TIFF always offers a good selection of short films. Realistically, I cannot watch all of them but herein I do share my thoughts on three shorts that truly captured my attention — It’s Nothing, The Physics Of Sorrow, and Now It’s The Time.
The Canadian Film Fest (CFF) began its 2019 edition this week. This weekend, CFF will present two incredible Homegrown Shorts programmes for the first time. Here, I share with you my thoughts on five of these shorts.
With an atmosphere that evokes The Handmaid’s Tale and Orwell, Danishka Esterhazy’s Level 16 has attracted major attention at genre showcases throughout North America and Europe. It is a dark tale of teens discovering that their world is something very different than what they thought. The film opens in Toronto on March 15, 2019.
Set in the near future, SuperGrid follows the story of a young smuggler Deke (Marshall Williams, Glee), who is forced to make a run on the road that took the life of his sister. He has to convince his older brother Jesse (Leo Fafard, Wolfcop) to get back on the “Grid” and help him clear an outstanding debt.
During last month’s Blood In the Snow Canadian Film Festival (BITS), I had the pleasure of meeting Mexican-Canadian film director extraordinaire Gigi Saul Guerrero. Over the past few years, Guerrero has been making waves in the genre film scene not only as director but also as a writer. Her recent successes include the short films Dia De Los Muertos, Madre de Dios, and Bestia, which won Best Short at BITS this year.
Kill Order
Dir. James Mark (Canadian Premiere)
David Lee (Chris Mark), a troubled high school student, struggles with strange dreams/visions. In these dreams/visions, he hears a mysterious voice telling him ‘to kill’. He lives with his ‘uncle’ Patrick, who gives David medication to help him cope. At school, David appears to be socially awkward. He has one female friend who seems to like him, as much as he likes her.
The Canadian Film Fest (CFF) is just around the corner. The festival’s line up is looking very interesting and diverse. New this year is the festival’s new location, the Scotiabank Theatre. CFF will take place March 21-25; tickets already available for purchase online.
Brigitte Berman’s latest documentary, The River of My Dreams: A Portrait of Gordon Pinsent, gives us a personal glimpse at Gordon Pinsent’s life as an artist, actor, poet, painter, husband, and father.
INGRID & THE BLACK HOLE
Dir. Leah Johnston
Starring Mia Perry, Jordan Poole, Molly Dunsworth, Hans Pettersen, Josh MacDonald, Rena Kossatz
A short film that takes us on the journey of a lifetime spent together by two young people, as they imagine what it would be like to travel through a black hole.
STREAMER
Dirs. Vincent Pun & Jared Bratt
Starring Jared Bratt, Tanya Lee, with Brennan Pedde
The film can be described as a character study about a lonely twenty-something, who becomes obsessed with a webcam girl.
