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VIFF

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VIFF

Posted on 28 September 2010 by Nicole Stewart

Vancouver International Film Festival is the largest annual showcase of Canadian film in the world, featuring 86 films from longtime filmmakers to new talent, all under the umbrella of the Canadian Images series.

On our radar is Amazon Falls, directed by Katrin Bowen who was born in England and moved to Linden, Alberta at the age of five where she spent her childhood growing up in the Mennonite community. Her journey took her to Los Angeles, where she acted in b-movie kickboxing films before moving to Vancouver to write and direct independent films.

Now, an award-winning director, this is Bowen’s first feature and what’s even more amazing is that it was shot in 12 days on a shoestring budget. “Making Amazon Falls has got to be the fastest concept to turn around in recorded history,” says screenwriter Curry Hitchborn. “It was two weeks straight of non-stop writing. I put my entire life on hold and I’m so glad I did. I dived in and look what was produced: this phenomenal film.”

Based on Bowen’s experiences in Los Angeles, Amazon Falls unapologetically exposed the grit behind the glitz of fame, featuring former beauty queen April Telek, from Flight 93, who plays Jana, an aging starlet who refused to give up on her Hollywood dream.

Catch a VIFF public screening of Amazon Falls (www.amazonfalls.com) on Tuesday, October 5th at 9:30, Thursday, October 7th at 2:50pm, or Tuesday, October 12 at 12:40pm at the Empire Granville 7.

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afghan star

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VIFF in Review: Part 6

Posted on 24 November 2009 by Michelle da Silva

a prophet

A Prophet

Dir. Jacques Audiard

Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb, Hichem Yacoubi
France, 2009, 150 mins.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, A Prophet takes audiences into the little-known world of French jailhouses and at the center, a coming-of-age man named Malik (played extraordinarily by newcomer Tahar Rahim).

When Malik, a French-Arab, is recruited by a powerful Corsican inmate (played by Niels Arestrup) to kill a Muslim inmate, Malik does so, but not without great moral and physical difficulty. Afterwards, he is taken under the Corsican’s wing and quietly and astutely makes his way up the ranks of inmates. As time passes, Malik finds himself at the top, educating himself, and turning the tables on his teacher to claim his piece of the Paris underworld.

Director Jacques Audiard’s drama-thriller does not slow down the minute the screen opens on Malik’s young, unknowing face. The thrill for the audience is that you are not sure whether you should be cheering for or condemning Malik, who is after all a criminal. Rahim’s performance is intense, multi-layered, emotional and impressive, as he appears in practically every shot. A Prophet is brilliant and powerful and highly recommended.

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the damned united

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VIFF In Review: Part 5

Posted on 17 November 2009 by Michelle da Silva

the white ribbon

The White Ribbon

Dir. Michael Haneke
Starring: Christian Friedel, Leonie Benesch, Ulrich Tukur, Ursina Lardi, Burghart Klaussner
Germany / Austria / France / Italy, 2009, 144 mins.

Themes of morality are explored in Michael Haneke’s new film, The White Ribbon.

The film is set in a small, northern village in Germany, a year before the start of WWI. As the story unfolds, the school teacher recounts the strange series of events and accidents that strike the people living in the village. First, the doctor is catapulted off his horse in a mysterious riding accident. Later, two young boys are found badly beaten. An entire crop of cabbage is hacked and ruined. In contrast to the “evil” incidents plaguing the village, the children are made to wear white ribbons over their mostly somber-colored clothes to remind them of their purity.

The White Ribbon is quiet and serious, shot in black and white, some scenes without any dialogue at all. The performances by the adult and many child actors are impeccable and intense. What I liked best about the film was the way a seemingly-simple narrative unfolded so delicately and intricately. From the moment the film opened, The White Ribbon had the audience holding their breath, taking in every quiet, subtle detail the film had to offer. The White Ribbon was awarded the 2009 Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

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can go through skin

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VIFF in Review: Part 4

Posted on 04 November 2009 by Michelle da Silva

the september issue

The September Issue

Dir. R. J. Cutler
USA, 2008, 90 mins.

Is Anna Wintour as cold and severe as Meryl Streep’s scathing portrayal in the Devil Wears Prada? The September Issue attempts to paint an intimate portrayal of the “ice queen” as her team prepares to publish the year’s most important issue of Vogue magazine.

The documentary opens in early summer New York, where Wintour is constantly butting heads with creative director Grace Coddington. Both women reveal themselves to be equally stubborn and hard to please. While Coddington is busy with the editorial photo shoots, Wintour is whisked off to Paris, London, and Milan for fashion shows before the big issue must come together.

What is most interesting about The September Issue is the truly intimate interviews Cutler manages to squeeze out of Wintour. When Wintour describes her strict upbringing and her family’s view of her career, one might even hear a tinge of sadness and resentment in her voice. Her somewhat detached “motherly” interaction with her daughter, Bee Shaffer, and Andre Leon Talley’s over-the-top “fabulousness” also bring some depth and lightness, respectively, to the documentary.

All in all, The September Issue is a must-watch for budding and long-time fashionistas, especially those who may be considering entering the cut-throat world of fashion. If not for the inside scoop on the industry, then at least for the schooling of designer labels and figureheads.

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adelaide

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VIFF in Review: Part 3

Posted on 27 October 2009 by Michelle da Silva

adelaide

Adelaide

Dir. Liliana Greenfield-Sanders
Starring: Anna Margaret Hollyman, Hank Harris, Damian Young
USA, 2008, 13 mins.

In this charming short by Liliana Greenfield-Sanders, a young woman named Adelaide, who seeks attention and gets her thrills from faking illnesses, falls for her pharmacist. The title character is played by Anna Margaret Hollyman, who portrays Adelaide’s quirks and neurosis with great humor.

Expiration

Dir. Mark Nickelsburg
Starring: Scott Michael Morales
USA, 2009, 4 mins.

While director Mark Nickelsburg’s short is only four minutes in length, it is not without heightened suspense, melodrama, and dark humor. Expiration plays on our feelings of fear, repulsion and impending doom when consuming something, in this case, milk, past the stamped expiration date in this funny and sharp short.

The Greims

Dir. Peter Bolte
Starring: Wes Bentley, Marlene Morreis, Francesco Saviano, Richard Edson
USA, 2009, 14 mins.

Sibling rivalry is at the centre of director Peter Bolte’s new comedic short. Two estranged brothers, played by Wes Bentley and Francesco Saviano, are left with the task of fulfilling their mother’s final wish on the passing of her cat, Gordon Lightfoot. Bolte’s script is wry and witty, and perfectly captures an awkward family exchange.

Hunger

Dir. Stephen Johnson
Starring: Daniel Betts, Nadia Cameron-Blakey
U.K., 2008, 15 mins.

In the only thriller of the shorts program, director Stephen Johnson takes his audience on a twisted tale through the night in a European city. A foreign businessman falls prey to a bewitching but dangerous woman in a violent tale of cat and mouse. The quick pace of the film builds anticipation as the businessman and the audience both wait for the safety that comes with daybreak.

Love Child

Dir. Daniel Wirtberg
Starring: Tindra Nordgren, Magnus Krepper, Cecilie Nerfont Thorgersen
Sweden, 2009, 7 mins.

An angelic-looking child vies for her parents’ attention in Daniel Wirtberg’s sweet and funny short about family. When a kitten is brought home as the new family pet, the only child feels a surge of sibling rivalry as her parents draw their attention to the animal and seemingly forget about her. This short is endearing and well-acted, and the plot cumulates into an especially funny, unexpected ending.

A Penny For…

Dir. Eric Wobma
Starring: Daniel Boissevain, Sofie Knijff
Netherlands, 2008, 9 mins.

Director Eric Womba places his lens on a seemingly jovial beggar as he wanders the streets of Amsterdam asking for change and trying to figure out what day it is. Shot by one camera in real time, this short is both a beautiful city tour and a study on being content.

Strike

Dir. Herbey Wagner
Starring: Laurie Beaver, Mungo McKay, Dythea Marais, Chris Turner, Matt Grehan, Joe Bauer
Australia, 2008, 8 mins.

In this charming, coming-of-age tale, a boy hopes to score his first strike at the local bowling alley as well as win the heart of the girl he longs for. When he is given a box of matches with magical properties, he finds that he’s able to do more than just score a strike. Director Herby Wagner’s short film is lightheartedly entertaining, reminding the audience of all our teenaged dreams.

The Tangent

Dir. Vincent Vesco
Starring: Grappin Sarah, Aurélien Wiik
France, 2008, 13 mins.

A young man picks up a young female hitchhiker, and thus begins a story of the freedom and romance they find on the open road. The couple lives with spontaneity and rebellious freedom until they are faced with a difficult decision. Director Vincent Vesco captures the escapist’s fantasy in a film that most literally defines a “little trip.”

warZone

Dir. Saul Herckis
Starring: Saul Herckis, Craig Sawyer, Grandison M. Phelps IV, Jessica Ashley Perrault, Brian Tracey, Jeff Wang, Andre Robichaud
USA, 2008, 5 mins.

In this rather cheesy expression of a soldier’s longing for a loved one during war, director Saul Herckis attempts to make poetry out of film (or maybe film out of poetry, I’m not sure) with his slightly shallow love story between a presumably modern-day American soldier and his girlfriend. The music combined with the special effects proved to be a little overboard for this 5 minute short.

Welgunzer

Dir. Bradford Schmidt
Starring: Gary Colón
USA, 2009, 14 mins.

In Welgunzer, a man, played by Gary Colón, builds a time machine in his bathtub in order to travel to the future to murder himself. However, his great scheme goes awry when unwelcomed clones of himself pop up to intervene. Director Bradford Schmidt’s tale is funny and charming, and Colón’s comedic performance is outstanding.

Well-Founded Concerns

Dir. Timothy Cawley
Starring: John Hart, Cindy Lentol
USA, 2008, 15 mins.

John Hart plays a painstaking germophobe in Well-Founded Concerns. Living alone in his sterilized apartment, his life is thrown into a state of panic when a deadly epidemic strikes. Timothy Cawley’s script is funny, neurotic, and smart.

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the-milk-of-sorrow

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VIFF in Review

Posted on 18 October 2009 by Michelle da Silva

antichrist

Antichrist

Dir. Lars von Trier
Starring: Willem Defoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Denmark, 2009, 109 mins.

Following the uproar at the Cannes Film Festival, Vancouver audiences lined up early on a Saturday morning to take in the latest from Danish bad boy Lars von Trier. And oh, was the scandal true.

The film opens with actors Willem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg (only referred to as He and She in the credits of the film) engaged in only what can be described as slow-motion, operatic sex as their toddler falls out the window a few feet away.

Following the tragedy, the couple retreats to their cabin in the woods, a place they call “Eden,” where He, a psychiatrist, attempts to treat Her deep state of depression through exposure therapy. Of course, this does not go well, and as the woods seemingly start to turn on the couple, so does the couple on each other.

Antichrist has no shortage of graphic scenes, both sexual and violent in nature, which may deter many movie-goers from ever viewing this film. However, the film is also rich in very skillful cinematographic and sound editing techniques, not to mention the outstanding acting capabilities of skilled actors (Gainsbourg was awarded the Best Actress Award at Cannes) in this in-depth and extreme study on grief, guilt, and madness.

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VIFF 2009

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VIFF Mania

Posted on 29 September 2009 by Michelle da Silva

Courtesy: Vancouver International Film Festival

Courtesy: Vancouver International Film Festival

Film aficionados will be flocking to Canada’s rainy city come October 1 for the 28th annual Vancouver International Film Festival. The festival runs for a total of 16 days and presents approximately 640 screenings of 360 films from 80 different countries.

VIFF has built a reputation as one of Canada’s premier film festivals, showcasing a variety of different films and attracting over 150,000 attendees.

The festival’s films are broken down into several categories: The Way of Nature, an environmental series; Dragons and Tigers, films from Asia; Non-Fiction Features, a showcase of documentary films; Canadian Images, some of our nation’s best cinema; Spotlight on France, a sidebar on France’s national cinema; and Cinema of Our Time, an annual spotlight on some of the most significant films from around the world. Additionally, VIFF has added two new sections to the festival program this year: Audience Award Winners, popular winners at other international film festivals; and Follow the Money, films focused on the current worldwide financial crisis.

GLOSS will be attending screenings of some of the best films VIFF has to offer, including acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s newest piece, Broken Embraces, starring Penelope Cruz; Heath Ledger’s final curtain call, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; and the highly-anticipated portrait of legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour, The September Issue.

For more film information or for ticket information, visit: http://www.viff.org

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