Toronto's Film Resources

I'm a film tourist. I'll be the first to admit it. I'm scared to take the plunge and make my own film. However I am utterly engrossed in film culture. I read the magazines, I follow the twitters and I join the clubs. Film culture can be enjoyed by filmmakers and film lovers alike. They are great avenues for making new friends, networking, and discovering new work that you may enjoy. I'm lucky to live in Toronto which is home to a flourishing film culture.

Here are some of my top 5 film communities and resource providers in the T dot!

1. TIFF | Toronto International FIlm Festival

Let's start with the most well-known. TIFF is much more than just a glamorous festival, it is a Film Reference Library, an exhibition of the creme-de-la-creme of international cinema, a champion of Canadian features and shorts, a host to innovative exhibitions and rife with programming for adults and children alike. Becoming a member at TIFF gives you a discount on screenings and early access to TIFF tickets. The actual festival has a great variety of films and events, from red carpet Hollywood premieres to a Canadian shorts program.

      2.   WIFT - T | Women in Film and Television - Toronto

I love WIFT-T. Don't let the name scare you boys, men can join as an associate member. WIFT-T offers a lot of programming, development and mentorship opportunities that are organized by experienced cohorts. Not only do they have formal mentorships, like the Ubisoft Toronto Producer Mentorship, they also encourage mentorship between members in their member zone. I love the focus on women, of building skillsets and making friends!

      3.   MUFF society | Monthly Underground Female Film Society

MUFF is in its formative period. The Monthly Underground Female Film Society, run by the charismatic Siârn Melton, focuses on female film community, films by women, and films about women. Currently it's a fun film screening hosted by the Royal where you can meet like-minded people and participate in photo booths and good fun, but it will likely grow soon!

      4.   LIFT | Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto

LIFT is a fantastic nonprofit, offering affordable courses, gear rental, panels and script reading sessions for members. Courses range from using a bolex to doing your income tax. Many events are free, including the Screenwriter's Circle and the Lift Out Loud screenplay reading series, which anyone can attend. LIFT is great for community building and a great gear resources. Go LIFT!

       5.   Hot Docs

Hot Docs is North America's largest documentary festival. For professionals, it has the Hot Docs Forum, which has pre-selected candidates pitch their projects to major broadcasters and distributors from all over the world, conferences regarding co-productions, kickstarter sessions, and Rent-an-Expert Meetings. For the casual film lover it provides a great volunteering opportunity and the chance to see remarkable documentaries from around the world!

I hope you found something useful and interesting to you within this list! Join! Meet! Have fun!

Until next time,

Andrea 

Fantastical: One More Time With Feeling Mr. Fox

This is about a movie that has been out for a while now but comes from one of my favourite directors, Wes Anderson. His first children's movie, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, came out in 2009. I only realized after the fact that this director created The Royal Tenenbaums, another favourite of mine. I had felt that same joy I had during The Tenenbaums as I did in Mr. Fox. Then a wondrous friend connected the two together and I became instantly an auteur fan. For indeed, Wes Anderson is an auteur.

Mr. Fox is a film about self realization. Each character is a wild animal with a unique personality. The narrative blooms into a story about individual discovery and character development. All the animals at times fight domesticity. They are bound my moral code. The conflict arises when Mr. Fox breaks from the mold, upsetting the entire community structure.

Mrs. Fox asks why Mr. Fox robbed Boggis, Bunce, & Beans. He reluctantly admits, "I am a wild animal." We know he is a fox from the beginning, even if he wears a domesticated suit and lives in a domesticated "human" environment. He hunts chickens, inhales his food savagely, and lives in a burrow.

Ash knows he is different but doesn't want to admit it. He wants everyone to see that he is an athlete. He has to convince his dad and mom that he has what it takes to uphold the family name. He is able to change Mr. Fox's opinion during the Kristofferson rescue. Mr. Fox says "you are an athlete. Here put on this bandit hat." What Ash originally lacked was the authorial voice (Mr. Fox) to authenticate his character. Ash had to believe he was an athlete before he could become one. 

The action is predicated on the characters discovering who they are and finding the words to describe their characters (or in the case of Kylie, he decides to express himself in gestures at the end). Mr. Fox intelligently refers to each of his community friends by their Latin name: vulpes vulpes, meles meles, lepus europaeus, etc. This is the major signifying moment in the film. They become wild animals with distinctive characteristics. Okay, maybe not the pyrotechnics and blowing up things (cough Badger). The characters are both familiar and unfamiliar. They are wild but tame. They cohabitate and think individually.

The brilliant banter between characters and the all to familiar voices behind the puppets gives this Roald Dahl classic new breath and meaning. Truly a brilliant film filled with brilliant sounds:

Mr. Fox: Pete's Song

Everything in the miniature world seems believable. In The Wes Anderson Collection, a book by Matt Zoller Seitz, Wes talks about using Rahl Dahl's actual house as a model for Mr. Fox's tree home, bringing the outside non-fictional world into the fictional world itself - linking author and character together. 

The major narrative conflicts are tired neatly together at the end, the pinnacle moment being a silent encounter between a lone Wolf and the Fox rescue team.

A brilliant film. In case I didn't say it before.

- Jenn

Happy New Year 2015

What an amazing year 2014 was. Especially when it came to film. I saw the most diverse group of films this year:

1. Her (Spike Jones)
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)
3. The Lego Movie (Phil Lord, Christopher Miller)
4. An Eye for Beauty (Denys Arcand, TIFF screening)
5. Madame Bovary (Sophie Barthes)
6. Girlhood (Céline Sciamma, TIFF screening)
7. The F Word (special TIFF screening)
8. Gone Girl (David Fincher)
9. Top Five (Chris Rock)
10. Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)
11. Imitation Game (Morten Tyldum)

Other films I want to catch up on such as Dear White People, Pride, Only Lovers Left Alive, and The Lunchbox are thankfully playing at local Toronto indie theatres.

What ceases to amaze me is how easy it is to become wrapped up in these fictional worlds for two hours. How easy it is to be that beauty on screen, the astronaut going to space, the femme fatale, the genius, and the witty comedian. Not only do the stories capture my interests but the art and craft of creating the films: the editing, the special effects, the musical compositions, the cinematography and costume departments.

If you are looking to get caught up on some much needed popcorn and relaxing time, here are my top choices based on the following criteria:

Comedy

Top Five is an immensely intelligent film, intermixing comedic skits with serious conversation centered around race and film. The film opens with a complex and intriguing suggestion: the main character states that all films are political - suggesting all films either explicitly or implicitly argue for a certain way of life. Something to think about as you laugh and ponder you way through this film.

Thriller and suspense

Gone Girl fulfilled my much needed Hitchcockian need for a thriller film this past year. Taking what appears to be an idyllic situation (a marriage full of love and bliss) and twisting the heck out of it until we are left feeling uncomfortable, uneasy, and frankly mystified. If you are interested in a plot that centres on the need for control between a husband and his strong femme fatale wife, this is for you. Warning, this film does have explicit graphic scenes.

Love

The F Word premiered at TIFF in 2013 and was released in Canada and the States (As What If). What a film packed with witty dialogue, real life situations (no seriously I know all those places in Toronto) and likeable characters. Dear Elan Mastai, thank you for such BRILLIANT original content. Though spun from a short theatrical staged production, Elan Mastai spent ten years producing this masterpiece and I couldn't be more thrilled that it ended up being filmed in Toronto, showcasing it in all its beauty. There is a little something for everyone in this film. And I don't say that to mean it is utilitarian - it is definitely indie and very niche, but there is something universal about the characters that makes you ponder - "wow, I've done that before." Daniel Radcliffe is awesome and Zoe Kazan is magical. From live projection mapping, to Fool's Gold, to trips to Amsterdam, this film is one in a million.

Kid friendly and secretly for adults too 

The Lego Movie. Need I say anything more? Who doesn't enjoy playing with lego? Now you can sit for an hour and be immersed into a fun packed world of lego characters with a fun twist at the end that will have your hands twitching and aching to play with those long forgotten childhood toys.

Quirky in the best way 

I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel twice in theatres and officially have my very own copy on DVD. A joyous tale within a tale within a tale... full of intricate characters, your typical and lovable Wes Anderson flair, and emotional conflicts that are resolved most bizarrely. Just watch it. Seriously.

Une Film Canadienne

one of my favourite parts about TIFF is being able to access all the great Canadian films that I am otherwise limited to throughout the year. I got to see An Eye for Beauty at TIFF and Denys Arcand, himself, came out on stage for a Q & A afterwards. I was so awestruck by the beauty of the film - so deeply involved in the characters and their lives. I felt the truth of the images and reality of their situations. All of it rendered in an artistically beautiful way with stunning scenery, interesting and modern architecture, and suave cinematography. We are so lucky to have such talent here in our own backyards.

Best foreign film

If you have the chance, go see Girlhood. Not only did it have the best soundtrack in 2014, the actors were raw, the story was raw, and everything about the film was (can you guess?) raw. I was sent for an emotional rollercoaster, and no, this one doesn't end in Disney World. But it really gives you a breakdown of what a girl goes through as a teenager in suburban areas. Did I mention how amazing the soundtrack was?

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this past year in theatres and make some new suggestions for all us hungry cineastes in the world!

Looking forward to seeing what is in store this coming year.

- Jenn