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CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Remembering the NFB's groundbreaking women's film studio, 50 years later
Social Sharing An event in Cobourg, Ont., is shining a light on a precedent-setting piece of Canadian film history. And it all started in a basement room at the National Film Board. That was the first location of Studio D — created in 1974 with the purpose of making films by, for, and about women, and initially given a shoestring budget of just $100,000. Fifty-one years later, the studio is being highlighted by the Canadian Women in Film Museum with a screening of a documentary about its history, as well as a screening of one of the most acclaimed works to come out of it — the academy award-winning 1977 short documentary, I'll Find a Way. "Without that policy that the film board had started, I would have never gotten an opportunity to become a film director," Beverly Shaffer, director of I'll Find a Way, told CBC News. As outlined in a blog post by the film board last year, it was the NFB's Kathleen Shannon who pushed for, founded, and served as the first executive producer of Studio D, which gets its name from the NFB's traditional in-house letter naming system. "No such thing existed anywhere in the world at that time," said Shaffer of the publicly-funded, explicitly feminist film studio, which provided training and support to fledgling filmmakers until 1997 when it was shut down. "Initially, a lot of the women didn't have filmmaking experience, but the film board was surprised and astonished [to learn] there was a big audience for these films, because of the issues and the perspective that they were showing," she said. Those issues included difficult or under-covered topics like abortion around the world, queer life in Canada, pornography, motherhood and the dangers of nuclear war. Not only did audiences respond — critics did too, ultimately awarding Studio D filmmakers with 130 awards in total, including three Oscars. The first one of those, Shaffer's win in 1977, carried extra significance because it broke a multi-decade academy award dry spell for the film board. Rick Miller with the Canadian Women in Film Museum in Cobourg told CBC Toronto that he feels awareness about Studio D and its films is "pretty low," inspiring him to hold Sunday's screening event. "It aligns with the narrative of our museum, which is film history of Canadian women … and also aligns with our narrative of women who are overcoming the gendered expectations of their time," he said. The museum will screen a number of other Studio D titles this fall, Miller said. The NFB itself has also endeavoured to raise awareness about Studio D, uploading some 90 of its films to a new online channel in 2024. According to Suzanne Guèvremont, current NFB chairperson, the film board remains committed to gender parity, with 56 per cent of productions in 2023 and 2024 directed by women. It also sets targets for Indigenous, Black and racialized filmmakers, she said. "Studio D marked the NFB's first step on a broader journey toward equity, diversity and inclusion across all areas of our work," Guèvremont said in a statement.
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Globe and Mail
Cheap excuses for betraying free speech
This is getting out of hand in Canada. On Thursday, the chief executive of the Toronto International Film Festival was in damage-control mode after having announced the previous day that the festival was cancelling the premiere of a documentary because of unspecified safety concerns. Or was it copyright concerns? Or maybe a staff revolt? The film, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, tells the story of a retired Israeli paratrooper who rescues his son and his son's family during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas. TIFF officials originally said the film was being pulled partly because the filmmakers hadn't procured the rights to Hamas's livestream footage of its massacre at the kibbutz where the son lived with his wife and two children. But that excuse was not repeated in an e-mail TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey sent to the filmmakers explaining the festival's decision. Instead, he said 'the risk of major, disruptive protest actions around the film's presence at the Festival, including internal opposition, has become too great.' A day later, Mr. Cameron apologized 'for any pain this situation may have caused' and denied that TIFF had censored the movie. He said he 'remains committed' to working with the filmmakers in order to 'allow the film to be screened.' (Late Thursday, TIFF said the movie would be part of the festival.) TIFF pledges to work with filmmakers of Oct. 7 documentary after pulling premiere Opinion: TIFF's latest censorship controversy is more than just a tiff. It's existential So, then, what was it that prompted TIFF to cancel the premiere initially: the festival's concerns about the intellectual property rights of a terrorist organization, or the 'internal opposition' and the threat of 'disruptive protest actions'? The latter is the better bet. This is the same organization that last year postponed screenings of a documentary, Russians at War, because it was 'aware of significant threats to festival operations and public safety.' That film, which followed a Russian battalion into battle in Ukraine, was accused of whitewashing Russian war crimes and condemned as Moscow propaganda. Chrystia Freeland, then the deputy prime minister, said she had 'grave concerns' about the film, while the Ukrainian Canadian Congress called for the resignation of TIFF's board. A year later, and now that people have actually watched it, Russians at War is said by critics to be a courageous antiwar film about disaffected and angry Russian soldiers forced to carry out Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Moscow would never allow its citizens to watch this film. A year after controversial TIFF premiere, Russians at War deserves to be seen But it's not just TIFF that is cancelling shows and hiding behind unidentified threats to security these days. This summer brought the sorry spectacle of federal and municipal officials cancelling performances by a D-list American country musician who makes his living preaching the most retrograde parts of the MAGA agenda. After people protested, officials in cities where concerts were scheduled cited 'security concerns' to justify shutting them down, a move that of course gave Sean Feucht more visibility in Canada than he could have ever hoped for. Two things connect these examples. One is the fact that the security threats cited as grounds for cancelling shows are never spelled out. People have the perfect right to call for the cancellation of a screening or musical concert that doesn't jibe with their beliefs and values, but they do not have the right to threaten violence or disruption it they don't get their way. At the same time, organizers should not be able to imply coyly and without evidence that protesters will act illegally. By ducking behind vague security concerns instead of exerting the right to show what they please, officials leave open the possibility that what they are really doing is capitulating to the loudest voices in a polarized debate. The other disturbing commonality is that officials are failing to reflexively protect the invaluable right to freedom of artistic and political expression in Canada. We have no doubt that if noisy protesters demanded the withdrawal of a TIFF movie because of its glorification of violence, TIFF officials would be the first to stand up for the filmmaker's right to artistic expression. But when it comes to telling stories or singing songs that some deem offensive, that reflex has been replaced by a knee-jerk run for cover. This is an alarming development in Canada. In difficult times, we need people in positions of authority to stand up for freedom of expression – not look for excuses to abandon it. That never ends well for anyone.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
TIFF and filmmaker Barry Avrich reach resolution to screen Oct. 7 doc
The Toronto International Film Festival has released a statement regarding why the documentary was pulled from the lineup. TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival says a documentary about the Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 is now an official selection and will screen at the festival after initially being disinvited. TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and filmmaker Barry Avrich say they have reached a resolution after hearing 'pain and frustration' from the public. In a joint statement, they say they have ironed out 'important safety, legal and programming concerns' around the film, titled 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue.' Earlier this week, festival organizers said they pulled the documentary because it didn't meet certain requirements around security concerns and 'legal clearance of all footage.' The decision sparked an international outcry, including from some Jewish groups and politicians. The filmmakers also accused the festival of censorship. TIFF backtracked on Wednesday, saying it would find a way to work with the documentary team to find a way to screen the film. Bailey and Avrich's statement says TIFF apologizes for not clearly articulating its concerns. The documentary follows retired Israeli general Noam Tibon's mission to rescue his family during the Hamas attacks, during which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 hostages were taken. TIFF runs from Sept. 4 to 14. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025
