This is my fourth year as a programmer for Toronto Youth Shorts, and each year, one of my main goals is to increase the number of participants from the high school level. I am very happy to say that we have received over 80 high school submissions from a variety of schools across Toronto and the Southern Ontario region, and we will be featuring 13 films made from those in high school at this year’s festival. As a youth film festival, it is important to us to feature films from this demographic and these impressive stats were made possible by a team of junior programmers, a newly initiative at Toronto Youth Shorts. 

Our inaugural team is consists of Carri Chen, Christian Gnam, Avondale Nixon, and Meryl Allysa Romo. I had the pleasure of working with these wonderful film buffs in soliciting and programming our high school submissions. Thanks to their dedication, from attending numerous screenings to composing exceptional film notes, we were able to acquire and program some of the best high school films in the region. While reviewing the submissions, I was very impressed with the level of sophistication that these high school filmmakers brought to the table. Wonderful writing, excellent comedic timing, beautiful costumes, and polished cinematography are only some of the great things you can expect from the high school films showcasing at the festival this year. It is inspiring to see the immense talent and drive that these young filmmakers have, which is why we want to showcase their work to our audiences. 

My favorite part of working with the Junior Programmers was gaining insight on the unique perspectives they provided on all the films, including the ones made from university or college film schools and community-based non-academic pieces. Each programmer shed light on a different aspect of their favorite shorts that allowed the rest of the team to appreciate upon second viewings of these films. The level of detail with which they analyzed each film, from character design and story to the technical aspects of film and their personal emotional responses to each piece, made for very  insightful programming discussions, and provided this year's festival with a well-rounded youth voice.

The Junior Programming team and I curated Expect the Unexpected and though the majority of the team are from high school, the program is anything but child-like. Films will touch on domestic violence, sexual abuse, racial tensions, stereotypes, and mental illness. Watching some of these films and choosing to program them for a youth audiences requires an innate sense of maturity and I must give kudos to the junior programming team for that. We chose these shorts because they use the power of film to express the unheard voices of society, and provide insight on these sensitive topics in ways that will resonate with the audience.  We're excited to share with you some of the best of the best films made by youth and we hope you will enjoy them as much as we did.

​-Julia

iOne of the perks of being a Festival Director for a youth-based film festival is gaining access to a lot of work made by students over the past year. Myself along with our programming team have been attending different screenings these last few weeks to see what we can expect to come our way for this year's festival. It’s always interesting to see the distinct styles that those from each school employ. Here are some thoughts based on the screenings I've been to this year.

University of Toronto
The film community at U of T is thriving thanks to the Hart House Film Board and the Raindance on Campus groups. Though they may not have the same resources as their film school counterparts, their productions have no lack of heart. While the premise is a bit out of left field, there was chemistry in Edy Garfinkel's Blowdryin' Sunday. Carla Veldman's Uncle Antlers memorized audiences despite some faulty playback on the Hart House computers. I was hoping to see more from those in Mississauga due to their partnership with Sheridan College. Perhaps at Toronto Youth Shorts this year!
 
York University
I attended three screenings at York and some of these films really made that trek on the Finch bus worth it. From their second year, I found the documentaries to be strongest with The Friendly Giant by Mariah Enarson, Yes I Can by Lalo Nixon-Pasten, and Salamander by Aidan Cheeatow being exceptionally notable for presenting engaging characters with a vulnerability that audiences can empathize with. Same goes for Last Step by Rachel D’Ercole, produced from the third year group. Salmonella by Michele DesLauriers showed a lot of charm with its art direction, colour palette, and kooky characters.
 
The content coming out of 4th year truly impressed me, with Tidal Waves by Kristina Wang being amongst one of my favourite dramas across all the film screenings I’ve attended so far. Emmerek Van Leur’s Tinder Dad rightfully solicited laughs from the crowd and it was crazy to see how much they were able to get away with. And despite being 18 minutes long, there was no lull in the bittersweet story of Christian Harrison's Moods Like Jazz.
 
Humber College
I had the pleasure to see work from the graduating classes of both their Film and Television Production diploma program and their Film and Media Production degree program at the Bloor Cinema. This is the first time in years that I was able to directly compare the work between the two. Some of the best films from both programs are stories based on being an outsider or being different. Both Stall by Ramon Lapshin and Distance by Roya Edalatmand are effective relationship dramas that hit the right emotional notes. Interestingly enough, both programs ended on films about someone who is terminally ill. Both Jacob is Ready by Tatevik Galstyan and Severance by Katie Hill feature beautiful landscape photography to parallel the inner character conflict.
 
OCAD University
Event organizers and filmmaking collaborators, Sanchita Mitra, Jessica Sinopoli, and Molly Shears produced the Next Exit Film Festival, giving me a taste of OCAD's Integrated Media program. In addition to three narrative films that they collaborated on in different roles, the screening featured a lot of video art. Stylistically speaking, they stand out from the rest of the film schools due to the differences in their curriculum and resources. Father’s Story by Sook Jung features still images that are hauntingly beautiful, with a direction that is very different compared to the work seen in industry-based animation schools. As expected of OCAD, a lot of the work do not adhere to traditional formats and artists are more free to experiment. Now that our good friend, Jamie McMillan, is back from overseas to run Augmented Cinema again, I can’t wait to see what other OCAD U projects are out there.
 
I’ll be going to RUFF this week as well and they definitely have some shoes to fill when it comes to my expectations. But if the quality of past content is any indication, I’m sure it’ll be just as amazing. Hopefully we can show some of these films to you at Toronto Youth Shorts this year!

-Henry

Toronto Youth Shorts alumni, Tanya Hoshi and Priscilla Galvez (Biggie's Garage, TYS2014), are producing a web series called How to Buy a Baby.

The series follow thirty-something couple, Jane and Charlie Levy, who have long given up on having a baby the fun way. Having been diagnosed with infertility, they are resigned to needing costly and invasive assistance if they are ever to become parents. They are determined, though, to keep things fertiliFUN and not lose sight of the reasons why they wanted to have a baby together in the first place. But what happens to a couple when so many people are involved in the intimate act of procreation? Can a marriage survive and thrive with the financial and emotional pressures of infertility? How much will two people sacrifice to make a new life? 

Outrageous, real and darkly funny, How to Buy a Baby is competing for funding from the Independent Production Fund to complete the 14 episode series.

Read more about How to Buy a Baby at https://www.facebook.com/howtobuyababy

As part of its ongoing effort to make television programming accessible to all Canadians, the CRTC mandated in 2009 that all over-the-air broadcasters must provide described video (DV) for a portion of the content they air. Described video is an optional audio track, designed to provide extra context for vision-impaired audiences -- i.e. which characters are in a scene, where it takes place, and any other non-audible information -- similar to the function closed captioning plays for the hearing-impaired. Currently, conventional broadcasters are required to air four hours of described content per week, though that number will rise to include all primetime programming by 2019. A cottage industry of DV-providers has already sprung up in Canada to help broadcasters meet these regulations, and it should continue to grow significantly over the next few years as more stringent regulations come into place. In fact, as DV becomes mandatory in more English-speaking countries around the world, Canada's status as an early adopter could help it become a leader in the field (hint hint to those seeking employment in the industry).

Currently, though, DV is in its infancy, and for many providers, it remains a work in progress. In order to help standardize the quality of described video across channels, the Toronto-based Accessible Media Inc. has created a "Best Practices" document of "artistic and technical guidelines." And for those unfamiliar with DV, it is indeed an art. While the unofficial mantra of film schools everywhere is, "Show, don't tell," DV providers have to turn that adage on its head and translate visual images back into something that can be conveyed in words. And, beyond that, they have to do it quickly, and without obscuring any dialogue. With the picture moving at a constant rate of 30 frames per second, time is of the essence.

Most interesting, perhaps, are the ways in which the DV best practices dovetail with a number of ongoing conversations regarding representation in media. For instance, when is it important to describe someone's race or gender on screen? What visual signifiers of a character's identity should DV creators prioritize, and how should they put them into words? As writers, directors and broadcasters continue to become more open to putting characters on screen who don't fit into normative categories, these questions become even more essential. AMI's Best Practices suggest that "[I]dentification of characters by race, ethnic origin or disability is not required unless there is relevancy to plot, motivation or background." Yet, "relevancy" can be difficult to define. What makes someone's skin colour relevant to a narrative? Aziz Ansari, the Indian-American creator and star of Master of None, has spoken about the need to create stories for minority characters that don't revolve around their ethnic identity. And, indeed, a white character could participate in many of the story arcs on Master of None without significantly changing the meaning. But, an important part of normalizing non-white experiences on screen requires the juxtaposition that comes from visible minorities living banal, middle class lives. It seems possible, then, that ignoring race altogether may undermine that goal, even if it's done with the best intentions. As described video continues to make visual media accessible to more Canadians, then, it also gives us a new avenue through which we can use inform and complicate our understanding of representation on screen. 

​-Paul

​On April 20th, communities all over the country will be screening great Canadian films in honour of National Canadian Film Day. This event, created by Reel Canada, is a fantastic way to celebrate our national cinema, which is often lost in a sea of Hollywood films. I’ve had a great time this past month helping the Reel Canada team plan for this event, and I am very proud to support this initiative to get Canadians excited about Canadian film! Seeing the diverse range of films being sent across the country got my thinking about some of my favorite Canadian films. Here’s a list of top 5 films to watch on National Canadian Film Day:

1)Mommy (Xavier Dolan, 2014): One of the winners of the Jury Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, this film is an extraordinary accomplishment for the 27-year-old director. Dolan tells the story of a single mother, her violent son, and the shy neighbour who enters their lives. The most beautiful aspect of the film is the three main characters and their relationship with each other. No one is presented as strictly good or evil, as each have their virtues and flaws, and they all try to help each other be the best versions of themselves. Dolan presents heart-felt moments of the three characters forgetting their worries and enjoying each other’s company, which brings light to the dark subject matter. Each actor gives an amazing performance, especially Anne Dorval, who won a Canadian Screen Award for her portrayal of the mother. Combined with unique editing and a great soundtrack, this is a very moving film.

2)The F Word (Michael Dowse, 2013): A movie that was filmed in Toronto, and actually takes place in Toronto, how refreshing! This film is filled with charm, witty dialogue, and lovely shots of Toronto.  Everything about this film is so natural and fun to watch: the story of two friends struggling with becoming more than friends is relatable, Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan have great chemistry and the writing reflects how young people talk to each other today. Can you think of 10 other names for Cool Whip?

3) The Red Violin (Francois Girard, 1998): A poetic film about the transcendent power of music. The story unravels the mystery behind this iconic instrument in a brilliant way, and displays the unique impact that music has in each country and time period it reaches. With beautiful sets, and an Oscar-winning score, this is a gorgeous film that takes you on a journey around the world, across time, through the move of music.

4) Being Canadian (Robert Cohen, 2015): A hilarious documentary that follows Robert Cohen as he travels across Canada to figure out what it really means to be Canadian. Along the way, he chats with locals, Canadian celebrities, and non-Canadians to discover that no one really knows how to define our culture. It’s a light-hearted film that pokes fun at Canada, while still making you feel proud to be part of such a multi-faceted culture. It’s also fun to be able to relate to the topics they discuss on screen, such as our love of Tim Hortons, tendency to be too nice, and the fact that a scandal to us is 30 million dollars’ worth of maple syrup stolen.

5) My Internship in Canada (Philippe Falardeau, 2015): A comedic take on Canadian politics following the partnership between an indecisive Member of Parliament, Steve Guibord,  and his hopeful intern from Haiti, Souverain Pascal. When Guibord has to break the tie-breaking vote deciding if Canada will go to war in the Middle East, he travels across Quebec to see if the public can help him make this decision. The clash between the stubborn Canadian and the idealistic immigrant is enjoyable to watch, and the absurd arguments presented by the different lobby groups are hilarious.

Those are my favorite Canadian films. Which ones are yours?

Don’t forget to celebrate National Canadian Film Day tomorrow by watching a great Canadian film! Visit www.canadianfilmday.ca to see which screenings will be held in your area, as well as the full broadcast schedule to see what will be playing on T.V! 

The Bloor Cinema is one of my favourite spots in the city to catch a movie. Inside and out, it feels like the kind of authentic, old-school cinema that is becoming increasingly rare. It’s definitely a throwback, which, as it turns out, unexpectedly made it the perfect home for this year’s Spotlight Charity Film Festival.

Now in its third year, Spotlight celebrates the best of local high school filmmaking, handing out awards in the categories of documentary, narrative, and experimental. Spotlight also has some serious philanthropic heft, with this year’s festival raising $8000 for Sketch.

Apart from the social good aspect, though, Spotlight also has a lot of artistic merit to offer. This year’s award winners – picked by a judging panel of industry professionals – were all maturely executed and high-quality offerings from such young filmmakers.

I’m not sure exactly what I expected when I walked into a screening of films made by high school students, but it definitely wasn’t an experimental animated documentary about vintage Hollywood starlet Eartha Kitt. But indeed, James Perry’s You Must Think About That One Again was a standout of the night, bringing Kitt’s fiery and still-relevant monologue on female independence to life through elegant typography and an arresting animation style.

Elsewhere, I saw films that prominently featured Super 8 home movies, old family photographs, and even an old stereo receiver with magical time-traveling abilities. Maybe I’m just a jaded 20-something who will soon be rambling about “the good old days”, but I did find it heartening to see a lot of these young filmmakers looking back and celebrating technology and art that is several decades older than they are.

However, the night wasn’t all about odes to analog technology. One of the other highlights was Carol Nguyen’s This Home is Not Empty, a stunningly filmed examination of intricate 3D paper models that rightfully won the experimental category. Elsewhere, Tristan Surman’s stylish A Dying Man Named Steve tied for first in the narrative category and proved to be an audience favourite thanks to its biting, blackly comic story of a terminally ill young man who just wants to find a home for his unlikeable dog once he’s gone.

In terms of raising money for a great cause and celebrating the next wave of Toronto filmmakers, the night was all-around fun and hopeful. It’s always great to see so much young talent on display.

-Colleen

​After school on Monday, I left right at 3:30 to rush over to The Big Screen Student Film Festival put on by the Etobicoke School of the Arts at a Cineplex in Etobicoke. This festival was created to showcase student work in front of classmates and industry professionals, and was funded by Scotiabank. I was a couple minutes late, so I didn’t get the chance to pick up any popcorn!

The large theatre was practically full (it was a really popular event) so I took a seat in the very front row and craned my neck up to see the huge screen. Each film shown began with a title slide with the director’s name and grade, which I found provided a nice division between films and helped me to keep track of different directors.

I can say in all honesty that I truly enjoyed each film; it was a very well programmed event, with varying themes and styles. I especially enjoyed A Dying Man Names Steve by Tristan Surman, which is about a man who “after finding out that he is going to die, … realizes that he has to find a new home for his dog before he goes”. It’s humorous, has a cast of great actors, and there was a beautiful atmosphere throughout the film evoked through the use of music and cool colours.

Another favourite is Petrichor by Carol Nguyen; described as “a guide to love and loss”, which features earthworms and graceful poetry.

After all the films were shown, there was a brief awards ceremony. Some of the awards included Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Sound Design. It was great to see films get recognition and to hear the support everyone had for each other. It was a wonderful festival with amazing films and filmmakers!

-Avondale