loonies and Toonies.
Fun fact! 90s Halifax-band Plumtree’s song ‘Scott Pilgrim’ gave the namesake for protagonist.
Another fun fact: formerly-Halifax-now-Toronto’s Sloan’s Chris Murphy as the film’s music performance supervisor!
Here’s a photo of Brie Larson in a Sloan shirt with the rest of ‘The Clash at Demonhead’, Chris Murphy, and director Edgar Wright!
Currently streaming on STARZ or available in any Value Village DVD aisle. (There’s also a post-movie animated series streaming on Netflix with the entire original cast that’s a great binge-watch)
SHORTS
POINT AND LINE TO PLANE (2020)
I first saw this film at TIFF in 2020 when Covid was still at large and all the major film festivals were shifted to digital and remote screenings. 19 year-old me could participate in these festivals from my childhood bedroom all the way in Cape Breton with no worries of travel or accommodation costs.
‘Point and Line to Plane’ is a really heavy piece on grief, and finding our passed-on loved ones in our everyday encounters. It’s an emotionally tough watch, especially seeming as it’s an autobiographical piece from the director.
The film stars Deragh Campbell (who you will see 3 more times in this article as a lead actress) and features stunning cinematography from writer/director Sofia Bohdanowicz.
Streamable on the Criterion Channel.
PLEASE SPEAK CONTINUOUSLY AND DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCES AS THEY COME TO YOU (2019)
This 2019 short from director Brandon Cronenberg is a great short to get under your skin.
Surprise, another film where Deragh Campbell is in between worlds in her own mind, contemplating what’s real or not. If you’re wondering why the director’s name is so familiar… Yes, this is the David Cronenberg’s son, Brandon.
You’ll find preludes to his features ‘Possessor’ and ‘Infinity Pool’ in this 8 minute short where “…a psychiatric patient with a brain implant that allows her to relive her dreams finds her reality being encroached upon in unappetizing and surreal ways.”
I was blown away the first time I saw this online at TIFF in 2020 and it so deeply inspired so many shots in my first few short films. If you want something a little creepy with a whole lotta color, give “Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to You” a watch on the Criterion Channel.
A DOCUMENTARY TO MAKE YOU FEEL SMART
GEOGRAPHIES OF SOLITUDE (2022)
During Hurricane Fiona in 2022 (a tropical storm that did millions of dollars worth of damage to Cape Breton), someone casually posted as a reassurance to the local Police Scanner/Rant Room group on Facebook that Nova Scotia Power had restored electricity to Sable Island.
I read a comment on that post today that I think about every time I see the sliver of Sable Island show up on the weather forecast on CTV:
“thank god the horses can watch netflix”
‘GEOGRAPHIES OF SOLITUDE’ is a 2022 documentary from Jaqueline Mills, following Zoe Lucas, a researcher who has been living on Sable Island for 40+ years.
This is one of the most visually and audio-torially stunning documentaries I have watched. I knew of Sable Island when watching it, but to learn what actually goes on there in the span of a year is fascinating and gives such a close look at a unique life.
CANADIAN HORROR
I mean, I can’t not have a whole category dedicated to Canadian Horror films- from Cronenberg’s greats, Nova Scotian small-town mines, all the way to sorority houses at 6 Clarendon Crescent in Toronto (I had to resist the urge for the Black Christmas movies to make it onto this list that’s being written in the springtime).
MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981)
Not to completely dox myself, but living a stone’s throw from most of this film’s shooting locations is a horror movie fan’s dream come true.
It’s a slasher classic- a slashic! A small mining town’s Valentine’s Day dance is cancelled when Harry Warden returns to take vengeance upon the town who left him for dead. But, it’s a horror movie, so the young adults of the town take it upon themselves to throw their own secret dance, which really throws an axe in things!
It’s a better watch on Valentine’s Day (themed movie nights are the best), but this Sydney-Mines-shot cinematic spectacle can be enjoyed year-round.
Available to rent or buy on VOD!
HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II (1987)
‘HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II’ is the sequel to the Jamie Lee Curtis led ‘PROM NIGHT’ from 1980- and dare I say, it’s a lot better than the original.
It was shot on a $2.5 million dollar budget at Westmount Jr High School in Edmonton, Alberta. The average film budget in the 80’s was around $18 million, so some lower-budget charm is ocularly present.
But hey, they got Michael Ironside in a leading role 6 years after ‘SCANNERS’!
I’m a total sucker for a campy movie and this film ticks so many boxes of what makes a perfect 80s horror film. I won’t spoil any of it, and you definitely don’t need to watch the first film for this one to make sense at all.
Watch via Shudder on Prime Video (How can something be available on a channel on Prime Video but not on it’s actual own streaming service?)
HOMETOWN FAVES
My Bloody Valentine gets a second mention in this category… Obviously…
4 QUARTERS
The first time I really saw my hometown on screen was in Ashley McKenzie’s ‘4 Quarters’. I had never seen Cape Breton on the screen before (Watching this pre-dates my first viewing of My Bloody Valentine), and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Ashley’s work has had a profound impact on me in my filmmaking projects of the past and I will always recommend their work (and everyone involved in their projects’ work) in a heartbeat.
Watch on the Criterion Channel.
NEW WATERFORD GIRL
I am recommending this even though I have never seen it but I have heard enough about it to think I have the knowledge to say you should watch it.
Conveniently available to stream from a Cape Breton Facebook page.
AND FINALLY… THERE’S MORE OUT THERE!
I made this list back in the throes of my never realized “Untitled Cape Breton Filmmaking Documentary Project” (So unrealized it never even got a real title) of every Cape Breton-related film or short on NFB.
There’s also a lot of really great Cape Breton filmmakers that I don’t want to spend 4-5 paragraphs gushing about their work or the things they’ve taught me as a filmmaker. Long story short, you should probably be watching any and all film projects that come out of Cape Breton.
LIGHTNING ROUND: FEATURES I REALLY LIKED
I LIKE MOVIES
I mean, how could I not like a movie about someone who loves movies? I like movies about people failing upwards into better things, and I think Lawrence Kweller’s (Isaiah Lehtinen) story has that perfect trajectory for a satisfying cinematic experience.
Amazing debut directorial feature from Chandler Levack and I cannot wait to see what she does next!
Streaming on Netflix (Canada).
MATT AND MARA
The 3rd Deragh Campbell-starring film in this piece! This was a very recent watch while I battled the writer’s block I’m facing to actually write this.
I was hooked from frame 1, second 1, scene 1. It’s definietly it’s own piece of work, but if I had to connect it to something else, I would say it’s a Canadian version of a smash-cut of Richard Linklater’s ‘Before’ Trilogy.
COMPULSUS
Shoutout Halifax! Love me some lesbian vigilantes! The directorial debut of Tara Thorne, Halifax-based journalist and arts advocate.
I saw this at the 2022 Atlantic International Film Festival (online, of course, I don’t know how to drive in/around Halifax). I will use my 4-star Letterboxd review, dated September 17th 2022, as to why you should watch this film:
“i have SO many words about this but also no words at the same time. a super win for nova scotia film. stunning cinematography and lighting, chilling and modern dialogue. the end shot sent chills down my spine. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend”
Streaming on Hoopla (via your library card) and available to buy/rent on VOD.
Now you may be asking “What will you be watching with the access to every Canadian film ever made at her fingertips?”
Well thanks for asking:
ANNE AT 13,000FT (2019)
I’ve been looking at this poster on Letterboxd for years now, and after how much I loved ‘MATT AND MARA’ I really want to check out another film from the same director that coincidentally has the same leads (Deragh Campbell and Matt Johnson).
CRIMES OF THE FUTURE (1970) & (2022)
Cronenberg has a new film out this year so I should probably catch up on his filmography with both versions of his CRIMES OF THE FUTURE. (I constantly think of this meme whenever I hear either movie brought up)
The 2022 film is available to rent/buy on VOD, and the 1970 film is streaming on the Criterion Channel.
IN THE WAVES (2017)
And I just came across this documentary from Jaqueline Mills (Geographies of Solitude) that I will definitely be giving a watch! Seems like a heavy subject matter but I love the power of cinema being able to make you feel things.
Thanks for reading this far! I hope this guide is helpful for NCFD 2025 (and on & on & on). Hearing people’s favorite movies brings me a lot of joy, so feel free to recommend me a fav or two of yours!
A goal in my current creative era is to figure out how to write again. If you enjoyed this and want to read more as they’re released, Consider subscribing to this Substack page to get my writings straight to your inbox!
love this list!!! also i lold at "Conveniently available to stream from a Cape Breton Facebook page."
Definitely adding some of these to movie night! 🍿