Prior to her Gotham Awardwinning (and Spirit Awardnominated) performance in the familial drama Waves (which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August and was released theatrically in November), the Vancouver-born 25-year-old starred in the psychological horror film Escape Room. government was telling the arts community they wouldnt get as much funding if they didnt try harder to include us.) This is the year it happened. I am here today because I am gay, he announced. Even if the story of a woman falling in love with a water monster/fish-man wasnt entirely up your alley (full disclosure: Id be more interested in it if he wore jeans), The Shape of Water became a point of Canadian pride after the crew cleaned up at the Academy Awards. Artists like Caroline Monnet, Danis Goulet, Tracey Deer, Lisa Jackson, Asinnajaq, Amanda Strong and Michelle Latimer opened up new modes of storytelling and creation that forever changed the conception of what a Canadian film could be. when it was named the years outstanding production of a play, while Caroline, or Change earned the prize for outstanding production of a musical. I like the Group of Seven as much as the next guy, and this is an affirmation of Canadian history blah blah blah and lakes and mountains blah blah good for Lawren Harris! (Hell turn 19 soon; does that make you feel old?). But much like Speed protagonist Jack Traven, Reeves kept a cool head. I was immediately struck by her confidence on set how she took the space she needed to do her work in a firm but friendly way. But just two episodes into the series, the Petting Zoo bit proved the brilliance of NFYs marketing satire. In 2012, the New Brunswickborn performer made her debut on the Great White Way in fellow Canadian and former Stratford Festival artistic director Des McAnuffs revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, where she starred as Mary Magdalene. A heist movie where the robbers break into dreams, Leonardo DiCaprio leads an all-star cast (including Halifaxs Ellen Page). Was he still controversial? From those first notes on the keyboard to the then-15-year-olds angelic coo, Baby stepped out of the rock n roll-heavy Canadian musical landscape and began to build a bridge between the pop world and the rest of us, offering a much-needed reprieve from the default offering of mainstream-beloved dudes holding guitars and wearing plaid shirts. The result? Alanis Nadine Morissette, where have you been? Dutchers victory was historic for a few reasons: a member of the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, he was the first East Coast artist ever to take home the Polaris and he recorded the album using 100-year-old wax cylinder recordings of songs in traditional Wolastoq, which is a language spoken by fewer than 100 people. Hope you worked out that complicated situation, Tegan and Sara. (Related: I was also largely incompetent.) Maybe I can make a difference to help others have an easier and more hopeful time. And if it means more Asian-Canadians can cross stages in fancy gowns and suits to accept awards, then I look forward to swooning more. Like so many NFY mysteries, we may never know. . Because honestly, its not too often that a brand-new actor ends up fronting a movie that earns a goddamn billion. Superheroes, reboots, blockbuster franchises: that was the 2000s. While the official politics of reconciliation has left much to be desired, with the government ultimately enacting few of the 94 calls to action, the cultural and artistic impact of the TRCs final report cannot be understated. Asian-Canadians further represented when Sandra Oh became the first Asian person to host the Golden Globes in 2019. The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games help kick off a new decade. On June 22, 2010, Canada lost a force to be reckoned with when stage and screen icon Tracy Wright passed away from pancreatic cancer. I was ready to camp and sleep all night. On the red carpet for the opening of the 2019 exhibition Camp: Notes on Fashion, Dion jokes that she thought this years Met Gala theme had to do withcamping. For anyone who doubted whether the CBCs Peter Mansbridge (or Uncle Peter, as he deserves to be called) would find his way into the Disney canon: how dare you/I wont forget it. And he didnt just come out: making good on the promise of that speech, he spent the rest of the decade using his celebrity to amplify LGBTQ stories and other LGBTQ artists. A dance-theatre hybrid, Betroffenheit is an unlikely achievement a strikingly original show about loss that became a global sensation. TOP STORY The Orphan Black Star Lined Up to Star as the Marvel Attorney/Superheroine (Photo by Marvel Comics; Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images) The MCU's TV wing just got a little more badass: Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany has been tapped by Marvel to star in its Disney+ She-Hulk series, playing the leading lady who snagged super powers after sharing some of cousin Bruce Banner's . Soon after the show premiered at Panamania, the arts and culture festival attached to the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, rumours of its remarkable transmutation of grief into art spread far and wide. The fact that were not still celebrating the majesty of Despacito is an egregious oversight one I hope we can right at the close of this blurb. Major projects are made with our money and also without and thats OK, as Toronto and the rest of Canada welcome major productions, and our filmmakers shape them, here and elsewhere. You might have noticed a little trend on your TV screens (or laptops or phones) in the past 10 years: our neighbours to the south seem really into us. As we approach the dawn of a new decade, I see the following future in my crystal ball/champagne flute: Canada is at the top of its onscreen game. She was a well respected student, and participated as often as possible in school productions. Alternative scenes in particular have exploded in Canada over the last 10 years, with huge epicentres in Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal, and my beloved Toronto. After wrapping her 16-year on/off Vegas gig this past June (a fact: the residency was only supposed to last three years), shes gone on to embark on a 50-plus city tour across North America in support of her new album, Courage, and win the affections of anyone with an affinity for couture fashion, eccentricity and stirring renditions of My Heart Will Go On (in other words, anybody with a pulse). Youre going to freak people out, but youll probably connect with them too, and thats an amazing feeling to have. Im ready for a Domee Shiwritten and directed full-length feature any time. It debuted at No. Celine Dion releases her 27th studio album, 10 iconic moments from a decade where Cline Dion unexpectedly became the queen of everything, social medias appetite for self-deprecating yet wholesome celebrities, longtime stylist and creative director Annie Horth, A post shared by Cline Dion (@celinedion), one of the rare misses of Dions renaissance, I was ready to camp and sleep all night., her wild ride with James Corden on his Carpool Karaoke segment, When I excitedly played her Hilary and Haylie Duffs cover of Material Girl in my trailer, she smiled, nodded and pretended like she thought it was great. And in the fall of 2012, NFY (accidentally?) Many of these new shows are controlled by Pages fellow unapologetically LGBTQ creatives like Ryan Murphy, Janet Mock, RuPaul Charles, Dan Levy and Tanya Saracho folks who dont give a shit about making sure straight audiences feel comfortable watching their work. She is credited for reinventing what was once a late career move into a lucrative and zeigeist-y affair (hello, Britney and Lady Gaga). If a tactic bombs, hell call it a success or hire an actress wholl tell him she loved it. Kims Convenience has further brought a refreshingly clever and funny perspective to Canadian television by showcasing the experiences of a working-class immigrant family. In Canada, its been one big show where everyone, with the right amount of hard work and determination, can all come together to perform greatness. But before it even premiered in 2013, Tatiana was already a veteran of Canadian film and TV, having started her career at age nine in her hometown of Regina. In 2010, a Reddit thread about Reeves apparently rescuing a woman stranded on the side of the highway who was without a functioning car or cell phone percolated around the web. Nathan pitches the client, Sue Stanford, on a rebrand: become a ghost realtor! Maslany got married in 2022 to fellow actor, Brendan Hines. Richardson sets her video on Mars during a dust storm among detritus from previous explorations of the planet. Billboard 200 chart, a first in 17 years (and an achievement a decade in the making). Stella Meghie breaks barriers with the major studio release of Everything, Everything. In 2017, I met Sandra Oh when I interviewed her at TIFF, and we hugged after I told her that Greys Anatomy got me through college. In Canada, Qubcois filmmakers have a fertile onscreen history of non-conformity, risk-taking and unabashedly high levels of emotions. Follow every pedantic rule in the social media playbook, and theres still no formula for going viral. There was a big reason to celebrate Domee Shis Oscar win on Feb. 24, and not only because her animated short about an aging Chinese-Canadian woman and a little dumpling that comes to life was the perfect way to spend eight minutes. This year alone, Canadian female filmmakers Alexandra Lazarowich and Grace Glowicki won top prizes at Sundance and SXSW respectively. Leah Collins is the senior writer at CBC Arts. She also got a jump-start on 2016s mannequin challenge via the corresponding video, where she worked her way through a party chock-full of attendees standing completely still or, as I like to call it, an ideal party if I have to stay past nine. Women in the film industry went from being a thing? Well never know. Hosted by Martin Short, the inaugural Canadian Screen Awards offered prizes for film, television and digital storytelling (which hadnt been covered by the Geminis or the Genies), and raked in 756,000 viewers, which is around double the number of people who watched the Geminis or Genies the previous year. The 2010s were a huge decade for Broadway. Although Reeves has never officially confirmed this story, it seems so Keanu-esque that we might as well believe it. (And if I may add: bring back Vine.). What started as NSFW Twilight fan fiction produced one of the highest-grossing R-rated film franchises ever. I say that like its a bad thing, but its really not. Follow the promenade at the bottom of the funicular, and youll reach a cantilevered lookout tower which stretches over the North Saskatchewan River. Versatile film and television actor Tatiana Maslany is perhaps best known for her multiple performances as various clones in the hit sci-fi series Orphan Black (2013-17). In 2010, Fefe Dobson was Canadas It Girl. (And according to Episode 1, Nathan believes he has a ton of confidence.) Patriotism and pride come into play, and inevitably, questions are raised around what it means to be Canadian and make Canadian content. Ten years ago, none of these places existed and neither did Instagram an app that would go on to invent an extremely 2010s activity: liking pics of the worlds coolest-looking cool stuff. Always the wiser, Reeves responded by telling the fan, Youre breathtaking! The crowd went wild, and Reeves took it a step further, telling his audience, Youre all breathtaking! Video of the exchange has garnered millions of views. Not aiming to be on Drag Race has, if anything, been a secret blessing for Canadian drag. Canadas premier pop punk darlings went full pop with this single. And directed by Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver), its a hyper-stylized rom-com blended with a few rounds of Street Fighter. It was inevitable. And in this age of trying too hard, billionaire greed, late capitalism and its contribution to environmental crisis, what message could be more important than that? Maslany is the first Canadian to win an Emmy in a major dramatic category for acting in a Canadian series. Xas Child of Magohalmi and the Echoes of Creation was performed at Londons Art Night before travelling, in various iterations, to Glasgow and Baku, Azerbaijan. Back in 2011, The Weeknd was an enigma. Its the second half of Betroffenheit, though, that elevates it to genius. Dramatic, narrative and fun, this song didnt make the international waves that previous single Closer did, even though it sounds like a better, gayer version of its predecessor. Released in September, it went on to win the 2019 Man Booker Prize alongside Bernardine Evaristos Girl, Woman, Other and was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, because of course. Whatever I had done resonated with the entire world and the attention was like sunlight on my soul., The plan: Turn the job of moving into Americas next fitness craze.. Although Meghie has been working on a wide variety of projects across film and television, they all share a common thread: messy, modern and creative Black female characters lead the narrative. The launch video has to be seen to be believed. In the last 10 years, Beyonc and Taylor Swift two of the biggest pop stars of the decade both performed covers of You Oughta Know. And in 2015, Alanis herself released a beautiful 20th anniversary edition of the album, including never-before-heard demos. John Barton, former editor of The Malahat Review, described the impact this had in the afterword of the magazines first all-Indigenous issue, called Indigenous Perspectives. Barton wrote that the issue was in part inspired by a letter the British Columbia Arts Council sent to literary magazines in 2015, exhorting us not only to better represent Indigenous writers in our pages, but to involve them in our decision-making. (Basically, the B.C. Carly Rae Jepsen releases Call Me Maybe. Suzan-Lori Parkss Topdog/Underdog even beat out War Horse (remember War Horse?!) To the untrained eye (read: mine), the main building is a little like a modernist Imperial walker, rising above a cliff on tall, spindly legs. Not a child actor, not yet a woman, she was a model of Canadian kindness and patience. Canadas got your back. (Evidently, Jason Wu is your go-to for moments of celebration and mourning. Its iconic intro (Testing, testing / Im just suggesting) wormed its way into the ears of the country when it was dropped in 2011 as the lead single to the bands third album Ever After. But the 2010s truly belonged to Alanis Obomsawin, who at age 87 continues to produce films in partnership with the NFB. Famous names like Sam Smith and David Guetta also contribute to the songwriting effort. Now in its 41st year, Buddies is gearing up for a collaboration with Theatre Rusticle for their version of A Midsummer Nights Dream, while the community continues to evolve and grow thanks to the theatres support of (and consistent call for) new talent. It won the Royal Architectural Institute of Canadas International Prize in 2019. clue in October 2019. And he isn't showing any signs of slowing down: this year, McAnuff garnered a Tony nomination for directing the musical Aint Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. The phenomenal success of productions like Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen launched the continents premier stage destination into a bold new era. In the decade since Drag Race premiered, the number of drag performers, professionals, ingenues and aspiring hopefuls has skyrocketed. Nods to the Canadian penny; Drummondville, Que. The Canada-obsessed police comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine premieres. Looking back, I realize that regardless of the set, if theres one time Tat has never said sorry, its between action and cut. Shes always been a fucking savage in the work itself, from her raw performance in 2010s Grown Up Movie Star to beating the shit out of Nicole Kidman in last years Destroyer. At the Canadian Screen Awards, we were awarded everything, including best motion picture, best feature-length documentary, best art direction/production design, best cinematography, achievement in direction, achievement in editing, best original screenplay and best original score. David Altmejds Flux exhibit opens at the Muse dart contemporain de Montral, David Altmejd The Flux and The Puddle (James Ewing/Andrea Rosen Gallery). And it reflected not only his own headspace, but the dark, sad feelings that became synonymous with a year that ended with the election of U.S. President Trump and all that he stood for. (In my mind, we are best friends.) It may seem unlikely that such an abstract and formally inventive work, without a conventional narrative, would connect so deeply with audiences. This is nearly unheard of in the literary world. Instead, I like to think, we all just run together. And it reminded anybody who saw it of the cruelty inflicted by the Canadian government over the course of the last 150 years. Im kidding, of course. At the tail-end of this decade, right when we need it most, Alanis has turned Jagged Little Pill into a musical with a book written by Diablo Cody. It probably started with a late morning after performing a farewell show on Dec. 31, 1999, in Montral. Beck + Call, featuring celebrated throat singer Tanya Tagaq, helped cement their staying power on Canadas alternative charts. Both July Talk and Tagaq have more than proven their capacity to craft challenging, beautiful music and still reach the masses, and its about time they each get international recognition. Now, hes using his knowledge to help struggling small-business owners make it in this competitive world. Isnt it ironic, then, that one of Canadas biggest superstars has spent this fame-monster decade being mostly invisible? What made it even better was that BoJack himself was voiced by Toronto native Will Arnett, who brought serious weight to a role that necessitated it. The plan: Find an ordinary guy and transform him into a national hero.. Her stories explore intergenerational relationships and the way baggage and bad habits get passed down in families. Ghosts? Nathan, of course, manufactures a few bizarre schemes in the hunt for information. Over the last 10 years, Canadian artists have been storming the world stage like never before in music, film and TV, literature, visual art, dance, theatre and everything in between. In one episode, Cousin Greg even drives from New York to Quebec to pick up a very grumpy Ewan and bring him to his brother. Thats just the basic formula, but from the first episode, NFY was engineering something grander than a five-year troll. On November 15, her new English album, Courage, even debuted at No.1 on the U.S. And when she tells Nathan she likes him, she acts like she means it nevermind the $350/hour fee. Nope. The concept suggests an opening flower. It included the first excerpt of Joshua Whiteheads Jonny Appleseed. She signed with Creative Artists Agency (a.k.a. Whatever the answer, if the 2010s have been a time of all-purpose confusion, few shows have nailed the decade quite like this one, and these are just 10 of its finest moments. Before 2013, Canadas primary film and television awards worked much like their American counterparts: the film-honouring Genies were our Oscars, while the television-centric Geminis were like the Canadian Emmys. Now finished, the temples curved wings fold together to create a dome of glass, marble and steel and it glows from within come nightfall.