Life Classes
Encyclopedia
Life Classes is a 1987 Canadian drama film
directed by William D. MacGillivray
.
, Nova Scotia
. There, she enjoys a warm relationship with an old woman she calls Nanny (Garbary), who regales her with stories of the Gaelic past. The rest of her time, when she isn't working at her father's pharmacy
, she completes paint by number
s artworks. On discovering that she is pregnant by her boyfriend, she decides to go to Halifax
, to have her baby. After giving birth, she starts modeling for life-drawing classes and eventually picks up the skills of an artist herself. Soon, she has become a successful artist and moves back to the house her friend Nanny left her to fill an entirely new role in her community.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by William D. MacGillivray
William D. MacGillivray
William D. MacGillivray is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. MacGillivray studied art and design at NSCAD University and at Concordia University. He then studied filmmaking at the London Film School in England in 1972...
.
Plot
Mary Cameron (Cormier) lives on the Canadian island of Cape BretonCape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. There, she enjoys a warm relationship with an old woman she calls Nanny (Garbary), who regales her with stories of the Gaelic past. The rest of her time, when she isn't working at her father's pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, she completes paint by number
Paint by number
Paint by number describes kits having a board on which light blue or grey lines indicate areas to paint, each area having a number and a corresponding numbered paint to use. The kits were invented, developed and marketed in 1950 by Max S...
s artworks. On discovering that she is pregnant by her boyfriend, she decides to go to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, to have her baby. After giving birth, she starts modeling for life-drawing classes and eventually picks up the skills of an artist herself. Soon, she has become a successful artist and moves back to the house her friend Nanny left her to fill an entirely new role in her community.
Cast
- Jacinta Cormier as Mary Cameron
- Leon Dubinsky as Earl
- Leo Jessome as Mary's father
- Frances Knickle as Gloria
Awards
- 1988
- Genie Award for Best Motion Picture - Nominated (Stephen ReynoldsStephen Reynolds (director)Stephen Reynolds is a Canadian television director. Notable work includes This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Eleventh Hour, Black Harbour, Codco and Made in Canada....
) - Genie Award for Best Original Song - Nominated (William D. MacGillivrayWilliam D. MacGillivrayWilliam D. MacGillivray is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. MacGillivray studied art and design at NSCAD University and at Concordia University. He then studied filmmaking at the London Film School in England in 1972...
) - Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleGenie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleThe Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best supporting Canadian actor.-1st Genie Awards:* Gordon Pinsent, Jack London's Klondike Fever...
- Nominated (Leon Dubinsky) - Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading RoleGenie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading RoleThe Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian actress.-1st Genie Awards:* Kate Lynch, Meatballs* Louise Portal, Cordélia...
- Nominated (Jacinta Cormier) - Genie Award for Best Original Screenplay - Nominated (William D. MacGillivrayWilliam D. MacGillivrayWilliam D. MacGillivray is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. MacGillivray studied art and design at NSCAD University and at Concordia University. He then studied filmmaking at the London Film School in England in 1972...
) - 38th Berlin International Film Festival38th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 38th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 12 to 23, 1988.-Jury:* Guglielmo Biraghi * Ellen Burstyn* Heiner Carow* Eberhard Junkersdorf* Tom Luddy* Heinz Rathsack* Daniel Schmid* Andrei Smirnov...
: Golden BearGolden BearAccording to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
- Nominated
- Genie Award for Best Motion Picture - Nominated (Stephen Reynolds
- 1989
- Istanbul International Film FestivalIstanbul International Film FestivalThe Istanbul International Film Festival is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts , a non-profit organisation. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Turkey...
Special Prize of the Jury - William D. MacGillivray - Won
- Istanbul International Film Festival