Winnipeg documentarian John Paskievich spent several years following around noted Winnipeg “eccentric” Ed Ackerman with a small digital camera. The results, a remarkable portrait called Special Ed, debuts at the end of April at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto. But for now, you can get a taste by watching the trailer on YouTube: I […] Read More
Canadian Film
Sean Garrity and Bill Fugler’s Blood Pressure

There’s always a slight strangeness to watching a film made by people you know. It’s never an entirely objective experience, but there’s always a real sense of relief when you like the movie. Last week, I caught one of the premiere screenings of Sean Garrity’s Blood Pressure at the Cinematheque here in Winnipeg. I’ve known […] Read More
Cronenberg, Body-Horror and The Brood (1979)

Kier-La Janisse was in town over the weekend to launch her book House of Psychotic Women at the Cinematheque. To highlight the event, she chose to present a screening of David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979), one of the key films in the book. While the print, which Dave Barber obtained from the national archive, had […] Read More
Unearthed Treasure: Greg Hanec’s Downtime (1985)

Last Thursday I had the rare opportunity to see one of the best films ever made in Winnipeg. It almost didn’t happen. Since I started a new day job a few weeks ago which requires me to get up at 5:30 every morning, I’m reluctant to drag myself out on weekday evenings. On top of […] Read More