Eric Veillette
@veilletteinto.bsky.social
Arts writer & media producer | Globe & Mail, Spacing, Toronto Star, Radio-Canada, Severin Films | Author: In The Dark, A History of Toronto Moviegoing | Editor: The Downtown Theatre | Franco-ontarien
My copy hasn’t arrived yet but congrats to @hertzbarry.bsky.social on crossing the finishing line on this long journey!
Pub day is here for WELCOME TO THE FAMILY: THE EXPLOSIVE STORY BEHIND FAST & FURIOUS and I’m honoured to have @theringer.com.web.brid.gy run an exclusive excerpt about the final days of Paul Walker — and how the FURIOUS 7 fam came together for their fallen brother www.theringer.com/2025/11/25/m...
How the ‘Fast & Furious’ Team Vowed to See Paul Walker Again
In an excerpt from his new book, ‘Welcome to the Family,’ Barry Hertz explores the immediate aftermath of Paul Walker’s death amid production on ‘Furious 7’
www.theringer.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:34 PM
My copy hasn’t arrived yet but congrats to @hertzbarry.bsky.social on crossing the finishing line on this long journey!
Reposted by Eric Veillette
TRUMP [after spending 5 minutes with Zohran]: surplus value, it’s a very wonderful thing, very wonderful, and they’re stealing it. Can you believe that?
We’re going to be looking very strongly at the bourgeoisie, what they’re up to
We’re going to be looking very strongly at the bourgeoisie, what they’re up to
November 21, 2025 at 9:25 PM
TRUMP [after spending 5 minutes with Zohran]: surplus value, it’s a very wonderful thing, very wonderful, and they’re stealing it. Can you believe that?
We’re going to be looking very strongly at the bourgeoisie, what they’re up to
We’re going to be looking very strongly at the bourgeoisie, what they’re up to
This week’s Downtown Theatre newsletter looks at how the xenophobic post-war attitudes of the 1920s prevented German films from playing in Ontario theatres — The Last Laugh, F.W. Murnau’s silent masterpiece, among them.
thedowntowntheatre.substack.com/p/the-last-l...
thedowntowntheatre.substack.com/p/the-last-l...
The Last Laugh: Banned in Ontario
Released in 1924, Murnau's film was not screened in Ontario until 1928.
thedowntowntheatre.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:41 PM
This week’s Downtown Theatre newsletter looks at how the xenophobic post-war attitudes of the 1920s prevented German films from playing in Ontario theatres — The Last Laugh, F.W. Murnau’s silent masterpiece, among them.
thedowntowntheatre.substack.com/p/the-last-l...
thedowntowntheatre.substack.com/p/the-last-l...
Reposted by Eric Veillette
Buying a bag of avocados is to schedule anxiety into your life.
November 20, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Buying a bag of avocados is to schedule anxiety into your life.
In this week’s newsletter, I write about Emmanuelle in Ontario, and how Just Jaeckin’s erotic film was at the onset of Ontario’s most heavy-handed era of film censorship. open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
Emmanuelle in Ontario
Just Jaeckin's erotic film was released at the onset of Ontario's most heavy-handed era of film censorship.
open.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:49 PM
In this week’s newsletter, I write about Emmanuelle in Ontario, and how Just Jaeckin’s erotic film was at the onset of Ontario’s most heavy-handed era of film censorship. open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
This week’s newsletter looks at the history of The Bloor Theatre. No no, not that one. The one across the street, which we’ve known as Lee’s Palace since the mid-‘80s.
open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
Toronto’s forgotten cinemas: The Bloor
The cinematic roots of the Annex’s most storied stage.
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:20 PM
This week’s newsletter looks at the history of The Bloor Theatre. No no, not that one. The one across the street, which we’ve known as Lee’s Palace since the mid-‘80s.
open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
This cut deep.
god, i wish alt-weeklies were still a thing
November 8, 2025 at 4:43 PM
This cut deep.
For the Toronto Star, I write about Ed Conroy new book, ImagiNation: The Golden Age of Toronto Kids’ TV. Although the book spans 50 year of important programming, this here ‘80s kid spills lots of ink on Today’s Special & some of the difficult themes they tackled.
www.thestar.com/entertainmen...
www.thestar.com/entertainmen...
From ‘Polka Dot Door’ to ‘Today’s Special,’ Toronto has a rich, wild history of children’s TV shows. Here’s why this archivist feels it’s worth preserving
In a new book, television historian Ed Conroy traces the evolution of the city's kids' programming.
www.thestar.com
November 2, 2025 at 2:59 PM
For the Toronto Star, I write about Ed Conroy new book, ImagiNation: The Golden Age of Toronto Kids’ TV. Although the book spans 50 year of important programming, this here ‘80s kid spills lots of ink on Today’s Special & some of the difficult themes they tackled.
www.thestar.com/entertainmen...
www.thestar.com/entertainmen...
RIP Peter Watkins.
November 1, 2025 at 5:17 AM
RIP Peter Watkins.
Across Canada, indie cinemas are re-emerging in rural areas the major chains have left behind. But their survival is far from certain, as owners fight uphill battles with studio demands, the economy, moviegoing marketplace & regulations built for another era.
www.cbc.ca/arts/for-sma...
www.cbc.ca/arts/for-sma...
For small town cinemas across Canada, the show must go on | CBC Arts
In communities across the country, the local movie theatre is a cultural hub. With major chains pulling back, indie theatres are stepping up to face big challenges
www.cbc.ca
October 31, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Across Canada, indie cinemas are re-emerging in rural areas the major chains have left behind. But their survival is far from certain, as owners fight uphill battles with studio demands, the economy, moviegoing marketplace & regulations built for another era.
www.cbc.ca/arts/for-sma...
www.cbc.ca/arts/for-sma...
Want to read about a Toronto theatre whose owner was nearly killed by competitors, played a role in bringing foreign films to neighbourhood cinemas & later played a brief but pivotal role in shaping Toronto’s punk scene? Learn more about The King Theatre:
open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
Toronto’s forgotten cinemas: The King Theatre
How a College Street movie-house moved from perilous cliffhangers to punk chaos.
open.substack.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Want to read about a Toronto theatre whose owner was nearly killed by competitors, played a role in bringing foreign films to neighbourhood cinemas & later played a brief but pivotal role in shaping Toronto’s punk scene? Learn more about The King Theatre:
open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
open.substack.com/pub/thedownt...
Thanks Norm! Emmanuelle meets Government Regulators — together at last!
PSA: If you buy the massive @severinfilms.bsky.social EMMANUELLE boxed set, you'll be supporting @veilletteinto.bsky.social's documentary career!
Emmanuelle in Ontario
A short documentary exploring the release of Just Jaeckin's Emmanuelle (1974) in Ontario, Canada, at the time of a major shift in its film censorship regime.…
vimeo.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Thanks Norm! Emmanuelle meets Government Regulators — together at last!
Film classification is fading in Canada. But in B.C., it is alive & well, much to the dismay of exhibitors, distributors & industry advocates who spoke to me, calling the current system parochial, archaic & out of step with modern film exhibition. My latest for @theglobeandmail.com
As provinces move out of film classification in the streaming era, why is B.C. doubling down?
Film programmers cast doubt on a 20th-century system regulating a 19th-century art form
www.theglobeandmail.com
August 4, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Film classification is fading in Canada. But in B.C., it is alive & well, much to the dismay of exhibitors, distributors & industry advocates who spoke to me, calling the current system parochial, archaic & out of step with modern film exhibition. My latest for @theglobeandmail.com