It’s estimated that approximately 60% of Hollywood’s gross domestic film revenue comes from home video, but Canadian producers and distributors have been relatively slow to author globally competitive DVD versions. However, recent video releases of Genie- and Oscar-nominated films with Cancon offer signs that this trend will change.

David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence streeted on March 14 through Alliance Atlantis in Canada in a two-disc edition under the New Line Platinum Series imprint. An hour-long doc, Acts of Violence, lensed and directed by Cronenberg’s wife Carolyn Zeifman, is the gem of the disc.

It’s a unique look at a filmmaker’s process, reminiscent of 17-year-old Vivian Kubrick taping a mic to her 16mm camera and following her dad, Stanley Kubrick, around on The Shining.

Violence was the number one seller for the week ending March 19 in the U.S., according to video sales tracker Rentrak, pulling in revenues of almost US$9 million, and in Canada was the number one rental over the same period at Rogers Video stores.

Deepa Mehta’s Genie Award-winning Water came to DVD on March 7 in a two-disc edition from Mongrel Media that offers a first look at an English-language version shot at the same time as the Hindi to fulfill Telefilm Canada requirements.

Meanwhile, Capote, produced by Vancouver’s Infinity Features, and netting Philip Seymour Hoffman a best actor Oscar, arrived to disc via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on March 21.

An insightful two-part making-of doc on Capote features on-camera appearances from exec producer Bill Vince of Infinity, and director Bennett Miller observes that all but nine performers in the entire cast are from Winnipeg.

Genie- and Jutra-winning C.R.A.Z.Y. again comes to English Canada on April 4 through Distribution Select on behalf of TVA Films, but without English subtitles either for director Jean-Marc Vallée’s commentary track or the two featurettes (a making-of and a video doc of C.R.A.Z.Y. at the Venice Film Festival). In fact, it’s the same release that came out last October.

Other notable April 4 releases include Alberta-shot Academy Award winner Brokeback Mountain from Alliance Atlantis, and Lionsgate best picture Oscar winner Crash in a new two-disc director’s cut edition that adds several minutes to the theatrical version. According to Canadian distributor Maple Pictures, Crash generated 250,000 home video sales pre-Oscars and has sold 50,000 units post-Oscars, some of which are pre-orders for the new edition.