Blake is a 1969 short documentary by Bill Mason about his friend and fellow filmmaker Blake James, who pilots his own plane. The film was produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Awards for the film included two Golden Sheaf Awards and an Etrog Award (now known as a Genie Award) for Best Film under 30 minutes. Blake was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.[1][2]
Filming Blake was often dangerous. On one occasion, Mason lost sight of James while filming from another airplane. It was discovered that James had been forced to land on an island in the St. Lawrence River after forgetting to switch on his main fuel tank.[2]
The film was shown theatrically in Canada and acquired by an American distributor. Theatrical showings in the U.S. led to an Oscar nomination in the live-action short category.[2]
Mason and James first met at a commercial art studio in Winnipeg. They later worked together at Crawley Films before both going to the NFB.[2] James' film credits include an animated vignette on Canadian aviation pioneer Wilfrid R. "Wop" May.[3] He also starred in Mason's acclaimed short film The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes.