Top 10 Canadian Films of All Time

The Top 10 Canadian Films of All Time is a list compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival ranking what are the considered the best Canadian films. The list has been compiled once roughly every 10 years starting in 1984, typically assembled by polling a combination of Canadian critics and filmmakers. The list has been published in 1993, 2004 and 2015.

The list is compiled once every decade. The list was started in 1984 because Canadian film was taking off, and was made by polling critics, professors, fans and festival staff. According to Piers Handling, a TIFF director, the idea of the Top 10 was to introduce the public to Canadian film, and around 100 people were polled. TIFF did not provide the poll-takers with a list of films to choose from.

In 2015, the polling method was changed, as those who responded were divided into two groups, filmmakers and critics. Filmmakers made up 40% of the respondents. There were 200 participants.

The lists have been compiled as follows:

The 2015 list reads:

The 2004 list reads:

The 1993 list reads:

The 1984 list reads:

TIFF organizers were surprised with the results of the 1984 poll, which provided recognition for what they felt were underappreciated directors such as Claude Jutra, Don Shebib and Gilles Carle. Wayne Clarkson, testifying before the Parliament of Canada, remarked on the 1984 list's oldest film being Nobody Waved Goodbye (1964), asking "How is it that some of this country's most acclaimed films came in the brief 20-year period between 1964 and 1984? That's a very interesting phenomenon for us."

According to ecyclopedist Gene Walz, the revisions in 1993 "forced people to rethink their stereotyped notions about Canadian film." The 1993 list was noted for the addition of the first female director, Patricia Rozema, and Mon oncle Antoine being ranked first for a second time, despite the popularity of Jesus of Montreal and The Decline of the American Empire.

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