Rick Raxlen was born in Toronto and has lived and worked in Montreal. He now makes Victoria, British Columbia his home. Having produced several shorts with the National Film Board of Canada between 1968 and 1976, he is best known for his experimental independent films and videos. After a few Super 8 works, he made several 16mm films such as Jaffa Gate (1982) and Pea Pea Caw Caw (1984). His videos extend the techniques used in his films, the exploration of the medium being of greater importance than fictional explorations. His videos include Self-portrait (with a fish) (1983), Duck-talk (1983), The Polytechnique World (1983) and Pure-mutation (1984).