Great Canadian Film Directors

Great Canadian Film Directors is a major study of an increasingly important bi-national cinema. Its focus is the film director's role in articulating a creative vision that provides insights into national cultures. With 19 essays by established and new scholars, the book highlights the diversity, imaginative power, and talents of Canada's most prominent filmmakers. The book provides a broad canvas for Canadian cinema. Among the distinguishing features of the collection are its contemporary treatment of major figures such as Denys Arcand, as well as a breakthrough approach to the work of Norman Jewison. The collection also features critical discussions of the work of women directors-Lea Pool, Lynne Stopkewich, and Patricia Rozema-and the work of young filmmakers such as Gary Burns, Michael Dowse and Don McKellar. "Unlike Hollywood or Bollywood with their star-systems," writes editor George Melnyk, "Canadian cinema is director-driven like European cinema and many other national cinemas." The burgeoning Canadian feature film industry that came onto the world stage later than other established cinemas is now a vital force recognized globally. This book provides film students and the general filmgoing public with a significant critical study of a cinema that now garners world attention.