Laughter in My Soul
1983 · 27m · Canada
Directed by Halya Kuchmij
Genres: biography, documentary, historical
Tones: contemplative, humorous, tender
Ukrainian-Canadian cartoonist Jacob Maydanyk, creator of folk hero Shteef Tabachniuk, is remembered as a voice of dignity and humour for early immigrant pioneers.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
A straightforward immigrant doc—exactly the kind of consensus-friendly heritage piece that feels like it was made for a curriculum, not a room full of people actually paying attention.
Kuchmij's 1983 documentary sits in a precise lineage of NFB biographical portraiture, using animation and archival material to dignify a figure whose cultural work might otherwise disappear; the formal restraint in how it lets Maydanyk's own illustrations carry the voice is quietly masterful.
The decision to let Maydanyk's own cartoons do the heavy lifting—his drawings as both document and character—transforms what could've been a standard talking-heads bio into something where the subject's hand is literally moving the story forward.