Cinema of Canada

Movies have been a part of Canadian life for a very long time. The very first film showing happened in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, on June 27, 1896.

Before this was discovered, people thought the first films arrived in Ottawa from Edison Studios. Early films were often used to show beautiful places like Niagara Falls. They also helped companies promote their business or encourage people to move to Canada. Some very early films even featured hand-colored scenes.

These colorful clips were quite special to see back then.

Making movies in Canada was a big job with many steps. Early filmmakers often used trains to travel and film different parts of the country. The Canadian Pacific Railway helped James Freer film trains and farming in 1897.

Some companies, like the Bioscope Company of Canada, traveled from Quebec to Victoria to film. They made a film called Living Canada that premiered in 1903. This was a way to show the whole country to everyone. Other groups used special trains to help film crews move around easily. This helped them reach many different places to capture stories.

Building a movie industry in Canada had a long and bumpy history. Many different companies tried to start studios between 1914 and 1922. However, most of these companies did not actually make any films. Some people, like Léo-Ernest Ouimet, became very famous for showing news films. At the peak of his career, 1.5 million Canadians watched his newsreels twice every week.

Other filmmakers, like Ernest Shipman, tried to find money from the United States. He made a hit called Back to God's Country that earned over $500,000. Even with these big successes, many early films were lost or destroyed. Some film reels were even thrown away because they could catch fire.

There are many important names and dates to remember in Canadian film. The first recorded feature film in Canada was called Evangeline. In 1918, the government started the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau to help. This group later became the National Film Board of Canada under John Grierson.

Another filmmaker, Arthur D. Kean, spent four years making a film called Policing the Plains. It premiered in Toronto in December 1927, but the film was later lost. Even small towns like Trenton, Ontario, had studios that lasted for a while. George Brownridge even built a studio there with a lot of money in 1916.

Canadian film is connected to many other parts of life and history. For example, movies were often used to show how much the railways helped the country grow. The government also stepped in to support the industry through groups like Telefilm Canada.

Because Canada has many different people, the film industry grew in different ways. In the 1960s, a special branch was made just for French language films. This helped make sure that both English and French stories could be told. Today, movies remain a way for people to share their unique views of the world.