Howard Ryshpan

Rabid

After undergoing radical surgery for injuries from a motorcycle accident, a young woman develops a retractable, vampiric stinger in her armpit and a thirst for human blood.

Lies My Father Told Me

A Jewish boy grows up in 1920s Montreal with a grandfather who tells stories and a father who won't work.

Pinocchio 3000

This is the story of a little robot known as Pinocchio 3000 whose greatest wish is to become a real boy. The year is 3000. Geppetto, with the help of his faithful assistant, Spencer the cyber penguin, and by the holographic fairy Cyberina, creates Pinocchio, a prototype superrobot equipped for emotions. But before he can be given a heart and become a real boy, Cyberina insists that Pinocchio learn the difference between right and wrong.

The Phone Call

A married man calls the wrong number for phone-sex and winds up being stalked by a psychotic man.

The Street

This film deals with a Jewish family in Montreal, Canada as they care for a dying grandmother and the young boy who is impatient to get the room he was promised as soon as she kicks the bucket.

To Be

Blending fantasy and reality, this animated short is a bold inquiry into an as yet unresolved problem - the nature of human identity. When a scientist creates a machine that can make copies of physical objects, including humans, a number of ethical questions arise. Is the technique moral? What of its safety? A film by Oscar-winning filmmaker John Weldon (who also wrote the catchy banjo tune that punctuates the story's changing moods).

Charles and François

A touching story of the friendship between a grandfather and his grandson, this is a film about aging and death. Award-winning animator Co Hoedeman combines 3-D and cut-out animation techniques to create a very dramatic and moving film. The story follows Charles and François through the different stages of their lives. With time, they become closer, common experiences having diminished the difference in age. By the end of the film, time appears to stand still; both are over one hundred years old and they are almost indistinguishable.

The Tin Flute

In the early 1940's, Canada is a country at war and Florentine is a young woman, from a very poor family, looking for love. She meets two suitable men, a nice soldier from a good and wealthy family, and an ambitious self-centered engineer. She must decide whether she wants to follow her head or her heart...

Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang

Nobody ever listens to Jacob, so he always has to repeat himself. A trip to the grocery store leads to a misunderstanding and Jacob falls asleep hiding in a park. When he wakes up, he discovers that he is in trouble for insulting the store clerk. He is sent to a prison for children that is located on Slimer's Island and is run by the Hooded Fang, an ex-wrestler who outwardly hates children. Meanwhile, Child Power representatives the Intrepid Shapiro and Fearless O'Toole try to find the prison's hidden location to help free the children.

Canada Vignettes: Ice

Ice cutting on the St. Lawrence River in the 1860s is illustrated in song and animated graphics.

The Greatest Game Ever Played

A biopic of 20-year-old Francis Ouimet who defeated his golfing idol and 1900 US Open Champion, Harry Vardon.

The Happy Prince

A royal statue makes friends with a small swallow.

Blood Relatives

A Montreal police inspector cracks a murder case with clues from the victim's diary.

Choices

A 19 year old girl suddenly finds herself pregnant. Not wanting to face motherhood or dealing with the consequences of a child, she contemplates an abortion without the knowledge of her boyfriend. However, her father, a retired 62 year old judge discovers her situation and is strongly opposed to abortion in principle. However, he soon finds he has to re-examine his own beliefs as his younger 38 year old second wife suddenly announces she is also pregnant. The two, when first married, agreed that there would be no additional children. This accidental pregnancy is unacceptable to the older man who cannot see him being involved in a young child's life. In the end, all three must make choices.

Varian's War

Varian Fry rescues more than 2,000 artists from Nazi persecution during World War II.

Out of a Job

A young engineer returns to the home of his parents and computer whiz brother after his promising career abruptly falls apart.

P.T. Barnum

This series illustrates the life and career of P.T. Barnum, America's greatest showman and promoter. Starting as a young man who managed an old woman who was supposedly George Washington's nursemaid, we see his career as he finds success promoting curiosities and attractions with panache and a judicious mix of truth and creativity, whether it be promoting his museum or characters like the midget General Tom Thumb. Yet because the demands of his businesses, his family life is troubled and marred by tragedy. All the while, events lead to his greatest creation, the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Keanu & Co.

A young engineer returns to the home of his parents and computer whiz brother after his promising career abruptly falls apart. A troubled teen struggles to overcome peer pressure and his own criminal impulses when his latest arrest derails the life of his single mother. An intensely jealous boyfriend's spying and scolding ways rapidly escalate to full-blown stalking. Keanu & Co. presents three specials originally directed for the NFB’s Family Crisis Series in 1985 and 1986, restored for the home video market as a single anthology film.