Coupland, Polley showcase Canadiana at TIFF

Last Updated: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 | 12:16 PM ET

CBC Arts

Though many films shot in Canadian cities are often dressed up as U.S. settings, two high-profile new productions screening at the Toronto International Film Festival are unabashedly touting their made-in-Canada status.

Because of movie-making tax credits and other favourable conditions for filmmakers, Canadian cities usually sit in for U.S. locales: Atlantic Canada for New England, Alberta for Wyoming, Toronto for Chicago or New York and Vancouver for Los Angeles.

In Everything's Gone Green, which stars Paulo Costanzo (left), Steph Song and J.R. Bourne, Vancouver plays itself because Coupland was 'fed up' with his hometown always standing in as a U.S. city.
(Katie Yu/ThinkFilm)

The practice proved part of the inspiration for Vancouver-based author and artist Douglas Coupland to write his first feature film, Everything's Gone Green, which was directed by Paul Fox and debuted at the festival on Sunday.

"I'm so fed up with being Seattle or Portland or L.A. or San Francisco or Sacramento or whatever," said Coupland.

Everything's Gone Green includes prominent, undisguised shots of well-known Vancouver features, including English Bay, the Lions Gate Bridge and False Creek. Coupland also created a character who works in the movie business and specializes in disguising Vancouver to make it look like a U.S. city.

Sarah Polley's directorial debut Away From Her, which stars Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent, includes Canadian references, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Alistair Macleod and Canadian Tire.
(Capri)

Homegrown elements in Polley's film

In her directorial debut Away From Her, Sarah Polley also incorporates elements of Canadiana into her film: residents in a nursing home cheer for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, a character is seen reading a book by Canadian author Alistair Macleod and appliances are bought at Canadian Tire.

Polley said she wasn't intentionally trying to make a statement, but added that she's tired of seeing so much effort spent on trying to mask Canada on the silver screen.

"I didn't feel like I was going out of my way to make it Canadian in any way, shape or form," she said. "I just wasn't intent on hiding it."

Polley also said that since people have noticed Away From Her's Canadian touches, she'd like to do it in all of her future films.