The 2014 edition of the Canadian Film Festival (CFF) begins its run tonight, March 20th at the Royal Cinema. Executive Director Bern Euler describes this year’s lineup as ranging “[f]rom dramas, to documentaries and genre films, [it] represents the diversity of work coming from the Canadian filmmaking community.”
Having attended CFF in previous years, I can attest to the variety of films, themes, and talent we have here in Canada. What I like about CFF is that its “main purpose is to bring fresh voices in Canadian independent filmmaking to Torontonians”. The other interesting thing about CFF is its Industry Series for filmmakers. This year, the series includes An Indie Filmmaking Masterclass with Avi Federgreen, as well as the Super Channel Script Accelerator Contest worth $30,000-$50,000 in pre-licensing as first prize. Not bad, eh?
If you have not attended CFF before, I suggest taking a look at the full lineup first. Decide which films based on your preferences, and then just surprise yourself with a random choice.
Feature Film Lineup
PATCH TOWN – Opening Night Film
Director: Craig Goodwill
March 20, 7pm
Inspired by his award-winning short film of the same name, Craig Goodwill’s feature debut is a surreal, one-of-a-kind vision of faux Russian folklore laid over a sharp satire of contemporary consumer culture.
Jon is just another mindless laborer on an assembly line, but at no ordinary factory. Day after day he and his fellow drones harvest kids from cabbages – kids that will go on to become the beloved toys of little boys and girls in the land outside this dreadful factory. But when Jon discovers an awful secret that he and all the indentured workers are actually grown-up and discarded toys, he’ll have to take on a villainous corporation to reunite with his long-lost mother, protect his newfound family, and finally find freedom.
THE BIRDER
Director: Ted Bezaire
March 21, 7pm
Ron Spencer, a mild-mannered high-school teacher and devoted bird watcher is thrown into a tailspin of despair after his long sought after position as “Head of Ornithology” at the local Birding Park is given to the young and flashy Floyd Hawkins.
THE PRIVILEGED
Director: Leah Walker
March 21, 9:15pm
Richard Hunter, a promising young lawyer at a prestigious firm, has the perfect future mapped out. However, a costly mistake with a powerful client has put it all at risk. In a desperate attempt to save his job, Richard and his wife Tara spend the weekend at the cottage of senior partner Preston Westwood. The young couple is quickly seduced by their charismatic hosts’ lavish lifestyle but it is clear that something ominous lies just below the surface. After a devastating act of violence reveals that they have become pawns in a blood feud between the Westwoods and a local family, Richard and Tara must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for success: their morals, their marriage, or their lives.
PLAY THE FILM
Director: Alec Toller
March 22, 4:15pm
When the opening night of a new play goes horribly awry, the actors are forced to frantically improvise the plot onstage. Clashing egos, tested friendships and a series of disastrous misunderstandings combine to create the most offensive, shocking and accidental piece of theater ever to debut in front of a live audience.
H & G
Director: Danishka Esterhazy
March 22, 6:30pm
A modern retelling of The Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, H & G follows a girl and a boy living in poverty and neglect. After finding themselves lost in the woods, they see a house that appears to be magical and rush toward it. But in this house, danger lurks and all they have is each other.
AFTERPARTY – Closing Night Film
Director: Michelle Ouellet
March 22, 8:45pm
On the night of his brother’s wedding, best man Charlie gets the old gang back together for a fun-filled, post-reception after party at the newlyweds’ home where he has been staying for several weeks. Unsure of how to proceed with his own troubled marriage, Charlie reunites “the fellas” fifteen years after high school in hopes that revisiting the past will help him find clarity about his plans for the future. What Charlie finds, however, is that while his friends have all taken different paths, they are all faced with similar conundrums that come with being in their thirties.
And let’s not forget the Short Films!
These shorts, screen alongside the feature films listed above.
BASTARDS
Director: Jeremy LaLonde
An aging rockstar invites his illegitimate children to come live with him with the promise of making one of them his heir.
THE GOLDEN TICKET
Director: Patrick Hagarty
Bradley Moore is having a bad day. He gets dumped, evicted and fired all before lunch. But when a stranger offers Brad a Golden Ticket, allowing him to act without consequence for the remainder of the day, things take a turn.
MY OLD MAN
Director: Ryan M. Andrews
Cleo hits rock bottom, having lost her family and her job. As she returns to a familiar dark place, the rantings and ravings of an old man force her to re-examine her life.
THE LAST SUPPER
Director: Jonathan Eagan
Over dinner, two couples debate the cultural phenomenon of belief in an impending apocalypse. When things get heated the evening takes an unexpected turn.
KATE
Director: Illya Klymkiw
A chance encounter compels a former couple to face the irrevocable impact they left on one another in this honest portrait of the fragile yet unyielding tie we can share with someone.
PETER AND JANE KNOW SOME OF THE SAME PEOPLE
Director: Chris Remerowski
Peter and Jane are looking for love on the Internet. But what you see on a dating profile isn’t always what you get in real life.
Homegrown Shorts Programme
March 22, 2pm
THE PRINCE
Director: Francesco Giannini
An arrogant young man visits his father who appears to be on his deathbed. The son, our “Prince,” does not come to shed tears or to say farewell. He comes for the sole purpose of finding out where his father has hidden the money. The dying man answers with a weak, cryptic response. This visit however, he finally gets an answer. Loud and clear.
EPHEMERAL
Director: Rebecca Davis
Ephemeral explores the ethical implications of decisions made at the top of the business world and the personal toll it takes, the isolation people can feel in an overwhelming city, and the unexpected moments of connection that can ultimately bring them together.
SNAPSHOTS
Director: Brian Stockton
A personal documentary featuring 5000 still photographs taken over a period of 25 years. A life flashing in front of your eyes in rapid, hypnotic fashion.
MARGARET FINDS HER MOJO
Director: Brett Heard
Sweet and eager to please Margaret finds her voice after believing she’s a shoo-in for the job of her dreams.
DE PUTA MADRE: A LOVE STORY
Director: Catherine Black
When all have disappointed and life proves to not live up to what she hoped, a women chooses a Latin lover to kill her endless boredom. Fantasy quickly blends into insanity and the woman is forced to fight for her life.
UNCOMMON ENEMIES
Director: Alex Hatz
A hard-boiled US Sergeant and a chatterbox Nazi are forced to team up to destroy a sexy, French Vampire in World War II France.
SURVIVAL GUIDE
Director: Phil Connell
With a child abductor at large in the neighbourhood, 11 year-old Fleur Flannery must fend for herself when she is left behind after a Girl Guide meeting on a chilly night in 1987.
GUMSHOES
Director: Reese Eveneshen
During an unspecified period of existence, John Fracas, a middle-aged, disheartened detective, discusses the specifics of a crime scene, also known as an “orchestration.” He lets loose his emotional frustrations and struggles to a fellow bar patron who cares to listen.
In a span of three days, there is plenty to choose from. The Canadian Film Festival runs from March 20 to March 22. All screenings take place at The Royal Cinema. Tickets ($12.50 + charges) available online or at the door.
