#CFF: “THE PRIVILEGED”, “PATCH TOWN” AND “AFTERPARTY” HIGHLIGHT 8TH ANNUAL CANADIAN FILM FEST

The eighth edition of the Canadian Film Fest takes place in Toronto this weekend.  The three-day Event taking place at The Royal in Little Italy, will showcase six Feature Films and 14 Short Films, aiming to celebrate, promote and help advance Canadian Filmmaking.

Festival Executive Director Bern Euler says, “It is an honour to present these films for Toronto audiences to enjoy and celebrate all of the talent in our own backyard.”.  Canadian Film Fans will have a chance to connect via Meet-and-Greets with Talent and Workshops also will be held.  A highlight of the Festival this year is the Super Channel Script Accelerator Contest, awarding $30,000-$50,000 in pre-licensing as a Grand Prize.

Opening the Festival this year is PATCH TOWN, Director Craig Goodwill’s Feature Debut starring none other than recent Canadian Screen Awards Fan’s Choice Winner Zoie Palmer, Julian Richings, Rob Ramsay and a highly-familiar face in Scott Thompson.

Official Synopsis:

Jon is just another mindless laborer on an assembly line, but at no ordinary factory. Day after day he and his fellow drones Harvest Kids from cabbages – kids that will go on to become the beloved toys of little Boys and Girls in the land outside this dreadful factory. But when Jon discovers an awful secret that he and all the indentured workers are actually grown-up and discarded toys, he’ll have to take on a villainous Corporation to reunite with his long-lost Mother, protect his newfound Family, and finally find freedom.

Watch the Trailer for Patchtown below:

Fans of HBO‘s True Blood will delight at a chance to see THE PRIVILEGED starring Series Star Sam Trammell.

Official Synopsis:

Richard Hunter, a promising young Lawyer at a prestigious Firm, has the perfect future mapped out. However, a costly mistake with a powerful client has put it all at risk. In a desperate attempt to save his job, Richard and his Wife Tara spend the weekend at the Cottage of Senior Partner Preston Westwood. The young Couple is quickly seduced by their charismatic Hosts’ lavish lifestyle but it is clear that something ominous lies just below the surface. After a devastating act of violence reveals that they have become pawns in a blood feud between the Westwoods and a local Family, Richard and Tara must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for success: their morals, their marriage, or their lives.

Watch the Trailer for THE PRIVILEGED below:

Rather intriguing is the hilarious-looking PLAY THE FILM.

Official Synopsis:

When the opening night of a new Play goes horribly awry, the actors are forced to frantically improvise the plot onstage. Clashing egos, tested friendships and a series of disastrous misunderstandings combine to create the most offensive, shocking and accidental piece of theater ever to debut in front of a live Audience.

See the Trailer for PLAY THE FILM:

AFTERPARTY closes the Festival this year, a 30-Something’s Coming-of-Age Drama.

Official Synopsis:

On the night of his brother’s wedding, Best Man Charlie (Graham Coffeng) gets the old Gang back together for a fun-filled, post-reception after party at the Newlyweds’ home where he has been staying for several weeks. Unsure of how to proceed with his own troubled marriage, Charlie reunites “the fellas” fifteen years after High School in hopes that revisiting the past will help him find clarity about his plans for the future. What Charlie finds, however, is that while his friends have all taken different paths, they are all faced with similar conundrums that come with being in their thirties.

See the Trailer below for AFTERPARTY:

Tickets cost a super-reasonable $12.50 and can be purchased here!

The Canadian Film Fest runs Thursday, March 20 through Saturday, March 22, 2014.

(Photo credit: Hideaway Pictures)

#INTERVIEW: “ORPHAN BLACK”, “GABRIELLE”, “ENEMY”, “CALL ME FITZ” CELEBRATED AT 2014 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS

David Cronenberg. Orphan Black. Gabrielle. Enemy. Call Me Fitz. These five names might not strike a connection other than that they are distinctly Canadian, but they were fêted tonight as big Winners at the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards. The week-long Celebrations known as Canadian Screen Week culminated in a star-studded Red Carpet Bash at Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, seeing several of our Country’s Heroes and Heroines of the Screen convening proudly in the name of our artistic accomplishments.

Over the course of the week, Toronto-filmed Sci-Fi Series Orphan Black amassed a whopping ten wins including TV Drama tonight. Its Star Tatiana Maslany certainly has shined a light on Canadian Talent over the past year, garnering a Critics’ Choice Award south of the Border last June for her performance(s) as several identical Women revealed to be Clones. The 28-year-old Regina-born Actress won for Actress, TV Drama, which is seen on BBC America and the Space Channel in Canada.  A Belle of the Ball, indeed.

Making a splash in the TV categories was Call Me Fitz, winning for TV Comedy. Starring former Beverly Hills, 90210 Hunk Jason Priestley and Tracy Dawson, both won Actor and Actress, TV Comedy respectively. Priestley also directed Maslany in the Feature Film Cas & Dylan, for which she received also a nomination for Actress, Motion Picture.

Warming hearts this evening was Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, who lit-up the Press Room with her big smile, tightly clasping onto her Trophy. The first-time Actress stars in Gabrielle, which won her coveted Actress, Motion Picture. The Coming-of-Age Tale centering on a musically-gifted Teen suffering from Williams Syndrome (a condition with which Marion-Rivard actually has been diagnosed), went-on to win in the category of Motion Picture for eOne Films. The Canadian Distributor also saw more accolades with its new release Enemy, filmed in Toronto and directed by Denis Villeneuve, going-on to win for Director, Motion Picture and Supporting Actress, Motion Picture with Sarah Gadon.

Iconic Filmmaker David Cronenberg was honoured this Evening with the Lifetime Achievement Award and to ring-in the occasion were long-time Collaborator Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello. Although both Actors were careful not to take away his spotlight, Mortensen did say in the Press Room introducing Cronenberg rather succinctly, “I don’t think he’s gotten the universal recognition he deserves”, proudly flaunting some Montreal Canadiens Merchandise. The ground-breaking Director indicated his focuses right now are his debut Novel, Consumed, which potentially will be made into a Film, and also his  next release Maps to the Stars, which has its sights set on the Cannes Film Festival this Spring.

Curious to see what Executive Producer of Maps to the Stars, Martin Katz has to say about the eagerly-awaited Film starring Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack and Julianne Moore? Interested to see where Anna Silk and Fan’s Choice Screen Star –  Zoie Palmer –  might be headed next on Lost Girl? Will Mr. D Star Gerry Dee be returning to Woodbine Racetrack to call a few more races? What does Mia Kirshner say about the second Season of Defiance? What were George Stroumboulopoulos‘ 2014 Canadian Screen Award Predictions?

Watch this Video of Mr. Will‘s Red Carpet Chats with all the above here:

Above all the celebrations, we had a blast admiring up-close the Red Carpet Fashions whether it be Pretty Little Liars Star Shay Mitchell in a daring plunging neckline, Jessica Paré stunning in Stella McCartney, Maria Bello beautiful in Nicholas Oakwell or Katheryn Winnick ravishing in red by Romona Keveza. Even Dina Pugliese of CITY‘s Breakfast Television was a Goddess in Jovani!   Swoon.

For a complete list of Winners, click here.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)