As Canadian distribution companies prepare to release a slew of new films at your local multiplex, the challenge to raise Canadian films’ presence on our screens from its current paltry 2% to 3% ensues.

2001 was not a banner year for Canadian cinema in terms of breakthrough international or domestic success. The top five Canadian films at the domestic box office were all Quebec French-language productions: Christal Films’ Les Boys III, Seville Pictures’ Nuit de noces, Christal’s 15 fevrier 1839, Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm’s Karmina 2 and Equinox’s La Fortresse suspendue. This continues to prove that while Quebec films have a strong appeal in their built-in market, English-Canadian cinema is largely no sale at home. The top-grossing English-language film, TVA International’s Ginger Snaps, despite an aggressive P&A strategy, grossed $425,753, or about one-tenth of the receipts of Les Boys III.

2002 has the potential to be much bigger, with new releases from several of the country’s top directors, including Atom Egoyan’s Ararat and Bruce McDonald’s Picture Claire, both from Alliance Atlantis. The reviews of the latter at the Toronto International Film Festival were not promising, however, and the film’s release date has been pushed back from this winter to the summer.

Alliance Atlantis’ Odeon Films will bring David Cronenberg’s Spider to screens in the fall. Spider, starring Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Richardson, is a U.K./Canada copro, and other copros that have brought in name talent from outside Canada include Alliance Atlantis’ The 51st State (Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle) and Double Down (Neil Jordan, Nick Nolte). At the top of the True Canadiana category are Alliance Atlantis’ curling comedy Men with Brooms, starring and directed by TV’s favorite Mountie, Paul Gross, and TVA International’s Red Green’s Duct Tape Forever, a big-screen spin-off of S&S Productions’ popular Red Green series.

The following is the most up-to-date list of Canadian films scheduled to appear on Canadian screens this year. The films are entirely Canadian productions unless otherwise noted.

Alliance Atlantis Films

Men with Brooms

Release date: March 8, 2002

Supplier: Alliance Atlantis/Serendipity Point Films

Budget: $7.5 million

Director: Paul Gross

Cast: Paul Gross, Leslie Nielson, Molly Parker, Peter Outerbridge

Rights held: All rights

The 51st State

Release date: Summer 2002

Production nationality: Canada/U.K./U.S.

Supplier: Alliance Atlantis

Budget: $25 million

Director: Ronny Yu

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle, Ryhs Evans

Rights held: All except for U.S., U.K., Japan, Germany, France and Spain

Picture Claire

Release date: Summer 2002

Supplier: Serendipity Point Films

Budget: $12 million

Director: Bruce McDonald

Cast: Juliette Lewis, Gina Gershon

Rights held: All rights

Ararat

Release date: Winter 2002

Supplier: Alliance Atlantis

Budget: $12 million

Director: Atom Egoyan

Cast: Charles Aznavour, Christopher Plummer, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver, Marie-Josee Croze, Bruce Greenwood

Rights held: All rights except for U.S.

Double Down

Release date: Winter 2002

Supplier: Alliance Atlantis

Director: Neil Jordan

Cast: Nick Nolte, Tcheky Karyo

Rights held: All rights

Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm

Collectivite Nouvelle

Release date: Winter 2002

Supplier: Vision 4

Director: Louis Choquette

Cast: Jean-Francois Pichette, Elise Guilbault, Roxanne G. Loiseau

Rights held: World rights

Quebec-Montreal

Release date: May 2002

Supplier: Go Films

Director: Ricardo Trogi

Cast: Patrice Robitaille, Jean-Philippe Pearson, Stephane Breton

Rights held: World rights

La Turbulence des fluides

Release date: TBA

Supplier: Max Films

Budget: $6.2 million

Director: Manon Briand

Cast: Pascale Bussieres, Julie Gayet, Jean-Nicolas Verreault, Genevieve Bujold

Rights held: World rights

L’Odyssee d’Alice Tremblay

Release date: Summer 2002

Supplier: Cinemaginaire

Director: Denis Filiatrault

Cast: Sophie Lorain, Martin Drainville, Pierrette Robitaille, Marc Labreche

Rights held: World rights

Comment ma mere accoucha de moi pendant sa menopause

Release date: TBA

Supplier: Max Films

Director: Sebastien Rose

Cast: Micheline Lanctot, Paul Ahmarani, Sylvie Moreau

Rights held: World rights

Un Homme et son peche

Release date: Christmas 2002

Supplier: Cite-Amerique

Budget: $5.7 million

Director: Charles Biname

Cast: Pierre Lebeau, Karine Vanasse, Roy Dupuis

Rights held: World rights

Christal Films Distribution

Le Collectionneur

Release date: Feb. 22, 2002

Supplier: Christal Productions

Director: Jean Beaudin

Cast: Maude Guerin, Luc Picard, Lawrence Aicouitte, Charles-Andre Bourassa

Rights held: Quebec

La Mysterieuse Mademoiselle C

Release date: March 27, 2002

Supplier: Vision 4

Director: Richard Ciupka

Cast: Marie-Chantal Perron, Gilder Roy

Rights held: Quebec

Equinox Entertainment

Between Strangers

Release date: October/November 2002

Production nationality: Canada/Italy

Supplier: Between Strangers Productions, Mediatrade S.p.A., Jean Vigo Italia S.r.l.

Director: Edoardo Ponti

Cast: Sophia Loren, Gerard Depardieu, Mira Sorvino, Pete Postlethwaite, Deborah Kara Unger, Malcolm McDowell, Klaus Maria Brandauer

Rights held: Canadian rights

Film Tonic

Karmen

Release date: Spring 2002

Production nationality: France/Canada

Supplier: Productions Mataranka, Euripide Productions, Les Ateliers de l’Arche

Director: Joseph Gaye Ramaka

Cast: Djeinaba Diop, Stephanie Biddle

Rights held: English and French versions in Canada

Le Marais

Release date: Fall 2002

Supplier: Production Thalie

Budget: $2.5 million

Director: Kim Nguyen

Cast: Paul Ahmarani, Gregory Hlady

Rights held: English and French versions in Canada and international

Tourism

Release date: Late 2002

Production nationality: Canada/U.K.

Supplier: In Extremis Images

Budget: $4.1 million

Director: Robert Lepage

Cast: Luc Picard, Marie Gignac, Tom McCamus

Rights held: English and French versions in Canada

Mariposa Azul

Release date: December 2002

Production nationality: Canada/U.K.

Supplier: Gala Film

Budget: $11.5 million

Director: Lea Pool

Cast: William Hurt

Rights held: English and French versions in Canada

Lions Gate Releasing

Rare Birds

Release date: Feb. 1, 2002

Supplier: Pope Productions

Director: Sturla Gunnarson

Cast: William Hurt, Molly Parker, Andy Jones

Rights held: World rights

Mongrel Media

Inertia

Release date: Jan. 25, 2002

Supplier: Brendon Sawatzky

Budget: $500,000

Director: Sean Garrity

Cast: Jonas Chernick, Sarah Constible

Rights held: All Canadian rights

Khaled

Release date: March 2002

Supplier: Canadian Film Centre

Director: Asghar Massombagi

Cast: Michael D’Ascenzo, Michele Duquet, Normand Bissonnette

Rights held: All Canadian rights

Bollywood/Hollywood

Release date: Summer 2002

Supplier: Bollywood/Hollywood Productions

Budget: $2 million

Director: Deepa Mehta

Cast: Rahul Khanna, Lisa Ray

Rights held: All Canadian rights

seats 3a & 3c

(A collection of five features)

Release date: Fall 2002

Place of origin: Canada/U.K.

Supplier: imX communications

Budget: $750,000 each

Directors: Andrea Dorfman,

Tricia Fish, Thom Fitzgerald, Daniel MacIvor, Rowan Woods

Rights held: All Canadian rights

Odeon Films

Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner)

Release date: Spring 2002

Supplier: Igloolik Isuma/National Film Board

Budget: $1.96 million

Director: Zacharias Kunuk

Cast: Natar Ungalaaq, Peter Arnatiaq, Sylvia Ivalu, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Paul Qulitalik, Madeline Ivalu

Rights held: Canada

Gambling, Gods and LSD

(Documentary)

Release date: June 2002

Supplier: Grimthorpe Film

Director: Peter Mettler

Rights held: Canada and some international territories

Spider

Release date: Fall 2002

Productionn nationality: Canada/U.K.

Supplier: Capitol Films/Grosvenor Park

Budget: $12 million

Director: David Cronenberg

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne, Lynn Redgrave, John Neville

Rights held: Canada

Perfect Pie

Release date: Fall 2002

Supplier: Rhombus Media

Director: Barbara Willis Sweete

Cast: Wendy Crewson, Barbara Williams, Allison Pill

Rights held: Canada

The Bay of Love and Sorrows

Release date: Fall 2002

Supplier: Triptych Media

Budget: $2.9 million

Director: Tim Southam

Cast: Elaine Cassidy, Peter Outerbridge, Jonathan Scarfe, Zachary Bennet

Rights held: Canada

Long Life, Happiness, Prosperity

Release date: Fall 2002

Supplier: Shaftesbury Films

Director: Mina Shum

Cast: Sandra Oh

Rights held: Canada

Flower and Garnet

Release date: Fall 2002

Supplier: Screen Siren

Director: Keith Behrman

Cast: Callum Keith Rennie

Rights held: Canada

Nothing

Release date: TBA

Supplier: 49th Parallel

Director: Vincenzo Natali

Cast: David Hewlett, Andrew Miller

Rights held: Canada

Fubar

Release date: TBA

Director: Mike Dowse

Cast: Paul Spence, Dave Lawrence

Rights held: World

Remstar

Almost America

Release date: Spring 2002

Production nationality: Canada/Italy

Supplier: Illusions Entertainment

Director: Andrea and Antonio Frazzi

Cast: Sabrina Ferilli, Massino Ghini, Henry Czerny

Rights held: Canada

Suddenly Naked

Release date: March 29, 2002

Supplier: Rampage Entertainment

Budget: $3.5 million

Director: Anne Wheeler

Cast: Wendy Crewson, Joe Cobden, Peter Coyote.

Rights held: Canada

Seville Pictures

The Fourth Angel

Release date: Jan 25, 2002

Production nationality: Canada/U.K.

Director: John Irvin

Cast: Jeremy Irons, Forest Whitaker, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Priestley

The Rhino Brothers

Release date: March 2002

Director: Dwayne Beaver

Cast: Curtis Bechdolt, William MacDonald, Alistair Abell, Gabrielle Rose

ThinkFilm

Lola

Release date: Spring 2002

Supplier: Passenger Films

Budget: Under $1 million

Director: Carl Bessai

Cast: Sabrina Grdevich, Colm Feore, Joanna Going

Rights held: Canada only

On Their Knees

Release date: Spring 2002

Supplier: Have Mercy Pictures

Director: Anais Granofsky

Cast: Anais Granofsky, Ingrid Veninger, Jackie Burroughs, Maury Chaykin, Clark Johnson

Rights held: North America

TVA International

Red Green’s Duct Tape Forever

Release date: April 2002

Supplier: S&S Entertainment

Budget: $3.5 million

Director: Eric Till

Cast: Steve Smith, Patrick McKenna, Graham Greene

Rights held: Canada (English & French)

Kaena – The Prophecy

(3D Animated Feature)

Release date: Fall 2002

Production nationality: Canada/France

Budget: $14.5 million

Rights held: Canada (English & French)