Discovering Oscar Cahén: The Warrior

Oscar Cahén was one of Canada's most inventive and influential artists—celebrated across the country for his colourful magazine covers and innovative paintings. When his life was tragically cut short in 1956 however, almost all of his work completely disappeared from public view, and hasn’t been seen since. Now, after more than 60 years in storage, some of Oscar’s greatest works are about to get their moment in the spotlight again—along with his masterpiece—'The Warrior’.

At its core, ‘Discovering Oscar Cahén: The Warrior’ tells the story of a political refugee who was forced to flee Nazi Germany only to end up as a Prisoner of War in Quebec, and who went on to become a key figure in defining Canada’s cultural fabric.

  • Howard Brull
    Director
  • Howard Brull
    Writer
  • Howard Brull
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes 28 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 10, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Howard Brull

Howard Brull is a Producer/Director with over 30 years of experience of telling visually compelling stories that revolve around all aspects of the Arts.

He's produced and directed short documentaries in collaboration with such notable creators as John Malkovich and Vivienne Westwood; originated the tv series ‘Unseen Toronto’ and ‘Toronto Unearthed’ (urban archaeology); created a fashion comedy series with ‘Kids in the Hall’ Scott Thompson (Danny Husk), and is currently in production on ‘Lost & Found: The Missing Portrait of Tiger Dunlop’ in conjunction with the Royal Ontario Museum.

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Director Statement

'Discovering Oscar Cahén: The Warrior' has been a passion project of mine for the last 3 years, and tells a richly woven story of an artist traumatized by World War 2 who came to Canada as a Prisoner of War, and went on to become a major force in helping to define the cultural fabric of a nation.

When I learned that most of his artwork had disappeared from public view over 60 years ago, and that this now largely forgotten, yet once famous artist was about to get his moment in the spotlight again, I jumped at the opportunity to document the entire process, and interview the people who know his story best.