Making films, for me at least, is not so much an art as it is a vehicle of exploration.
ABOUT
David Cherniack
Based in Toronto, Canada
After getting an undergraduate degree in Physics, I was at loose ends. I knew at that point I wasn't going to go on in Physics. It wasn't going to answer any of my deeper questions. I set out for Europe where I became interested in film, at least as a way of expressing the existential quandary in which I saw the world, perhaps as a reflection of myself.
During a cold, wet December in London in 1967 I made my first film and fell in love with the ability to play with a simulacrum of reality. I decided to explore the great films schools on the continent, in Paris, Rome, and Prague, lugging my first indisputable masterpiece with me in my knapsack. In Rome our VW bus was broken into and my knapsack and first and only film, stolen. Devastated, I found my way to the Matala caves on the South coast of Crete where I licked my wounds for a month, feeling as devoid and desolate as the hard sandstone crypts on which I and about thirty others laid our heads each night. It was a kind of paradise, far flung from the world. After a month I had to leave.
I decided to make my way East to India, but a series of events brought me instead to Prague, and an interview at the Film Academy (FAMU). It was at the height of the collective euphoria known as the Prague Spring. I fell in love with the city and the hope that seemed to fill its nights. On Aug. 21 everything changed in the course of a few hours. With the Warsaw Pact armies a darkness fell pervading every corner of existence. Still, I spent the next four years studying dramatic direction under Otakar Vavra and Evald Schorm. It was as rich and profound an education into the nature of art and human society as any aspiring filmmaker could want. In the middle of it I discovered the Buddhadharma.
On returning to Canada my wife, Vesna Mladenovic, and I were among the founders of the Winnipeg Film Group before we relocated to Toronto in 1976. The following year I made Coming and Going, a cinema verité documentary about life on a palliative care ward. It was something of a ground breaking film, lifting the veil on the emotional dynamics that surround dying in a technological, death denying, society.
In 1981 I was invited to join CBC's documentary anthology unit, Man Alive, where I spent the next 13 years doing films on a wide variety of eclectic, spiritual, subjects. I was fortunate to meet and film with some wonderful people. But of all the films I did there the one that had the greatest social impact was A Circle of Healing which revealed for the first time the widespread sexual abuse, and its derivative effects on the First Nations communities, that had gone on at the Church-run, government sponsored, residential schools. Like many of the themes and stories I did at Man Alive, I revisited this one later when I became an independent filmmaker.
In the mid-late-nineties, with Sleepwalking Mongolia, I began learning the process of shooting and editing my own films. The innovative 26 part tone-poem, Spiritual Literacy, followed. From 2000-2003 I made Reservation, a cinema verité feature and miniseries that follows life over the course of a year on the same remote BC reserve where A Circle of Healing was shot. Reservation revealed the full effects of the residential school system, how it continues to lurk in every nook and cranny of reserve life. It was difficult to do because I wanted to make something uncompromisingly honest. That was followed by Hitler and I, a reflection on the all too human nature of evil and the problems with mythologizing it.
In 2005, with the permission of H.H. the Dalai Lama, I was allowed to film The Oracle, a documentary about the State Oracles of Tibet.
From 2005 to 2008 I made the feature documentary UFOs: The Secret History, the first film to take a detailed look at the history of the UFO phenomenon.
The style of my films varies from straight cinema verité, to dramatic reconstruction, to full narration driven story telling. I believe that style is driven by whatever suits the subject matter. As for the content...well, while I've been fortunate to witness and experience many things that have continuously pushed back the borders of what I recognize as reality, I am also, I think, increasingly more aware of the difference between belief and knowledge, shaded as it is by wishful thinking and self-deception. This tends to make what I think I know, increasingly less...and much more provisional in nature. That which I may not have experienced first-hand I tend to put on the shelf if it seems sincere, and to disregard if it doesn't.
All of this informs my films.
FILMOGRAPHY
"Style From Content"
Selected titles can be clicked for viewing and interviews can be found in the Transcripts section
Several have received major national and international awards and nominations
Creating these films allowed us the honor of interviewing some of our greatest minds - Stephen Hawking, H.H. The Dalai Lama, Allen Ginsburg, Camille Paglia, Neil Postman, Ram Dass, James George, among others
*Productions by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation may still be purchased directly through their contact. Transcripts may not be used without permission.
Thongdrol - 2016 to Present
Theatrical feature documentary on the painting style developed in Tibet by the Karma Kagyu that incorporated the natural world into the vision of Totality that is a thangka.
Dharma Rising - 2015
Feature length documentary version of the two part series on how Buddhism is adapting to its encounter with the West and modernity. Seen through the eyes of more than two dozen of the first generation of Western-born Dharma teachers.
Retreat - 2013
Feature length cinema verité film that follows thirty-five Westerners as they attempt an intense eight-week, silent, meditation retreat in Thailand led by the prolific American Buddhist teacher and writer, B. Alan Wallace.
Dharma Rising - 2011
Two hour mini-series on how Buddhism is adapting to its encounter with the West and modernity. Seen through the eyes of more than two dozen of the first generation of Western-born Dharma teachers.
The Conscious Universe - 2011
Hour long documentary exploring the Buddhist ideas of the nature of consciousness as articulated by B. Alan Wallace.
UFOs: The Secret History - 2008
Feature length cultural history of one of the last century’s most mysterious phenomena exploring how popular mythology obscured any attempts to discover an underlying reality. For History Television.
The Oracle - 2007
One hour exploration of trance possession in Tibetan Buddhism. Filmed with the permission of the Dalai Lama with exclusive scenes shot in his private trances with the State Oracles. For VisionTV.
The Moncla Memories - 2007
One hour film about the prior-life recollections of a computer systems engineer that explores the boundary between fantasy and memory. For VisionTV.
Reservation - 2003
A feature cinema verité documentary that follows a year in the life of the Alkali Lake, BC Shuswap Reserve. For VisionTV, APTN.
Hitler and I – 2003
On the set of the CBS Hitler mini-series examining the issues of dramatizing an emotionally charged history. For History Channel.
Ted and Rachel (A Love Story) - 2003
The film spends a weekend in central Detroit with 80 year-old Ted and 30 year-old Rachel. Ted lived the 12 Steps in a Zen Master-like way.
Brother XII - 2002
Hour documentary for History Television about the infamous leader of a Canadian Cult. For History Channel.
Spiritual Literacy - 2000
Twenty-six part series based of the best seller of the same name. Excerpts from a wide variety of spiritual disciplines read and placed to images and music. For VisionTV.
Fire on the Mountain - 1999
A gathering of Shamans from indigenous religions around the world explores what they have in common politically and spiritually. 104 minutes. For VisionTV, Mystic Fire.
Sleepwalking Mongolia - 1998
A deeply personal feature length journey through the 1995 Kalachakra initiation in Ulan Bator given by The Dalai Lama. It explores the difficulties of Mongolian Buddhism as it rises from the ashes of 70 years of Communist destruction. For VisionTV.
The Four Noble Truths - 1997
Six hour teaching by the Dalai Lama at the Barbican Hall in London. Introduced by Robert A. F. Thurman. For Mystic Fire.
Millennium - 1996
Two part examination of the millennium that looks at the rising tide of anxiety spilling over into the culture as the fixation on technology. Hosted by Evan Solomon. With Umberto Eco, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Michael Grosso, Mark Kingwell, Richard Landes, David Mercer and others. For CBC.
Separate School Funding - 1996
Two-part examination of the movement by minorities to get publicly funded religious schools in Canada, with Lois Sweet. For CBC.
Sacred Sex - 1996
Sex and spirituality traditionally don't go together. A look at the subject from a completely non-traditional point of view. With Rianne Eisler and various tantrikas and firewomen. For CBC.
Aging to Saging - 1996
A weekend workshop at Omega Institute looks at changing the attitudes of the elderly to aging. With Ram Dass and Reb Zalman Schacter-Shalomi. For CBC.
I Am Dreaming - 1995
A look at the importance of dreaming in our lives. From native dream shamans to the lucid dreaming research of Stephen LaBerge with Glenn Mullin, Stanley Kripner, Jayne Gackenbach. For CBC.
Tonight's the Night - 1995
Three elderly couples grapple with the problems of sex and aging. For CBC.
Nirvana in Nova Scotia - 1995
In the 1980's, at the behest of their controversial Tibetan teacher, 400 American Buddhists moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. A portrait of the Halifax Vajradhatu with Allan Ginsberg, Robert A. F. Thurman, James George. For CBC.
The Magic Mystery School - 1994
A group of professional magicians go on retreat to try to re-discover real magic with Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger, Max Maven. For CBC.
The Gift - 1994
The work of Brother Bob who, with Sister Ivana, an 83 year-old motorcycle driving nun, has set up one of the largest leprosy clinics in India. For CBC.
Way of the Drum - 1994
The importance of rhythm in our lives. From ancient shamanism to modern rock and roll. With Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, Fred Dono, Glen Velez, Reinhard Flatischler, Trechi Shankaran, John Wyre. For CBC.
Encountering Mary - 1993
A group of Canadian pilgrims head off to the Venezuelan jungle in search of apparitions of the Virgin Mary. For CBC.
Dream of the Earth - 1993
Father Charles Brant, the only ordained hermit priest in North America, works to bring environmentalists and logging companies to the table on Vancouver Island. For CBC.
Letters to Canada - 1992
A portrait of Father J. Murray Abraham, priest extraordinaire, who has set up a community based chicken farm for the impoverished people in the Darjeeling Hills of India. For CBC.
SkyMagic - 1992
One hour look at UFO abductions from a mytho-spiritual perspective. With some of the most interesting minds in the field, Ken Ring, John Mack, Peter Rojcewicz, Michael Grosso, Eric Jacobsen, David Gotlib, Keith Thompson, Budd Hopkins, David Hufford, Barry Greenwood and a Group Discussion with Ring, Rojcewicz, Mack, Grosso, Gotlib, and Jacobsen. For CBC
Progress and Prophesy - 1992
The Man Alive 25th Anniversary Special. A one hour compilation tracing society wide technological change paralleled by the awakening spirituality of the indigenous peoples. With Camille Paglia, Neil Postman, and Jean Vanier. For CBC.
Belly of the Beast - 1991
Behind the walls of Warkworth Penitentiary at an intense weekend workshop by Alternatives to Violence, a Quaker sponsored program throughout North American prisons, with Steve Angel. For CBC.
Heart of Tibet - 1991
The one hour version of Ocean of Wisdom. An intimate look at the Dalai Lama during the Los Angeles Kalachakra. Filmed with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access. For Mystic Fire.
Back From Light - 1990
Survivors of Near Death Experience tell their stories. For CBC.
Raging Grannies - 1990
Turning anger into constructive energy, a group of Victoria grandmothers spoof our notion of old age and work to save the ecology. For CBC.
Keeper of the Flame - 1990
Josef and Zdena Skvorecky, two Czech novelists living in Toronto since 1968, return for a visit after 22 years and are welcomed back as heroes. For CBC.
Ocean of Wisdom - 1989
An intimate look at the Dalai Lama during the Los Angeles Kalachakra. Filmed with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access. For Mystic Fire.
A Hitchhiker's Guide to the New Age - 1989
Finding meaning in the excess of the New Age movement. A light-hearted look, with Jeremy Tarcher, Ram Dass, Marilyn Ferguson. For CBC.
Wheel of Rebirth - 1989
An examination of death and re-birth in Tibetan Buddhism filmed on location in India with an interview with the Dalai Lama. Includes a sequence with the State Oracle of Tibet going into trance. For CBC.
A Circle of Healing - 1989
A two part special edition revealing the enormous rate of sexual abuse within Canada's native community and its causal connection to our churches. For CBC.
The ET Hypothesis - 1987
The effect of a hypothetical extra-terrestrial contact on the human psyche. Seen through the eyes of the UFO abduction phenomenon. Largest audience in Man Alive's 29 year history. For CBC.
Journey to Prague - 1987
A dramatic documentary about Otto Lowy, who left Czechoslovakia in 1939, and keeps returning in search of an answer to the Holocaust. For CBC.
Love and Alchemy - 1986
Alex, an 82 year-old alchemist, lives with his 24 year-old girlfriend in rural Quebec. A whimsical look at their relationship. For CBC.
Stephen Hawking's Universe - 1986
A portrait of the famed physicist paralyzed by Lou Gerhig's Disease. With Stephen Hawking and Superstring theorists Ed Whitten, John Schwarz. His personal favorite of the many documentaries done about him. For CBC.
The Mighty Quinn - 1985
An hour-long cinema-verité trip with Father Vaughan Quinn, ex-whiskey priest, through the deepest, darkest parts of central Detroit. For CBC.
Susan Nelles - 1985
The nurse falsely charged in the deaths of 28 babies at Sick Children's Hospital gives her one and only account to the media. For CBC.
Gathering of Magicians - 1984
The information revolution through the eyes of a visionary California software company who see themselves changing the culture. For CBC.
The Promised Land - 1984
A portrait of Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem, told through the music of its Gospel Choir. For CBC.
To Touch the Face of God - 1983
Hour-long documentary special about the artistic and historical significance of attempting to create images of God as man. For CBC.
Drop-kick Me Jesus - 1983
A look at some of the beliefs and practices of professional football players who are evangelical Christians. For CBC.
Fly Fishing - 1982
A whimsical look at the science behind fly fishing. For CBC.
Science Fair - 1981
A comical treatment of kids and their projects. For CBC.
Sense of Mission - 1981
Looking at René Fumaleau, an Oblate priest and photographer who came from France to teach Dene Indians and instead became their student. For CBC.
Sharp and Terrible Eyes - 1980
Ninety minute cinema verité documentary special on Canada's juvenile justice system. For CBC, TVOntario.
Upper Reaches - 1979
Drama about the effects of divorce on children. For TVOntario.
Belonging - 1978
One hour documentary on adoption. For TVOntario.
Coming and Going - 1978
One hour cinema-verité documentary, it was the first film to follow the staff and patients on a palliative care ward. For CBC.
Don't Forget to Smile - 1977
A sponsored film for the Hospital for Sick Children on their burn unit. For Chetwynd Films.
Jack's Thing - 1974
An acted farce done for the Manitoba Department of Industry and Commerce that became a classic on Winnipeg television.
For Those Who Have Less - 1973
The 1973 Manitoba NDP Campaign film.
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