''Slipstream'' is a Canadian drama film, released in 1973.Betty Lee, "Seagull irritating, Summer Wishes soars, Slipstream not the expected blockbuster". '' The Globe and Mail'', November 10, 1973. Directed by David Acomba and written by

William Fruet William Fruet (born January 1, 1933) is a Canadian film and television director, playwright and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut with the drama ''Wedding in White'' (1972), based on a play he had also written. The film won Best Picture ...

, it won the

Canadian Film Award The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

for Best Feature Film at the

25th Canadian Film Awards The 25th Canadian Film Awards were announced on October 12, 1973, to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 111-114. ...

in 1973.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''.

Stoddart Publishing Stoddart Publishing was a Canadian book publisher and distributor, owned by Jack Stoddart, which ceased operations in 2002.UncreditedBook giant Stoddart files for creditor protection CBC News, May 1, 2002. Retrieved 2016-01-15. History General P ...

, 2000. .

Synopsis

The film stars Luke Askew as Mike Mallard, a popular but reclusive radio DJ who broadcasts his show from an isolated barn in the wilderness. After he is discovered by four young people, he begins to get romantically involved with one of them, Kathy ( Patti Oatman), while simultaneously battling with Alec ( Eli Rill), his producer who wants him to play more contemporary pop hits. The film's soundtrack includes music by

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in ...

and Eric Clapton.

Critical reception

The film's Best Feature Film win, over '' Kamouraska'', '' Réjeanne Padovani'', '' Paperback Hero'' and '' Between Friends'', was widely derided by critics. '' The Globe and Mail'' film critic Betty Lee acknowledged that the film showed some promise on Acomba's part, but concluded that it "sags embarrasingly under its weight of honors". In its December 1973 year in review, the paper named it as the worst film of the year, and singled out the Canadian Film Award jury for a special "Grand Prix for General All-Around Stupidity" for choosing it over four much stronger nominees. Writing for ''

Cinema Canada ''Cinema Canada'' (1972–1989) is a defunct Canadian film magazine, which served as the trade journal of record for the Canadian film and television sector. The magazine had its origins in the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), which b ...

'', journalist A. Ibrányi-Kiss opined that the film would have been an eminently deserving winner of an award for best first feature or most promising newcomer, but agreed that it was nowhere near the best Canadian film of the year. Its victory was also later cited as an indication that the

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

film directors who had boycotted the 1973 awards out of a perception that the event had a systemic bias against Quebec filmmakers, prompting the 1973 awards to be announced only by press conference and the subsequent 1974 awards to be cancelled entirely, had been correct in their beliefs."Rebirth of the film awards". '' The Globe and Mail'', October 2, 1975.

References

External links

* {{ACCT Best Picture 1973 films Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films Best Picture Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners 1970s English-language films 1970s Canadian films