Toronto’s Open Roof Festival (ORF), celebrating indie film and music, returns for its seventh season for 10 weeks, kicking-off on June 21 with screenings on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
New this year, ORF wraps with two back-to-back screenings on August 23 and August 24 during its final week. The Festival offers Torontonians an outdoor take on hit cinema from across the globe, paired with live music by emerging artists in a variety of genres — a combination that has established ORF’s reputation as Toronto’s ultimate summer date night and meeting spot.
ORF will once return to 99 Sudbury offering guests an intimate and accessible experience. This year they are partnering with a variety of food trucks, including the Food Dudes — the perfect pairing with a refreshing beer from ORF’s long-standing partner, Amsterdam Brewery.
Highlights from this year’s programming include:
Tuesday, June 28
Film: Sing Street (2016)
Band: Fresh Snow
Primarily an instrumental band with a core line-up augmented by guest horn and string players, Fresh Snow is not an act that’s easy to label. Just as they are prone to wearing masks onstage, so they are intent on keeping listeners guessing what they’ll do next. Following Fresh Snow, the musical film, Sing Street, by director John Carney, mixes the best of 80s pop music and teen romance… when in 1985, a Dublin teenager (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) forms a rock ‘n’ roll band to win the heart of an aspiring model (Lucy Boynton).
I am personally very much looking forward to hearing Fresh Snow, and travel back to the 80s with Sing Street.
Tuesday, July 5
Film: The Lobster (2015)
Band: Kayla Diamond
Kayla Diamond blends a mix of covers, mashups and original tracks, with a show that promises to have something for fans of almost every musical persuasion. After the performance, jump to a dystopian society that forms the backdrop for The Lobster, where single people (Rachel Weisz, Colin Farrell, John C. Reilly), according to the rules of the City, must find mates within 45 days or risk being transformed into animals. The film won the prestigious Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015.
The Lobster may be a quirky film, but from what I have read and heard, it will be surely entertaining.
Wednesday, July 20
Film: Off The Rails (2016)
Band: Tomi Swick
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tomi Swick learned to play the bagpipes, military drums, piano and guitar by the age of 13. After Swick’s brings diverse act, Off the Rails by Toronto filmmaker Adam Irving, will introduce audiences to the story of Darius McCollum, a man with Asperger’s syndrome whose overwhelming love of transit landed him in jail 32 times for the criminal impersonation of NYC transit employees.
Off The Rails was an audience favourite at this year’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival. The vocals of Tomi Swick will definitely pair well with this documentary.
Wednesday, August 10
Film: A Bigger Splash (2015)
Band: Chloe Charles
Chloe Charles is best known for her unique voice, self-taught guitar finger picking style and music that is a fusion of soul, folk, pop, jazz and classical influences. Following Charles’ set, prepare for an intriguing story with A Bigger Splash, which showcases the rising tensions between a famous rock star (Tilda Swinton) and a filmmaker (Matthias Schoenaerts) who, while vacationing on an idyllic and remote Italian island, are disrupted by the unexpected arrival of an old friend (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter (Dakota Johnson).
I will honestly say that both Chloe Charles and A Bigger Splash will not disappoint you. An excellent pairing.
Wednesday, August 24
Film: Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016)
Band: Most People
Most People are a musical duo who make kaleidoscopic, rhythmic sound that move between psych-pop jangle and spacey instrumental passages, and harmony-drenched vocals.. The upbeat tempo keeps rolling afterwards with Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which centres on a national manhunt, ordered for a rebellious kid (Julian Dennison) and his foster uncle (Sam Neill) who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.
Written and directed by Taika Waititi, Hunt for the Wilderpeople comes with accolades from its premiere at Sundance earlier this year. Very much looking forward to this musical and film combination as well.
ORF tickets are on sale now for $15 each and can be purchased through OpenRoofFestival.com.
Never been to ORF? No worries! On the day of the event, the on-site box office opens at 7pm for cash-only ticket sales. Food and drink are available at this time. The musical guest performs at 8pm, and film screenings start around 9pm. Then settle in for an evening of fun!
