"My Winnipeg" as described by Guy Maddin is a 'docu-fantasia'. It is a surrealist mockumentary about Winnipeg, Maddin's hometown. Maddin's use of techniques and media falls outside of the formal repertoire of contemporary cinema, which requires us to re-examine what we think we know about the documentary genre. The film's 'truth' seems to lie somewhere in the irresolvable tension created by the gap between documentary and melodrama. My Winnipeg is intriguing because it is psychologically true without being historically accurate.
Guy Maddin, is a Canadian screenwriter, director, author, cinematographer and film editor of both features and short films, as well as an installation artist, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. His most distinctive quality is his penchant for recreating the look and style of silent or early-sound-era films. Since completing his first film in 1985, Maddin has become one of Canada’s most well-known and celebrated filmmakers.
Maddin has directed ten feature films and numerous short films, in addition to publishing three books and creating a host of installation art projects. A number of Maddin’s recent films began as or developed from installation art projects, and his books also relate to his film work. Maddin has been the subject of much critical praise and academic attention, including two books of interviews with Maddin and two book-length academic studies of his work. Maddin was appointed to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour, in 2012.