Myself and fellow Toronto Youth Shorts girls, Michelle and Julia, were at the Lightbox to catch this animated feature that is tagged for Oscar gold. It is one of the best I've seen all year.

Boy and the World comes all the way from Brazil, and opens with dizzying, hypnotic patterns that undulate before our eyes. We sink in them to follow a small boy making his way in a strange, but familiar world that soon grows in scale and complexity.

Opting for the simplicity and universality of the cartoon, our protagonist is very simply drawn. A large rounded head, a couple of lines suggesting a body and limbs. His eyes, two vertical stripes. I do not get the feeling that this is a story about a very specific boy, but one that could easily be about any boy in the world. We start off in a lush garden but it isn't very long before the tone changes from a celebration of discovery to become a lament.

There is a boy and a train and a journey. It takes the boy far from home, to a new modern world where man cedes to machine. The colours are not as stark or bright here, but the complexity of the drawings grows until there are so many pieces and details in the world surrounding our character as to overwhelm him. The world is big and easy to get lost in. But it is here that we also find the most beautifully drawn scenes. Like a man who secretly weaves beautiful tapestries and makes music out of trash, and a beautiful phoenix given life by the colourful song of tireless singers.

My favourite scene goes like this: man and boy climb through the slums, up endless stairs, step by step, set to Brazilian hip hop, with the windows from the favelas setting the mountain alight, glittering like a Christmas tree.

At the end of this film I feel an overpowering sense of loss. A black eagle guns down a phoenix, formed out the many-coloured voices of singing people. They travel on with no destination in sight, maybe forever.

-Sia

It’s mid-February, and the Canadian winter has finally caught up to us. If you don’t feel like going outside in the bitter cold, why not cozy up to some great winter-themed movies? They can remind you of how fun winter can be, or that it could always be worse. Here is a list of my favorite snowy day flicks. Not all of them are ranked fresh on rotten tomatoes, but hopefully this list covers whatever you’re in the mood for: something silly, scary, moving or musical!

1. Frozen (2013): All the ingredients needed for a snowy day film. An icy-cool queen, an eternal winter, a talking snowman, a song about building a snowman, an ice palace, and a reindeer.

2. Force Majeure (2014):  If you are in the mood for a sophisticated, foreign film, this Swedish drama is an excellent choice. The film pairs gorgeous imagery of the French Alps with a thought-provoking story about a father’s reaction to an avalanche, and the unravelling effect it has on the family dynamic.

3. Score: A Hockey Musical (2010): An endearing genre hybrid that’s 100% Canadian! The singing-as-talking format is quite cheesy, but that’s what makes it fun! It’s pleasing to see movie that was not only filmed in Canada, but actually takes place in Canada, combines our national sport with song and dance numbers, and features some great Canadian celeb cameos.

4. Happy Feet (2006): Cute penguins singing and dancing to popular songs. What more could you ask for?

5. Breakaway (2011): Yes, another Canadian film about hockey! The film’s focus on a Sikh-Canadian hockey team trying to make it big is a wonderful representation of our country’s multiculturalism. And while the story doesn’t actually take place during the winter, the Bollywood inspired figure skating scene in front of the Taj Mahal is pretty cool!

6. Edward Scissorhands (1990): One of the best Burton/Depp collaborations, the film is told as a bedtime story explaining where snow comes from. Watching Edward carve his ice sculptures makes you feel as whimsical as Kim does dancing under the falling ice shavings. Plus, any reason to watch this classic film is a good one.

7. The Shining (1980): Seeing Jack Nicolson go crazy with cabin fever in the dead of winter will hopefully prevent you from going crazy yourself. At the very least, someone is hating the cold more than you are.

8. Ice Age (2002): The perfect film to cheer yourself up after realizing it’s way too cold to leave your house. It’s fun, it’s light, and has a touching story. And who can forget Scrat, the loveable squirrel who just wants his acorn? That never gets old.

9. Snow Day (2000):  Every kid’s dream: school is cancelled, it’s a snow day! This film is fun to watch because it reminds you of the advantages of growing up in Canada: getting that precious day off because of the snow. An Added bonus: this movie was filmed in Alberta and features Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui!

10. Blades of Glory (2007): A great film to laugh the winter blues away: Will Ferrell and Jon Hader figure skating together. It’s your typical over-the-top Will Ferrell movie, but it’s hilarious and perfect for winding down after trudging through the snow to and from school or work.

I hope these films inspire you to have some winter-time fun, or give you something to do while you stay nice and cozy indoors!

-Julia

I'm currently in my fourth year at Ryerson's Radio and Television Arts program. Over the past few months, I've been working on the final project of my academic career: a short film. What I learned is that filmmaking is more than an art; it is a business and very laborious work. I may not be an industry veteran but as a film student working on her thesis short film, I can definitely say they do not teach you everything in school. Like many professions, the most fruitful learning is accomplished when you get that hands on experience in the field. Here are 10 things I have learned about short filmmaking over the last 6 months.
 
1.     Everything takes longer than you think.
During production, you are always fighting with time. There just never seems to be enough hours in a day to get everything done. Between hair and makeup, technical difficulties, lighting changes and wardrobe malfunctions, time seems to just slip away. In saying this, always give yourself more shoot days than you think you need. It is worth the added cost.

2.     Your estimated budget is truly an estimate.
Everything costs money. No matter how much you may plan, there will always be unexpected costs involved. In my own experience, our estimated budget covered most of our costs, however things like gas reimbursement, postponed shoot day rental costs, food and overall equipment rental put us over. I definitely do not believe that money is the most important thing in a production, but it definitely makes the whole process easier when it is less of a worry. Investing in your own film, crowd funding and seeking investment are all things to consider before you get started.

3.     Just because you like an actor, it does not mean they are best person for the part.
The audition process is one that can feel very long and hopeless. Seeing one audition after the other, and nothing feeling right can really put a damper on your whole team. Despite this, you really have to audition a ton of people in order to find that perfect person. If they are not perfect and you have any doubts, you need to keep looking. The extra time is worth it, rather than questioning your decisions while re-watching all of your footage in postproduction.

4.     You need to feed your crew… and feed them well. 
Hungry people are grumpy. Grumpy people are difficult to work with. Good food makes people happy.

5.     A vehicle is possibly your most needed and useful tool.
As students living in downtown Toronto relying on TTC for all of our everyday transportation, cars were rare but absolutely necessary. From transporting equipment to picking up crew and talent, a vehicle is potentially the most needed piece of equipment in the production.
 
6.     Background talent are not actors.
On small productions, often the background actors are going to be your beloved friends and family who have donated their time to help you out. It is easy to forget that these individuals are not trained actors and do not necessarily know what they are supposed to do while in the background. Simple things like not looking in the camera can easily be forgotten and possibly ruin a beautiful shot. It is very helpful to have one person designated to dealing with background and watching them throughout to ensure the whole shot is panning out well.

7.     People are very helpful. You just have to ask. 
Getting anything free is absolutely amazing for any small budget production. You won't be able to find these deals unless you ask for them. There is no harm in talking to people, telling them what you are doing and seeing where that takes you. You will be surprised how many locations you can film in, discounted equipment you can get, free food you can get and donated products you can get if you just ask.

8.     Plan a rain day for your rain day.
When you are filming in Canada, always plan multiple rain days. The weather can be very unpredictable, particularly in the Winter months. It is easier to have 2 days set aside and planned with your talent and crew, than trying to scramble everyone and everything together in restricted period of time.

9.     Sleep is very important but very rare.
Working long hours is a given, and lack of sleep is inevitable. Actually getting some sleep though, rather than running 3 hours overtime to get a shot will likely be a better choice. You are less observant when you are tired and will mess up small things and ultimately not get the best footage and shot you could get.

10. PAs are a necessity.
There is always a shortage of hands on set. Getting PAs on set to do pretty much any odd job you need is an absolute must. We had a lack of this on our own set and ended up having to take on too many jobs each. If everyone sticks to their own assigned job, every job will be done and done well. 

For those who are still working on their films before our submission period, hopefully these tips will be useful!

-Gabby

In January, Paul Bronfman, the CEO of William F. White International -- Canada's largest provider of movie production equipment -- announced that the company planned to pull its support from York University's Cinema and Media Arts programme due to a mural in the Student Centre that he believes promotes antisemitism. The mural, which has no affiliation with Cinema and Media Arts, depicts a Palestinian man holding a fistful of rocks, watching a bulldozer in the distance. In defense of the painting, Gayle McFadden, Vice President of Operations for the York Federation of Students and Chair of the Student Centre, told the Globe and Mail that "the painting is not antisemitic" but "merely critical of the state of Israel."

As a TYS programmer, I have a practical interest in the debate. We see a lot of great content submitted to the festival each year from York students. I hope they continue to have the resources they need to make good films. I also hope, though, that they continue to make the films they want to make -- whether overtly political or not -- without fear of biting the hand that feeds. Artists have always relied on the generosity of benefactors, whether patrons in the 19th-century or donors and crowdfunders in the 21st, and it remains important for us to be aware of how those relationships have the potential to shape the content we see. 

I believe it's possible for us to have a more productive conversation about free speech and hate speech than the one demonstrated. I also believe the arts are one of the best ways in which we can contribute to that discussion.

-Paul

I had a discussion over drinks with a few industry peers recently on the topic of film formats. For the past few years, we noticed a wider inclusion of various formats that are making their way into a short film block. TIFF premiered the latest episode of Shit Girls Say one year, music videos have been popping up in various festivals, and many student festivals include PSAs in their lineup. More than one person in the group proclaimed "but these are film festivals and they're not films!"

Personally, I don't see a problem with it. The idea of what is cinematic has now blurred even further with the way studios and independents are producing work and how the consumer behaves in respect to television, web, and film. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a fine example of replicating television on film while many features are now bypassing theatres to go straight to VOD or a streaming service like Netflix. Popular music videos are now considered cinematic endeavours, with more and more videos featuring Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber amongst others featuring elaborate credit sequences. At the end of the day, it's starting to matter less and less how you label a piece of content because it does not determine how one consumes it.

Last year, we showed Phoebe’s Declassified Guide to Unwanted Pickups by Rebecca Gao starring Sara Waisglass of Degrassi and the animated Hunger's Core by Salwa Majoka and Christine Chung. These pieces would not be traditionally considered as short films but rather as PSAs. However, they work within the mantra of our programming and the audiences we serve. Not to mention they were really great watching experiences. 

In essence, we do consider works labelled as web-series, music video, or any other format that is traditionally not considered "film" provided they work as standalone pieces - a television or web pilot that leaves the audience hanging with no closure might not be the best fit for us. But the great thing about Toronto Youth Shorts' compilation style is the flexibility in curating each screening block with an assortment of genres and formats. If you have a music video or other nontraditional format that you think can gel within a screening block of the festival, we'd love to see it. 

Our early bird deadline is March 11. Save $10 by submitting early!

-Henry