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 5^th at 9:30, Thursday, October 7^th at 2:50pm, or Tuesday, October 12 at 12:40pm at the Empire Granville 7.

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.