For three decades, Ernie Coombs (aka Mr. Dressup) was a fixture in Canadian living rooms. Over the course of some 4,000 episodes, he imparted simple-but-essential advice (“Always put the caps on your markers.”) and quietly went about leading by example when it came to teaching generations of children how to be better people.
Assembling a veritable choir of famous Dressup true believers (including Michael J. Fox, Bif Naked, and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) to sing the praises of this unassuming television personality, director Robert McCallum also discloses some legitimately fun facts regarding the friendship between Mrs. Dressup and Rogers that are sure to delight. Even more enlightening are the insights into how CBC operated North America’s first dedicated children’s programming department. Equally pioneering was Mr. Dressup’s use of the non-binary Casey puppet and Coombs’ insistence that Judith Lawrence, his lead puppeteer and key collaborator, enjoy pay equity.
Re-assembling many of the beloved sets from the show and restoking countless warm memories, McCallum honours Coombs’ legacy of kindness and creativity.
Michael J. Fox, The Barenaked Ladies, Peter Mansbridge
Canada
2023
Special Presentations
English
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Mark J.W. Bishop, Matthew Hornburg, Aeschylus Poulos, Robert McCallum, Sonya Di Rienzo, Matthew Wexler, Justin Schoenrock, Greg Floyd, Donna Luke
Producer
Mark Bishop, Aeschylus Poulos, Robert McCallum, Matt Hornburg
Screenwriter
Robet McCallum, Jordan C. Morris
Cinematography
John M. Tran
Editor
Nathan Shields, David New
Production Design
Rudin Causi
Original Music
Jonathan Goldsmith
Director
Robert McCallum
Armed with infectious positive energy and a deep love of pop culture, Rob McCallum has spent the last 20 years making documentaries on the coolest subjects imaginable: cartoons, action figures, video games and music. He’s garnered three Emmy-nominations for his writing and directing skills, won numerous awards for his films and raised over $500K via crowdfunding initiatives. A Canadian-American dual citizen, Rob has helmed a slew of projects including the fan-favourite, Power of Grayskull, Missing Mom, and Nintendo Quest.
Filmography: Nintendo Quest (2015); Missing Mom (2016); Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2017); Kittie: Origins/Evolutions (2017)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Köln 75
The true story behind the greatest solo concert in jazz history, this is Keith Jarrett's legendary 1975 Köln Concert — as organized by 18-year-old rebel music promoter Vera Brandes. Fun, inventive and feminist, it's the Bend It Like Beckham of jazz films.
Nollywood: Filmbusiness African Style
If you've wondered how one of the world's highest-producing film industries sustains itself, this documentary breaks down the inner workings of Nigeria's most lucrative creative economy, the second largest film industry in the world according to UNESCO.
Frankenstein
Frankenstein and Guillermo del Toro might have been made for each other. The movie does not disappoint, a ripping yarn of grand adventure, spectacle, hubris, passion and XXL body parts, a tale of the fantastic that rings the imagination. Screening in 35mm.
Train Dreams
A lovely, ruminative movie set in the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the last century. Robert (Joel Edgerton) is a lumberjack, a taciturn man who comes to appreciate the life slipping between his fingers.
