This week - a giant treat! We’re talking to iconic Canadian filmmaker BRUCE MCDONALD about his film Dreamland and his storied career! Where do you start in describing a movie like Dreamland? Maybe starting with reassembling the team behind the spectacular “Pontypool” - writer Tony Burgess, the inimitable Stephen McHattie and the charming Lisa Houle…

Continuing in our Hot Docs at Home series, we’re speaking with documentarian Michèle Stephenson about her thought-provoking “Stateless”. There’s plenty to chew on in this film about a young attorney named Rosa Iris, and her battle against electoral corruption when citizens of the Dominican Republic are having their citizenship stripped away - leavi…

We’re kicking off our Hot Docs at Home coverage with a film about a Canadian documentary icon - Peter Wintonick. Today, we’re speaking to Mira Burt-Wintonic about her deeply moving “Wintopia”. Tasked with finishing her celebrated father’s film about Utopia after his passing, Mira sorts through around 300 dusty video cassettes her father shot on his…

This week, Becky sits down with noted documentarian Liz Marshall to discuss her latest thought-provoking feature documentary "Meat the Future” Meat the Future was meant to be screening at this year’s Hot Docs festival, but due to extenuating circumstances, you can now watch it on CBC Gem FOR FREE as part of the HotDocs at Home series. And boy do we…

This week, Becky sits down with writer/director Joey Klien to discuss both Denis Villeneuve’s Polytechinque as well as his newest film Castle in the Ground - which will be available to rent or stream starting May 15th We’ve covered Joey’s work before back in 2016 when we talked about his challenging drama The Other Half and we’ve discussed Polytech…

A message from BeckyThe Royal Canadian Movie Podcast

This week, it’s part 2 of our interview series as we speak with CEO Jonathan Gross and VP Distribution and Marketing, Kerry Kupecz of Unobstructed View! We’re often complaining on the show about how difficult is to find Canadian film - and distribution company Unobstructed View is partnering with some of the best folks in the business to bring you …

This week, it’s another two-parter and we speak with CEO Jonathan Gross and VP Distribution and Marketing, Kerry Kupecz of Unobstructed View! We’re often complaining on the show about how difficult is to find Canadian film - and distribution company Unobstructed View is partnering with some of the best folks in the business to bring you the content…

This week, a real treat as we’re joined by Canadian Icon, Actress Lynne Griffin! Canadian film fans will know and love Lynne from Black Christmas, Strange Brew and of course Curtains! We get into all of it - her time working with Bob Clark, the weird stuff that went on during the filming of Curtains and of course, trying to keep a straight face on …

This week, we have the CEO and founder of Buck Productions, Sean Buckley to discuss producing films in Canada and the new release and film festival darling, “Astronaut” from 2019. This is a different perspective than we’ve had on the show before as Sean walks us through the challenges and advantages of making movies in Canada, as well as our positi…

Get ready to confront childhood traumas, as filmmaking married couple Lee Paula Springer and Chris Bavota bring us the classic 1985 film “The Peanut Butter Solution”. In the 80’s producer, Rock Demere’s was on a mission to educate and affect children across the world with his innovative approach to Children’s entertainment through a series called “…

This week, we’re heading back to Norther Canada to explore 2018’s TIFF rocking film “The Grizzlies” with writer/director/actor Penny Eizenga. Penny is a fantastic example of do it yourself filmmaking and education and her short films have won awards all over the world. She’s also known for working with Canadian film icons like Sheila McCarthy and G…

This week - a special bonus! Becky sits down with Greg Pang and Michelle Molineux to talk about their fantastic Canadian Legal Podcast - Legal Cut Pro. If you’re a fan of RCMPod and want to know more about Canadian media from a legal perspective - we can’t recommend their show enough. Also - if you want to know more about why we do the RCMPod this …

This week, Becky is joined by producing and writing partners of Wolf Spirit Films Gordon Loverin and Pamela Jones about their documentary short Beyond Human Power. Deeply relevant to today’s headlines as we deal with reconciliation as a country as well as topics we’re dealing with on the podcast about, like who should be telling what stories and th…

This week, we sit down with writer/director/documentarian Annie Bradley to talk about 2016’s luminous drama “The Sun at Midnight”. Filmmaker Kirsten Carthew is on a one-woman mission to boost the filmmaking industry in the North West Territories and if “The Sun at Midnight” is any indication she’s on the right track. With stunning performances from…

This week, we’re going Hollywood - to the Oscars specifically as we speak to Sarnia native Sami Khan. He’s joining us to talk about his American-made Oscar-nominated short documentary film, St. Louis Superman. Directed with American co-director Smriti Mundhra, The film tells the story Bruce Franks Jr., a 34-year-old Ferguson activist and battle rap…

Do you know what you’re putting on your skin when you wear deodorant, or bath your children, or put on make up? This week we sit down with documentarian Phillis Ellis to discuss the genuinely shocking truth about the personal care products we use on our body every day and the Hot Docs 2019 selected Toxic Beauty which unravels the whole mess. Anchor…

This week, Becky is joined by writer, film reviewer and programmer David Davidson - someone with a deep cut knowledge of the Canadian film scene who runs a regular Canadian film screening series in Toronto. Did you know that Canada had a boom of unique DIY filmmakers in the early 2010’s? We did! Some names that pop up who made an international spla…

This week, we’re back in the beginning of Canadian’s first major film boom as writer-director Alexandre Franchi brings us 1975’s “Gina”. Content warning before we start. This episode deals with a film that falls into the genre of exploitation movies known as “rape-revenge” so we will be discussing sexual assault, as well as cancer, exploitation of …

This week Becky sits down with documentarian Michael McNamara and dietician Chelsea Cross to talk about the lastest short-form documentary from “The Nature of Things”: “Pass the Salt” In the past few years, many assumptions about salt have been challenged and even overturned. Salt is an electrolyte, essential to our heart, nerve and muscle function…

This week, it’s heavy hitter time again as Vancouver based “Veteran” actor Gabrielle Rose joins us to talk about her storied career as well as her latest film - 2018 TIFF selection Kingsway. You’ll know Gabrielle from just about every tv show filmed in Vancouver since the 90’s as well as her work as a regular part of both Atom Egoyan and Bruce Swee…

It’s part 2 of our 2 part series on the films that The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) have helped create as we talk to executive director Chris Kennedy. This week, Chris has selected two more films for your viewing pleasure. The first is Shelley Niro’s 1998 gem “Honey Moccasin” which can be seen on the show page, and the second…

The Royal Canadian Movie Podcast

Welcome back to a new year with the Royal Canadian Movie Podcast. This week, we’re aiming to inspire you to make beautiful things as we talk to The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) executive director Chris Kennedy. For those of you not familiar with LIFT, is an artist-run charitable organization which provides media arts educatio…

This week, actress, writer, director Jessica Hinkson is back on the show with a number of projects on the go. But she took time out of her busy schedule to talk to us about Jean-Marc Vallée’s 2011 time-jumping drama “Café de Flore”. Anyone who’s seen Vallée’s work knows that he’s got a way with music as it intertwines with visuals - and Café de Flo…

This week, Becky sits down with actor/writer Jonas Chernick to talk about the classic New Wave Canadian film from 1991- “Highway 61.” Another film knocked down off our “How have we not talked about this movie yet?” list. Well, obviously we were waiting for Jonas to bring it out! Jonas’ has a strong relationship with this movie so it ends up being o…

It’s heavy hitter day here on RCMPod - Not just that we’re talking about one of the most iconic Canadian films of all time 1970’s Going Down The Road - but also that we’re talking to one of the most iconic actors. That’s right - Jayne Eastwood is on the show talking about her storied career as an actor in Canada. If you don’t know Jayne yet - get r…

Regular RCMPod listeners will know co-host Cam Maitland, along with friend of the show Alicia Fletcher have been working on an Original Series for Hollywood Suite - and very soon, you’ll be able to see it for yourself. Listen in as Becky (who’s in the series), Cam and Alicia as they discuss what you can expect from the new series! A delightful and …

Hey, you. Yeah, you. We know you love movies about ineffectual guys who go berserk, Well you’re in for a real treat. This week, actor Sandy Jobin-Bevans brings us 1993’s (I Love) A Man in Uniform. This is a gem of a movie from the depths of Canadian film history. Vicious, clever, dark, and featuring a brilliant performance by Tom McCamus, don’t mis…

This week, Becky and guest co-host Michael Peterson talk to filmmaker Sandi Somers about her debut feature Ice Blue and the influence on her work of Deepah Mehta’s seminal Fire from 1995. Although Ice Blue is Sandi’s first feature, she’s no stranger to the film scene - with over 70 short films behind her and two and a half decades in the arts - her…

This week, Becky sits down with Guinness World Record holder, author, and legendary marathon runner and trainer Martin Parnell. Martin is both the subject and executive producer of the new documentary, The Secret Marathon. When Zainab stood up for her freedom and became the first woman to run in the Marathon of Afghanistan, she started a movement f…

In the second instalment of our prairie filmmaker series, Lowell Dean is back on the show to talk about his own film 2014’s Wolf Cop, and Vincenzo Natali’s latest offering 2019’s In the Tall Grass. Lowell’s been on the show before talking about his Saskatchewan set apocalypse thriller Supergrid (Which you should also check out because it’s great) b…

This week, Becky sit’s down with Blood in the Snow Film Festival director Kelly Michael Stewart to talk about the All-Canadian genre film festival. We talk about the great movies and activities screening at the festival this year, how to create a film festival pitch plan if you’re a filmmaker or producer, and what movies that have been in the festi…

Welcome to a whole new series on filmmakers from the prairies and their influences. All this month we’ll be joined by Alberta writer, director-producer Michael Peterson as co-host - because who better to help us understand what filmmaking is like out west than someone who’s on the ground. First up in our series, Michael’s producing partner Rob Gran…

This week, Becky sits down with documentarian Matt Gallagher to talk about his most recent film “Prey”. Please note that this episode, as well as the documentary, deal with the sensitive themes of sexual abuse within a religious community and the aftermath. It may not be appropriate for all listeners or viewers. In the film, Matt points his camera …

It wouldn’t be Shocktober if we didn’t cover a classic 80’s Canadian Slasher - and luckily, SiriusXM radio host and Howl & Roar comedy album label owner Allison Dore was more than obliging. She brings us 1986's April Fools Day. Horny meets horror in this “holiday” themed horror that subscribes to its own method of teenagers getting it on and then g…

This week, Becky chats with documentarian Shawney Cohen about his new film, Rat Park. Content Warning. We’ll be discussing addiction, drug use, murder, overdoses and police brutality. Can we ever solve the global drug crisis? In 1978, Canadian psychologist Bruce K. Alexander conducted a radical experiment involving rats and heroin that would revolu…

This week, we’ve got everyone’s favorite host of all things geeky - it’s Ajay Fry back on the show. Last time Ajay was on the show, he was assigned the movie “The Last Polka”. Well, Ajay has a new podcast, “Mistakes were Made” and so this was the perfect opportunity to have him on to talk about the movie he really wanted to bring on, 2011’s “Manbor…

This week, we sit down with RetrOntario’s Ed Conroy about a spectacular little gem - “The Ugly Little Boy”. In the late 70’s TVO developed a series of fictional shorts based on classic literature, collected in a series called “Stories Dark and Dangerous”. The whole series is quite frankly worth a watch, but the Ugly Little boy, which is based on an…

This week, A very special episode with a preview of what you can see at the Toronto After Dark Film festival and three of the seven Canadian films screening there. Homewrecker, Making Monsters and James Vs. His Future Self. Tune in to hear interviews with programmers, Christian Burgess and Justin McConnell, and filmmakers and writers Zach Gayne, Ju…

Welcome to the first week of our annual halloween spooktacular. This week, we’re starting out slow and creepy with the 2017 TIFF Midnight Madness darling The Crecent with artist Emma Allain. Slow burning, building and deeply disturbing, If you’re a fan of ambiguously creepy horrors and the visuals of movies like “Mandy” you’re not going to want to …

Is it in the rule book that a dog can play basketball? Find out this week as we dive a little too deep into the story of beloved 1997 children’s movie Air Bud with podcaster Stu Popp! This one gets weirdly dark and we do offer a brief disclaimer that we are going to be talking about cruelty to animals, but this film is one that takes some really su…

So Big, So Strong, But So Gentle. You Will Learn to Love Yeti. And that’s not a request. It’s our third anniversary and we’ve got the fabulous Mark Junop back in the studio for another weird dive into the wilds of exploitation cinema. This week we’re talking about the utterly bizarre Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century from 1977. Made to take advantage…

It’s the second and final part of our CFC Special with Justine Whyte, director and executive producer of CFC Features. This week, we’re talking about Kyle Rideout & Josh Epstein’s Adventures in Public School from 2017 and Clement Virgo’s Rude from 1995, as well as helpful tips for filmmakers and writers looking to get their own work produced by the…

Wrapping up our TIFF '19 preview series we're talking to writer/director Harry Cepka about Raf, a the story of a woman who's luck just keeps getting worse - until she meets a woman named Tal, and everything changes. Featuring performances by 2016 TIFF rising star Grace Glowiki and Van Helsing series regular Jesse Stanley, you'll be able to catch th…

Continuing with our TIFF 2019 preview series, we were fortunate enough to sit down with filmmakers Christopher Auchter and Alanis Obomsawin to talk about their new documentaries that are premiering at TIFF. First up is Christopher Auchter’s Now is the Time, a documentary which revisits the subject of a previous NFB documentary This is the time, the…

Ready for a primer of the CFC and a solid overview of Canadian film in the 90’s and 2000’s? Welcome to part 1 of our in depth look at the work of the Canadian Film Centre. This week, Becky sits down with Justine Whyte, Director and Executive Producer of CFC Features, to talk about the history of the film centre, the importance of short films to mak…

In this very special TIFF 2019 preview Becky sits down with the Executive Producer, English Program (Ontario Centre) for the National Film Board of Canada Anita Lee about the documentary “This is not a movie”. The film will have its world premiere at TIFF this year and if you’re in Toronto, you won’t want to miss it. Directed by the spectacular Yun…

This week, Becky sits down with Canadian stage and screen icon Sheila McCarthy to talk about her groundbreaking role of Polly Vandersma in 1987’s I’ve Heard The Mermaids Singing. Credited with launching the Canadian New Wave of Cinema and heralding the big bold voice that is Patricia Rozema - do not miss this inspiring and gorgeous film. How do I w…

This week, Becky sits down with archivist and librarian Kate Zieman, to talk about the deeply delightful “Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives” from 1992. This treat from the NFB’s studio D tells the stories of several gay women across Canada recounting their lives in the 50’s and 60’s. With stories that range from harrowing to hi…