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York U 3rd and 4th Year Film Screenings

5/14/2015

 
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3rd Year Screening

I had the pleasure of attending the York U Department of Film's 3rd Year Finish Line screenings at the Price Family Cinema this past week. Fellow TYS programmer Julia Crocco and I took in 7 (!) hours of video and film over the course of a two-night program that emphasized documentary and experimental narrative. Though we were consistently impressed by the talent on display, a few works in particular really excited us.

Emmerek Vanleur's documentary Cultivate which followed a young man seeking closure after his experiences on a fundamentalist religious farm, managed a rare feat in documentary filmmaking by telling a riveting story while remaining emotionally honest. The short kept us on the edge of our seats, developing a sense of suspense usually reserved for fiction film and long-form works. Following a different tradition in documentary filmmaking, Peter Howie's Pizzo (Extortion) investigated the fascinating and surprisingly shadowy world of the Windsor, Ontario pizza business.

At the other end of the spectrum, Daria Savic's experimental short Dynasties provided viewers with an immersive, almost meditative experience. By blending audio interviews with dreamlike images, the film offered a unique and complex take on what the program called “age-old themes of domestic abuse and family.”

As always, our hats are off to all the filmmakers who participated, and we can't wait to see them again at the 4th Year Finish Line.

-Paul

4th Year Screening

I went to York so it goes without saying that I attended York's 4th year film screenings. I love seeing what they churn out every year. As I tweeted right after it, some good stuff was seen!

This year in particular offered us a wider and more diverse range of stories. I was pleased to see a number POC stories and casts – the films were cohesive, intelligent, well acted and realized. We also noticed that York filmmakers this year experimented a lot with forms of digital communication depictions on screen. It's here! The trend of on-screen-messaging has officially hit York as well!

Blue Eyed Drunks by director Abdul Malik was one that particularly impressed me in that respect, with its unique use of typography and design in a story about two out of place immigrants dealing with their new world. In a similar vein there was Net Folk, which gave us a  a look into the Millennials and the growing digital sphere, particularly the interaction of people on and offline.

Standouts in fiction from both nights were Muna, the story of a child soldier, and The Gift, a couple's strained relationship set at the time of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Henry and I also really liked The Crocodile and the Capybara, which was a story of two brothers' doomed relationship, with shades of fairytale fantasy. Henry pointed out to me that he's coming to view these sibling stories as a permanent York fixture, and thinking back to my own screenwriting classes I have to agree. I even wrote one that was work-shopped. What can I say, sibling relationships are inherently interesting to me as an only child. Kristina Mileska (TYS2013 and 2014 award winner) and Andy Kloske's Asteroid was a highly anticipated film for us, having screened another film by them last year at the festival (Florence and the Fish) and I'm pleased to say our faith was rewarded.

There was documentary as well: I enjoyed Haunted by Presence for its rich visuals and deliberation on art and the process of creating, and A Woman Departed which was described as “a letter to a loved one, lost”.

There was also a larger number of alternative and experimental films this year. As they are not my forte, I feel my commentary should stay limited, but I did find Magician's Machina visually rich and arresting. Aforementioned Abdul Malik was the DOP and if he's reading this he knows to definitely include it in a future demo reel as he really shines here.

I hope we have the opportunity to offer some of these up for viewing again at our 2015 festival!

Submissions are still open and this year we've made it easier for our applicants – you can submit online with less hassle and paperwork. Click here to submit your film, or scroll up to find our submissions page!

-Sia

Colleen Visits Mississauga Youth Film Festival

5/11/2015

 
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On Wednesday night, I headed out to the Meadowvale Theatre to check out this year’s Mississauga Youth Film Festival. Designed to coincide with National Youth Arts Week and Mississauga’s own “Rebel ‘15” week-long youth festival, the night was a great celebration of young filmmaking.

After overcoming some early technical difficulties, the show got started and showcased its nine diverse short films, interspersed with a few musical performances along the way. One very intriguing film early on in the night was Golden Pages, directed by Haaris Qadri, which follows the story of a young man who finds a book containing the story of his entire life. Boasting a strong premise and beautiful cinematography, it was an inspired entry.

The second half of the night saw two interesting conceptual films from the Bananappeal filmmaking collective, including Edge, directed by Sina Dolati, a powerful and artistic portrayal of the effects of mental illness on one man.

However, the big winner of the night was the final film to screen, This is My Life, which ended up taking the first place prize both from the judges and the audience vote. This polished short about overcoming one’s past turned out to be the perfect, hopeful note to end the night on.

Thoughtfully curated and varied in its programming, I was impressed with the level of skill on display at the Mississauga Youth Film Festival. It was a nice reminder that there’s plenty of talent to be found all over Southern Ontario.

- Colleen            

Gabby & Alex Take In Great Films at RUFF

5/8/2015

 
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DAY 1

The 18th annual Ryerson University Film Festival held in Ryerson’s very own theater, presented audiences with a very strong lineup of student made short films. From comedy, to sci-fi, to drama, the festival presented diversity in not only genre but content and subject matter. The quality of the films exhibited in this year’s festival exceeded all of any expectations we could have ever had. Each piece told an engaging and emotional story, enhanced by the high quality acting, cinematography and sound design. A large quantity of the films on Day 1 of the festival felt very raw with real people telling real stories in real worlds. Most notably, Bookends by Pia Abrahams, Dreaming is a Private Thing by AJ Smith, Menesetung by Kyle McDonnell and Mannish Boy by Ryan Tonelli stood out as films that could definitely be presented in professional industry festivals such as TIFF.


The overall highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Mannish Boy, a coming of age drama set in 1970’s Brooklyn, NY. This heartfelt piece explores the relationship between two brothers tied up in street crime while touching on topics of racism and police brutality relevant in the 1970’s. There are so many aspects of this film, which make it the incredible and impressive piece it is. Most notably, maintaining the illusion of 1970’s Brooklyn in 2015 Toronto requires a large amount of strategic pre-production research and planning. The art department did a phenomenal job in capturing the aesthetic of the 1970’s in a Brooklyn setting through costume, set design, prop and colour pallet choices. The cherry on top was the final twist at the end of the short, which left audiences on the edge of their seats wanting more (or maybe it was just us).

-Gabby

DAY 2

The second night of RUFF was exciting because after screening many more fantastic films, there was also an award ceremony.  Ryan Tonelli's short film Mannish Boy took home several awards.  My favourites of the night were Cafe Caveat directed by Tim MacLennan, Earth to Avery directed by Julianna Notten, and NrG Elite directed by Emmett Fraser.  NrG Elite was my overall favourite because it struck all the right notes in terms of editing, humour and production design. 

This was my first time at RUFF, and it was the best-run student film festival I've attended so far.  I look forwarded to seeing future projects by each of the film-making teams .  More information about all of the RUFF films can be found here:
http://www.imagearts.ryerson.ca/ruff/

We wish the Ryerson Film Class of 2015 good luck as they culminate their education and enter the professional film industry.

-Alex
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Henry Checks Out Humber's Studio Drama Screening

5/7/2015

 
Humber College rounded out their year-end screenings last Thursday with a showcase of their 2nd year students in the three year Film and Television Production program. Students were tasked with creating 5-10 minute dramas all taking place in an environment that’s constructed from a studio set. 

The coordinators who introduced the program of the night mentioned they had four weeks to storyboard, cast, build the set, and shoot the piece. Some pieces were all set in one spot while a number of others featured various locations, meaning they had to tear down and reconstruct another set within their production period.

As expected, most of the program featured character pieces, such as Mia by Andrea Zuniga-Farias and New Ink written by Alissandre Terriah. The Art of Losing is more atmospheric, highlighting the production design aspects of the assignment in contrast to Mood Candles with its minimalistic look to place emphasis on the zany character-driven situation. One highlight of the program is The Pubescent Panic of Peter Patterson, a comedy by Amy Allison and Brandon Hurd that allows the production designers to be creative with their assignment. It's also one of the few occasions where I thought an over-the-top narrative style worked in favour of a student film.

Considering how well filmmakers handled the material, I can’t wait to see what they can do when they’re given a bit more freedom in their third and final year of the program.

-Henry

Sheridan Filmmakers Celebrate a Year of Work

5/4/2015

 
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Last week, Sheridan College rounded out their year-end screenings for the Media Arts and Bachelor of Film and Television programs. I checked out the work by students from all three years of the programs and was impressed by the skill on display, which only seems to grow as students spend more time at Sheridan and learn more about their craft.

All three screening nights took place at Oakville’s Film.ca Cinemas and the filmmakers’ excitement about seeing their work on the big screen was palpable. Backed by an audience full of friends, family, and faculty, the first-year students in the new Film and Television program (which has now replaced the Media Arts program) were first to show off their work. Their night mostly showcased two-minute scenes shot around campus. Many filmmakers tackled relationship issues that commonly face college students, including scenes about one-night stands, crushes, and quarrelling couples.

The second night of screenings offered short films from the second-year Media Arts students. The packed program included a variety of styles, including music videos, experimental films, and mock PSAs. Many of the night’s narrative films took a grim or satirical approach, including No News, directed by Luke Dante. His film was a darkly funny tale with a sprinkling of magical realism that turned out to be one of my favourites of the night. Meanwhile, the more broadly comedic Lost Sleep, a humorous take on a simple misunderstanding between roommates, testified to the fact that – when executed well – a simple premise can be powerful.

Last week’s third-year screening was similarly diverse, giving the students a chance to show off their capstone projects for the program. The longer run-times of the films highlighted the unique viewpoint all of the filmmakers developed during their studies. This was evident in films like Spoiler, directed by Sarah R. Thomson and Austin Birch, a madcap and inventive cautionary tale about our reliance on technology.

The Toronto Youth Shorts team has been busy checking out screenings around the GTA, and I was excited to get a taste of what local student filmmakers have been up to this year. The Sheridan filmmakers certainly didn’t disappoint.

- Colleen

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