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February 04, 2005
January 28, 2005
THIS Magazine's Film Club
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1st Rule of Film Club: Tell Everyone About Film Club!
Please forward to your friends, acquaintances and just about anyone else you can think of. Show your support of our national cinema by checking out a Canadian film.
Please contact us if you know of any Canadian film openings, events or initiatives happening anywhere across the country. Send us an email at filmclub@thismagazine.ca and we will do our best to include the information in our weekly newsletter.
Congratulations to the National Film Board and to all of the Canadians nominated for Academy Awards. Nominated this year are: RYAN, an animated short, written and directed by Chris Landreth; HARDWOOD, a documentary short, written and directed by Hubert Davis; and Paul Haggis of London, Ont. in the best adapted screenplay category for MILLION DOLLAR BABY. The Robert Lantos-produced film BEING JULIA was also recognized, receiving a nomination for Annette Bening in the best actress category.
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Film Club Newsletter - January 28, 2005
1. Opening - CHILDSTAR,* SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL & CITADEL
2. Events & Festivals
3. Now Playing
4. Coming Soon
5. FYI: Famous Players Reduces Ticket Price in Ontario
*See 'Events & Festivals' to learn more about First Weekend Club events featuring Don McKellar!
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1. Opening
a) CHILDSTAR
January 28th - Vancouver, Toronto
http://www.childstar-movie.com
Sitcom icon Taylor Brandon Burns (Mark Rendall), the world's most famous child actor, is outsourced to Canada. He is to save the world in The First Son, an action-comedy blockbuster scheduled for summer release. Rick Schiller (Don McKellar), experimental filmmaker, is assigned as the 12-year-old's driver. The kid is a monstrous brat, but the job does have its side benefits, liberally provided by Taylor's lonely mom, Suzanne (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Rick even seems to be making some progress in establishing trust with the lad, but when the pressures of work, family, and fast-approaching adolescence finally become too much for the young star, Taylor runs away, presumably with some girl. The First Son grinds to a halt. The film's producers and Taylor's agents are thrown into a panic. It's up to Rick to find Taylor before the press catches wind of the situation and all hell breaks loose.
The film is one of Canada's Top Ten (see details below). See 'Events & Festivals' to learn more about First Weekend Club events featuring Don McKellar!
b) SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: THE JOURNEY OF ROMÉO DALLAIRE
January 31st
CBC Television, 'The Passionate Eye,' 9:00 p.m.
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyemonday
Canadian Lt.-General (ret) Roméo Dallaire may never fully come to terms with the horrific events that unfolded while he commanded the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, but the emotionally scarred Dallaire is trying. Over 100 nightmarish days in 1994, more than 800,000 men, women and children were brutally murdered, despite the valiant efforts of Dallaire and his small number of peacekeepers.
SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: THE JOURNEY OF ROMÉO DALLAIRE follows the former UN General during his first return trip to Rwanda 10 years after the genocide, a searing emotional journey in which he confronts the memories that persistently haunt him. The documentary‚s world television premiere will air commercial-free, Monday, Jan. 31 at 9 p.m. on CBC Television‚s THE PASSIONATE EYE, just days after it screens in competition at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film is one of Canada's Top Ten (see details below).
c) CITADEL, Camera Bar, 1028 Queen Street West
January 30, 2005 & February 6, 13, 20, 27, 2005
Screenings at 7pm and 9pm
http://www.camerabar.ca
"CITADEL was shot on a Sony Mini DV camera during a family vacation to Lebanon. Arsinée was born and raised in Beirut. She hadn't been back for 28 years. Upon looking at the footage on our return, several ideas began to cross my mind. This film is a spontaneous reflection on what the trip meant to us. The film was edited on a home computer with Final Cut Pro. Needless to say, this film was made without a budget, script or any sense of pre-conception. CITADEL was completed for CAMERA, a multi-media gallery designed for digital projection. Twenty years ago, I shot my first feature film, NEXT OF KIN, for $25,000 on 16mm. Twenty years later, digital technology has allowed me to make CITADEL for a fraction of that amount." -- Atom Egoyan
Screenings of CITADEL are free with a donation (item or cash) to The Food Bank.
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2. Events & Festivals
a) CHILDSTAR: FIRST WEEKEND CLUB & DON MCKELLAR!
http://www.childstar-movie.com
http://www.firstweekendclub.ca
TORONTO - FRIDAY, JANUARY 28
Please join First Weekend Club in welcoming Don McKellar at the 9:45pm screening of CHILDSTAR at the Carlton Cinemas. Don has graciously accepted the First Weekend Club's request to introduce his latest film. Please spread the word widely. And remember - See it First. Make it Last.
VANCOUVER - SATURDAY, JANUARY 29
Don McKellar will lead a Q&A with the audience following the 7:10pm screening and will introduce the film at the 9:30pm screening at the Granville Cinemas. A post screening party with Don is also planned for Vancouver. Visit http://www.firstweekendclub.ca for more details.
b) CANADA'S TOP TEN
Cinematheque Ontario, Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas Street West, Toronto
January 28, 2005 to February 5, 2005
The Toronto International Film Festival Group is proud to announce the recipients of Canada's Top Ten 2004. Established in 2001, Canada's Top Ten celebrates the finest in Canadian cinema as voted on by an independent panel of filmmakers, programmers, academics, journalists and industry professionals from across the country.
Canada‚s Top Ten 2004 in alphabetical order:
- CHILDSTAR directed by Don McKellar
- ELLES ETAIENT CINQ directed by Ghyslaine Côté
- I, CLAUDIA directed by Chris Abraham
- IT‚S ALL GONE PETE TONG directed by Michael Dowse
- RYAN directed by Chris Landreth
- SAINT RALPH directed by Michael McGowan
- SCAREDSACRED directed by Velcrow Ripper
- SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: THE JOURNEY OF ROMÉO DALLAIRE directed by Peter Raymont
- LA PEAU BLANCHE directed by Daniel Roby
- WHAT REMAINS OF US directed by François Prévost and Hugo Latulippe
As part of the celebration of Canada‚s Top Ten, this year‚s selection plus two panel discussions will be presented from January 28 - February 5, 2005 at Cinematheque Ontario.
Tickets are available starting December 15, 2004 at the year-round box office at the Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West (main floor, north entrance), and online at http://www.topten.ca or by calling the Bell Infoline at 416-967-FILM.
Purchase a Passport to Canada‚s Top Ten which includes tickets to four films and one panel discussion for $31.25 ($26.25 for students and seniors) or single tickets for $7 ($6 for students and seniors). Last year‚s tickets sold out fast, so get your tickets before they‚re gone!
Please visit http://www.topten.ca for more information on these exciting events.
As well, three of the directors with films in Canada's Top Ten were interviewed during the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival®, and video clips can be found in the Filmmakers Forum section of the Festival's Official website at http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2004/livefromthefestival/filmmakersforum.asp.
c) ATANARJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER - 35MM PRINT!
February 12th, 2005 at 2:00 p.m.
Cinematheque Ontario, Art Gallery of Ontario, Jackman Hall, 317 Dundas St. West, Toronto
$6 for Members; $5.50 for Student Members and Seniors; and $10.10 for Non-Members
http://www.bell.ca/cinematheque
"Mysterious, bawdy, emotionally intense, and replete with virtuoso throat singing, this three-hour movie is engrossing from first image to last, so devoid of stereotype and cosmic in its vision it could suggest the rebirth of cinema" (J. Hoberman, The Village Voice).
Zacharias Kunuk's first feature won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes film festival and wowed critics the world over - with good reason: this highly original adaptation of an Inuit folk tale is breathtaking to watch unfold. ATANARJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER tells the story of a community of nomadic Inuit that becomes divided when Atanarjuat wins his lover Atuat away from the arrogant son of the camp's leader, sparking a blood vendetta on the harsh arctic ice plains. Shimmering with the resplendent beauty of its frozen landscapes, ATANARJUAT is a marvellously rendered story that builds to a surprising resolution. "A knockout . . . a generational saga with many Homeric elements - love, jealousy, rivalry between young contenders, extraordinary feats of strength, resentments passed from fathers to sons, and crimes that beget consequences years later" (Margaret Atwood, The Globe and Mail). "A masterpiece" (A.O. Scott, The New York Times). Recommended for ages 10 and up.
d) CANADIAN HERITAGE FILM FESTIVAL
February 18th to February 21st, 2005
Heritage Playhouse, Gibsons, BC
http://www.scfs.ca and
http://www.heritagefilmfest.ca
A fantastic celebration of Canadian cinema to celebrate Heritage Day weekend! The Sunshine Coast Film Society is pleased to present the Canadian Heritage Film Festival. This weekend-long event will include screenings of over 10 feature films ˆ from across the country and over the decades ˆ supported by documentaries and classic NFB shorts, keynote speakers, galas, a film archivist who will advise people about their old home movie footage, panels, and so much more. Visit the website for a complete film list and for ticket information.
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3. Now Playing
FILM CIRCUIT
Visit the website (http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/filmcircuit/index.html) to see which Canadian films are playing near you.
Here is a partial list of films that are playing across Canada, listed by title. You can also check out http://www.cinemaclock.com/ to see what other films may be playing in your town.
Being Julia
ON, QC
http://www.sonyclassics.com/beingjulia/
The Take
BC, AB
http://www.TheTake.org
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4. Coming Soon
If you know of any upcoming film festivals or events happening across the country, please be sure to email the details to filmclub@thismagazine.ca.
Teaching Peace in a Time of War
Special February 2005 Screenings in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta
See upcoming newsletters for further details!
http://www.nfb.ca/teachingpeace
Childstar
February 2005 - Wide Release
http://www.childstar-movie.com
Canadian Filmmakers Festival, Toronto
April 7th to April 10th, 2005
http://www.canfilmfest.ca
Genie Awards, Toronto
March 4th, 2005
http://www.academy.ca
5th Annual Reelworld Film Festival, Toronto
April 13th to April 17th, 2005
http://www.reelworld.ca
Hot Docs, Toronto
April 22nd to May 1st, 2005
http://www.hotdocs.ca
Toronto Jewish Film Festival, Toronto
May 7th to May 15th, 2005
http://www.tjff.com
5th Annual Female Eye Film Festival, Toronto
June 10th to June 12th, 2005
http://www.femaleeyefilmfestival.com
Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival
June 14th to June 19th, 2005
http://www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com
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5. FYI: Famous Players Reduces Ticket Price in Ontario
As of Friday, January 28, Famous Players movie theatres in Ontario will be reducing ticket prices to $9.95 for all evening screenings.
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ATTENTION Canadian Film Enthusiasts:
Check out http://www.academy.ca or http://www.genieawards.ca for regular updates of Canadian film listings, and to get links to official film websites and distributor sites! Information will be updated on a weekly basis. Note that listings are subject to change at any time.
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Visit the award-winning Northern Stars® website, devoted to Canadian actors and actresses, directors and films: http://www.northernstars.ca/nowplaying_2.html.
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Please let us know about any other Canadian screenings going on anywhere and everywhere and we will do our best to include the details in our postings.
These and other film industry events can be found in the Event Calendar at http://www.FilmType.com, as well as job postings, crew and casting calls, equipment trade, crew directory and other resources for the filmmaking community!
Film Club is a member of MyMediaBiz.com (http://mymediabiz.com), Canada's only multi-tiered, multi-purpose entertainment portal dedicated to promoting and enhancing interactivity in the Canadian media industry.
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Posted by annette FC at February 4, 2005 11:35 PM