Today is National Canadian Film Day, an event that has been celebrated each year since 2014. The event is sponsored by REEL CANADA and across the country, and globe, theaters will be showing new and classic Canadian movies for free, along with additional Canadian programming this week. I got myself tickets secured to see the 1974 French Canadian classic Les ordres at the Cinematheque in Vancouver, a film I’ll be watching for the first time.
Canadian movies have always been important to me, from being exposed to NFB shorts in grade school (who didn’t grow up on The Log Driver’s Waltz?), to watching groundbreaking Canadian features like Goin’ Down The Road and Nobody Waved Good-bye in my film history class in college taught by Martin Lager (shout out to him for bringing in Nobody Waved Good-bye director Don Owen to speak to our class), to diving head first into the canons of David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Denis Villeneuve and Jean-Marc Vallée. From adoring Québécois experimentalists to Indigenous filmmakers taking the mantle of some of the best working directors today. There is something for everyone!
My extensive love of Canadian movies is on full display like on a recent podcast breaking down CSA nominees (303: 2025 Canadian Screen Awards Nomination Reactions) or making my own list based on the CBC’s top films (244: The 50 Greatest Films Directed by Canadians). This year I aim to have the most coverage of CSA nominated films anywhere with a staggering 15 nominated films already having reviews published, and more on the way!
I asked some fellow Canadian contributors to pick two favourite Canadian films of theirs and to wax poetically about why you should check them out! Thank you to Matthew Simpson and Brodie Cotnam for their contributions.
The Fly dir. David Cronenberg
Few movies have so seamlessly blended horror and sci-fi as David Cronenberg’s 1986 classic
The Fly. Weaving an intriguing sci-fi premise with his signature body horror style, the narrative grips
you in part because of the plot, but also due to the characters being so well crafted. Exploring
fears of ones changing body and the power of technology as the boundaries of science are pushed,
we can’t help but be taken in by the plight of Seth Brundle, and wonder if it was hubris or genius
that was his undoing. – Brodie Cotnam
Last Night dir. Don McKellar
Released in 1998, Last Night is a deceptively simple story about a group of interconnected people on the eve of the last day of the world. A who’s who of late 90s Canadian talent, the film features Don McKellar and Sandra Oh in the main roles as a woman who just wants to get back to her husband, and the man who finds some meaning in helping her accomplish that. There are also appearances from Sarah Polley, Callum Keith Rennie, David Cronenberg, and a memorable performance from Jackie Burroughs who jogs through the movie counting down to the end. Last Night is the kind of high concept character drama that lets actors really flex. It’s melancholy, touching, human, and one of the best examples of Canadian cinema in the 1990s. – Matthew Simpson
Pontypool dir. Bruce McDonald
As a small town is thrown into chaos, a radio DJ gives voice to the terror. Utilizing the single location premise expertly, director Bruce McDonald allows the horror to creep in slowly, revealing its nature bit by bit before escalating to an unforgettable climax. It’s a simple but effective premise, relying heavily on the tremendous lead performance of Stephen McHattie. While the situation worsens around the employees of the radio station before eventually breaking in, one can’t help but wonder what we would do in such a circumstance. – Brodie Cotnam
The Red Violin dir. François Girard
A grand 300 year adventure through world history, The Red Violin follows it’s titular instrument from owner to owner; from it’s crafting in late 1600s Italy to Germany, England, China, and finally Montreal where a musical historian played by Samuel L Jackson is tasked with proving it’s provenance for an auction house. Framed both by the violin’s story and the auction in which the families of it’s prior owners are bidding to reclaim it (officiated by a pitch perfect Colm Feore), The Red Violin is a beautiful portrait of the impact of music on society and individuals set to an Academy Award and Genie Award winning score. – Matthew Simpson
The Silent Partner dir. Daryl Duke
For fans of crime thrillers, this is a must see. A bank teller (Elliot Gould) at Toronto’s Eaton Centre learns that the mall Santa (played by a psychotic Christopher Plummer) is planning on robbing the bank. The teller stashes some money to the side to keep for himself and when the robber finds out money is missing, he goes after him in a cat and mouse game. The film features an early screen performance from John Candy, a stellar screenplay by future Oscar winner Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) and quite possibly one of the most gruesome deaths you’ll ever see on camera. – Dakota Arsenault
Viking dir. Stéphane Lafleur
This list would be incomplete without at least one French film. This recent Québécois movie tells the story about how even on a space mission to Mars, interpersonal politics will always play a part. To stress test how the real astronauts are doing, a set of doubles are hired and cut off from society to reenact how life on board is going. These fake astronauts go by their counterparts names, they play out scenarios based on reports, and try to anticipate where things might go wrong. Naturally in this hilarious film, nearly everything goes wrong as everyone involved has reached their breaking points. – Dakota Arsenault
Let us know what Canadian films you are watching!
It’s great to see someone championing not just the usual names like Villeneuve and Cronenberg, but also highlighting Indigenous and experimental filmmakers. That diversity is what makes Canadian cinema so compelling—and often underrated on the global stage.
Thank you very much! We’re big fans of Canadian cinema here and that’s not just the big names! I’ve been very proud at making a concerted effort to cover new and emerging Canadian film makers on this site!