My decision to return to British Columbia for the first time in over 10 years was a very sound one!
Coming on the heels of the “Hours Before” screening at the San Diego Film Festival, meant a lot of traveling. After a fun filled night in the Gaslamp district of Southern California, I found myself in the Gaslight district of Southern Canada only 24 hours later! Both screenings went very well. Having prime time slots on the opening weekends of both festivals was certainly a treat.
For our second Canadian screening on Monday afternoon, the International shorts programmer, Sandy Gow, made arrangements for a bunch of neighborhood high school students to take a field trip to enjoy our program titled: “High-School Stories/Teenage Hell”. Playing to a packed house of teenagers was an experience. Unlike typical festival audiences, these kids didn’t care that many of the filmmakers were in the audience (before the screening began, we took the stage to say hello). They were vocal about what they liked and didn’t like, which made for an honest evaluation of the work.
The Q&A afterwards went smoothly as well (although a good portion of the kids got up and left – presumably in a rush to get back to school and homework). When we were asked if we had any advice to aspiring filmmakers I realized how lucky these kids are. I told them to just make a movie. Use whatever they can, whether it is a flip cam, 7D, or their iPhone, making a movie is the best way to get better at it. The fact that Macs come pre-loaded with iMovie gives them such an advantage compared to when I was a senior in high school a shade over a decade ago. It will be interesting to see what kind of films their generation creates.
On my final day in Vancouver, I walked into the media offices of the festival in search of some water for my partched throat, and was greeted to a request from a local disc jockey looking to “speak with a filmmaker”. Even though we had already screened twice at the festival with no plans for an encore, I was the winner of the press sweepstakes. I found the appearance podcast here, and have attached it here for your listening pleasure. Before conducting the live interview, Oswaldo Pérez, asked if there was a song related to our film. I gave a half serious answer (those who know the plot of “Hours Before” should get the reference) and I encourage you to stay the entire time (it is 8 minutes), as hearing him call my song an “oldie” made me feel very old…
Aside from trying to cram some sightseeing into my short trip, I spent a lot of time in the Granville Theatre watching a variety of films. My two favorite films were certainly:
The captivating documentary, Turn It Loose, which chronicled the history and world of competitive break dancing. The breathtaking moves, and creative manner with which they filmed the dancing kept the audience of the sold-out show on the edges of their seats. The flawless editing weaved the backstory of the different dancers in at the most opportune times. Highly recommended, and for all the hip-hop heads, Raaka Iriscience (Dilated Peoples) hosts the competition that serves as the centerpiece of the film. (Directed by Alastair Siddons)
It was described to me as an “early Coen Brothers film” so there wasn’t any debate that I would go. A Somewhat Gentle Man (En ganske snill mann – Norway), lives up to that billing. The awkward (and often sexual) situations that Ulrik finds himself in are impeccably performed by Stellan Skarsgård, who you will never be able to look at the same way again! Following his release from prison, Ulrik tries to get his life back on track and decide if he wants to return to crime and take revenge on the man who put him away or seize an opportunity to regain the respect of his family. (Directed by Hans Petter Moland)
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