This is a list of Canadian films which were released in 1981:
Title Director Cast Genre Notes 64,000,000 Years Ago Bill Maylone National Film Board animated short Alligator Shoes Clay Borris Clay Borris, Garry Borris, Ronalda Jones Drama The Amateur Charles Jarrott John Savage, Christopher Plummer, Marthe Keller, Arthur Hill Drama Being Different Harry Rasky Billy Barty, Sandy Allen, Jóhann K. Pétursson Documentary Bush Pilot: Reflections on a Canadian Myth Norma Bailey, Robert Lower Documentary A Choice of Two John Howe Alexandra Bastedo, Mavor Moore, Leslie Nielsen, Gary Reineke Drama Circle of Two Jules Dassin Richard Burton, Tatum O’Neal, Patricia Collins, Kate Reid Drama Dassin's last film; novel by Marie-Térèse Baird Crac Frédéric Back Animated The Devil at Your Heels Robert Fortier Ken Carter Documentary Dirty Tricks Alvin Rakoff Elliott Gould, Kate Jackson, Arthur Hill, Rich Little, John Juliani Comedy Elvis Gratton Pierre Falardeau Julien Poulin Short Genie Award – Theatrical Short Firebird 2015 AD David Robertson Darren McGavin, Doug McClure Futuristic drama First Winter John N. Smith Kathleen McAuliffe, Sharon O'Neill, Eric Patrick Godfrey, Kevin Kennedy National Film Board dramatic short Academy Award nominee The Followers (Les Adeptes) Gilles Blais Documentary Gas Les Rose Philip Akin, Susan Anspach Comedy Ghostkeeper Jim Makichuk Horror Happy Birthday to Me J. Lee Thompson Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane, Sharon Acker Slasher film Happy Memories (Les Beaux souvenirs) Francis Mankiewicz Monique Spaziani, Paul Hébert, R. H. Thomson, Julie Vincent Drama Heartaches Donald Shebib Margot Kidder. Annie Potts, Robert Carradine, Winston Rekert Drama Genie Award – Screenplay, Actress (Kidder), Foreign Actress (Potts) Heartbreak High Mark Warren Comedy Heavy Metal Gerald Potterton Voices of Jackie Burroughs, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Don Francks, Eugene Levy, Al Waxman Feature animation; based on the French fantasy magazine of the same name Genie Award – Sound, Golden Reel Award The High Country Harvey Hart Timothy Bottoms, Linda Purl Drama The Hot Touch Roger Vadim Crime comedy Imagine the Sound Ron Mann Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon and Paul Bley Feature documentary A film that focuses on four musicians of the free jazz movement. Improper Channels Eric Till Alan Arkin, Mariette Hartley Comedy Genie Award– Foreign Actor (Arkin) The Incubus John Hough Horror Just Another Missing Kid John Zaritsky Documentary Academy Award for Documentary FeatureKings and Desperate Men Alexis Kanner Patrick McGoohan, Alexis Kanner, Margaret Trudeau Drama Featuring Margaret Trudeau, the ex-wife of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Mr. Patman John Guillermin James Coburn, Kate Nelligan, Fionnula Flanagan, Les Carlson Drama My Bloody Valentine George Mihalka Paul Kelman, Don Francks, Cynthia Dale Slasher filmShot in Cape Breton Island coal mines Nose and Tina Norma Bailey Documentary Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography Bonnie Sherr Klein National Film Board documentary Off the Wall Derek May Documentary The Olden Days Coat Bruce Pittman Megan Follows, Doris Petrie Drama, Christmas The Pit Lew Lehman Horror The Plouffe Family (Les Plouffe) Gilles Carle Émile Genest, Juliette Huot, Denise Filiatrault, Gabriel Arcand Drama based on the novel by Roger Lemelin Porky's Bob Clark Dan Monahan, Mark Herrier, Wyatt Knight, Roger Wilson, Kim Cattrall, Susan Clark Teen comedy Golden Reel Award; made with U.S. financing P4W: Prison for Women Janis Cole & Holly Dale Documentary Genie Award – Theatrical Documentary Quest for Fire Jean-Jacques Annaud Drama Rubberface Glen Salzman, Rebecca Yates Jim Carrey Comedy The Running Man Donald Brittain Chuck Shamata, Barbara Gordon, Colm Feore, Kate Trotter Drama Scanners David Cronenberg Michael Ironside, Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence Dane Horror/Sci-Fi Silence of the North Allan King Ellen Burstyn, Tom Skerritt, Gordon Pinsent Drama Genie Award – Cinematography Stade 81 Jaco Van Dormael Documentary Surfacing Claude Jutra Joseph Bottoms, R. H. Thomson, Kathleen Beller, Michael Ironside Drama Adaptation of the Margaret Atwood novel The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin Janet Perlman National Film Board animated short Academy Award nomineeThreshold Richard Pearce Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, John Marley, Sharon Acker, Mare Winningham, Mavor Moore Medical drama Genie Award – Actor (Sutherland), Cinematography Ticket to Heaven Ralph L. Thomas Saul Rubinek, R. H. Thomson, Nick Mancuso, Meg Foster, Kim Cattrall, Jennifer Dale Cult drama Top Priority Ishu Patel Walter Massey, Vlasta Vrana, Maureen Hill, Paula Mazzone Animated short Tulips Rex Bromfield Gabe Kaplan, Bernadette Peters, Henry Gibson, Al Waxman Comedy, drama Violet Shelley Levinson Didi Conn Short drama A War Story Anne Wheeler Docudrama Yesterday Lawrence Kent Vincent Van Patten, Claire Pimparé Drama Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid George Kaczender Richard Harris, Jennifer Dale, George Peppard, Jeanne Moreau, Winston Rekert, Alexandra Stewart Drama Zea André Leduc, Jean-Jacques Leduc Non-fiction short
See also 1981 in Canada 1981 in Canadian television