Fat Chance (film)

Last updated
Fat Chance
Directed byJeff McKay
Written byBonnie Dickie
Produced byCharles Konowal
Joe MacDonald
Release date
  • 1994 (1994)
CountryCanada

Fat Chance is a 1994 National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentary film directed by Jeff McKay about fat acceptance.

Contents

Summary

The film focuses on Rick Zakowich, a 40-year-old, 400-pound Winnipeg man who sets out to lose half his body weight, but then decides to accept himself the way he is. The film follows Zakowich's journey to self-acceptance, as he goes on to found a self-help group for large-size men and became an activist for fat acceptance. [1] [2]

Production

Director McKay began on the project in 1990, filming for almost two years and editing for almost three years. Originally planned as a half-hour film, Fat Chance was completed as a 72-minute theatrical documentary, then broadcast in a cutdown version. [3]

The film was written by Bonnie Dickie and produced by Charles Konowal and Joe MacDonald for the NFB. [4]

Reception

Positive reviews for the film included the Toronto Sun , which called it "a work of intense and moving humanity," and the Montreal Mirror , which said "it's really about all obese people who have marked your memory." [1]

The film received seven awards, including a Peabody Award for its TVOntario broadcast and an Achievement Award for outstanding contribution to the advancement of self-respect, dignity, and a better life for fat people, from the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. [4] Fat Chance was also nominated for a Genie Award for Best Feature Length Documentary. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Film Board of Canada</span> Canadas public film and digital media producer and distributor

The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and alternative dramas. In total, the NFB has produced over 13,000 productions since its inception, which have won over 5,000 awards. The NFB reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It has bilingual production programs and branches in English and French, including multicultural-related documentaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman McLaren</span> Scottish Canadian animator (1914–1987)

William Norman McLaren, LL. D. was a Scottish Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He was a pioneer in a number of areas of animation and filmmaking, including hand-drawn animation, drawn-on-film animation, visual music, abstract film, pixilation and graphical sound. McLaren was also an artist and printmaker, and explored his interest in dance in his films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alanis Obomsawin</span> American-Canadian Abenaki artist and filmmaker

Alanis Obomsawin, is an Abenaki American-Canadian filmmaker, singer, artist, and activist primarily known for her documentary films. Born in New Hampshire, United States and raised primarily in Quebec, Canada, she has written and directed many National Film Board of Canada documentaries on First Nations issues. Obomsawin is a member of Film Fatales independent women filmmakers.

The 1st Genie Awards were presented on March 20, 1980, and honoured films released in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Larkin</span>

Ryan Larkin was a Canadian animator, artist, and sculptor who rose to fame with the psychedelic Oscar-nominated short Walking (1968) and the acclaimed Street Musique (1972). He was the subject of the Oscar-winning film Ryan.

George Garnett Dunning (1920–1979) was a Canadian filmmaker and animator. He is best known for producing and directing the 1968 film Yellow Submarine.

Cynthia Scott is a Canadian award-winning filmmaker who has produced, directed, written, and edited several films with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Her works have won the Oscar and Canadian Film Award. Scott is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Her projects with the NFB are mainly focused on documentary filmmaking. Some of Scott's most notable documentaries for the NFB feature dancing and the dance world including Flamenco at 5:15 (1983), which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 56th Academy Awards in 1984. She is married to filmmaker John N. Smith.

Colin Archibald Low was a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He was known as a pioneer, one of Canada's most important filmmakers, and was regularly referred to as "the gentleman genius". His numerous honors include five BAFTA awards, eight Cannes Film Festival awards, and six Academy Award nominations.

<i>The Danish Poet</i> 2006 Norwegian film

The Danish Poet is a 2006 animated short film written, directed, and animated by Torill Kove and narrated by Liv Ullmann. A co-production of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Mikrofilm AS of Norway, it has won both the Academy Award and Genie Award for best animated short film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Munro (filmmaker)</span> Canadian animator, filmmaker and actor

Grant Munro LL. D. was a Canadian animator, filmmaker and actor. In 1952, he co-starred with Jean-Paul Ladouceur in Norman McLaren's Neighbours. His film, Christmas Cracker, was nominated for an Academy Award in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merit Motion Pictures</span> Canadian independent documentary film and television production company

Merit Motion Pictures is an independent documentary film and television production company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was founded by Merit Jensen Carr in 1988.

A Matter of Fat is a 1969 documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada and directed by William Weintraub. It chronicles the efforts of a 358-pound man, Gilles Lorrain, to lose half his body weight as part of a hospital supervised weight loss program.

Mort Ransen was a Canadian film and television director, editor, screenwriter and producer, best known for his Genie Award-winning 1995 film Margaret's Museum.

<i>Food - Weapon of Conquest</i> 1941 Canadian film

Food - Weapon of Conquest is a 22-minute 1941 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film was directed and produced by Stuart Legg. Food - Weapon of Conquest shows the food shortage in Nazi-occupied countries in the Second World War, contrasted with the Allied response to the global food crisis. The film's French version title is Une armée marche sur son estomac.

The 27th Canadian Film Awards were held on October 24, 1976 to honour achievements in Canadian film. The ceremony was hosted by Lorne Greene, and was held at the conclusion of the inaugural 1976 Festival of Festivals.

The 21st Canadian Film Awards were held on October 4, 1969 to honour achievements in Canadian film. The ceremony, attended by 1,200 people, was hosted by broadcaster Fred Davis.

The 22nd Canadian Film Awards were held on October 3, 1970 to honour achievements in Canadian film. The ceremony was hosted by broadcaster Bill Walker.

The 20th Canadian Film Awards were held on October 4, 1968 to honour achievements in Canadian film. The ceremony was hosted by broadcaster Bill Walker and actress Louise Marleau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Studio D</span> Canadian womens film unit

Studio D was the women's unit of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and the world's first publicly funded feminist filmmaking studio. In its 22-year history, it produced 134 films and won 3 Academy Awards. Cinema Canada once called it the "Jewel in the Crown Corporation."

The 1st Canadian Film Awards were presented on April 27, 1949 to honour achievements in Canadian film.

References

  1. 1 2 Lauerman, Connie (26 March 1995). "In a world obsessed with looks, especially thinness, fat..." Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 A. Edwardsson (July 28, 1995). "Fat Chance". Canadian Materials. 1 (VII).
  3. McKay, Jeff. "Fat Chance". Edgeland Films. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Fat Chance". NFB Collections page. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 15 March 2014.