CBC Arts Presents: The 50 Greatest Films Directed by Canadians
Created by Fergenaprido.
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First published in June 2023.
Near, far, wherever you are — these directors have shaped not only Canadian film but the entire art of cinema around the globe.
What is the greatest film ever directed by a Canadian?
It’s a trickier question than it seems, and one that perhaps stokes the flames of a long and storied divide: the one between the filmmakers who have stayed in Canada to help build up our own industry… and those who left for greener pastures (at least the money kind of green). But there's no denying how significantly Canadian filmmakers have shaped the art of cinema — no matter where they’re working.
There have been many lists centered around the best “Canadian films,” as there should. Canadian films — those made within our own systems of production — are a distinct representation of our artistry that deserve to be celebrated as their own entity. But why should we narrow ourselves when we’ve also done so much for cinema everywhere? What happens when we look at every single movie ever made by a Canadian filmmaker — anytime, anywhere — and stack them up against one another?
So what is the greatest film ever directed by a Canadian? That’s the question we posed to film critics, programmers, and journalists to create the ultimate list. Responses poured in from across the country, and these were the 50 films that topped their ranks. The results may surprise you, or maybe they’re exactly what you expected. But either way, they make it extraordinarily clear that when it comes to the art of cinema, nothing quite compares to the Canadians lens.
How was this list tabulated?
We asked participants to rank the best full-length feature films directed by Canadians from 1 to 10, with film #1 being worth 10 points, #2 worth 9 points, and so on, all the way up to #10 for 1 point. 83 participants submitted ballots by the time of our deadline, voting for a total of 230 different films.
The criteria for the selections were as follows: they must be directed by a filmmaker who identifies as Canadian, fully or partially, either by birth or naturalization; they could be produced or set in any country at any time; they must have a runtime of 60 minutes or over. Any films that did not meet this criteria were disqualified.
Once the ballots were submitted, we added up the point totals for each film and arranged them from highest to lowest. For films that had the same number of total points, we used two tiebreaking factors. First, we looked at which film received the most Top 3 placements; the film with the most Top 3 placements won. If the films had the same number of Top 3 placements, we then looked at the total number of people who voted for each of them; the film with the highest number of votes won.
Honourable Mention: Wavelength, directed by Michael Snow
Michael Snow's avant-garde 1967 film received a total number of votes that tied it for 50th place, but at a runtime of 45 minutes, the film did not meet our criteria for inclusion on this list.
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1 new
Atanarjuat
2001 — a.k.a. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, in 6 top lists Check -
2 new
Stories We Tell
2012, in 7 top lists Check -
3 new
The Sweet Hereafter
1997, in 8 top lists Check -
4 new
Incendies
2010, in 10 top lists Check -
5 new
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
1993, in 3 top lists Check -
6 new
Crash
1996, in 9 top lists Check -
7 new
Dead Ringers
1988, in 12 top lists Check -
8 new
C.R.A.Z.Y.
2005, in 1 top list Check -
9 new
In the Heat of the Night
1967, in 17 top lists Check -
10 new
Titanic
1997, in 25 top lists Check -
11 new
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1991, in 27 top lists Check -
12 new
My Winnipeg
2007, in 9 top lists Check -
13 new
Videodrome
1983, in 18 top lists Check -
14 new
Moonstruck
1987, in 10 top lists Check -
15 new
Les ordres
1974 — a.k.a. Orderers, in 3 top lists Check -
16 new
Ghostbusters
1984, in 13 top lists Check -
17 new
American Psycho
2000, in 12 top lists Check -
18 new
La région centrale
1971, in 7 top lists Check -
19 new
Pour la suite du monde
1963 — a.k.a. Of Whales, the Moon, and Men, in 3 top lists Check -
20 new
Jésus de Montréal
1989 — a.k.a. Jesus of Montreal, in 5 top lists Check -
21 new
Last Night
1998, in 2 top lists Check -
22 new
Exotica
1994, in 7 top lists Check -
23 new
Arrival
2016, in 11 top lists Check -
24 new
Women Talking
2022, in 2 top lists -
25 new
Mommy
2014, in 5 top lists Check -
26 new
The Fly
1986, in 11 top lists Check -
27 new
Blade Runner 2049
2017, in 8 top lists Check -
28 new
I've Heard the Mermaids Singing
1987, in 1 top list Check -
29 new
A History of Violence
2005, in 11 top lists Check -
30 new
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
2019, in 1 top list -
31 new
A Married Couple
1969, in 7 top lists Check -
32 new
The Terminator
1984, in 23 top lists Check -
33 new
Rhymes for Young Ghouls
2013, in 1 top list Check -
34 new
Brother
2022, in 0 top lists -
35 new
Polytechnique
2009, in 1 top list Check -
36 new
Fiddler on the Roof
1971, in 9 top lists Check -
37 new
Goin' Down the Road
1970, in 1 top list Check -
38 new
Mon oncle Antoine
1971 — a.k.a. Mon Oncle Antoine, in 6 top lists Check -
39 new
Monsieur Lazhar
2011, in 2 top lists Check -
40 new
Rude
1995, in 0 top lists Check -
41 new
Café de flore
2011 — a.k.a. Café de Flore, in 1 top list Check -
42 new
Sicario
2015, in 2 top lists Check -
43 new
Manufactured Landscapes
2006, in 1 top list Check -
44 new
Eastern Promises
2007, in 5 top lists Check -
45 new
Le déclin de l'empire américain
1986 — a.k.a. The Decline of the American Empire, in 5 top lists Check -
46 new
Take This Waltz
2011, in 2 top lists Check -
47 new
Les bons débarras
1980 — a.k.a. Good Riddance, in 1 top list Check -
48 new
Beans
2020, in 0 top lists -
49 new
Aliens
1986, in 24 top lists Check -
50 new
Les invasions barbares
2003 — a.k.a. The Barbarian Invasions, in 7 top lists Check
Last updated on Jul 14, 2023; source