Sorry, but we had to do it: our next issue is all about #CANCON (that’s Canadian Content for the uninitiated). For sixteen issues we’ve gone long and wide on films from across the globe (with polite nods to our own here and there), and now we’d like to take a deep dive into the proverbial Great Lakes of Hollywood North. It’s no secret that the history of Canada on screen is just as contentious as the history of Canada at large, if not more so: with the birth of a national cinema tied up with the project of colonialist nation-building, it serves us well to take a look at our life from the vantage point of 2018 and consider the stories we’ve told, and those we’ve entrusted to tell them, while we look to the future.
Anything and everything Canadian is fair game, but here are some topics to consider:
Tip! Please look over our past issues to get a sense of the kind of work we’re looking for and to ensure we haven’t already covered the film you’d like to write about.
Auteurs of the North An overview of the career of Sandra Oh (including her early Canadian film and TV work), Patricia Rozema, Joyce Wieland, Deepa Mehta, Alanis Obomsawin, Xavier Dolan, Bruce La Bruce, Sylvia Hamilton, Léa Pool, Min Sook Lee, Sarah Polley, Guy Maddin
Regional Cinema Maple syrup porn, New Weird Nova Scotia, Toronto New Wave
Degrassi: The Next Generation (up-and-coming Canadian filmmakers) Ashley McKenzie, Andrew Cividino, Joyce Wong, Amanda Strong, Jordan Canning, Rebeccah Love, Kazik Radwanski, Daniel Warth, Karen Chapman, Hugh Gibson, Vivek Shraya, Chloé Robichaud
Follow the money Canadian funding models and how they’ve helped/hindered the proliferation of a national cinema
Lay of the Land An eye on landscapes from the prairies to the tundra to the Maritime coasts, and the phenomenon of the “Toronto film.” The Railrodder (1965) and Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965), North of Superior (1971), Videodrome (1983), IsumaTV, The Measure of Your Passage (1993), Waydowntown (2000), Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001), The F Word (2013), Diamond Tongues (2015), Wexford Plaza (2017), The Crescent (2017), Kayak to Klemtu (2018)
Genre, eh? The Mask aka Eyes of Hell (1961), Cannibal Girls (1973), Black Christmas (1974), The Silent Partner (1978), The Gate (1987), Cube (1997), Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006)
Documentary On est au coton (1970), Our Street Was Paved With Gold (1973), P4W: Prison For Women (1981), Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography (1982), Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community (1983), Hookers on Davie (1984), No Sad Songs (1985), Studio D: Five Feminist Minutes (1990), Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1991), Mosaic Village (1996), Yapping Out Loud: Contagious Thoughts from an Unrepentant Whore (2004)
Other films to consider: Zero Patience (1993), Kissed (1996), Fire Song (2015), Boundaries (2016), Angry Inuk (2016), Werewolf (2016), Old Stone (2016), Meditation Park (2017), Our People Will Be Healed (2017), Fail to Appear (2017), Ava (2017), Mary Goes Round (2017), Ta peau si lisse (2017), Jean of the Joneses (2016), Tadoussac (2017).
To submit: IN ONE PDF DOCUMENT send us your pitch of 300 words and three writing samples (please send links or, if no link is available, single-spaced articles no longer than 3000 words). Label the PDF document using this format: LastName_FirstName_FILM
The deadline for pitches is August 14th. We will be in touch regarding accepted pitches. Articles should be between 1500–2000 words. The deadline to submit articles will be September 21st. Compensation in the form of an honorarium will be provided for contributors selected for the issue. Based on our current funding, cléo pays $125 CAD per article, $75 CAD per 750-1000 word Who We’re Watching piece, and $50 CAD to each roundtable participant).
Submissions and general inquiries: cleofilmjournal@gmail.com