The renegade filmmaker who captured Newfoundland’s comedic coup d’état
October 29, 2026 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Following the film’s world premiere in the official selection at the Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is bringing Newfoundland filmmaker Justin Simms’ feature documentary Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones to theatres in November, with special guests at select screenings. Following these in-person events in Toronto and Atlantic Canada, all Canadians will be able to stream the film free of charge on NFB platforms beginning December 9.
With little more than a 16-mm camera and a bedrock love of place, “godfather of Newfoundland cinema” Mike Jones broke the trail for the province’s cultural renaissance. Through never-before-seen footage of the comedic chaos that was CODCO, film clips and interviews, Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones summons this chapter of Canada’s hilarious history in a joyful journey of rediscovery featuring Mike’s siblings Andy and Cathy Jones, Mary Walsh, Rick Mercer, Mark Critch and more.
Additionally, Canadian International Pictures is marking the 40th anniversary of Mike and Andy Jones’ satirical cult comedy The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood (1986) with a newly restored print touring theatrically in Canada and the US through spring next year, followed by streaming and a special edition Blu-ray tentatively slated for late 2027.
Screening schedule
More about the film
Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones by Justin Simms (82 min)
A Never Forget Films/National Film Board of Canada co-production in association with Pearl Productions and Odd Sock Films, produced in association with Telefilm Canada and PictureNL.
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/smash-grab-the-rebel-lens-of-mike-jones
- In the 1970s, freed from the iron grip of church and state, a creative revolution detonated in Newfoundland that would impact the entire country. The members of the CODCO troupe—Mary Walsh, Greg Malone, Cathy Jones, Andy Jones, Tommy Sexton, Bob Joy and Diane Olsen—cut their satirical teeth in experimental theatre before their comedic chaos was loosed upon the rest of Canada.
- Justin Simms’ Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones is a joyful journey of rediscovery through the work of the “godfather of Newfoundland cinema.” Alongside his siblings (Cathy and Andy), Jones helped found Newfoundland’s first independent film co-op, co-directed the island’s first feature film (the cult classic The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood) and documented the rise of CODCO from regional hit to comedy legends.
- Through never-before-seen footage of a young CODCO and interviews with friends, family and some of Canada’s funniest people, including Rick Mercer and Mark Critch, Smash & Grab summons this radical chapter of Canadian history. Demented, delightful and even a bit dangerous, Jones’ pioneering vision is still making Canada laugh.
Quote from Justin Simms
- “I am fascinated by how identity and ideology are built, how art shapes a people’s sense of who they are—and the story of Mike Jones and CODCO sits at the very heart of that question. The work produced during the remarkable cultural renaissance we explore in this film didn’t just help Newfoundland discover its own voice, but in so doing, it helped Canada understand itself.”
About Justin Simms
- Justin Simms is a Canadian Screen Award-nominated filmmaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. His work has screened at festivals worldwide, including TIFF, the Berlin International Film Festival and Hot Docs. A longtime collaborator with the National Film Board of Canada, his credits include Hard Light (2012), Danny (2014), Line.Cod (2016) and Becoming Labrador (2018). His 2024 NFB feature documentary Sons explores the challenges of raising boys in turbulent times and was praised by POV Magazine as “a touching, personal and introspective work.”
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Screening links and interviews are available by request.
Media Relations for the NFB
Jennifer Mair
NFB Publicist
C.: 416-436-0105
j.mair@nfb.ca | @NFB_Jennifer
Magalie Boutin
Director, Communications, Public and Cultural Relations, NFB
C.: 514-233-8646
m.boutin@nfb.ca | @NFB_Magalie
Contact for The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood
David Marriott
Co-founder, Canadian International Pictures
dm@cipictures.com
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