Last week, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, unveiled her long-awaited cultural industries policy titled Creative Canada. While there are some good bits in the announcement, such as top up money for the publicly administered Canada Media Fund, it fell short of the coherent strategy that was anticipated. Unfortunately, there are some very troubling parts to
School Life (Ireland, 99 min.) Dir. Neasa Ní Chianáin, David Rane It’s fall and the kids are back to school. For John and Amanda Leyden, the season brings about their 46th year at Headfort, an Irish boarding school for primary-aged students. Set in Headfort’s grand 18th century estate surrounded by sprawling lush woods and
First things first: Wavelengths, the experimental and avant-garde program curated by Andréa Picard, is pretty clearly the best thing TIFF has going for it. Here, as nowhere else, the celebrity-centric mediocrity of much of the rest of the festival gives way to genuine uncompromising artistry. There are great films outside its purview, of course —
On September 28th, for the first time in more than 25 years (when the 1991 Broadcasting Act was launched), Heritage Canada delivered a new set of policies designed to govern for some years to come, how Canadian media stories get made and discovered in this era of digital disruption.
Unarmed Verses (Canada, 85 min.) Dir. Charles Officer The thought experiment called the ship of Theseus asks if a boat remains the same if one removes all of its boards and nails and replaces them with new ones. The question pertains to any physical structure that carries intangible elements within it that are essential
Armed with Faith (USA, 74 min.) Dir. Geeta Gandbhir, Asad Faruqi Since 9/11, life in Pakistan has drastically changed. “You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists,” – was the post 9/11 US rhetoric, which led to Pakistan joining forces with the US in the war on terror. As a result, the terrorist
Where You’re Meant to Be (UK, 75 min.) Dir. Paul Fegan VIFF features two docs about traditional music from the UK and the difference is as sharp and strong as the distinction between Scotch and Irish whisky. Scottish doc Where You’re Meant to Be features Aidan Moffat, Scottish “cult-pop raconteur” and former frontman for
Song of Granite (Ireland/Canada, 97 min.) Dir. Pat Collins The world of the musical biopic can be a well-worn path. It can also be one of inspiration. Pat Collins offers the most original interpretation of a musician in Song of Granite since Todd Haynes cast a gaggle of actors ranging from Richard Gere to
Like a Pebble in the Boot (Comme un caillou dans la botte) (Canada, 70 min.) Dir. Hélène Choquette While street vending is illegal in Italy, it is the only source of income for many Senegalese migrant workers. Deceived by the Western image of prosperity, they reach the Mediterranean coast in hope of finding promising
Chaplin in Bali (France, 80 min.) Dir. Raphaël Millet Here’s the thing about home movies: they’re only interesting when they’re your own memories. Not even the home movies of the great Charlie Chaplin can conjure the same captivation that one experiences with his Hollywood classics. Director Raphaël Millet mines the Chaplin archive to offer