The Best Canadian Films of 2011

TIFF announces Canada's Top Ten features and shorts, as selected by industry professionals.

By Torontoist

Still from Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz.

At the 11th annual Canada’s Top Ten announcement last night, TIFF named 20 exceptional films, as selected by a panel of industry professionals. If you spent a good part of September lining up for festival tickets and combing through TIFF’s programme, many of the Top Ten titles will ring a bell.

The Top Ten lists recognize the best in short and features, including documentary, animation, and experimental films. The titles represent a range of genres, but all must have had a film fest premier or a theatrical release this year in Canada and must come from a Canadian filmmaker.

Below, see the two full lists with links to Torontoist‘s reviews of some of the films:

Canada’s Top Ten Feature films*

• Café de flore — Jean-Marc Vallée (Alliance Films), November 2011
• A Dangerous Method — David Cronenberg (Entertainment One), January 2012
• Edwin Boyd — Nathan Morlando (Entertainment One)
• Hobo With a Shotgun — Jason Eisener (Alliance Films), March 2011
• Keyhole — Guy Maddin (Entertainment One)
• Marécages — Guy Édoin (Mongrel Media)
• Monsieur Lazhar — Philippe Falardeau (Entertainment One), January 2012
• Starbuck — Ken Scott (Entertainment One), July 2011
• Take This Waltz — Sarah Polley (Mongrel Media), May 2012
• Le Vendeur — Sébastien Pilote (Entertainment One), February 2012

Canada’s Top Ten short films*

• Choke — Michelle Latimer
• Doubles With Slight Pepper — Ian Harnarine
• The Fuse: Or How I Burned Simon Bolivar — Igor Drljaca
• Hope — Pedro Pires (Phi Group)
• No Words Came Down — Ryan Flowers and Lisa Pham
• Ora — Philippe Baylaucq (National Film Board of Canada)
• Rhonda’s Party — Ashley McKenzie
• La Ronde — Sophie Goyette (Locomotion Films)
• Trotteur — Arnaud Brisebois and Francis Leclerc (Phi Group and Cirrus Communications)
• We Ate the Children Last — Andrew Cividino

*Lists are presented in alphabetical order; release dates are listed where applicable.

From January 5 to 15, the TIFF Bell Lightbox will present a programme that includes public screenings of the Top Ten films; filmmakers will be on hand to introduce films and participate in Q&A sessions, and on January 7, a panel discussion. Tickets go on sale today for TIFF members; non-members have to wait until December 14. Visit TIFF.net for more info.