Today, TIFF Cinematheque unveiled an exciting fall programming slate with a series of retrospectives, special screenings, new restorations, commemorative events, the return of Wavelengths Presents, exclusive New Releases, and many special guests at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Starting October 14, TIFF Cinematheque shines a light on contemporary Italian cinema with its comprehensive focus on four visionary filmmakers — Alessandro Comodin, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pietro Marcello, and Alice Rohrwacher — who have revitalized their national scene on a global level. The first series of its kind to draw resonances between these singular bodies of work, Lost and Beautiful: New Italian Cinema is a major 17-film retrospective curated by TIFF Cinematheque Senior Curator Andréa Picard and co-presented in partnership with Cinecittà, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the Consulate General of Italy, Toronto. Comodin and Frammartino will be in attendance for the opening weekend.
This Halloween season, TIFF is inviting audiences to explore HERROR, a series of honest, daring, and darkly satisfying horror films created by women, co-presented by Rue Morgue. Midnight Madness Presents will complement the lineup with a special presentation of Stephanie Rothman’s under-screened classic The Velvet Vampire, featuring a virtual Q&A with the filmmaker on October 29. Horror fans will be able to enjoy a lineup of women-centric films on digital TIFF Bell Lightbox on October 7: The Blair Witch Project, Crawl, The Lair Of The White Worm, The Ring, and You Won’t Be Alone.
TIFF will spotlight Nordic Noir films in November, the final of three retrospectives in a year-long series celebrating the best of Nordic cinema, which includes Morten Tyldum’s adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s novel Headhunters; and the adaptation of Arnaldur Indriðason’s book Jar City by director Baltasar Kormákur — made possible as part of Nordic Bridges 2022 in collaboration with Harbourfront Centre, Toronto.
Audiences can also look forward to the Canadian premiere of Pedro Costa’s haunting debut film and TIFF Official Selection O Sangue, newly restored in 4K; the Toronto premiere of the 2K restoration of Arthur Bressan’s Buddies on World AIDS Day, featuring an introduction by filmmaker John Greyson; the return of TIFF Wavelengths Presents, with the Toronto premiere of C.W. Winter & Anders Edström’s monumental, multiple–award-winning The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin); and the Canadian premiere of The African Desperate from installation artist and filmmaker Martine Syms, featuring a Q&A with Syms presented in partnership with Mercer Union.
Other in-person guests include Academy Award–winning writer John Irving, who will discuss his highly anticipated new novel The Last Chairlift, as well as The Cider House Rules; pop culture critic and podcaster Elamin Abdelmahmoud, who will present a screening of his favourite film, Moneyball, as part of TIFF’s Loved It series; American filmmaker and screenwriter Lodge Kerrigan to present the 4K restoration of Keane, his startling third feature and a 2004 TIFF Official Selection; and Argentine filmmaker Matías Piñeiro will present the Toronto premiere of his latest film, Isabella as part of MDFF Selects. Also, writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour joins us for a live remote Q&A following a screening of her cult hit A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.
In addition, TIFF Bell Lightbox will be showing New Releases fresh off their run at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, including Denmark’s entry for best international feature at the Oscars 2023, Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider; Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winning film Triangle of Sadness; Decision to Leave, Park Chan-wook’s Cannes Best Director prize–winning film and Best International 2023 Oscar entry for South Korea; and Michael Grandage’s My Policeman, which was honoured with the TIFF Tribute Award for Performance (Ensemble). Additional internationally acclaimed films include Santiago Mitre’s Argentina, 1985, Best International 2023 Oscar entry for Argentina; Juan Pablo González’s Sundance winner Dos estaciones; and Canadian actor Charlotte Le Bon’s directorial debut feature, Falcon Lake.
TIFF CINEMATHEQUE SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
Boosie Fade Film Club — October 6 and December 1
Presented in 35mm
TIFF’s ongoing series of cult classics that have made a huge impact on hip-hop and R&B culture is back in October with Spike Lee’s controversial cult favourite Bamboozled, in which a TV writer (Damon Wayans) pitches a minstrel show at the television network where he works in an attempt to get fired, only to have it become a huge success. Then in December, see the 1997 buddy comedy film BAP*S, about two diner girls (Halle Berry, Natalie Desselle) who become embroiled in a scheme to take advantage of a rich older man, only to find themselves growing emotionally attached to their victim.
HERROR — October 7–30
Panel Discussion – October 7
HERROR presents six women-written, -directed, and -centred films from the past decade that use genre and a gendered gaze to explore all manner of trauma: grief and motherhood (The Babadook, Prevenge), sexual (Revenge), racial (Master), intergenerational (Relic), and the sum total of patriarchal oppressions (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night). Following the screening of The Babadook on October 7, TIFF Cinematheque will feature a panel discussion with Andrea Subissati, Rue Morgue magazine executive director and the producer and co-host of the Faculty of Horror podcast; film writer and curator Sarah-Tai Black; and film critic and writer Carolyn Mauricette.
To Sidney, with Love — October 8–November 22
To mark the passing of icon and actor Sidney Poitier earlier this year and to celebrate his life, TIFF is a featuring a selection of Poitier’s filmography including Buck and the Preacher, which he also directed; Paris Blues; A Raisin in the Sun; To Sir, with Love; and In the Heat of the Night.
Forever Godard — October 9–15
After Jean-Luc Godard’s death just a few weeks ago, TIFF examines what his legendary work means to cinema with this trio of 35mm films from our Film Reference Library collection, including Breathless, Week-end, and Numéro deux.
New and Restored — October 13–December 1
A diverse and thrilling selection of recent restorations that have been painstakingly brought back to life. Films include Alain Resnais’ The War is Over (La guerre est finie), Sarah Maldoror’s Sambizanga, Edward Yang’s A Confucian Confusion, Lodge Kerrigan’s Keane, Pedro Costa’s O Sangue, Sara Gómez’s One Way or Another, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s Hyenas, Robin Phillips’s The Wars, Arthur Bressan’s Buddies, Jacques Rivette’s Love on the Ground, and a 35th anniversary screening of Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys.
Lost and Beautiful: New Italian Cinema — October 14–November 29
Filmmaker panel discussion – October 14
Lost and Beautiful: New Italian Cinema shines a light on four internationally celebrated contemporary Italian filmmakers — Alessandro Comodin, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pietro Marcello, and Alice Rohrwacher — who have revitalized their national cinema with uncompromising and visionary films. Frammartino and Commodin will attend in person for a panel discussing their work before their screening of Roberto Rossellini’s masterpiece Journey to Italy on October 14. Comodin will also introduce the Canadian premiere of his latest, award-winning film, The Adventures of Gigi the Law, and Frammartino will present his Festival favourite, Le Quattro Volte. In addition to numerous premieres and rarities, a free, accompanying publication Cinema According to Alessandro Comodin, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pietro Marcello, Alice Rohrwacher published by Cinecittà and Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Toronto will be available at TIFF Bell Lightbox for the duration of the series.
MDFF Selects — October 27–November 24
MDFF co-founder Kazik Radwanski will host a Q&A (virtual and in-person) with directors following their screenings.
MDFF Selects features a showcase of the world’s best, most challenging, and most provocative new international cinema. Films in this series include the folkloric film One Man Dies a Million Times, Jessica Oreck’s first narrative feature about a seed bank and the botanists who worked throughout the Siege of Leningrad during World War II, preceded by Canadian Filmmaker Carol Nguyen’s emotionally complex and meticulously composed portrait of intergenerational trauma in the TIFF 2019 Official Selection No Crying at the Dinner Table — winner of the Short Documentary Jury Award at SXSW, and selected by TIFF for Canada’s Top Ten Shorts.
Then on November 24, the Toronto Premiere of Isabella by Festival favourite Matías Piñeiro, who will be on hand to present the screening, starring longtime collaborators María Villar and Agustina Muñoz as two actors vying for the lead role in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, the director’s most structurally daring and artistically striking film to date.
Midnight Madness Presents — October 29
Virtual Q&A with filmmaker Stephanie Rothman
Since 1988, TIFF’s annual Midnight Madness programme has presented the wildest and strangest cinematic provocations from around the world. Inspiring contemporary films and feminist filmmakers, the undeniably stylish conceit of The Velvet Vampire and the playfulness of Rothman’s directorial voice will delight and dare the audience to reflect on the centuries of vampire fantasy.
Nordic Noirs — November 6–23
This retrospective traces the Nordic crime-fiction phenomenon to its roots in modern literature and the foundations of the region’s cinema itself. Each of the films in this series uses local elements to craft compelling and unique mysteries which stand with the best of the genre. Films include: Bodil Ipsen’s Melody of Murder, Baltasar Kormákur’s Jar City, Óskar Jónasson’s Reykjavik Rotterdam, Reynir Oddsson’s Story of a Murder, Morten Tyldum’s Headhunters, and Mikael Marcimain’s Call Girl.
Pure Cinematic Oxygen: The Films of Michael Roemer — November 16–25
This spotlight on the celebrated independent writer-director Michael Roemer features three of his narrative features: The Plot Against Harry, Nothing But a Man, and Vengeance is Mine — the only ones to have ever received theatrical release. Roemer suffered a disproportionate amount of bad release luck, which initially prevented his singular films from reaching audiences. The 94-year old filmmaker is finally being recognized for his astounding contributions to American independent filmmaking.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Nuit Blanche — October 1, 7pm–October 2, 7am – FREE
TIFF is proud to host Toronto-based artist Haneen Dalla-Ali’s animation and augmented reality installation Between a Rock and a Hard Place, bringing a remote, Southern Ontario landscape to downtown Toronto and showcasing it through the eyes of the immigrant. Dalla-Ali’s installation is part of Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s all-night celebration of contemporary art, which takes place from sunset on October 1 to sunrise on October 2
imagineNATIVE iNdigital Space — October 18 to 23 – FREE
The iNdigital Space is back and bigger than ever. Flowing from the TIFF Gallery into the TIFF Atrium, imagineNATIVE and TIFF are excited to share Indigenous new media with audiences! Featuring virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), video games, interactive web, audio, and more! Visit @imaginenative on socials for more information.
Sexual Politics and Storytelling, According to John Irving — October 25, 7pm
In-person talk by author John Irving
For more than 40 years, literary icon John Irving has been weaving themes of tolerance for sexual differences throughout his writing. His novels advocate for sexual minorities and reproductive rights with urgency and sincerity, while captivating readers with tragicomic turns and unforgettable characters. At this moment — with the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court, and with US state legislators moving to curtail protections for 2SLGBTQ+ youth — Irving’s work has never felt more vital or timely.
Audiences are invited for a special evening as Irving reflects on the sexual politics that compel his storytelling. The author and screenwriter will launch his new novel, The Last Chairlift, look back at the Academy Award–winning film adaptation of The Cider House Rules, and speak to the parallel impulse of both works.
Viola Desmond Day — November 8–27 – FREE
Public Spaces Art — Activation in the TIFF Bell Lightbox Atrium
When Morning Comes screening — November 8
To commemorate the 76th anniversary of Viola Desmond’s historic stand against racial segregation on November 8, 1946, TIFF is presenting a special screening of Kelly Fyffe-Marshall’s debut feature that premiered at TIFF 2022, When Morning Comes, followed by a conversation about representation, authentic storytelling, and community with Black-led organizations that are at the forefront of supporting Black creators in the entertainment sector. In addition, from November 8 to November 27, TIFF is presenting free public artist activations programmed in partnership with Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND) and Vintage Black Canada. Join us on November 8 at 6pm in the TIFF Bell Lightbox Atrium for a celebration of Black Toronto-based artists and creators. More details to be announced in the coming weeks.
TIFF Next Wave Presents: Open Screen — November 15, 6:30pm
Open Screen invites emerging filmmakers to share something on screen that they’ve created with a community of supportive peers. It can be a finished project or a work-in-progress, something they’ve screened before or something they’ve been sitting on for a while. Filmmakers will receive helpful perspectives and feedback on their work after it plays on the big screen.
His Name is Ray — November 22, 7pm – FREE
In acknowledgment of National Housing Day on November 22 and National Addictions Awareness Week (November 22–28), TIFF is screening Michael Del Monte’s documentary His Name is Ray followed by a conversation about the devastating opioid and housing crises in Toronto ― exacerbated by COVID-19 ― and the vital role of harm-reduction approaches in reducing the negative consequences associated with drug use.
Loved It: Elamin Abdelmahmoud on Moneyball — November 30, 7pm
Pop culture critic and podcaster supreme Elamin Abdelmahmoud revisits Moneyball, a baseball movie with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill that is not totally about baseball. Featuring Aaron Sorkin’s signature dialogue, it is one of the most riveting and defining movies of the 2010s.
NEW RELEASES
PLAYING AT TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX
Opens September 29
Ponniyin Selvan: I, KW Talkies
Mani Ratnam | India | 2022 | 170 mins.
Vandiyathevan (Karthi), sets out to cross the Chola land to deliver a message from the Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan (Vikram). Kundavai (Trisha Krishnan) attempts to establish political peace in the land as civil war is seemingly being plotted by vassals and petty chieftains.
Opens September 30
Argentina, 1985, Amazon Studios
Santiago Mitre | Argentina, United States | 2022 | 140 mins.
Inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera, Luis Moreno Ocampo, and their young legal team of unlikely heroes in their David-vs-Goliath battle in which, under constant threat, they dared to prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship against all odds and in a race against time to bring justice to the victims of the Military Junta.
Opens October 6
Triangle of Sadness, Elevation Pictures
Ruben Östlund | Sweden, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Greece | 2022 | 150 mins.
Ruben Östlund’s latest Palme d’Or–winning satire explores hypocrisy, greed, and thirst for power amongst the idle rich (and the luxury-cruise industry).
Opens October 7
Dos estaciones, Cinema Guild
Juan Pablo González | Mexico | 2022 | 99 mins.
In the bucolic hills of Mexico’s Jalisco highlands, iron-willed businesswoman Maria Garcia fights the impending collapse of her tequila factory.
Opens October 14
Falcon Lake, Sphère Films
Charlotte Le Bon | Canada, France | 2022 | 100 mins.
Canadian actor Charlotte Le Bon’s directorial debut, based on Bastien Vivès’s graphic novel, is part summertime coming-of-age story and part eerie gothic.
Opens October 21
My Policeman, Amazon Studios
Michael Grandage | United Kingdom, United States of America | 2022 | 113 mins.
This tale of forbidden romance and changing social conventions follows three people — policeman Tom (Harry Styles/Linus Roache), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin/Gina McKee), and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson/Rupert Everett) — and their emotional journey spanning decades.
Opens October 28
Decision to Leave, Mongrel Media
Park Chan-wook | South Korea | 2022 | 138 mins.
A dramatic love story is the beating heart of Park Chan-wook’s mesmerizing and lavish noir masterpiece, featuring the charismatic Chinese star Tang Wei.
Opens November 18
Holy Spider, Sphère Films
Ali Abbasi | Denmark, Germany, Sweden, France | 2022 | 116 mins
In Iran’s spiritual capital, Mashhad, a dangerous and brutal cat-and-mouse-game unfolds between a serial killer and a journalist seeking justice.
RENT ON DIGITAL TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX
Available September 30
Carmen, Vortex
Valerie Buhagiar | Malta, Canada | 2022 | 87 mins.
In a small Mediterranean village in Malta, Carmen (Natascha McElhone) has looked after her brother, the local priest, for her entire life. When the Church abandons Carmen and she is mistaken for the new priest, Carmen begins to see the world, and herself, in a new light.
God’s Creatures, Sphère Films
Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer | Ireland, United Kingdom, United States | 2022 | 94 mins.
A mother (Emily Watson) tells a lie to protect her son (Paul Mescal), ripping apart their family and close-knit community in this sweepingly emotional drama.
Available October 4
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Elevation Pictures
Dean Fleischer-Camp | United States | 2021 | 90 mins.
In this heartwarming mockumentary that mixes live action and stop-motion animation, a one-inch-tall shell (gently voiced by Jenny Slate) searches for his long-lost family.
Available to rent now
Celebrating Steven Spielberg Shelf
Now that he’s shown us his origin story with The Fabelmans, digital TIFF Bell Lightbox is happy to showcase a selection of Steven Spielberg’s work over the decades.
Schindler’s List (1993)
Amistad (1997)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Announced late last year, a new membership benefit has been added to TIFF Memberships for the duration of 2022: Members now receive free access to over 200 Cinematheque screenings, which includes new essentials, classics, rarities and recent restorations. Additionally, TIFF recently introduced the TIFF Under-25 Free Pass, which offers young film lovers under the age of 25 a pass to access a range of free benefits, such as tickets to Cinematheque screenings, encouraging them to take advantage of exclusive year-round benefits and be part of a community of up-and-coming film lovers.
(Photo credit: Prime Video)
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With the importance of mental health awareness at the forefront of myriad conversations and the world continues to experience the impacts of the pandemic, Workman Arts is today announcing the full line-up for their 30th-anniversary edition of the Rendezvous With Madness Festival – the largest and longest-running arts festival in the world dedicated to the intersection of mental health and artistic expression.
The 2022 festival runs from October 27 – November 6 and presents 13 feature films and two short programs – a total of 30 films from 15 countries – in a hybrid format of virtual and in-person screenings. In addition to this year’s robust film program, the festival includes its annual visual art exhibit – returning to a festival long in gallery format – KIND RENDERINGS, and also features five live performance pieces. 2022 programming will be offered this year at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, the CAMH Auditorium, Workman Arts’ recent home at 651 Dufferin, the Workman Arts Gallery at Artscape Youngplace, and at Comedy Bar. As always, films are complemented by thought-provoking post-screening Q&As and curated panel discussions, extending the uniquely meaningful conversations that define Rendezvous With Madness.
“The 30th anniversary of Rendezvous With Madness in 2022 is an ideal time to continue to deepen much-needed dialogues around mental health, addictions, recovery and wellness,” comments Scott Miller Berry, Interim Executive Artistic Director, Workman Arts. “If the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we shouldn’t make assumptions about the importance of coming together to share, debate, discuss and learn about mental health as a community.”
Berry continues, “Rendezvous strives to bring audiences and artists together to forge new understandings and perspectives on the most important issues facing humanity – including mental health impacts from social issues such as environmental degradation, racism, gender-based violence, authoritarianism among many others.”
The overarching theme for the festival this year is “More than rebellion,” a statement which embodies the festival’s efforts to normalize informed public discourse around mental health, addiction, recovery, and wellness. More than rebellion means tearing down a broken system in favour of a generational change. This makes every artist featured at RWM 2022 a rebel; they’ve looked at the world and deemed it lacking, so they’ve used their art to hold society to a higher ideal.
In this benchmark anniversary year, Rendezvous With Madness 2022 gets underway on October 27th at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema with the Canadian Premiere of the fearsomely candid documentary, HOW TO SAVE A DEAD FRIEND by Marusya Syroechkovskaya which first bowed at Switzerland’s Visions du Réel festival, where it received a special mention.
“We are thrilled to be opening with HOW TO SAVE A DEAD FRIEND by Marusya Syroechkovskaya, one of the most powerful cinematic portraits we have ever screened. This many-years-in-the-making scrapbook diary meets TikTok documentary follows the young director’s relationship with Kimi, someone whom she shared time with in Moscow’s music scene and in her words, the “bad trip” of Russia’s 21st century,” says Berry. “The couple’s view of their homeland is laid out early in the film and is deeply provocative, and important for Rendezvous to put into our deep discussion context, especially during this time of war: “Everyone knows Russia is for the depressed.”
Documentaries dominate the film line-up, spotlighting deeply personal stories of perseverance through trauma, mental illness, addiction, disability, and more. Other festival highlights include Reid Davenport’s Sundance Film Festival Documentary Directing Award-winner, I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE, an unflinching exploration of the effects of “othering” on the disabled; Flore Vasseur’s BIGGER THAN US (Cannes 2021) follows 18-year-old Indonesian activist Melati Wijsen alongside other young activists fighting for free speech, food security and equal rights worldwide; winner of the IndieLisboa Award for Best Film, LES PRIÈRES DE DELPHINE (Delphine’s Prayers) byRosine Mbakam is a candid story of courage and strength in the face of racism, misogyny and poverty; the Canadian premiere of EAT YOUR CATFISH by Adam Isenberg, Noah Amir Arjomand and Senem Tüzen (IDFA 2022) is a chronicle of living with ALS and a family at its breaking point; and the Toronto Premiere of MI VACIO Y YO (My Emptiness and I) from Spanish filmmaker Adrian Silvestre (International Film Festival Rotterdam) follows a young trans woman from France to Barcelona as she struggles to define a trans identity of her own while facing social pressure from inside and outside the trans community.
This year’s artist spotlight highlights the work of Liz Roberts, and her powerful first-person documentary MIDWASTE (Hotdocs 2022) tells the story of her relationship with heroin over several decades. Her connection to drug subculture is inextricable from her relationship to the camera; the work opens with her first-ever, becoming more high resolution as Roberts becomes more adept with profound reflection alongside different cameras and techniques. Additionally, the artist spotlight will include a virtual workshop run by Roberts on the process of creating autobiographical films.
The Rendezvous With Madness 2022 film line-up includes two short film programs: IF YOU ASK ME returns for its sixth year, showcasing emerging young filmmakers with mental health and/or addiction experiences from across the country, and UPON, REFLECTION, an anthology of short films by Workman Arts members contemplating the transformative vastness of storytelling.
The festival closes this year with a screening of local artist Luke Galati’s debut feature-length documentary WHEN WE REACH OUT: WHO WILL RESPOND?. Born out of a tense interaction he had with police during a bipolar episode, Galati follows his own mental health journey and spotlights the work of the Toronto Community Crisis Service, a pilot service responding to mental health related calls, as an alternative to police service response.
“We are proud to be closing the festival this year with a Toronto made film submitted to us from our open call this year. WHEN WE REACH OUT: WHO WILL RESPOND? asks a question that has been overlooked for many years and is finally gaining traction after the most recent increase in police brutality: who are the best responders when someone is having a mental health challenge?” offers Berry.“Through interviews with organizers, activists, politicians and friends, the film addresses a community response and overdue alternative to the crisis of police violence toward people with lived mental health experiences which primarily means those who are Indigenous, Black and/or people of colour.”
Rendezvous With Madness 2022 returns to an in-person format for their annual visual arts exhibition, this year entitled KIND RENDERINGS. The exhibit, which brings together six artists from across Canada whose work challenges conventional discourse surrounding mental health and wellness, will be on view at the Workman Arts gallery, Artscape Youngplace from October 27 to November 6. The work in KIND RENDERINGS offers brave and bold windows into the artist’s personal mental health through a myriad of mediums. Inspired by the helplessness of being stuck on a hamster wheel Toronto artists Boozie articulate their mental health through a series of drawings. OCAD graduate Jenny Chen explores the healing of past trauma and depression through her evocative animation Multitude of Fish – Ascension Tale. Jessica Field celebrates the imagination’s power to heal the body through a collection of poetry and A.I. rendered drawings that explore the experience of living with inexplicable illness and pain, love, and loss. Stéphane Alexis’ photo-based project Chains & Crowns is inspired and dedicated to the artist’s mother, depicting the history, politics, science, and psychology behind Black hairstyles. Through Twinkle Banerjee’srelationship with her grandmother, this evocative work explores the partition of India and subsequent generational trauma. The body of work Cinnamon sees artist Wen Tong explore everyday experiences in a suburban setting while creating fantastical interventions.
Rounding out the festival this year is a quartet of live performance works and a comedy showcase. Kicking off the live performance programming is THE FLIN FLON COWBOY from award-winning film and theatre actor Ken Harrower(Boys In Chairs, SummerWorks 2017 Jon Kaplan Spotlight Award-winner). On stage October 29-November 3 at the CAMH Auditorium, THE FLIN FLON COWBOY is a new musical created and performed by Harrower, that tells his life story beginning in Flin Flon, Manitoba, and culminating in his adventures in Toronto as a Queer, Disabled artist. At Comedy Bar on October 30, the comedy and public speaking school MalPensado presents a Comedy Showcase of work by recent graduates. On November 2, the festival presents a duet of short pieces, A VOICE THROUGH THE MELT by Anda Zeng and Natalie Wee, and THE SUICIDE KEY from Laura Piccinin. November 4, Newfoundland songwriter, flutologist, and inspirational speaker Rozalind MacPhail performs in DON’T LET ME FALL TOO FAR, a live music and cinema event that tells a timeless story of self-discovery.
The Rendezvous With Madness Festival is committed to values of inclusivity and accessibility for all guests, staff, volunteers, and artists. In line with Rendezvous’ commitment to being trauma-informed, each program will offer an Active Listener, either on-site or virtually, to help provide self-care and emotional support. Information for accessing support will be available on the website.
Workman Arts’ new location at CAMH, at the McCain Centre for Complex Care and Recovery at 1025 Queen Street West, Workman Arts is now fully wheelchair accessible. ASL interpretation will be provided for select programs. To learn more about accessibility initiatives at Rendezvous visit www.workmanarts.com
Tickets for Rendezvous With Madness events will be available for online booking beginning October 7th at 10:00am EST. All tickets are pay-what-you-wish. Please note that this year there are limited walk-up sales due to COVID-19 and advance online ticket
With the importance of mental health awareness at the forefront of myriad conversations and the world continues to experience the impacts of the pandemic, Workman Arts is today announcing the full line-up for their 30th-anniversary edition of the Rendezvous With Madness Festival – the largest and longest-running arts festival in the world dedicated to the intersection of mental health and artistic expression.
The 2022 festival runs from October 27 – November 6 and presents 13 feature films and two short programs – a total of 30 films from 15 countries – in a hybrid format of virtual and in-person screenings. In addition to this year’s robust film program, the festival includes its annual visual art exhibit – returning to a festival long in gallery format – KIND RENDERINGS, and also features five live performance pieces. 2022 programming will be offered this year at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, the CAMH Auditorium, Workman Arts’ recent home at 651 Dufferin, the Workman Arts Gallery at Artscape Youngplace, and at Comedy Bar. As always, films are complemented by thought-provoking post-screening Q&As and curated panel discussions, extending the uniquely meaningful conversations that define Rendezvous With Madness.
“The 30th anniversary of Rendezvous With Madness in 2022 is an ideal time to continue to deepen much-needed dialogues around mental health, addictions, recovery and wellness,” comments Scott Miller Berry, Interim Executive Artistic Director, Workman Arts. “If the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we shouldn’t make assumptions about the importance of coming together to share, debate, discuss and learn about mental health as a community.”
Berry continues, “Rendezvous strives to bring audiences and artists together to forge new understandings and perspectives on the most important issues facing humanity – including mental health impacts from social issues such as environmental degradation, racism, gender-based violence, authoritarianism among many others.”
The overarching theme for the festival this year is “More than rebellion,” a statement which embodies the festival’s efforts to normalize informed public discourse around mental health, addiction, recovery, and wellness. More than rebellion means tearing down a broken system in favour of a generational change. This makes every artist featured at RWM 2022 a rebel; they’ve looked at the world and deemed it lacking, so they’ve used their art to hold society to a higher ideal.
In this benchmark anniversary year, Rendezvous With Madness 2022 gets underway on October 27th at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema with the Canadian Premiere of the fearsomely candid documentary, HOW TO SAVE A DEAD FRIEND by Marusya Syroechkovskaya which first bowed at Switzerland’s Visions du Réel festival, where it received a special mention.
“We are thrilled to be opening with HOW TO SAVE A DEAD FRIEND by Marusya Syroechkovskaya, one of the most powerful cinematic portraits we have ever screened. This many-years-in-the-making scrapbook diary meets TikTok documentary follows the young director’s relationship with Kimi, someone whom she shared time with in Moscow’s music scene and in her words, the “bad trip” of Russia’s 21st century,” says Berry. “The couple’s view of their homeland is laid out early in the film and is deeply provocative, and important for Rendezvous to put into our deep discussion context, especially during this time of war: “Everyone knows Russia is for the depressed.”
Documentaries dominate the film line-up, spotlighting deeply personal stories of perseverance through trauma, mental illness, addiction, disability, and more. Other festival highlights include Reid Davenport’s Sundance Film Festival Documentary Directing Award-winner, I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE, an unflinching exploration of the effects of “othering” on the disabled; Flore Vasseur’s BIGGER THAN US (Cannes 2021) follows 18-year-old Indonesian activist Melati Wijsen alongside other young activists fighting for free speech, food security and equal rights worldwide; winner of the IndieLisboa Award for Best Film, LES PRIÈRES DE DELPHINE (Delphine’s Prayers) byRosine Mbakam is a candid story of courage and strength in the face of racism, misogyny and poverty; the Canadian premiere of EAT YOUR CATFISH by Adam Isenberg, Noah Amir Arjomand and Senem Tüzen (IDFA 2022) is a chronicle of living with ALS and a family at its breaking point; and the Toronto Premiere of MI VACIO Y YO (My Emptiness and I) from Spanish filmmaker Adrian Silvestre (International Film Festival Rotterdam) follows a young trans woman from France to Barcelona as she struggles to define a trans identity of her own while facing social pressure from inside and outside the trans community.
This year’s artist spotlight highlights the work of Liz Roberts, and her powerful first-person documentary MIDWASTE (Hotdocs 2022) tells the story of her relationship with heroin over several decades. Her connection to drug subculture is inextricable from her relationship to the camera; the work opens with her first-ever, becoming more high resolution as Roberts becomes more adept with profound reflection alongside different cameras and techniques. Additionally, the artist spotlight will include a virtual workshop run by Roberts on the process of creating autobiographical films.
The Rendezvous With Madness 2022 film line-up includes two short film programs: IF YOU ASK ME returns for its sixth year, showcasing emerging young filmmakers with mental health and/or addiction experiences from across the country, and UPON, REFLECTION, an anthology of short films by Workman Arts members contemplating the transformative vastness of storytelling.
The festival closes this year with a screening of local artist Luke Galati’s debut feature-length documentary WHEN WE REACH OUT: WHO WILL RESPOND?. Born out of a tense interaction he had with police during a bipolar episode, Galati follows his own mental health journey and spotlights the work of the Toronto Community Crisis Service, a pilot service responding to mental health related calls, as an alternative to police service response.
“We are proud to be closing the festival this year with a Toronto made film submitted to us from our open call this year. WHEN WE REACH OUT: WHO WILL RESPOND? asks a question that has been overlooked for many years and is finally gaining traction after the most recent increase in police brutality: who are the best responders when someone is having a mental health challenge?” offers Berry.“Through interviews with organizers, activists, politicians and friends, the film addresses a community response and overdue alternative to the crisis of police violence toward people with lived mental health experiences which primarily means those who are Indigenous, Black and/or people of colour.”
Rendezvous With Madness 2022 returns to an in-person format for their annual visual arts exhibition, this year entitled KIND RENDERINGS. The exhibit, which brings together six artists from across Canada whose work challenges conventional discourse surrounding mental health and wellness, will be on view at the Workman Arts gallery, Artscape Youngplace from October 27 to November 6. The work in KIND RENDERINGS offers brave and bold windows into the artist’s personal mental health through a myriad of mediums. Inspired by the helplessness of being stuck on a hamster wheel Toronto artists Boozie articulate their mental health through a series of drawings. OCAD graduate Jenny Chen explores the healing of past trauma and depression through her evocative animation Multitude of Fish – Ascension Tale. Jessica Field celebrates the imagination’s power to heal the body through a collection of poetry and A.I. rendered drawings that explore the experience of living with inexplicable illness and pain, love, and loss. Stéphane Alexis’ photo-based project Chains & Crowns is inspired and dedicated to the artist’s mother, depicting the history, politics, science, and psychology behind Black hairstyles. Through Twinkle Banerjee’srelationship with her grandmother, this evocative work explores the partition of India and subsequent generational trauma. The body of work Cinnamon sees artist Wen Tong explore everyday experiences in a suburban setting while creating fantastical interventions.
Rounding out the festival this year is a quartet of live performance works and a comedy showcase. Kicking off the live performance programming is THE FLIN FLON COWBOY from award-winning film and theatre actor Ken Harrower(Boys In Chairs, SummerWorks 2017 Jon Kaplan Spotlight Award-winner). On stage October 29-November 3 at the CAMH Auditorium, THE FLIN FLON COWBOY is a new musical created and performed by Harrower, that tells his life story beginning in Flin Flon, Manitoba, and culminating in his adventures in Toronto as a Queer, Disabled artist. At Comedy Bar on October 30, the comedy and public speaking school MalPensado presents a Comedy Showcase of work by recent graduates. On November 2, the festival presents a duet of short pieces, A VOICE THROUGH THE MELT by Anda Zeng and Natalie Wee, and THE SUICIDE KEY from Laura Piccinin. November 4, Newfoundland songwriter, flutologist, and inspirational speaker Rozalind MacPhail performs in DON’T LET ME FALL TOO FAR, a live music and cinema event that tells a timeless story of self-discovery.
The Rendezvous With Madness Festival is committed to values of inclusivity and accessibility for all guests, staff, volunteers, and artists. In line with Rendezvous’ commitment to being trauma-informed, each program will offer an Active Listener, either on-site or virtually, to help provide self-care and emotional support. Information for accessing support will be available on the website.
Workman Arts’ new location at CAMH, at the McCain Centre for Complex Care and Recovery at 1025 Queen Street West, Workman Arts is now fully wheelchair accessible. ASL interpretation will be provided for select programs. To learn more about accessibility initiatives at Rendezvous visit www.workmanarts.com
Tickets for Rendezvous With Madness events will be available for online booking beginning October 7th at 10:00am EST. All tickets are pay-what-you-wish. Please note that this year there are limited walk-up sales due to COVID-19 and advance online ticket booking is recommended.
Media contact:
Suzanne Cheriton, RedEye Media, suzanne@redeyemedia.ca, 416-805-6744
is recommended.
Media contact:
Suzanne Cheriton, RedEye Media, suzanne@redeyemedia.ca, 416-805-6744
By David Baldwin
A serial killer believes he is cleansing the streets of corruption in the Iranian holy city Mashhad. His victims? Female sex workers and drug addicts who are all too willing to jump on the back of his motorbike when they see the cash he is carrying. Enter female Journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi), who is determined to investigate and uncover the identity of the killer before he has a chance to kill again. At the same time, we follow Saeed (Mehdi Bajestani), a blue-collar worker and war vet who is trying to do right by his family. Saeed also happens to be the killer.
That hook is what instantly drew me into the sordid web of HOLY SPIDER. Director/Co-Writer Ali Abbasi (who previously directed the Oscar-nominated Border) has crafted a film that takes no prisoners with its unrelenting intensity and is absolutely fearless when it comes to its depiction of misogyny and sexual violence (all inspired by a true story from the early 2000s). There are some genuinely disturbing and unsettling moments in this film that continue to sit with me – most related to the brutal ways Saeed murders his victims. If that sounds like a lot, that is because it is. Abbasi knows exactly how to get under the audience’s skin, and he revels in how vicious and unsettling he can make each scene more than the last.
Speaking of unsettling, we need to talk about Bajestani. The Actor is pure evil incarnate, reprehensibly twisting his cadence, vocabulary and body language at will. He delicately balances both of Saeed’s personas and watching him let loose in anger is more than enough reason for your bones to shake. Amir-Ebrahimi is just as terrific, precisely portraying the Journalist who will go to truly unconventional means in order to take this monster down. She reminded me a lot of Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs in how the male characters treat, dehumanize and underestimate her. It is brilliant, unfiltered work that was rightfully awarded the Best Actress award at Cannes back in May. She captures your gaze right from the start and it is incredibly difficult to look away from her afterwards.
And without getting too far into spoiler territory, I will note how revolting the ending is. In a film filled to the brim with disgusting, deplorable imagery, this extended bit is certainly going to sear into your brain.
HOLY SPIDER screens as follows at TIFF ’22:
Tue, Sep 13 IN-PERSON TIFF Bell Lightbox 9:45pm
Wed, Sep 14 IN-PERSON TIFF Bell Lightbox 3:00pm
After.premiering at Cannes earlier this year, James Gray‘s ARMAGEDDON TIME is set for a release this Fall.
Synopsis:
From acclaimed filmmaker James Gray, ARMAGEDDON TIME is a deeply personal story on the strength of family, the complexity of friendship and the generational pursuit of the American Dream. The film features an all-star cast including Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong.
Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada will release ARMAGEDDON TIME in select theatres on Friday, October 28, 2022 and nationwide on Friday, November 11, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: Focus Features)
With TIFF ’22, set to kick-off this Thursday – yes, it’s finally happening! – we lean upon Team Mr. Will for their own personal Top Five most-anticipated Films of the Festival. Though collectively we’ve only had a chance to preview and screen a handful of titles in advance of the Festival, that sure doesn’t mean we can’t be excited too about the unknown! Such a joy seeing which Films will come out of our Festival to Awards Season glory. Here are Team Mr. Will‘s top picks of TIFF ’22.
1. The Fabelmans
Spielberg‘s origin story. Is this his Tree of Life? Has his unparalleled cinematic legacy been building to the September premiere? Let’s find out!
2. The Whale
Whatever Darren Aronofsky does is always bold and unforgettable, even if it’s his lesser work. Mother! was, in my opinion, one of his best. This time he’s adapting the play of the same name featuring Brendan Fraser as a 600-pound English Teacher. Samantha Morton’s involved. I wonder how Aronofsky will bring his visual bravado to something that appears–at least at first glance–more scaled back in terms of locations and overall concept. Perhaps it’ll be more akin to The Wrestler, possibly my favourite of his.
3. Women Talking
Sarah Polley‘s back and she’s brought Frances McDormand, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara and Ben Whishaw. Away From Her and Stories We Tell are classics. I’m going to RUN, not walk, towards this danger!
4. The Son
I’ve only seen a still of Hugh Jackman embracing someone and I know virtually nothing about this. While the title might have you believe otherwise, it is NOT connected to The Father, Florian Zeller‘s debut film and my personal favourite of the decade so far. If he can approach that level of sensitive, captivating brilliance once again–or surprise me with whatever!–The Son could easily be among the best of the fest.
5. Triangle of Sadness
Ruben Östlund returns with another dive into decadence and social decay. I was overall mixed on his previous Palme d’Or-winning spectacle, The Square, but many of its gorgeous and equally discomforting sequences have stuck with me. His first film, Force Majeure, has become an enduring cinematic fable. With a gigantic Cast and seemingly no expense spared, this looks to be another grand swing for the fences at worst.
It’s that time of year again. The excitement is in the air for Festival Street to be back and cinemas and theatres to be packed! Below is a list of five films I can’t wait to see, in order.
1. Aftersun: This Film screened as part of Cannes Critics’ Week and was all anyone talked about. There were raves from anyone who saw it and its Writer-Director Charlotte Wells. It’s set in the ’90s and follows a young girl and her father, who’s struggling with melancholy, on a vacation to Turkey. It stars Normal People Breakout Paul Mescal.
2. Pearl: X is already in my Top Ten films of 2022 which means I CAN’T WAIT to see this Prequel! It tells us the origin story of Pearl the psychotic killer from X. Mia Goth not only reprises her role but co-wrote the script with Ti West! This one is gonna be killer!
3. Brother: TIFF has some highly anticipated Canadian Films screening this year and Brother is one of them! It’s an adaptation of David Chariandy’s novel and follows two Jamaican Canadian brothers who navigate the violence Scarborough saw in the ’90s. It stars The Hate U Give’s Lamar Johnson and The Underground Railroads’ Aaron Pierre.
4. Women Talking: Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’s Novel of the same name is one of the buzz-worthy titles at this year’s fest. It follows a group of women in an isolated religious colony that has experienced a series of sexual assaults. It has a powerhouse Cast consisting of Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy and Frances McDormand to name a few.
5. The Whale: I love Darren Aronofsky so I can’t wait for this one. It follows a reclusive English teacher (Brendan Fraser) who suffers from obesity as he tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (the talented Sadie Sink). TIFF has announced Fraser will receive the TIFF Tribute Actor Award this year which has only made me more excited.
1. THE FABLEMANS
One word: Spielberg. One of the most fascinating portions of the 2017 Documentary on this multiple Oscar winner’s life was how growing up in his dysfunctional family life molded him into the Artist he became. In this semi-autobiographical account, Spielberg revisits his youth. With a Script from the brilliant Tony Kushner (Angels in America), I am salivating and chomping at the bits!
2. THE WHALE
A virtually-unrecognizable Brendan Fraser in a movie directed by Darren Aronofsky (who polarized TIFF audiences with Mother! a few years back) definitely piqued my interest. About an obese English Teacher hoping to reconnect with his estranged daughter, it has all the hallmarks of an intense Family Drama, a genre I tend to gravitate towards.
3. BROKER
Director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters astonished me and I expect his latest, about the illegal baby trade in Korea starring Song Kang-ho (Parasite), will do the same.
4. THE SON
Florian Zeller’s The Father discombobulated me (in a good way!) and I expect nothing other than greatness from this family drama starring Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby and Anthony Hopkins.
5. (a tie) BROS and GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
The Critic in me could have easily chosen from a myriad of compelling Dramas as my last picks but as an avid TIFF attendee for over 30 years, many of my days in darkened theatres had me grinning from ear to ear, if not just downright laughing out loud. BROS (about two gay men with commitment issues) and GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (oh, come on now, you know you loved its predecessor!) are so very high up in my must-see list.
The above list is in no particular order, other than the movies I am most excited for. Rian Johnson’s back with another whodunnit, do I need to say more? Park Chan-Wook is one of the most exciting Directors out there next to Bong Joon-Ho in my opinion, so whatever this man creates has my attention and interest at the bare minimum. The Blackening, man as a Midnight Madness movie, this excites me even more, it’s a movie that takes the tired trope of the ‘black character’ having to die first, and flips it on its head.
EO
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
The Fabelmans
The Whale
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
I haven’t been to TIFF physically in three years — so to say I am excited about this year’s crop of films is an understatement. The sequel to Knives Out? Steven Spielberg’s first time at the Festival, for a film that’s semi-autobiographical? Brendan Fraser getting the Oscar buzz he so richly deserves? All three of those sound like bangers, and adding a Weird Al Biopic (with no less than Daniel Radcliffe playing Weird Al!) on top of the plethora of genres, tones, themes, and everything else you can think of, is what gets me so excited year after year. And well, all I have heard since Cannes is that EO is a must-see…and I can’t seem to figure out why? No matter, it’s a ticket I already have and I am ready to take the plunge for whatever this donkey throws at me. I have more jumbled things to say, but no time to say them. I have a schedule to start revising!
I love a big comeback story and am completely obsessed with THE WHALE, Darren Aronofsky’s latest starring Brendan Fraser. The Director’s Black Swan, also a TIFF selection years ago, remains one of my favourites of all time. So much about this Film is under-wraps and I’m sure for good reason! Have you heard the raves coming out of Venice?? Cannot wait. MY POLICEMAN is looking every bit the buzz-worthy and while I was disappointed Harry Styles’ other Film Don’t Worry Darling isn’t coming to TIFF, this might also be for a reason which will make sense in a bit. Jennifer Lawrence is back after an absence and we’re so ready for CAUSEWAY which has her starring as a soldier coping after returning home, and this looks to really take us on a journey. Being from Scarborough, I have an obvious affinity for BROTHER, which was shot in-town and looks every bit an important a Film as it looks. And not to be confused for BROTHER is Rom-Com, BROS, starring and written by Billy Eichner which we are definitely going to see. Rounding things out for us is TIFF Tribute Gala Honouree Sam Mendes’ EMPIRE OF LIGHT, celebrating the love of Cinema and starring one of our faves, Olivia Colman. So in-order:
1.THE WHALE
2. MY POLICEMAN
3. CAUSEWAY
4. BROTHER
5. EMPIRE OF LIGHT
TIFF ’22 runs September 8-18, 2022. We’re ready. Are you?
Bookmark this link and check daily for updates as we bring reviews, sightings and all the buzz from the Festival!
Paramount Home Entertainment x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win a TOP GUN: MAVERICK Prize Pack in celebration of its Digital release! The winner will get:
The TOP GUN: MAVERICK Digital release takes fans deep inside the making of the global smash hit with over 110 minutes of action-packed bonus content. Witness the cast’s intense flight training program, go behind-the-scenes as the filmmakers capture the most spectacular aerial sequences ever, and push the limits beyond Mach-10 with an experimental aircraft specially designed for the movie. Plus, Tom Cruise shares his passion for aviation as he pilots his own aircraft and discusses his incredible career at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. Finally, enjoy two music videos from Lady Gaga and OneRepublic.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK Digital* Bonus Content
To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet below for an extra chance!
Enter for a chance to #win a TOP GUN: MAVERICK Prize Pack!
— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) August 25, 2022
Details how: https://t.co/M46jCEM4dn pic.twitter.com/AIJ1wLGcJA
Rules and regulations here.
NOTE: Winners will be contacted directly via our official Facebook Page. Do not accept third-party messages trying to collect your personal information. You must be following to qualify.
With Top Gun: Maverick star Monica Barbarro!
TOP GUN: MAVERICK is available digitally now and on DVD/Blu-ray/4k on November 1, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures)
As part of TIFF’s Canadian programming announcements, the National Film Board of Canada is bringing us four titles at the Festival this year!
Premiering in TIFF Docs
The Colour of Ink by Brian D. Johnson (105 min)
Produced by Brian D. Johnson for Sphinx Productions; Sherien Barsoum, Lea Marin and Kate Vollum for the NFB
Ever Deadly by Tanya Tagaq and Chelsea McMullan (90 min)
Produced by Lea Marin, Anita Lee and Kate Vollum for the Ontario Studio in Toronto.
Ever Deadly explores Tagaq’s transformation of sound with an eye to colonial fallout, natural freedom and Canadian history. We witness Tagaq’s intimate relationship with the Nuna—the Land—a living, breathing organism present in all forms of her improvised performances.
This feature doc weaves concert footage with stunning sequences filmed on location in Nunavut, seamlessly bridging landscapes, stories and songs with pain, anger and triumph—all through the expressions of one of the most innovative musical performers of our time.
Tanya Tagaq is an improvisational singer, avant-garde composer and author from Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq), who now divides her time between Nunavut and Toronto. A member of the Order of Canada, a Polaris Music Prize and JUNO Award winner and recipient of multiple honorary doctorates, Tagaq is an original disruptor, a world-changing figure at the forefront of seismic social, political and environmental change.
Toronto filmmaker Chelsea McMullan creates documentary, experimental narrative, and hybrid films that explore the work of leading international artists. McMullan’s first documentary feature, My Prairie Home, about pioneering transgender musician Rae Spoon, screened at Sundance 2014 and was named Best Canadian Documentary at the Vancouver Film Critics Association Awards.
To Kill a Tiger by Nisha Pahuja (125 min)
Produced by Cornelia Principe and Nisha Pahuja for Notice Pictures; David Oppenheim for the NFB
In a small Indian village, Ranjit wakes up to find that his 13-year-old daughter has not returned from a family wedding. A few hours later, she’s found stumbling home. After being dragged into the woods, she was raped by three men. Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit’s relief is short-lived, as the villagers and their leaders launch a sustained campaign to force the family to drop the charges.
With tremendous access, the film follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child, charting the emotional journey of an ordinary man facing extraordinary circumstances. A father whose love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for years to come.
Nisha Pahuja is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker based in Toronto and Bombay. Her credits include Diamond Road (2007 Gemini Award for Best Documentary Series), the NFB production Bollywood Bound (2001 Gemini nominee) and the award-winning The World Before Her (2012; Best Documentary, Tribeca Film Festival; Best Canadian Documentary, Hot Docs; TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten; Sundance Film Forward Program; Best Documentary nominee, CSAs; Emmy nominee).
Premiering in Short Cuts
The Flying Sailor by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis (7 min 45 s)
Produced by David Christensen for the North West Studio in Edmonton
Two ships collide in a harbour, an explosion shatters a city, and a sailor is blasted skyward. With ears ringing, blood pulsing and guts heaving, he soars high above the mayhem and towards the great unknown.
Inspired by an incredible true story of a man who was blown two kilometres through the air by the Halifax Explosion, the animated short The Flying Sailor is at once a bold blend of comedy, suspense and philosophy and an exhilarating contemplation of the wonder and fragility of existence.
The Flying Sailor is making its North American premiere at TIFF following its world premiere at the 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, which took place June 13 to 18.
Calgary-based animators Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis met at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, where they studied film, video and animation. Each went on to create their own works with the NFB (Wendy Tilby’s Strings and Jan Padgett’s The Reluctant Deckhand, animated by Amanda Forbis) before co-directing When the Day Breaks, which received an Oscar nomination and more than 30 international awards, including the Palme d’Or at Cannes. In 2012, their animated short film Wild Life received an Academy Award nomination, among other honours.
Sphere Films is thrilled to announce that FALCON LAKE by Charlotte Le Bon will have its North-American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in the Contemporary World Cinema section. Presented as a World Premiere at the 54th Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and in competition for the Caméra d’Or at Cannes as a first feature, FALCON LAKE stars Sara Montpetit (Maria Chapdelaine), Karine Gonthier-Hyndman (Like-Moi), Monia Chokri (Heartbeats) and young French actor Joseph Engel (The Crusade).
Bastien and Chloé spend their summer vacation with their families at a lake cabin in Quebec, haunted by a ghost legend. Despite the age gap between them, the two teenagers form a singular bond. Ready to overcome his worst fears to earn a place in Chloé’s heart, the holiday becomes a turbulent pivotal moment for the young boy.
FALCON LAKE is the feature directorial debut by actress Charlotte Le Bon (The Hundred-Foot Journey, Mood Indigo, The Walk, Yves Saint Laurent), who previously directed the short film Judith Hotel, which screened at Cannes. As a visual artist, Le Bon explored the themes of the strange and surreal through her paintings, drawings and lithographs before turning to film. Her expertise shines in this first feature, where the impressive cast comes together in a superbly crafted coming-of-age story, loosely adapted from the novel Une Soeur by Bastien Vivès.
Produced by Sylvain Corbeil and Nancy Grant (Metafilms) in cooperation with CBC/Radio-Canada and Super Écran, with financial support from the SODEC, Telefilm Canada, Eurimages and the Harold Greenberg Fund, as well as Quebec and Canadian tax credits, FALCON LAKE was co-produced by David Gauquie, Julien Deris and Jean-Luc Ormières (Cinéfrance Studios) and Jalil Lespert (Onze Cinq). Memento International oversees international sales.
Distributed in Canada by Sphere Films, FALCON LAKE will be released on October 14, 2022.
Sphere Films x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win a copy of David Cronenberg‘s CRIMES OF THE FUTURE as a VOD rental or on Blu-ray! One lucky winner also will get a David Cronenberg-signed Poster!
Synopsis:
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart, the film follows the story of a performance artist who turns the removal of his metamorphosized organs into real-time art. Receiving a six-minute standing ovation at its Cannes Film Festival premiere this year, CRIMES OF THE FUTURE is, as Guillermo del Toro likes to put it, “100% Cronenbergian body gospel.”
To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Indiciate in the comments there if you are requesting to win a VOD rental or a Blu-ray copy. One winner will get a signed Poster! Contest open within Canada only.
Enter for a chance to #win a copy of David Cronenberg's CRIMES OF THE FUTURE as a Video-on-Demand Rental, or on Blu-ray! Tell us which works better for you!
— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) August 2, 2022
One lucky winner also gets a David Cronenberg-signed Poster!https://t.co/NjYPg5SHSV pic.twitter.com/shdcNdUZgt
Rules and regulations here.
Sphere Films release CRIMES OF THE FUTURE on-demand starting August 2, 2022 and Blu-Ray on August 9, 2022.
More here how to see it!
(Photo/video credit: Sphere Films)
Fresh off its Premere at Cannes, here’s a new Trailer for THE SILENT TWINS, based on a true story. Hoping this does the Festival Circuit further!!
Story:
THE SILENT TWINS is the astounding true story of twin sisters who only communicated with one another. As a result, they created a rich, fascinating world to escape the reality of their own lives. Based on the best-selling book The Silent Twins, the film stars Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance.
Universal Pictures Canada and Focus Features release THE SILENT TWINS September 16, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: Focus Features)
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