As part of my birthday month celebration, I always make it a point of enjoying as much of the Toronto arts & culture scene as possible. This year was no exception and I compiled an In The City list that I hope some of you were able to use to plan your days out and about.
Here are some details and recap of my time at a couple of events in the past month.
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In the latest from writer/director Hlynur Pálmason, a 19th century Danish priest is assigned the responsibility of the construction of a church in a far off corner of Iceland.
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Written and directed by Julianna Notten her inspiration for Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls was born out of wanting to “create a character who was confident in her sexuality without sensationalizing it, whose problems reached beyond the fact that she was attracted to other girls.”
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Writer/Director Rashad Frett‘s latest short film RICKY is a combination of people in Frett’s personal life inspired him to write this film. They described how difficult it was to get rid of institutionalized habits as well as the difficulties with reintegration. For some, it became so overwhelming that it eventually resulted in isolation from their families and friends.
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Danish filmmaker Lin Alluna first met renowned Greenlander Inuit lawyer Aaju Peter by coincidence seven years ago in Copenhagen. In their initial coffee meeting, Aaju “revealed hidden truths aboutmyself and the history of my country, that I knew I had to find a way to share.” It was at this time that the seed was planted to work on this documentary together, TWICE COLONIZED.
Aaju has led a lifelong fight for the rights of her people. When her son suddenly dies, Aaju embarks on a journey to reclaim her language and culture after a lifetime of whitewashing and forced assimilation.
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This installment of In The City features a personal curated list including several events, screenings and exhibits, I wish to attend as part of my birthday celebration. I may not make it to all, but hoping some of you will partake in one, a couple or a few of these.
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Evoking the Greek tragedy Medea, Diop’s inspiration for SAINT OMER was the 2013 news story of a 15 month old girl found drowned on a beach and the French mother of Senegalese origin accused in her death.
With the story covered in almost all news outlets, Diop was drawn to it and the idea for a film was planted. After seeing a photo of the accused mother taken by surveillance camera, Diop decided she would attend the trial in 2016 as an observer and for research to write the film’s script. The trial was a very impactful emotional experience.
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Jafar Panahi has been making a mark in cinema for many years. Due to many years of conflict with the Iranian government over the contet of his film, Panahi was arrested in March 2010 along with his family and some close friends, and charged with propaganda against the Iranian government. Later that year, he was imprisoned and given a 20-year ban on directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media.
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Director Fernando Guzzoni‘s latest feature, BLANQUITA, is Chile’s Official Oscar entry for 2022 for International Best Film Category.
The film is inspired by the real-life early 2000s Spiniak Case involving a controversial child prostitution ring which provided services to a number of high-placed politicians and businessmen in Chile. The case divided the Chilean population as it went through the courts, with doubts being cast on the testimony of key witness who was herself caught up in the ring as a minor and accused two senators of abusing her.
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Canadian filmmaker Jason Loftus‘ latest film, the powerful animated documentary Eternal Spring (長春) combines present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by comic book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars) art to retrace the real-life event of the takeover of a Chinese TV station on its 20th anniversary.
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