In 1974, only three feature films were produced in all of Canada. For a country with so many natural settings conducive to filmmakers — and so much homegrown talent — this seemed absurd, so the government responded, raising the allowable tax deduction for Canadian film productions to a full 100%. Needless to say, this produced a boon in filmmaking. Dentists were waving checkbooks around trying to find film school grads who could put a film into production before the end of the fiscal year. As a result, some of the strangest films were made. You’ve heard of David Cronenberg? Well, without the Canadian tax shelter law, he might never have gotten a feature film project off the ground. This series celebrates some of the most interesting products of this golden era of filmmaking. All of these were aimed squarely at the exploitation/horror market so be advised, but all of these selections are fascinating artifacts of cinema and culture.
