Celebrate Canada Day with this playlist of films from Canadian filmmakers, available now on J-Flix.
J-Flix is a FREE digital initiative of the Toronto Jewish Film Foundation showcasing the rich legacy of Jewish content films from Canada’s leading presenter for almost 30 years. Over 100 curated titles are available for streaming including documentaries, feature length narratives, shorts, along with beloved archival films – all of which represent the global and inclusive flavour of TJFF programming.
Check back often because new films are added weekly!
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Check out the full Made in Canada Playlist.
MORDECAI RICHLER: THE LAST OF THE WILD JEWS
53 mins | Canada | 2010
Director: Francine Pelletier
Language: English
Filmmaker and journalist Francine Pelletier explores the life and work of Canadian author Mordecai Richler, from his childhood on St. Urbain Street to his public stance against Canadian and Quebec nationalism. Featuring archival footage, as well as interviews with writers such as Adam Gopnik, Margaret Atwood, David Bezmozgis as well as Florence Richler.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… MR LEONARD COHEN
45 mins | Canada | 1965
Directors: Donald Brittain, Don Owen
Genre: Documentaries
Language: English
This internationally-acclaimed classic, directed by Donald Brittain and Don Owen for the National Film Board of Canada, is a captivating portrait of the novelist and poet Leonard Cohen at age 30, before his breakthrough on the world stage as a popular singer-songwriter. The documentary follows Cohen as he travels from his then-home in Hydra, Greece, to his hometown of Montreal—where he “comes to renew his neurotic affiliation.” Cohen is seen reading his poems (mainly from The Spice-Box of Earth and Flowers for Hitler) to a rapt crowd, hanging out with friends, strolling the streets of Westmount where he grew up, and staying in the three-dollar-a-night hotel that serves as his “sanctuary.” The film reveals Cohen’s wit, lightness, and sense of humour. Some of his public appearances take on the funny, anecdotal reflections of a stand-up comic. An intimate and illuminating look at the artist as a young man.
48 mins | Canada | 2008
Director: Astra Burka
Genre: Documentaries
Languages: English, German, Dutch
Ellen Burka was a typical young girl in prewar Amsterdam. After the Nazis occupied the city, she and her family were deported to Westerbork and Theresienstadt, where she met her future husband. After coming to Toronto, Ellen made a career of figure skating, but hid her wartime experiences and background from her two daughters until they were teenagers. She coached her daughter Petra to a World Figure Skating Championship and revolutionized the sport through the artistry of another student, Toller Cranston.
84 mins | Canada | 2006
Director: Gary Beitel
Genre: Documentaries
Language: English
Certain to make even vegetarians crave a smoked meat sandwich, this loving tribute to the Montreal institution, Schwartz’s Deli, takes a nostalgic look back at the restaurant’s history 79 year after its creation. Compiling interviews with recent and past staffers, devoted customers and a colourful array of neighbourhood characters, director Gary Beitel gives audiences a delightfully entertaining and rich cultural portrait of Montreal. You may also see some familiar faces amongst the throngs of devoted patrons.
