Ron Mann and Gary Topp’s Filmswelike is presenting “Generation DIY” from June 19-22 at the Bloor Cinema. This is perhaps the biggest collection of “mumblecore” films ever screened together in Toronto and I’m seriously excited about seeing a bunch of these, some for the second time (and all for the first time on a big screen). This is a no-brainer if you want to see what’s been happening in the American indie film scene over the past few years. Here’s the jam-packed lineup:
- Nights and Weekends (dir. Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig) (review)
- Quiet City (dir. Aaron Katz) (review)
- LOL (dir. Joe Swanberg) (review)
- Frownland (dir. Ronald Bronstein)
- Funny Ha Ha (dir. Andrew Bujalski) (review)
- Dance Party USA (dir. Aaron Katz) (review)
- Four Eyed Monsters (dir. Aron Crumley and Susan Buice)
- A Simple Midwest Story (dir. Blake Eckard)
- Orphans (dir. Ry Russo-Young)
- The Guatemalan Handshake (dir. Todd Rohal) (review)
- The Death of Indie Rock (dir. Rob Fitl)
- Backroad Blues (dir. Blake Eckard)
- Mutual Appreciation (dir. Andew Bujalski)
Festival passes are just $25. Even better is that the mini-fest is travelling to Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver after its stop here.
Tagged as:
generationdiy,
independent,
mumblecore
Tomorrow night at the IFC Center in New York City, a brand-new award ceremony for documentary films will take place. The Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking were created by filmmaker/blogger AJ Schnack (Kurt Cobain: About a Son) and some colleagues after their dissatisfaction with the current Academy Awards system for recognizing excellence in documentary filmmaking. AJ and TIFF doc programmer Thom Powers will be co-hosting the event, and they’ve assembled an impressive list of presenters.
I’m disappointed not to be able to attend in person, especially since I was honoured to be asked to contribute a short blog excerpt to the printed programme that will be given out to attendees. I’m not sure if this is being broadcast anywhere (online would be ideal) or recorded, but I’ll post the winners on Wednesday.
UPDATE: According to Pamela Cohn, there will be an edited version of the ceremony webcast on AOL True Stories “soon.” More information as I get it.
Full list of nominees
Official site of the Cinema Eye Honors
From a press release sent out by the Icelandic Tourist Board:
In collaboration with the New York-based curatorial team Package Deals, a handful of feature films will be screened in Toronto during the festival. The film Children (Börn), by well-known Icelandic director Ragnar Bragason, is a compelling look at a group of dysfunctional people in Reykjavik. Shot in beautifully stylized black and white, which complements the film’s dark atmosphere, the story’s unexpected twists and turns lead to a provocative denouement. The film was awarded the Best Screenplay award at the 2006 Edda Awards, Iceland’s equivalent of the Academy Awards, in 2006. This screening marks the Toronto premiere of Children (Börn).
The new acclaimed film Heima will also be screening as part of the Taste of Iceland festival. Directed by Ottawa native Dean DeBlois, Heima, which translates as both “home” and “homeland”, chronicles a series of free concerts that Sigur Rós, Iceland’s biggest musical export after Björk, played in their native Iceland in the summer of 2006. The film provides unique insights into one of the world’s most fascinating and inscrutable bands, captured live while exploring their natural habitat — ”the mysterious, otherworldly landscape of Iceland” — like never before.
Both films will screen at the Cumberland Theatre on Bloor St. Children (Börn) will air at 6:30pm and Heima at 8:15pm, both on Thursday, March 13th.
The film screenings are part of A Taste of Iceland, a weeklong Icelandic cultural festival in the city, which includes free musical events and an Icelandic dinner. Check out the full press release for more details.
Unfortunately, I’m going to be in Austin this week, but if you catch Children (Börn), comment here. I’ve already raved about Heima elsewhere, and you should definitely catch it on a big screen.
And though I’m sad to be missing this event, it just makes me that much more excited for my trip to Iceland this coming September for the Reykjavik International Film Festival.
Tagged as:
iceland,
music
October 28 is World Animation Day and our National Film Board is hosting Get Animated!, a series of screenings and presentations on the subject across the country. The best part? Everything is FREE! (Our tax dollars at work, yet again!). The Toronto Mediatheque at 150 John Street (at the corner of Queen, across from the nasty “Scotiabank” megaplex cinemas) has a full programme running from Thursday October 25th through Sunday the 28th.
I’d particularly recommend the October 25th presentation and discussion of Madame Tutli Putli, a jaw-dropping and eerie puppet animation that features the most realistic eyes I’ve ever seen in an animated film. The film has already picked up two awards and is a favourite to win an Oscar.
More information about other countries’ participation is available at the web site of the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation, where it is referred to as International Animation Day.
Tagged as:
animation,
nationalfilmboard,
Special Events
I’ve been familiar with Toronto writer Jim Munroe’s work for at least the past ten years. We both attended York University in the early 90s and both of us signed up to work on existere, a literary magazine. Only Jim never showed up, and I somehow always remembered his name. (Incidentally, existere is also where I met Brett Lamb, now Art Director for the Hot Docs festival.) Jim went on to (modest) fame and (modest-er) fortune as a novelist. After his first novel Flyboy Action Figure Comes With Gasmask was released by HarperCollins in 1999, he decided to self-publish the rest of his work, and has built an amazing resource for anyone looking at DIY publishing. Now, he’s turned his attention to filmmaking.
Infest Wisely was a collaborative effort from start to finish. Billed as “lo-fi sci-fi”, the film consists of seven separate episodes which together comprise a complete feature film. Munroe wrote the entire film, but each episode was directed by a different director, and everyone worked for nothing. What’s the story? “There’s a new, chewable nanotechnology that lets you take photos with your eyes, cures cancer and eliminates body odour. But the early adopters are realizing they got extra ‘features’ they didn’t count on. And no one told them once they spread through the bloodstream, it’s harder to uninstall than your average computer virus.”
If the film, or the concept, sounds interesting to you, there are several ways to see the film. First and best, the film will be screening on Friday May 18th at 7:00pm at Innis Town Hall here in Toronto. Tickets are $5 for “Key Infestors” at the door with all proceeds going to pay for the film’s entry fees to various film festivals. If you’re not local, Munroe will be releasing the film for free via BitTorrent and podcast beginning May 20th, and there will be a DVD available at some point as well, which will include a useful commentary from the filmmakers with lots of DIY advice.
Look for a review of the film here soon.
Tagged as:
independent,
scifi
