National Film Board Retrospective
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Documentaries:  Lonely Boy, Waiting for Fidel, and Richard Cardinal will screen at The Conference Centre Theatre Friday, January 29 at 9:30 pm
35 mm Shorts will be screened before feature films at Famous Players Capitol 6
Feature Film: In the Company of Strangers will screen Sunday, January 31, 10 am at Famous Players Capitol 6
Documentaries:
Waiting for Fidel  1974, 57 mins.
For 23 years he enjoyed political domination of an island. Fidel Castro?  Nope. Newfoundland premier and big "S" socialist Joey Smallwood. (Castro just celebrated 40 years!)  What if these two long-time rulers with lofty ideals could sit down together and chat?  This premise in mind, Smallwood sets off with NFB film crew and longtime friend, millionaire, and unapologetic free-enterpriser Jeff Sterling in hopes of capturing the great bearded one in an interview between ideologues. Castro is as elusive as Godot, although, as they find on their guided excursions to communist projects, ever-present. Sterling finds these social experiments dubious, while Smallwood revels in socialism in action. Housed in state-sponsored luxury, Smallwood, Sterling, and director Rubbo pass the time with spirited and amusing debates on free enterprise versus socialism. Called "highly inventive" by the New York Times, "Waiting for Fidel" raises ideas that are still relevant today.
Richard Cardinal: Cry From a Diary of a Metis Child  1986, 29 mins.
Winner of the Prize for Best Documentary at the American Indian Film Festival 1986, "Richard Cardinal" dramatizes the life of Metis teen, Richard Cardinal. Cardinal spent most of his short life being shuffled between 28 foster homes, group homes, and shelters in Alberta until his suicide at age 17. Although his life was troubled, he left behind an articulate diary account, upon which the film is based. The Vancouver Sun called this film "heart-wrenching." Directed by Alanis Obomsawin.
Lonely Boy  1962, 26 mins. 
It's the 60s, you're a teenage girl and you are hysterical. Why? Canada's cleancut crooning teen idol is singing his fab hit "Diana" to a crowd of fawning teens just like you! This film documents the meteoric rise of Canadian pop singer heart-throb Paul Anka - from life behind the footlights
to the "promotion machine" which propelled Anka and others teen idols like him into the bright lights (until the Fab Four grabbed the spotlight).  "Lonely Boy," winner of nine awards, including Cannes, includes candid interviews with Anka and his manager.
Trivia tidbit: Anka wrote the theme to Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, among many other hits.
Feature Film:
In the Company of Strangers  Capitol 6, Sunday, January 31, 10:00 am
A bus breaks down in the wilderness.  Eight elderly women, average age 71, are stranded at a deserted farmhouse.  They have only their wits, their memories, and eventually some roasted frogs' legs, to sustain them.  Through the long days and nights this remarkable group of strangers share their life stories and exchange intimate thoughts; turning the crisis into a magical time of humour and spirit.  Featuring non-professional actors and spontaneous dialogue, this memorable film dissolves the barrier between fiction and reality, weaving a heartwarming tale of friendship and courage.
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Shorts
Animation: Screened before the feature films at the Capitol 6
Transfigured   1998, 5 min. 32 sec.
Point of View called it an "intense reflection on the vision of decay and rebirth that inspires Shadbolt's art."  Stephen Arthur's brilliant computer animated film is a near-hallucinatory tribute to Canadian painter Jack Shadbolt. "Transfigured" portrays Shadbolt's shamanistic vision by
animating a large number of his paintings into a seamless flow of interacting, transforming figures, lines, and slashes of colour.
La Salla  1996, 8 min. 11 sec.
The irrepressible Richard Condie directs this send-up of comic opera set in a room. Get it? La Salla? Billed as a combination of Genesis, Pandora's Box, Italian opera, and an Escher print, La Salla plays out as a classic tale of temptation and its attendant consequences. Happily bemused by his mastery over a room full of wind-up toys, the protagonist decides finally to yield to a mysterious presence which keeps proffering him an appleÉCheaper, shorter, and probably a lot funnier than any opera at La Scala. 1997 Oscar Nominee for Best Animated Short Film.
The End of the World in Four Seasons   1995, 12 min. 57 sec.
Watch the seasons fold, unfold, and crumple in this quirky take on the struggle for survival through spring, summer, fall, and winter. While a carnival version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons plays, eight interlocking stories unfold simultaneously in eight windows on the screen, the action
sometimes spilling into neighbouring frames. Will that drowsy spring snoozer ever answer the doorbell (and the call to love)? Do camels really store water in those humps? How resourceful must a penguin be against marauding polar bears? You might have to watch several times to find out!
Paul Driessen directs.
Bob's Birthday  1993, 12 min. 18 sec.
Already an NFB favourite, "Bob's Birthday" reveals just how risky a surprise party can be. When Bob hits the big 4-0, his wife Margaret decides to delight him with a surprise bash. Unfortunately, she neglects to notice that Bob, a frustrated dentist, is mired in a mid-age crisis. "Bob's Birthday" scooped up awards in Orlando, Belfast, New York, Montreal/Banff and Hollywood. Directed by David Fine and Alison Snowden.
The Cat Came Back  1988, 7 min. 37 sec
A catchy tune, a catty visitor, and eventual cat-astrophe. Cordell Barker directs this hilarious story of a cute little cat that more than ingratiates itself into old Mr. Johnson's happy home. When the furry pet outstays its welcome (redecorating a bit in the process), the old man takes increasingly manic measures to kick the critter out. A pest management tour-de-force.
The Big Snit  1985, 9 min. 49 sec
Director-writer-animator Richard Condie's wacky look at conflict - how it escalates and how it is resolved.  On the big scale, a nuclear holocaust threatens human life on earth. Panic starts in the streets. Meanwhile, on the micro scale in a tiny surburban neighbourhood, a couple is so enmeshed in a dispute over their competitive Scrabble game they fail to notice the global conflict raging right outside their own home.  A wry and timely commentary on the nature of conflict.
The Sweater  1980, 10 min. 21 sec.
If you haven't seen this winner of 15 international awards, you've missed out on a slice of Canadian animated film history! Quebec writer Roch Carrier's short story comes to life in this endearing and gently humourous animated film, narrated by the author himself. It's late-1940s in rural Quebec and a mother sends away to Eaton's for a Canadiens hockey sweater for her Maurice Richard-idolizing son. To the boy's horror, he receives the hated blue and white jersey of the arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs instead.  Problems on the ice ensue, and only a desperate plea to God himself can remedy the situation. This film beautifully captures the child's
perspective. Directed by Sheldon Cohen.
Every Child  1979, 6 min. 13 sec.
Winner of 12 awards, "Every Child" was produced at the invitation of the United Nations Organization to celebrate UNICEF's Declaration of Children's Rights. It is the Canadian contribution to the hour-long feature film consisting of ten six-minute segments in celebration of the International Year of the Child. The Canadian segment illustrates the principle that every child is entitled to a name and a nationality. In the story, a baby mysteriously appears on the doorstep of a busy executive, and is subsequently bounced from household to household down the block. Nobody in the community is interested in caring for the baby without a name.
The Sand Castle  1977, 13 min. 12 sec.
A longtime favourite of children, "The Sand Castle" is a simple but compelling tale of a curious-looking sandman and the creatures he sculpts out of sand. Under his direction, they build a sand castle and celebrate the completion of their new home, only to be interrupted by an uninvited guest. The wind blows and the castle crumbles. "The Sand Castle," directed by Co Hoedeman, won 23 awards, including an Oscar.
Mindscape  1976, 7 min. 31 sec
Using a fascinating pinscreen animation technique, director-animator Jacques Drouin creates an intriguing outer-inner landscape. An artist steps inside his own painting and wanders about in a landscape peopled with symbols that trigger unexpected associations. "Mindscape" won 18 awards.
Begone Dull Care  1949, 7 min. 48 sec
This wordless film, created by animators Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart, is a vivid sequence of images, shapes, and lines moving to the jazz music of the Oscar Peterson Trio. Lambart and McLaren create fluid, dancing, jiving visual effects by painting directly on film. "Begone Dull Care" won seven awards, including Venice and Berlin.
--Barbara Black
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