Esprit Orchestra’s 30th Anniversary Season Finale concludes its 30th anniversary season with 30 AND COUNTING! The concert, featuring works by established and ascending Canadian stars along with iconic pieces in popular culture, takes place at Koerner Hall tonight, Thursday, March 28, at 8 pm.

This season finale combines the phenomenal energy of soloists Wallace Halladay (saxophone) and Ryan Scott (percussion) with Esprit’s musicians in the premiere of Burn, a virtuosic double concerto for saxophone, percussion and orchestra written for the occasion by Erik Ross. “To me, this piece is about purging our way through the transformations that we experience in our lives”, explains the composer. Ross has worked extensively with both soloists in the past. “The honesty, openness, and desire to produce “great art” that exists between them led to the creation of this concerto”, adds Ross.

Montrealer Denis Gougeon has been commissioned to compose a work to mark Esprit’s 30 years of commissioning, performing and promoting Canadian music. TUTTI signals the start of the orchestra’s next 30 years with fanfare. A colourful work, Gougeon’s piece is based on a few notes derived from the names ‘Esprit’ and ‘Alex Pauk’ – a tribute to the 30 years of Esprit Orchestra and its founding music director.

The evening also features two iconic pieces in popular culture specially arranged for Esprit: Purple Haze and the theme from The Twilight Zone. One of the most recognizable melodies in Western pop culture, the Twilight Zone theme was written for the original American TV series by Marius Constant, the Parisian composer and conductor of classical and contemporary music. Constant was also Alex Pauk’s friend and mentor. Invited to Toronto for an Esprit performance of his Nana Symphony in 1991, Constant made a special arrangement of his famous theme as a gift to Esprit.

Pauk was blown away when he first heard the Kronos Quartet (known for extending string quartet repertoire far beyond traditional boundaries) play Jimi Hendrix‘s Purple Haze in a special arrangement by American composer Steve Rifkin. Pauk immediately contacted Rifkin and asked him to adapt it for Esprit’s full string section. Esprit’s premiere of this wild version brought the house down in 1987; the piece was dubbed as one of “Esprit’s Greatest Hits”.

Always supporting composers of the young generation, Esprit will also present a performance of Alba for large orchestra by Zosha Di Castri, a young and gifted Canadian composer of international importance. Born in Calgary, Di Castri grew up in St. Albert, Alta. before moving to Montreal to complete her Bachelor of Music at McGill University; she is currently living in New York to pursue a doctorate at Columbia University. Di Castri is the recipient of the 2012 Jules-Léger Prize for new Chamber Music.

Soup Can Theatre opens a very interesting and genre-blending double bill with Samuel Barber’s playful, compact, and contemporary opera A Hand of Bridge (libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti), and renowned existential philosopher and Nobel Prize-winning playwright Jean Paul Sartre’s dark and groundbreaking masterpiece No Exit (translation by Stuart Gilbert).

Barber (best known for his stirring Adagio for Strings) premiered this tuneful opera in 1959 in Spoleto, Italy as part of the ‘Festival of New Worlds’. Set in the midst of a game of bridge being played by two emotionally-strained, upper middle-class couples, A Hand of Bridge weaves together quintessential operatic themes, such as jealousy, envy, and unrequited love, with unexpected and unapologetically intimate topics (for the time), such as marital infidelity and bisexuality. Director and Music Director Pratik Gandhi comments, “The music is quite charming and is a great example of mid-20th century eclecticism, bridging centuries-old traditions with new and unconventional ideas – including some drawn from popular music. The approachable nature of Barber’s score belies the more poignant and striking moments that form the core of the libretto, giving their delivery a surprisingly strong impact.”

In Sartre’s No Exit, three recently deceased strangers with shadowy pasts find themselves trapped together in a room in Hell with only three chairs and a grotesque bronze sculpture as the sum total of their new existence. The trio quickly realize that torture and eternal torment do not come at the hands of demons with hot pokers, but rather from each other’s words, thoughts, urges, and actions. Even though No Exit was written in 1944, it still manages to reflect present day issues with chilling accuracy. Director Sarah Thorpe elaborates: “With bullying frequently making front page news, and the realm of social media acting as a playground for anonymous harassment, Sartre’s central idea that “Hell is other people” is, sadly, just as true today as it was six decades ago. The psychological universality of this works is a testament to its importance and insight – and one of the reasons we are excited to share it with the public.”

Bringing these classic works to life is a cast of rising stars in their respective fields of opera and theatre – backed by a live fourteen piece orchestra. To enhance the two pieces, Soup Can Theatre’s production will be performed in the round on a custom built stage in the Tapestry New Opera Studio, located in Toronto’s beautiful and historic Distillery District.

Today (March 27th) is World Theatre Day. Why not try a bit of opera and theatre tonight? This double-bill runs until March 30th. I’ll certainly be checking it out. For now, I leave you with Barber’s Adagio for Strings, which is absolutely sublime.

The sixth annual CMW Film Fest takes its residence at the TIFF Bell Lightbox for three days, March 21st to the 23rd. Presented by Tribute Entertainment, this year’s festival casts a light on some of music’s unsung heroes, goes behind the scenes with a revealing look into touring and Toronto’s 70’s punk and new wave explosion, and takes a comedic turn with a sci-fi musical.

For a switch of pace during this year’s Canadian Music Week festvities, why not take a break with a film or two?

THURSDAY, MARCH 21
7:00 p.m. – AIN’T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH: A FILM ABOUT LEVON HELM
Director: Jacob Hatley

Filmed during the final years of his life, Ain’t In It For My Health sees Levon Helm forced to confront the dark times that have haunted him since The Band‘s demise: throat cancer, bankruptcy, drug addiction and the tragic loss of band mates Richard Manuel and Rick Danko.

9:15 p.m. – SPRING BREAKERS
Director: Harmony Korine

Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens, and Rachel Korine star as a group of best friends who are willing to do anything (including robbing a fast food joint at gunpoint) to get to Spring Break. But when they get there and meet local thug, Alien (James Franco), things get crazier than they could have ever imagined.

FRIDAY, MARCH 22
7:00 p.m. – WHO THE !@#$ IS ARTHUR FOGEL?
Director: Ron Chapman

Arthur Fogel rose through the ranks of the concert promotions business in Canada to become the most successful international tour producer in the world. As CEO of Global Touring and Chairman of Global Music for Live Nation, he is also, arguably, the most trusted man in music. With his personal, “hands-on” approach and masterful knowledge of world touring, Fogel has overseen the most profitable mega-tours in history, building lucrative partnerships with an elite group of artists including Madonna, U2, Sting, David Bowie, Neil Young, and Lady Gaga.

Raw, uncensored, revealing, Who the !@#$ is Arthur Fogel? is the insider story of today’s multi-billion dollar pop music industry that is struggling to survive the meteor-like impact of massive technological change that has affected it like no other business on Earth… and one man who is trying to save it.

9:15 p.m. – THE HISTORY OF FUTURE FOLK
Directors: John Mitchell and Jeremy Kipp Walker
Co-presented with Toronto After Dark Film Festival

A crowd-pleasing sci-fi musical comedy about two alien soldiers sent to Earth to wipe out the human race, but have a difficult time completing their missions after they hear the Earth creation, ‘Music’.

SATURDAY, MARCH 23
12:30 p.m. – THE LAST POGO JUMPS AGAIN
Directors: Colin Brunton and Kire Paputts

A history of the first wave of Toronto punk rock and new wave music, from when the Ramones played in ‘76 through to when the cops gave Teenage Head the boot at “The Last Pogo” concert in December, 1978.

5:15 p.m. – APOCALYPSE: A BILL CALLAHAN TOUR FILM
Director: Hanly Banks

“I think when I’m performing live, it’s really just the realest me there is,” says Bill Callahan (Smog) in this wonderful tour film that features intimate interviews and performances from the notoriously private Callahan’s 2011 tour.

Preceded by
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
Toronto Premiere
Director: Kyle Armstrong

A short documentary contrasting the Northern Lights with decaying manmade debris surrounding the Arctic Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba. The film features an original score by Jim O’Rourke, a voice-over by Will Oldham and likely some of the best footage of the aurora borealis ever captured.

7:00 p.m. – BAD BRAINS: A BAND IN DC
Directors: Benjamen Logan and Mandy Stein

The Bad Brains are one of the most important and influential American bands still working today. Despite the troubles of an eccentric front man they’ve stayed together for 30 years without reaching the level of success many think they deserve. Bad Brains: A Band in DC re-constructs Bad Brains’ rich and complicated history.

9:15 p.m. – BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT ME
Director: Drew DeNicola

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me tells the incredible story of the dismal commercial failure, subsequent massive critical acclaim, and enduring legacy of pop music’s greatest cult phenomenon, Big Star.

Featuring never before seen footage and photos, in-depth interviews and tributes from bands they inspired (REM, The Replacements, Belle & Sebastian, Elliott Smith, and The Flaming Lips), the film tells the whole Big Star story for the first time. For new fans or old, this is an essential document of pop music’s greatest cult phenomenon.

Admission to all films is also included with a Canadian Music Fest wristband. Advance tickets – priced at $10 per person – can be purchased online at Ticketfly.com or through cmwfilmfest.com. Day of screening tickets will be available at the TIFF Bell Lightbox box office.

Cinema Oubliette is a new monthly film series dedicated to overlooked and forgotten cinema. The series will call Toronto’s Hashtag Gallery its home. Each month they will screen a hidden gem in the heart of the gallery, complete with snacks and dialogue. The first film screening take place tonight, March 21st.

Return To Oz
1985, dir: Walter Murch

Synopsis: Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, is somehow called back to Oz when a vain witch and the Nome King destroy everything that makes the magical land beautiful.

Much is know for his editorial work in Apocalypse Now and The English Patients. This is his first directorial effort… I have to admit I have not seen this film. However from reading about it, the premise of the story appears to be aimed at older children and perhaps adults. I’d be interested in seeing the film, especially because of its cult following. And also to see how the work of L. Frank Baum was adapted into this sequel of the original story.

Cinema Oubliette: Return To Oz
Thursday March 21st, 8:00pm
PWYC donations graciously accepted

Starting tonight, with films from Quebec, the Maritimes and Ontario, the Canadian Film Festival (CFF) will screen six feature films alongside eighteen short films.

“Last year, Torontonians welcomed us back to the scene with open arms and it was a bonafide success,” said Executive Director Ber Euler, adding, “We are thrilled to present another exciting edition with a slate of solid films and panels to audiences eager to see and support our homegrown talent.”

The CFF’s sole focus is to bring the best in Canadian cinema to Torontonians. In addition to the film screenings over the course of four days, the CFF will present various panels for industry and public alike, which will be announced at a later date.

The feature and short film lineup for the CFF is a mixture of drama, documentary and genre films ensuring something for all tastes.

FEATURE FILMS INCLUDE:

ROUGE SANG (THE STORM WITHIN)
Director: Martin Doepner
Cast: Isabelle Guérard, Lothaire Bluteau, Anthony Lemke

On New Year’s Eve 1799, Esperance with her three young children, anxiously await the return of her husband. With a snowstorm brewing, five British soldiers invade her home to take cover from the blizzard. As the night progresses, so does the tension in the small cabin in the woods. Horrific acts are committed and blood is spilled in the name of revenge. As the victim becomes the aggressor, one quickly understands that there is no place for mercy in hell.

THE SCENE: AN EXPLORATION OF MUSIC IN TORONTO
Director: Josh Jensen
Featuring: The Ruby Spirit, Committed To Rhyme, The Alter Kakers, Bif Naked, Anvil, Tokyo Police Club

The film follows trio of indie rock bands as they refine their sound, promote their shows, and record their music in the city of Toronto. With commentary from music legends, chart-toppers, band managers, talent agents, radio personalities, and industry experts, The Scene explores the realities of pursuing a career in Canada’s music capital.

SKULL WORLD
Director: Justin McConnell
Cast: Greg Sommer/Skull Man, Jason Pluscec, Shane Patterson, Sean Chillcott, Merv Perez, Ross Koger, Hoss Siegel, Josh Spiegel, Stefano Manera, Sandra Sommer

Greg Sommer is an enigma, wrapped inside a mystery, encased in a Jean-Jacket Vest. An enterprising man in his early 30s, Greg, and his alter-ego Skull Man, are at war. Welcome to Greg’s world – a world of warriors, magic, and glory, where he is building the Canadian-chapter of Box Wars, an international underground movement of Cardboard-based combat. Skull World follows two years in the life of Greg, and sheds light on exactly what makes him, and his goals in life, so unique.

MR. VIRAL
Director: Alex Boothby
Cast: Jefferson Brown, Alex Appel, Christian Lloyd And Michael Ripley

Mr. Viral combines three stories of perversion, coercion and sin, set in the world of viral advertising. A brilliant but twisted ad man creates a secret viral marketing campaign to save his failing ad agency and take revenge on his smarmy replacements. He rebrands their beloved kid’s toys as sex toys (the kind you would see alongside some hot lingerie picks at Restricted 21)and adult diapers as kink-wear. Pretty strange stuff already, but it gets weirder. As time goes on, this ends up inspiring an underground cult following on sites similar to https://www.porn7.xxx/. In the same office, a spastic, gay account girl recruits a group of crazed Quebec e-stalkers in a desperate attempt to catch her wife cheating. Meanwhile, an aging accountant falls into a dangerous trap while seeking love on the Internet. All three stories simmer and explode as they become linked by a mysterious digital pimp who calls himself Mr. V.

SHORT FILMS INCLUDE:

ACE OF SPADES
Director: Justin Kelly
Cast: Scott McCord, Ariel McDonald, Daveed Louza, Glen McDonald, David Tompa

The comedy trio “Funny Stuff” encounter their Canadian TV star hero, Scott McCord, star of the hit TV hostage drama “Rookie Flash Bang”, while going door to door to raise funds for their comedy show, “Making Funny Stuff”. Impressed by their awe for him, Scott makes the unfortunate mistake of inviting the infantile and tragically untalented trio into his home to impart some of his comedy wisdom to them.

BEST, APRIL
Director: Scott McCord
Cast: Priya Rao, Kristopher Turner, Kris Holden-Ried, Shannon Barnett

When thirty-something April falls for Matt, a charming British author, she believes she’s found ‘the one’ and envisions a future together. Instantly smitten, she begins a flirtatious yet awkward communication via text message. When Matt first replies, April assumes the adoration is mutual. Except it’s not.

Still from “Charlie Gauvin”

CHARLIE GAUVIN
Director: Teresa Alfeld
Cast: Katherine Addington, Caitlin Dodd, David Mubanda, Katharine King, Kai Nagata, Benedict Marsh

Canadian former teen-pop superstar Charlie Gauvin is launching a career comeback after several years away from the spotlight. Having split from the producing machine that made her, Charlie is determined to do things her way this time around. She quickly finds that much has changed since she left the limelight, and recapturing her fame will be far more difficult than she imagined.

LIFE ON THE RIVER
Director: Chris Remerowski
Cast: Marquis Bobesich, Meagan Fallenbock

Homeless companions Jerry and Harriet flee hostile streets to set up camp in an idyllic inner-city ravine. They find sanctuary and love at the river’s edge. Harriet is drawn to Jerry, even as her suspicions about him grow. They are pulled apart by a shocking revelation.

STUDENT SHOWCASE – NOT TO BE MISSED!

AIDEN
Director: Alex P. Smith (Sheridan College)
Cast: Jackson Martin, Claire Armstrong, Kane Mahon, Alex Tucci

Aiden’s mother tells him that if he spends one minute with each fear using his grandfather’s stopwatch to time it, his nightmares will go away forever. The following day Aiden returns home from school to learn that his mother has been killed in a car accident. That night, Aiden starts on the incredible journey to overcome his fears one by one.

BLUE BIRD
Director: Ariane Lorrain (Concordia University)
Cast: Kat, Ray, Alexandra, Logan, Rusty

Blue Bird is the portrait of a family of five who has chosen a nomadic lifestyle through their moving home, a school bus.

DEDICATION
Director: Brian Gregory (Dedication)
Cast: Cristhian Ramirez, Gabriel Ramirez, Ashton Martin.

Dedication is a look into the life of a young photographer torn between his passion and survival.

FLOOD
Director: Derek Branscombe (Concordia University)
Cast: Eun Kyung Cho, Jin Yong Lee, Minseo Cho, Sofia Kim

The surface impression of an ideal Korean family slowly unravels as director Branscombe’s jagged, non-linear narrative takes the viewer along a Korean mother’s disturbing descent into the darkest recesses of her soul.

ZEN
Director: Arshad Khan (Concordia University)
Cast: Kunval Mudhar, Pal Mudhar and Zen Mudhar

Zen is a three-year-old boy with cerebral palsy whose parents put their entire lives on the line in order to get the much-needed therapies that are not covered by the Canadian health care system.

Hoping some of you come and support some Canadian talent this week ; I know I will! CFF films will screen at The Royal Cinema from March 20-23, 2013. Full scheduling info at canfilmfest.ca.

Still of Jonas Chernick in Blood Pressure

Winnipeg filmmaker Sean Garrity returns with his must-see thriller Blood Pressure. Award winning director of My Awkward Sexual Adventure, Lucid and Zooey & Adam, Garrity’s latest work will be released theatrically in Toronto today, March 15th at the Royal Cinema and select cities across Canada.

Starring Michelle Giroux, Judah Katz (Crash, Casino Jack), Jonas Chernick (The Border), Tatiana Maslany (Eastern Promises, TIFF 2012 Rising Star) and Jake Epstein (Degrassi) Blood Pressure opened in Winnipeg to rave reviews. It also screened at the Busan International Film Festival and was nominated for the Borsos Award at The Whistler International Film Festival.

Blood Pressure is a psychological thriller, which follows Nicole, a 41-year-old pharmacist and mother of two teenagers; she is overlooked at work, taken for granted at home, and she wonders if there could be something more. Then one day she receives a letter that starts “You don’t know me, but I know you” signed only “A Friend.” The Letterwriter knows all about Nicole; her daily routine, her struggles, and her potential for something greater. With an escalating series of rewards and required tasks, flattery and quiet threats, this new “friend” insinuates himself (or herself?) into Nicole’s life, eventually threatening everything that has meaning for her.

Gerrity certainly aims to put the audience in the middle of the same dilemma that Nicole has put herself in. It appears we’ll have to watch the film and find out for ourselves whehter or not she passes this test.

LOCATION: The Royal Cinema

DATE: March 15th, 2013

TIME: Please check The Royal Cinema’s website for screening times

TICKETS: Available for purchase at box office

Running from March 21st to 31st in downtown Toronto, aluCine Latin Film & Media Arts Festival is a Latin-Canadian and international festival showcasing the world’s best in short film, video and media art focusing on works made by Latino/a artists living in Canada and abroad. This year, the festival will focus exploring the influences of African culture in Latin-American contemporary art, also known as Afro-Latinidad.

The festival will open with Juan Andrés Arango’s La Playa D.C.  The film will make its Canadian premiere when it opens the film programme of the multi-disciplinary festival. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, writer/director Arango has trained and worked in his homeland, Canada and the Netherlands. He returned to Bogotá to shoot La Playa D.C., his debut feature, which he will personally present on March 27th at 7:30pm at Jackman Hall inside the Art Gallery of Ontario.

La Playa D.C. garnered positive reviews from an international roster of critics when screened in the Un Certain Regard programme at the prestigious Festival de Cannes in May 2012. Arango’s screenplay uses the familiar coming-of-age genre as a canvas on which he paints a visual essay on the social construct of Afro-Latinidad in Colombia – a sampling of this year’s festival theme— as seen through the lives of three teenage brothers: Tomas (Luis Carlos Guevara), Jairo (Andrés Murillo) and Chaco (James Solis). The boys fled to the capital from their formerly- peaceful home on the country’s western seaboard, driven out by the civil war which claimed the life of their father.

aluCine will also feature an exhibition by internationally recognized Cuban artist Juan Sí Gonzales. The exhibition is of his current project: Stay at Home Dad, which will extend into an artist’s talk and a performance. Other programming highlights at this year’s festival include a selection of award-winning short films such as Salon Royal (Argentina), Apocryphal (Mexico), Tela (Brazil), and Luminaris (Argentina). There is also a Shorts for Shorties I series for younger audiences; these are always fun for the the whole familia!

All films are screened with English subtitles. Make sure you take a peek at their full listings of film, installations, performances, and more at alucine.com. There will be plenty to see and do in all of its ten days! Nos vemos!

Julian T. Pinder’s Trouble In The Peace is about a natural gas flare-up in more ways than one – with flaming wells, fire-bombs, and a population divided with many feeling themselves getting sicker with every flare of sour gas.

The provincial government depends on massive revenue from the fossil fuel industry and the sale of sub-surface mineral rights. It offers little solace to increasingly angry Peace River citizens, short of advice to duct tape their windows. Petitions and lobbying are ignored. The province finally takes notice when a series of mysterious pipeline bombings take place. A bounty of $1 million is offered up, one that threatens to create a rift in the community.

“This film inhabits similar territory to my last film, Land,” says director Pinder, “where personal dreams, failures, motivations, and intentions are the focus within a much greater context. Individuals make up the world. And people, not oil, nor the environment, nor territory, are at the core of every conflict, global or local.”

I had the opportunity of meeting Pinder back in 2010 to discuss Land. During our chat, he shared with me he was working on this yet-to-be-named film. He conceded that the topic would contain personal stories but also a bit of controversy. And if like me, you’ve seen other documentaries like Wiebo’s War and Gasland, the issues discussed in Pinder’s latest film will not be ‘news’ to you. But the film can, at least, add another perspective.

As North American citizens are being uprooted by industry, the film tries to establish a metaphor of corporate dominance and its effects on a global and human level. Many see the social, cultural and environmental struggles of the people in developing nations, but do not recognize that these same struggles are happening right here in their own ‘backyard’.

The TVO-produced film has a companion piece with the release of a video game called Pipe Trouble. The game takes a new spin on an old arcade classic and uses satire to prompt larger mainstream discussion for ongoing real-world issues surrounding the exploitation of natural gas. Tasked with building their own pipeline, players try to balance the financial demands of using the least pipe to make the most money against the impact on the local environment and neighbouring farms.

Trouble In The Peace screens in Toronto at The Royal Cinema starting tonight, Friday, March 8th, and continues until March 10th. For screening times, click here.

TROUBLE IN THE PEACE trailer for a documentary 1:43
from Six Island Productions on Vimeo.

Considered the newest thing in Toronto’s entertainment scene, 360 Screenings is celebrating their fourth event with a special Valentine’s edition promising to be bigger and better than their previously sold-out productions.

A fusion of theatre, film and cocktail party this immersive screening series offers an alternative Valentine’s Day night. Audiences normally watch a film but with a 360 Screenings event they become part of the film.

360 Screenings began last May with a production of Jerry Zucker’s Ghost. The film and 360 experience played to a sold out audience. 360 Screenings’ events combine live performance with traditional film viewing. Beloved films of the past set the stage at historic and unique venues while audiences are instructed on what to wear, and where to show up only 24 hours prior to the screening. The film is kept hidden until the night of the event. From the moment audiences arrive they ‘step into the film.’ The venue is furnished entirely to reflect the film’s environment. Part cocktail party, part live performance event, part film screening, 360 Screenings is changing the way Canadians enjoy cinema. The event invites film lovers to step into the film.

Created by Toronto’s Ned Loach and Robert Gontier, 360 Screenings is unlike any cinematic experience in Canada, allowing the audience to not only watch but to step into the film. Previous screenings have included Fight Club, Ghost and 28 Days Later. See images of all previous events here.

Image by Valentina Saavedra.

LOCATION: Secret until 24 hours in advance

DATE: February 14th 2013, 7:00PM

COST: $60 – $40 for art workers/under 30. Cash bar. 

TICKETS: Buy online here

I was at their Hallowe’en Edition last October and I had a great time… My companion got quite the fright from some very serious looking zombies. Definitely a memorable experience!

Presented by TD Bank and BAND (Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue), Clement Virgo Productions and CFC (Canadian Film Centre) are hosting a special evening in celebration of Black History Month with filmmaker John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood, Poetic Justice, Shaft). An acclaimed, trailblazing legend, Singleton has lit up the screen with his unapologetic, incendiary characters and provocative storytelling about inner-city life. He also holds the distinction of being the first black filmmaker nominated for the Best Director Oscar®.

“At 23, John Singleton wrote and directed Boyz N the Hood, shaping an era of cinema that gives voice to people and stories traditionally not part of the mainstream,” said Clement Virgo. “It’s our privilege to honour his body of work.”

John Singleton (Image courtesy of johnsingletonfilms.com)

An Evening with John Singleton will celebrate Singleton’s distinct and powerful body of work through conversation and clips, and allow Toronto audiences to participate in a Q&A.

Who: Filmmaker John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood, Poetic Justice)
When: Tuesday, February 12, at 8:30 pm
Where: TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King Street West, Toronto

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online by visiting cfccreates.com/bhm, or through the TIFF Bell Lightbox Box Office in person or by phone. All proceeds from ticket sales go towards CFC’s Diversity Scholarship fund.

This event is part of TD’s Then & Now series, an inspiring and entertaining cultural showcase of one of Canada’s prominent communities. The lineup of events includes films, concerts, exhibitions, and performances by a host of Canadian and international artists. Visit the Then & Now website td.com/thenandnow for more information.