Let's face it: most Canadian cinema doesn't make too much money at the box office. In fact, as this chart from the Motion Picture Theatre Association of Canada demonstrates, we spend more on tickets for other foreign films (i.e. movies not made in the U.S. or Canada) than we do on Canadian films.

There are lots of reasons why films made in Canada - and especially English Canada - face challenges at the box office: for one thing, we're a big country with a pretty scattered populace. We're also located right next to the U.S., a country with massive marketing budgets for their films.

But here's the thing - a lot of excellent movies are being made in English Canada. They just need some more support, in the form of paying audiences. That's why Anita Adams founded the First Weekend Club, a non-profit, cross-Canada movie club dedicated to promoting and raising awareness of great Canadian films and trying to ensure that they stay in theatres beyond that "first weekend".

You can sign up for their email service for free right here, and they'll let you know about great new Canadian movies coming to theatres near you. They also extend the cinematic experience with special talent Q & As, premiere parties, and other fun activities.

"But does English Canada really produce great movies?", you ask. In a word: yeah. Here's a list of 45 of them. And new ones are being made all the time. So if you have an interest in Canadian cinema, why not check out a few of these - and consider catching a Canadian flick next time you're out at the movies.

Correction: three of these films are not from English Canada (Atanarjuart, The Barbarian Invasions and Maelstrom), but we're leaving them on the list because they're so good. Thanks to @RootedInRealism and @cycinema for the catch.

Strange Brew

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

Black Christmas

Meatballs

Porky's

Prom Night

The Hockey Sweater

Dead Ringers

Black Robe

Roadkill

Highway 61

Hard Core Logo

Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould

Double Happiness

Dance Me Outside

Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy

Cube

The Sweet Hereafter

Ginger Snaps

Maelstrom

Waydowntown

Atanarjuart

FUBAR

Men With Brooms

The Barbarian Invasions

My Life Without Me

The Saddest Music in the World

Clean

It's All Gone Pete Tong

Shake Hands With the Devil

The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico

Away From Her

Bon Cop, Bad Cop

Manufactured Landscapes

Trailer Park Boys: The Movie

Breakfast with Scot

Sharkwater

Nurse.Fighter.Boy

Pontypool

Passchendale

Barney's Version

One Week

Hobo with a Shotgun

Textuality

This Movie is Broken