Stories We Tell

20121 h 48 min 37 secFilm: Documentary

G

Direction: Sarah Polley

Production: Anita LeeSilva Basmajian

Script: Sarah Polley

Produced by the National Film Board of Canada and developed with the assistance of the CFC-NFB Documentary Program.

In this inspired, genre-twisting new film, Oscar®-nominated writer/director Sarah Polley discovers that the truth depends on who’s telling it. Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers. She playfully interviews and interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting refreshingly candid, yet mostly contradictory, answers to the same questions. As each relates their version of the family mythology, present-day recollections shift into nostalgia-tinged glimpses of their mother, who departed too soon, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Polley unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: always complicated, warmly messy and fiercely loving. Stories We Tell explores the elusive nature of truth and memory, but at its core is a deeply personal film about how our narratives shape and define us as individuals and families, all interconnecting to paint a profound, funny and poignant picture of the larger human story.

Subject categories


  • Film and Video Arts > DocumentaryWomen
  • Media Education > Documentary Film
  • Family Studies/Home Economics > Family Diversity and Challenges
  • Health/Personal Development > Healthy Relationships

Credits


participant
Michael Polley
Harry Gulkin
Susy Buchan
John Buchan
Mark Polley
Joanna Polley
Cathy Gulkin
Marie Murphy
Robert MacMillan
Anne Tait
Deirdre Bowen
Victoria Mitchell
Mort Ransen
Geoffrey Bowes
Tom Butler
Pixie Bigelow
Claire Walker
cast
Rebecca Jenkins
Peter Evans
Alex Hatz
Justin Goodhand
Seamus Morrison
Allie MacDonald
Lani Billard
Andrew Church
Dave Kiner
Jef Mallory
Kristen Corvers
Christine Horne
Jeanie Calleja
James Downing
Tracey Ferencz
Eric Hanson
Kaylin Griffin
Mairtin O'Carrigan
Thomas Hauff
writer
Sarah Polley
director
Sarah Polley
producer
Anita Lee
executive producer
Silva Basmajian
editor
Michael Munn
director of photography
Iris Ng
sound recordist
Sanjay Mehta
production designer
Lea Carlson
costume designer
Sarah Armstrong
music arrangement
Jonathan Goldsmith
casting
John Buchan
Jason Knight
narration writer
Michael Polley
production supervisor
Mark Wilson
production manager
Janine Heath
1st assistant director
Dave Forsyth
post-production supervisor
Lorraine Samuel
production coordinator
Kate Vollum
Christine Kleckner
set production coordinator
Jennifer Mesich
technical coordinator
Marcus Matyas
1st assistant camera
Eva Percewicz
additional camera work
Marcus Matyas
Bob, Sr. Gordon
David Sandomierski
Sarah Polley
Sanjay Mehta
Christine Kleckner
Hugh McJanet
makeup
Sarah Craig-McEathron
hairstylist
Josie Stewart
gaffer
Hugh McJanet
Walter Klymkiw
best boy electric
Alejandro Munoz-Hernandez
daily gaffer
Kendall McColl
key grip
Zach Zohr
electric
Adam Crosby
grip
Sean Harvey
Christopher Logan
swing
Michael Wilde
props master
Paul Vernon
set decorator
David Gruer
set dresser
Sasha Tolstoy
Stephen Depko
buyer
Deirdre Morris
makeup assistant
Alister Muir
Teena Black
daily makeup
Alister Muir
Teena Black
hair assistant
Lily Champniss
Lucy Orton
daily hair
Lily Champniss
Lucy Orton
costume assistant
Nola Chaters
Adrienne Baker
set production assistant
Missy Dingman
Matthew Hunwicks
production assistant
Graeme Brown
Ryan Buller
Adam Belanger
location manager
Roman Martyn
Eardley Wilmot
assistant location manager
Marc Cunningham
Fernando Da Silva
centre administrator
Josiah Rothenberg
marketing manager
Kelley Alexander
unit publicist
Cynthia Amsden
stills photography
Michael Gibson
Ken Woroner
background casting
Nancy Harrison
interview producer
Sonia Hosko
interview sound recording
David Rose
visual researcher
Elizabeth Klinck
music clearances
Elizabeth Klinck
location scout
Catherine Crawford
generator driver
Chris Rowles
driver
Paul Brideau
craft service
Stephanie Dagg
Dawn Weaver
dailies colourist
Josh Olive
project manager
Michelle Morris
digital intermediate colourist
Mark Kueper
film timer
Joscelyn Goode
sales executive/rep
Grace Carnale-Davis
technical operations project manager
Brian Reid
digital intermediate producer
Darcy Arthurs
digital film supervisor
Andrew Pascoe
digital intermediate online editor
Rob Gyorgy
digital film technician
Margaret Mansell
supervising sound editor
Dave Rose
dialogue editor
Barry Gilmore
Krystin Hunter
re-recording mixer
Lou Solakofski
Joe Morrow
mix operator
Shawn Dickey
audio coordinator
Mandy Ley
title design
Julia Brown
additional dailies
Justin Lovell

Awards


  • Allan King Documentary AwardToronto Film Critics Association Awards
  • Rogers Best Canadian Film AwardToronto Film Critics Association Awards
  • Special Mention for the "Small Stamp" for the Best Film by a filmmaker below the age of 35ZagrebDox
  • Focus Grand Prize- with a cash prize of $5000 and $2500 worth of plane tickets from Air FranceFestival du nouveau cinéma
  • Best Documentary FilmInternational Film Festival
  • Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary) AwardNY Film Critics Circle
  • Special Jury Prize- with a $50 000 cash prizeFilm Festival
  • Documentary ScreenplayWriters Guild of America
  • Best Documentary Film for 2013International Cinephile Society
  • Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary AwardCanadian Screen Awards
  • Stefan Jarl International Documentary AwardTEMPO Documentary Festival