The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded by filmmaker

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (born July 21, 1926) is a retired Canadian film and television director, producer, and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. He has directed numerous feature films and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best D ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, in 1988. Originally launched as film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for professionals in the Canadian film, television, and digital media industries, including directors, producers, screenwriters, actors, and musicians. The Executive Lead of the Center is E.J.Alon.

History

CFC was founded in 1988 by Canadian filmmaker

as the Canadian Centre For Advanced Film Studies;"Canadian film centre opens School on Taylor estate to train elite filmmakers". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', March 29, 1988. the first program was attended by 12 residents."Canadian film centre debuts with a dozen moviemakers". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', November 18, 1987. The inaugural class included writer Robert Hunter, filmmakers

Holly Dale Holly Dale (born December 23, 1953) is a Canadian filmmaker and television director. Over the course of her career, Dale has worked in the Canadian film and television industry as a director, producer, writer, and editor. Although she has comple ...

, Gerald L'Ecuyer,

Anne Petrie Anne Petrie (born December 24, 1946) is a broadcaster and was most known as the host of ''Canada Live'' and ''Coast to Coast'' on CBC Newsworld during its early years. Prior to that she was the primary news anchor and host of CBWT's ''24Hours Late ...

and

Peter Raymont Peter Raymont (born February 28, 1950) is a Canadian filmmaker and producer and the president of White Pine Pictures, an independent film, television and new media production company based in Toronto. Among his films are ''Shake Hands with the De ...

, and producer

Ann Medina Ann Medina is an American Canadian television journalist and documentary producer. Biography Born and raised in New York City, Medina studied philosophy at Wellesley College, Harvard University and the University of Edinburgh before getting ...

. The school's campus was located at Windfields Estate, the former home of Canadian business magnate

E. P. Taylor Edward Plunket Taylor, CMG (January 29, 1901 – May 14, 1989) was a Canadian business tycoon, investor and philanthropist. He was a famous breeder of Thoroughbred race horses, and a major force behind the evolution of the Canadian horse-racing ...

. In 1991, after producer

Robert Lantos Robert Lantos, Order of Canada, CM (born 3 April 1949) is a Hungarian-Canadian film producer. Life and career Lantos was born on 3 April 1949 in Budapest, the son of Ágnes (Bodor) and László Lantos, a mechanic and truck company owner. Lantos ...

received a $250,000 prize from

Telefilm Canada Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in V ...

to honour ''

Black Robe ''Black Robe'', first published in 1985, is a historical novel by Brian Moore set in New France in the 17th century. Its central theme is the collision of European and Native American cultures soon after first contact. First Nations peoples ...

'' winning the

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

for

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

, he immediately donated the money to the Canadian Film Centre to help establish its film unit, which serves as the primary

film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...

for projects being developed by CFC students. Peter O’Brian was appointed the Executive Director of the CFC by

in 1988 and remained in the role until 1991. Wayne Clarkson served as the organization’s Executive Director from 1991 until 2005. In 2005

Slawko Klymkiw Slawko Klymkiw is a Canadian philanthropist who has been the long-running CEO of the Canadian Film Centre. Klymkiw was an executive at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, in 2005, when he became CED of the CFC. Klymkiw joined the CBC in 198 ...

, previously the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

's executive director of network programming became CEO of the CFC, until he retired in the spring of 2021. Maxine Bailey, former Vice-President of Advancement at TIFF, was appointed Executive Director of the CFC in May 2021 In 2014, the CFC unveiled the new Northern Dancer Pavilion, a building to house its multidisciplinary study programs, on the Windfields campus. As of 2018, its 30th year of operation, CFC has more than 100 residents and participants in 16 programs annually. CFC has more than 1,700 alumni and 100 alumni partner companies to date.

Training and advancement

CFC offers a variety of programs in five separate media streams: film, television, music, screen acting, and digital media. Each stream offers practical, intensive, hands-on programs that are administered under the guidance of faculty and industry professionals, and are operated in conjunction with entertainment companies and educational institutions including

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** AM ...

, A&E,

Cineplex Entertainment Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian movie theatre and family entertainment centre chain headquartered in Toronto. The company was formed in 2003 via the acquisition of Loews Cineplex's Canadian operations (which included ...

, the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

, Telefilm Canada,

NBC Universal The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Slaight Communications Slaight Communications is a Canadian radio broadcasting company. The company was formed as Slaight Broadcasting in 1971, when owner J. Allan Slaight acquired CFGM in Richmond Hill. Slaight later also acquired CFOX in Montreal and CHOK in Sarn ...

WildBrain WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of children' ...

Bell Media Bell Media Inc. ( French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies. Establishment (2011–13) On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...

, the

and

OCAD University Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...

. CFC's film programs include the Norman Jewison Film Program and CFC Features. Television programs include Bell Media Prime Time TV Program for series writers, and the WildBrain Experience for development of kid- and family-targeted content. CFC also runs the Netflix/CFC Global Project, which targets Canada's traditionally under-served creatives and communities Its main program for actors is the CBC Actors Conservatory, a six-month program. For musicians, the centre operates the

Slaight Family Music Lab {{cite news , url = https://www.freethebid.com/composers/aimee-bessada/ , title = Aimee Bessada , work = Free the bid , author = , date = , page = , location = , isbn = , language ...

, a part-time nine-month program for composers and songwriters. The CFC Media Lab is a digital media think tank and production facility that provides a research, learning and production environment for digital media content developers and practitioners, as well as acceleration programs and services for

digital entertainment Digital entertainment Industry includes, but is not restricted to, any combination of the following industries (that themselves have a considerable degree of overlap): *digital media *new media *video on demand *video games *interactive entertainmen ...

start-ups. Its programs include the Fifth Wave Initiative, to accelerate and sustain the growth of women-owned or led businesses in southern Ontario’s digital media sector, Ideaboost, a digital entertainment accelerator, and VR Strategy, a program to develop

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...

productions, and the UK-Canada Immersive Exchange, an immersive talent development lab and co-production fund for UK and Canadian artists and filmmakers.

Work produced by CFC

CFC has been involved in hundreds of film, television, and interactive productions and has produced a large catalogue of works, including the below productions.

Features

The CFC has supported the development of 47 feature films to date, including: *''19 Months'' (Randall Cole) *'' 22 Chaser'' (Rafal Sokolowski) *''

Adventures in Public School ''Adventures in Public School'' is a 2017 Canadian teen comedy film directed by Kyle Rideout, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Epstein. It stars Judy Greer, Daniel Doheny, Siobhan Williams, Andrew McNee, Andrew Herr, Russell Peters, a ...

'' (Kyle Rideout) *'' The Art of Woo'' (Helen Lee) * ''Beans'' (

Tracey Deer Tracey Penelope ''Tekahentakwa'' Deer (born February 28, 1978, Mohawk nation, Mohawk) is a screenwriter, film director and newspaper publisher based in Kahnawake, Quebec. Deer has written and directed several award-winning documentaries for Rezol ...

) *'' Blood and Donuts'' (

) *'' Cast No Shadow'' (Christian Sparkes) * ''Closet Monster'' (

Stephen Dunn Stephen Elliot Dunn (June 24, 1939June 24, 2021) was an American poet and educator who authored twenty-one collections of poetry. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 2001 collection, ''Different Hours,'' and received an Academy Award i ...

) *''Clutch'' (Christopher Grismer) *''Cruel & Unusual'' (Merlin Dervisevic) *''

Cube In geometry, a cube is a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex. Viewed from a corner it is a hexagon and its net is usually depicted as a cross. The cube is the only r ...

'' (

Vincenzo Natali Vincenzo Natali (born 1969) is an American-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, known for writing and directing Science fiction film, science fiction and horror films such as ''Cube (1997 film), Cube'', ''Cypher (film), Cypher'', ''Nothi ...

) *''

The Dark Hours ''The Dark Hours'' is a 2005 Canadian horror film directed by Paul Fox and written by Wil Zmak. Synopsis A woman's mistakes come back to haunt her in a terrifying and very literal manner in this mind-bending thriller. Dr. Samantha Goodman (Kate Gr ...

'' ( Paul Fox) *

Easy Land ''Easy Land'' is a 2019 Canadian drama film, written and directed by Sanja Zivkovic. The film stars Mirjana Joković and Nina Kiri as Jasna and Nina, a mother (a trained Architect) and daughter from Serbia who are struggling to adapt to their new ...

(Sanja Zivkovic) *''Fairytales & Pornography'' (Chris Philpott) *'' The Fishing Trip'' (Amnon Buchbinder) *''Horsie's Retreat'' (Tony Asimakopoulos) *''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

'' (

Laurie Lynd Laurie Lynd (born May 19, 1959, in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian film and television director and screenwriter, best known as the director of the feature film ''Breakfast with Scot''. In his early career, Lynd made the short films ''Together and ...

) *'' Khaled'' (

Asghar Massombagi Asghar Massombagi is an Iranian-Canadian film director, most noted for his 2001 film '' Khaled''.Alexandra Gill, "Reflections in an exile's eye". ''The Globe and Mail'', April 20, 2002. Born and raised in Tehran, he moved to Canada at age 18, and s ...

) *'' The Lockpicker'' (

Randall Okita Randall Okita is a Canadian film director, screenwriter and visual artist known for creating work that involves rich visual language and innovative approaches to storytelling. Career His 2014 National Film Board of Canada short film '' The Weat ...

) *''

Mary Goes Round ''Mary Goes Round'' is a 2017 Canadian drama film directed by Molly McGlynn. It was screened in the Discovery section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. The film centres on Mary, a substance abuse counsellor who loses her job afte ...

'' (

Molly McGlynn Molly McGlynn is a Canadian film and television director and screenwriter.Never Steady, Never Stil''l (

Kathleen Hepburn Kathleen Hepburn is a Canadian screenwriter and film director. She first attracted acclaim for her film ''Never Steady, Never Still'', which premiered as a short film in 2015 before being expanded into her feature film debut in 2017.

) *''

Molly Maxwell ''Molly Maxwell'' is a 2013 Canadian drama film directed by Sara St. Onge. It stars Lola Tash as Molly Maxwell, a teenager romantically pursuing her high school English teacher Ben (Charlie Carrick). The film's cast also includes Krista Bridges, ...

'' (Sara St. Onge) *''

Nurse.Fighter.Boy ''Nurse.Fighter.Boy'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Charles Officer and released in 2008."Canadian flicks". ''The Globe and Mail'', September 5, 2008. The film stars Karen LeBlanc as Jude, a widowed single mother undergoing treatment for si ...

'' (

Charles Officer Charles Officer (October 28, 1975 – December 1, 2023) was a Canadian film and television director, writer, actor, and professional hockey player. Background Charles Officer was born in Toronto, Ontario on October 28, 1972. He was born to a ...

) *''Old Stock'' (James Genn) *''

Rhymes for Young Ghouls ''Rhymes for Young Ghouls'' is a 2013 Canadian independent drama film and the feature-film debut of writer-director Jeff Barnaby. Set in 1976 on the fictional Red Crow Mi'kmaq reservation, it takes place in the context of the Canadian residenti ...

'' (Jeff Barnaby) *''

Rude Rudeness (also called effrontery) is a display of actual or perceived disrespect by not complying with the social norms or etiquette of a group or culture. These norms have been established as the essential boundaries of normally accepted beha ...

'' (

Clement Virgo Clement Virgo (born June 1, 1966) is a Canadian film and television writer, producer and director who runs the production company, Conquering Lion Pictures, with producer Damon D'Oliveira. Virgo is best known for co-writing and directing an adapt ...

) *''

Shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

'' ( Colleen Murphy) *''Show Me'' (Cassandra Nicolaou) *''Siblings'' ( David Weaver) *'' Tammy’s Always Dying'' (

Amy Jo Johnson Amy Jo Johnson (born October 6, 1970) is an American actress, musician and filmmaker. As an actress, Johnson is known for her roles as Kimberly Hart on ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', Julie Emrick on '' Felicity'', and Jules Callaghan on '' ...

) *''

Too Much Sex ''Too Much Sex'' is a 2000 Canadian sex comedy film directed by Andrew Ainsworth, produced by the Canadian Film Centre and starring Michael McMurtry, Janet Kidder (niece of Margot Kidder) and Diane Flacks. Sky Gilbert and Christie MacFadyen (wh ...

'' (Andrew Ainsworth) *''

The Uncles ''The Uncles'' is a 2000 Canadian drama film directed by James Allodi. The film stars Chris Owens as John, an Italian Canadian restaurant manager in Toronto who is supporting his brother Marco (Kelly Harms), a college student, and sister Celia ( ...

'' (

James Allodi James Allodi (born February 26, 1967) is a Canadian actor, writer and director. Career James Allodi earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a Major in Film, from New York University. Since then, the writer, director, and actor has amassed an impres ...

) *''

What We Have ''What We Have'' (french: Ce qu'on a) is a Canadian drama film, written and directed by Maxime Desmons.Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian Science fiction on television, science-fiction Thriller (genre), thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett (director), John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. Th ...

'' * '' Mary Kills People'' * ''Travelers''

Short films

173 short films have been created through CFC's Short Dramatic Film Programs to date, including: *''Benjamin'' (Sherren Lee) *'' Big Girl'' (Renuka Jeyapalan) *''Cleo'' (Sanja Zivkovic) *''Cold Feet'' (Daniel D'Alimonte) *''

Elevated An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train for short) is a rapid transit railway with the Track (rail transport), tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast i ...

'' (Vincenzo Natali) *''

The Fairy Who Didn't Want to Be a Fairy Anymore ''The Fairy Who Didn't Want to Be a Fairy Anymore'' is a Canadian musical comedy-drama short film directed by Laurie Lynd, which premiered at the 1992 Toronto International Film Festival before going into wider release in 1993. Made as an academ ...

'' (Laurie Lynd) *''

Frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

'' (Jeremy Ball) *'' The Home for Blind Women'' ( Sandra Kybartas) *''How to Rid Your Lover of a Negative Emotion Caused By You!'' (

Nadia Litz Nadia Litz (born December 26, 1976) is a Canadian actress and director. Early life Litz was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A former child actor, she has described herself as somewhat ambitious. She is of Russian, Polish and British descent. She to ...

) *'' Kumar and Mr. Jones'' (

Sugith Varughese Sugith Varughese (born 25 April 1957) is an Indian-born Canadian writer, director and actor. Background Born in Cochin, Kerala, India into a Syriac Saint Thomas Christian family ("Varughese," also sometimes spelled "Varghese" and "Verghese" an ...

) *''Lunchbox Loser'' (Virginia Abramovich) *''Oliver Bump's Birthday'' (

Jordan Canning Jordan Canning is a Canadian director for film and television. She is known for her independent feature films ''We Were Wolves'' (2014) and '' Suck It Up'' (2017), as well as her work directing on television series ''Baroness Von Sketch Show,'' ' ...

) *''Prey'' (Helen Lee) *''Still'' (Slater Jewell-Kemker) *''We Wanted More'' (

) *''What Doesn't Kill You'' (Rob Grant)

Digital media

CFC's interactive productions include: *'' Late Fragment'': Canada's first interactive feature film co-produced with the NFB. *''Body/Mind/Change'': A transmedia experience starring David Cronenberg, co-produced with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). *''What's Your Essential Cinema'': A dynamic mobile visualization project co-produced with TIFF. *''VR Sketches Series'': The first in a series of VR Sketches produced with Occupied VR, inviting the filmmaking community to learn about and discover the grammar and language of VR storytelling. *''Small Wonders: The VR Experience'': Allows a user to immerse themselves inside a prayer bead and explore the intricate carvings made visible through the power of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and virtual reality. Produced by the Canadian Film Centre's Media Lab (CFC Media Lab) and Seneca College School of Creative Art & Animation, this artistic and technical collaboration between AGO conservateur, Lisa Ellis, and interactive artist and designer, Priam Givord (Seneca), marks the first time anyone will be able to move through, around and within one of these small wonders.

References

External links

* {{authority control Film schools in Canada Film organizations in Canada Colleges in Ontario Educational institutions established in 1988 Education in Toronto Cinema of Ontario 1988 establishments in Ontario