HOT CANADIAN DOC TO KICK OFF SERIES
SCAREDSACRED To Open Canadian Images
Vancouver, BC (September 1, 2004) - Velcrow Ripper's SCAREDSACRED
will kick off the Canadian Images series at the 23rd Vancouver International
Film Festival, Canadian Images programmer Diane Burgess announced
today. The program includes 33 features, 9 mid-length films and
64 shorts, for a total of 106 Canadian films. The Canadian Images
series is graciously sponsored by the Independent Film Channel.
In SCAREDSACRED, Velcrow Ripper
embarks on a personal journey to visit several of the world's "Ground
Zeros." In seeking to discover the transformative power of
these tragedies, Ripper unearths unforgettable stories of survival,
resilience and recovery. "This remarkably beautiful and unflinching
documentary explores what it means to be a global citizen in today's
world, without falling prey to the lure of jet-setting. On the heels
of last year's The Corporation, SCAREDSACRED
asserts the strength of western Canadian documentary," Burgess
noted.
"There's an international flavour to this year's program that
reflects a broader understanding of our definition of Canadian film.
While we're accustomed to celebrating Canadian documentaries that
provide vital insights on global issues, there's a tendency to downplay
the industrial realities of transnational filmmaking. With coproductions
like BEING
JULIA, HEAD
IN THE CLOUDS and METALLIC
BLUES, we find evidence of the contributions
of Canadian talent on the world stage," Burgess said.
CANADIAN IMAGES SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
In actor/writer/director Don McKellar's highly anticipated second
feature CHILDSTAR, Taylor Brandon
Burns (played by Mark Rendall), famous child actor and monstrous
brat, is outsourced to Canada to star in the action-comedy blockbuster
The First Son. The film co-stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and features
cameos from Dave Foley, Eric Stoltz and Alan Thicke. HEAD
IN THE CLOUDS is an epic story of a romance troubled by class
origins, the rise of fascism and World War II. Writer/director John
Duigan artfully directs a powerful cast including Penelope Cruz,
Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend.
CANADIAN DOCUMENTARIES
As a complement to the Festival's "Changing
the World" section, the Canadian Images program
offers a strong selection of nonfiction films dealing with issues
as varied as the environment, genocide, gender and community. SHIPBREAKERS
focuses on Alang, India and a growing environmental disaster, where
workers with no training earn as little as 8 cents an hour to recycle
metal from scrapped ships. In SHAKE HANDS
WITH THE DEVIL: THE JOURNEY OF ROMÉO DALLAIRE, Peter
Raymont returns to Rwanda with the former head of the UN peacekeeping
mission, 10 years after the genocide. BEING
CARIBOU joins newlyweds Leanne Allison (who also co-directed)
and Karsten Heuer on an arduous journey following these migratory
animals, in order to expose the threat that US oil drilling poses
to their existence.
Documentaries on the arts include JEAN-PIERRE
PERRAULT: GIANT STEPS and ALTER EGOS,
both of which look at the realities faced by artists, including
the very few whose creativity is celebrated during their lifetimes.
ALTER EGOS looks at Oscar-nominated
animators Chris Landreth and Ryan Larkin, the latter serving as
the subject of RYAN, which chronicles
his struggles with addiction. The package includes both animators’
Oscar-nominated shorts: WALKING (1968)
and THE END (1995).
Other documentary highlights include: THE
UNSEXING OF EMMA EDMONDS, which screens with
100% WOMAN; THE TIES THAT BIND,
which screens with PLEASANT STREET;
PHANTOM OF THE OPERATOR; I
CURMUDGEON; and A WHALE OF A TALE.
OTHER CANADIAN IMAGES HIGHLIGHTS
Quebec’s film industry continues to flourish, as this year’s
selection demonstrates with impressive breadth. The highly anticipated
ELLES ÉTAIENT CINQ; the haunting
thriller MÉMOIRES AFFECTIVES;
the indie urban chronicle HAPPINESS IS A
SAD SONG; the internationally flavoured LITTORAL;
and the culturally vibrant
LE GOÛT DES JEUNES FILLES,
join CAMPING SAUVAGE in demonstrating
the growing popularity of Quebec films. CAMPING
SAUVAGE, a comedy about a stockbroker in the witness protection
program has earned more than $3.5 million at the box office in its
first four weeks of release.
The Canadian penchant for irreverent comedy comes through in SIBLINGS,
which recounts the mishaps of a group of step-siblings who accidentally
kill their parents just before Christmas, whilst the more bittersweet
WILBY WONDERFUL uses a remarkable
ensemble cast (Paul Gross, Sandra Oh, Rebecca Jenkins and Callum
Keith Rennie) to look at truth and the challenge of finding a quiet
place to kill yourself. Others include THE
LIMB SALESMAN, SEVEN TIMES LUCKY,
and the World Premiere of SHOW ME.
Local films include Bruce McDonald’s wildly irreverent THE
LOVE CRIMES OF GILLIAN GUESS, Mark A. Lewis’ darkly
comic ILL FATED, Blaine Thurier’s
edgy second feature MALE FANTASY,
Bill Marchant’s debut EVERYONE,
and Vic Sarin’s romantic comedy DELUXE
COMBO PLATTER. The Canadian Images shorts packages this year
have strong local connections featuring films made by students from
UBC, SFU and Emily Carr. Covering topics on loss and salvation,
love and family, they all explore the issue of connection in today’s
world.
$17,000 IN PRIZES FOR WESTERN CANADIAN FILMMAKERS
For the third year, Citytv is generously sponsoring an award for
Western Canadian filmmakers. The $12,000 Citytv
Western Canada Feature Film Award for 2004 will
be presented to the director of the Best Feature Film from Western
Canada. Burgess also announced that for a second year the $5,000
Keystone
Award would be presented to the Best Young Western
Canadian Director of a Short Film. This award is graciously sponsored
by International Keystone Entertainment.
CANADIAN IMAGES JURY
The jury for the Citytv and Keystone Awards is comprised of: Vincent
Le Leurch (journalist, Le Film Francais),
Helen Loveridge (director, Seattle International Film Festival)
and John Griffin (journalist, Montreal Gazette).
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