Film Distribution

The following works are available for purchase or rent, variously, through Art Metropole, Cinenova, CFMDC, Vtape, and Women Make Movies. Click the titles below for more information.

Collection 1 DVD +–

This DVD presents a selection of early work (1981-1985) and includes Onodera’s notorious film, “Ten Cents a Dance (Parallax)” which created a storm of controversy on the lesbian and gay film festival circuit. These eight short films tackle a range of challenging subjects, showcasing Onodera’s interest in storytelling and experimental technique, and providing insights into her early stylistic development.

Includes:
The Bird That Chirped on Bathurst (1981) 4:00
idiot’s delight (1983) 5:00
Home was never like this (1983) 9:00
Ville-quelle ville? (1984) 4:00
A Performance by Jack Smith (1984-92)
The Dead Zone (1985) 2:30;
Made in Japan (1985) 2:30
Ten Cents a Dance (Parallax) (1985) 30:00

With additional material:
Interview with Tom Waugh: “Ten Cents” (2007) 9:26
Interview with Judith Mayne: “Encounters” (2008) 7:02
Interview with Midi Onodera: “Early Transitions” (2008) 7:02
“Under Construction: Midi Onodera’s Early Films” by Kathleen Mullen (PDF essay)

Order direct:

Prices
Private Sale: $75.00 CAD
Educational: $90.00 CAD
The Set (1-3, 365 plus a bonus Alphagirls DVD): $300.00 CAD

DVD Order Form

For inquiries and purchases:

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
1411 Dufferin Street, Unit D
Toronto, ON, M6H 4C7
Phone: (416) 588-0725
cfmdc@cfmdc.org

Vtape
401 Richmond St. W., Suite 452
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3A8
Phone: (416) 351-1317
info@vtape.org

Collection 2 DVD +–

This DVD collection features mid-career film and television work. After her impressive debut in the early 1980s, Onodera’s films continued to grow in sophistication and critical acclaim, earning accolades for their aesthetic complexity and their take on difficult political and personal issues.

Focusing on selected works from 1988 to 1990, this DVD volume includes Onodera’s experimental documentary, “The Displaced View.” Set against the background of suppressed Japanese-Canadian history, the film traces a personal search for identity and pride through the stories of three generations of women.

Includes:
Then/Now (1988) 30:00
The Displaced View (1988) 52:00
General Idea – Artist’s Profile (1989) 3:50
David Cronenberg – Artist’s Profile” (1990) 3:50
Heartbreak Hoteru (1990) 30:00

With additional material:
Interview with Kass Banning: “Displaced Views” (2008) 10:15
Interview with Monika Kin Gagnon: “Experimental Innovations” 10:50
Interview with Midi Onodera: “Televisions” (2008) 6:47
“The Displaced View and the Limits of Knowledge” by Nadine Sivak (PDF essay)

Order direct:

Prices
Private Sale: $75.00 CAD
Educational: $90.00 CAD
The Set (1-3, 365 plus a bonus Alphagirls DVD): $300.00 CAD

DVD Order Form

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
1411 Dufferin Street, Unit D
Toronto, ON, M6H 4C7
Phone: (416) 588-0725
cfmdc@cfmdc.org

Vtape
401 Richmond St. W., Suite 452
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3A8
Phone: (416) 351-1317
info@vtape.org

Collection 3 DVD +–

This DVD collection contains selected work produced from 1995 to 2002, including Onodera’s award-winning film “the basement girl,” and the feature “Skin Deep.”

The short films in this DVD volume are adventurous explorations of multiple film and video formats – from 16 mm and super 8 film, to analogue and digital toy cameras.The films are sensitive poetic ruminations on loss: the ending of relationships, the failure of perception, and the outsider’s aloneness. In contrast, the feature film “Skin Deep,” a riveting psychological drama about obsession, relationships and sexuality, leads us into worlds where people are never who they appear to be.

Includes:
Skin Deep (1995) 81:00
the basement girl (2000) 11:40
Slightseer (2001) 3:20
Nobody Knows (2002) 3:15

With additional material:
Interview with Judith Mayne: “The Basement Girl” (2008) 13:34
Interview with Midi Onodera: “Space Between Frames” (2008) 6:26
“More Than One: Onodera” by Heather Keung (PDF essay)
“Knowledge and the Body: Skin Deep” by Nadine Sivak (PDF essay)

Order direct:

Prices
Private Sale: $75.00 CAD
Educational: $90.00 CAD
The Set (1-3, 365 plus a bonus Alphagirls DVD): $300.00 CAD

DVD Order Form

For inquiries and purchases:

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
1411 Dufferin Street, Unit D
Toronto, ON, M6H 4C7
Phone: (416) 588-0725
cfmdc@cfmdc.org

Vtape
401 Richmond St. W., Suite 452
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3A8
Phone: (416) 351-1317
info@vtape.org

365 Movie a Day +–

In 2008, Onodera created a short video every day for the year and posted them on the website. These daily movies are diminutive slices of life in short film, sometimes funny, sometimes unsettling, always thought provoking. Running between 30 and 60 seconds, they were shot with a variety of toy cameras and digital video formats and are designed for viewing on mobile devices. All of them are available on this DVD.

Includes:
365 Movies
10 Holiday Movies

With additional material:
Interview with Kass Banning: “Screens and Frames” (2008) 5:15
Interview with Janine Marchessault: “Reflections on Micro Movies” (2008) 11:50
Interview with Midi Onodera: “A Movie a Day” (2008) 8:06
“Mini-Cinema: A Digital Diary for iPod” by Catherine Russell (PDF essay)
“A Movie a Day and other Film Calendars” by Michael Zryd (PDF essay)

Order direct:

Prices
Private Sale: $75.00 CAD
Educational: $90.00 CAD
The Set (1-3, 365 plus a bonus Alphagirls DVD): $300.00 CAD

DVD Order Form

For inquiries and purchases:

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
1411 Dufferin Street, Unit D
Toronto, ON, M6H 4C7
Phone: (416) 588-0725
cfmdc@cfmdc.org

Tributaries: Reflections of Aiko Suzuki +–

Aiko Suzuki was a remarkable visual artist who worked in a wide range of mediums. Tributaries: Reflections of Aiko Suzuki plays tribute to Suzuki’s life and work. Writer Joy Kogawa, new music composer Ann Southam and visual artist Grace Channer collaborated with Onodera to create three videos inspired by Suzuki herself.

Includes:
Three Artist Projects
Four Artist Interviews: Ann Southam, Joy Kogawa, Grace Channer & Chiyoko Szlavnics
Aiko Suzuki in Conversation with Kerri Sakamoto & Midi Onodera
Aiko Suzuki talks about her early works
Interview with Midi Onodera: “Remembering Aiko”
Introductory Essay by Cindy Mochizuki (PDF)

Order direct:

Price
All private and educational sales: $30.00 CAD

DVD Order Form

For inquiries and purchases:

Art Metropole
896 College Street
Toronto, ON M6H 1A4
Canada
416-703-4400

I have no memory of my direction +–

Now you can purchase Onodera’s feature-length, experimental, narrative video. “I have no memory of my direction” (Canada 77 min. 2005) fuses a contemporary North American experience with a fragmented image of Japan as it follows the account of a Canadian-born Japanese woman. Ostensibly searching for an emotional connection with her aging father, the woman contemplates her own inherited culture and familial ties. This video bridges gaps between a diasporic imagination and lived experience as it moves through the disjointed notions of cultural identity, memory and belonging.

Includes:
The full version of “I Have No Memory of My Direction” which makes use of a wide range of formats such as: digital video, super 8, Lomographic Supersampler, Barbie Wireless Videocam, IntelDigital camera, Tyco & Trendmaster toy video cameras

With additional material:
A comprehensive study guide
A creative interview with the director
Director’s Filmography
A compelling photo gallery
Read a review by Kristin W. Springer in the on-line journal “Films for the Feminist Classroom” at: http://ffc.twu.edu/issue_1-1/rev_Springer_1-1.html

Order direct:

Prices
Rental: $75.00 CAD
Educational: $90.00 CAD

DVD Order Form

For inquiries and purchases:

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
1411 Dufferin Street, Unit D
Toronto, ON, M6H 4C7
Phone: (416) 588-0725
cfmdc@cfmdc.org

alphagirls +–

alphagirls is a collection of cyberperformances by three internationally acclaimed Canadian performance artists: Kinga Araya, Louise Liliefeldt and Tanya Mars that explores non-linear, interactive narrative structure within the realm of recorded performance. The interactive DVD features three individual works that can be viewed through a multiplicity of avenues with the use of your DVD remote control. In collaboration with each artist, Onodera has directed and designed each performance’s interactive possibilities to allow the viewer full control over the flow of each piece. Navigate each performance through the instructions specified by each artist, or choose your own route to experience each of these three prolific works in new and exciting ways.

Includes:
Grounded (iii): a performance by Kinga Araya
Quarter After: a performance by Louise Liliefeldt
My Dinner with Woofie: a performance by Tanya Mars

Order direct:

Prices

Rentals: inquire
Private Sales: $75.00 CAD
Educational: 90.00 CAD

DVD Order Form

For inquiries and purchases:

Vtape
401 Richmond St. W., Suite 452
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3A8
Phone: (416) 351-1317
info@vtape.org

The Basement Girl +–

For inquiries and purchases of the basement girl (2000) contact:

Women Make Movies
115 W. 29th Street, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10001
phone: 212-925-0606
fax: 212-925-2052

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
1411 Dufferin Street, Unit D
Toronto, ON, M6H 4C7
phone: (416) 588-0725
cfmdc@cfmdc.org

The Displaced View +–

For inquiries and purchases of THE DISPLACED VIEW (1988) contact:

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
1411 Dufferin Street, Unit D
Toronto, ON, M6H 4C7
Phone: (416) 588-0725
cfmdc@cfmdc.org

Cinenova
Waterlow Park Centre
Dartmouth Park Hill, London N19 5JF UK
info@cinenova.org

Women Make Movies
115 W. 29th Street, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212-925-0606
Fax: 212-925-2052
Orders: orders@wmm.com or 212-925-0606 x3600

Ten Cents a Dance +–

For inquiries and purchases of TEN CENTS A DANCE (PARALLAX) (1985) contact:

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
1411 Dufferin Street, Unit D
Toronto, ON, M6H 4C7
Phone: (416) 588-0725
cfmdc@cfmdc.org

Cinenova
Waterlow Park Centre
Dartmouth Park Hill, London N19 5JF UK
info@cinenova.org

Women Make Movies
115 W. 29th Street, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212-925-0606
Fax: 212-925-2052
Orders: orders@wmm.com or 212-925-0606 x3600

Film Distribution

Collection 1 DVD +–

Order direct:

For inquiries and purchases:

Collection 2 DVD +–

Order direct:

Collection 3 DVD +–

Order direct:

For inquiries and purchases:

365 Movie a Day +–

Order direct:

For inquiries and purchases:

Tributaries: Reflections of Aiko Suzuki +–

Order direct:

For inquiries and purchases:

I have no memory of my direction +–

Order direct:

For inquiries and purchases:

alphagirls +–

Order direct:

For inquiries and purchases:

The Basement Girl +–

The Displaced View +–

Ten Cents a Dance +–

The Bird That Chirped On Bathurst +–

Home Was Never Like This +–

Idiot's Delight +–

A Performance By Jack Smith +–

Ville-quelle ville? / THE DEAD ZONE / MADE IN JAPAN +–