TIFF 2005 - Epilogue
Although it already feels like TIFF was just a dream, I think it’s a good idea to let some time pass before I write my epilogue. Things have a chance to settle in my mind. So, it’s a little late, but here is my summary along with some thoughts on life in general.
1) Blog: My colleague, Susan S, so very, very kindly posted my reports to my Blog but I did not have a chance while TIFF was up and running to let everyone know it was there. It can be found at www.torontofilmfester.blogspot.com. Next year I will NOT bother with e-mailed reports. The Blog is THE only way to go.
2) The Day After: Despite the limited amount of sleep I had during TIFF, this is the first year that I did not feel like I "hit the wall" at any point. I certainly had many days where I nodded off during movies, but I never had that feeling like I could not go on any more. So the Sunday after TIFF I did some yoga in the morning. But while doing so, I managed to step on my purple specs with the turquoise racing stripe, and I completely bent one of the arms. My heart sank (you have no idea how much these things cost), but I was able to maneuver the arm back into position without breaking it off. Whew! I guess the metals they use these days are much more supple.
I also went to the gym to get back into my regular routine and then met up with the cripple, aka Mike, and we headed off to brunch at one of our favourites, Fresh: Juice for Life. It was such a gorgeous day out that we were able to sit outside on the patio. After a week of mostly vampire-like activities (sitting in dark theatres), it was nice to be out in the open air and eating a decadently large breakfast PLUS dessert. Detox starts on Monday. From there we sauntered over to Trinity Park where they were having an outdoor art show. That’s about all the cripple could handle so we parted ways in the early afternoon and I had a quiet evening to myself, again.
3) Just a Little Too Cocky for My Own Good: Despite feeling highly energetic through to the end of TIFF, my overall lack of sleep, over-consumption of sugar and exposure to far too many people with colds led to a physical meltdown. By Tuesday of the week after TIFF, I had a killer sore throat and the makings of a cold-from-hell. I took one day off work and then had a relapse by the end of the week and had to take a second day off to recuperate more fully. By the way, just in case none of you "got" this year’s title, "I’ll Sleep When TIFF is Over," it comes from a Clive Owens’ film that I saw at TIFF a couple of years ago called "I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead." "When I’m Dead"/"WhenTIFF is Over," it’s all the same thing to me :-)
4) TIFF Favourites: My favourite doc was "Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man." It’s still haunting me. And my favourite features were "The White Masai" and "Everything is Illuminated," (the second of which is now playing at a theatre near you - GO SEE IT - it is a hoot). Honourable mentions go to docs "Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey" (really) and "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" and features "Slow Burn" and "Matador." My favourite sound tracks were from "Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man" (but I don’t know if the sound track will be released) and from "Slow Burn." I have attached the press release regarding TIFF’s award winners - naturally, I saw NONE of them.
5) Most Inane Conversation Overheard During TIFF: I heard one guy coming out of the French movie "Caché" and he was trying to impress his friend with his knowledge of French. He told his friend that the title meant "broken." WRONG! The word for broken is "cassé." The title "Caché" means "hidden." Okay, so everyone is entitled to make a mistake, but considering that the film hinged on the notion of a HIDDEN camera, I had to bite my tongue hard so as not to correct this dweeb’s linguistic interpretive error.
6) Best Musical Discovery: Antony (of Antony and the Johnson’s) did a soul-moving rendition of a Leonard Cohen tune in "Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man." But he also sang on Laurie Anderson’s "Hidden Inside Mountains." The Sunday after TIFF I noticed an ad for a performance by Antony and the Johnsons in Toronto, on the same day that I had tickets for "Dead Can Dance" at Massey Hall. What were the chances of there being two to-die-for concerts playing in town on the SAME night? Probably one in two hundred gazillion billion. I checked Antony’s web site and he’ll be heading off to tour in Europe soon, so no more upcoming Toronto dates. DAMN!
7) TIFF Changes: TIFF made some really good improvements this year including adding the finish time for movies to the schedule - thank you TIFF gods. But they seemed to have cut back on the amount of staff in the box office this year and that had a major impact on lines for things like ticket exchanges. Frankly, it made it almost impossible to do exchanges. I did not have several hours available to stand in line in between movies any day during TIFF. What were they thinking?
I have, however, adapted to the fact that there is no epicentre for TIFF. I am getting fond of the Ryerson campus, and now that I have found things like sweet picnic spots, undiscovered (undiscovered by most TIFFers, that is) washrooms, free phones, one of the best vegetarian restaurants/take-outs in the downtown core (Le Commensal on Elm, near Dundas and Yonge) and a nearby candy store (Tutti Frutti), the area is growing on me. Still, this means that in future my schedule will continue to be dictated disproportionately by timing (being able to get from one part of the city to the other). It definitely affected the number of indie films that I saw this year, but it did not affect my overall enjoyment of the festival.
After last year’s fiasco regarding searches of TIFFers for recording devices at some screenings, they have desisted with this procedure. Instead, however, for some of the major studio screenings, there were security guards posted throughout the theatres. Some of them even carry some kind of device that they point at the audience throughout the screening in order to detect people who may be recording. I don’t know if it’s some kind of infrared apparatus or what. It’s all very James Bondish and often distracting.
On the positive side, TIFF added a series on Canadian screen legends to the roster of trailers that were screened before films. These were really well done and they made enough of them so that I saw few repeats. Archival materials were taken from the now-deceased Brian Linehan’s archives. I thought this was a great tribute to this legendary Canadian film critic and to the stars featured in these shorts. TIFFers regularly clapped after these vignettes indicating how well they were received. Bravo!
8) Reality TV: Canadian J.D. went on to win "Rock Star: INXS." It broke my heart, as Marty was my fave. But in the end, it did seem like J.D. was a better fit for the group, even if he was a psychopath. Good luck to them. So what am I watching now? Please don’t lose all respect for me - "America’s Next Top Model." I need help! Good news is that "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" kept my attention for a whole 20 seconds before I gave up on it entirely. That means I still have a bit of a brain left.
9) New Respect for Editors: I was so sick with my cold for my second "Film and Sound Editing Class" that I was pretty well delirious and it took me close to two hours to figure out how to do the most basic of editing functions. So, I was rather nervous about my third class - I figured if I didn’t get it, I was not going to get it at all. But it DID start to click and I am finally making some headway on editing that bit of footage from "The X Files." But oh my gawd!! I knew that editing was a painstaking process, but OH MY GAWD!!! The people who go into editing must feel a true "calling" for the work. Even without my cold, I was bleary-eyed after two hours. And I have discovered that my visual memory is PATHETIC. It would be embarrassing to tell you how many times I had to look at clips before I was ready to do a cut. But I am finding the theory of editing positively fascinating i.e. why we as humans are able to process and accept these juxtapositions of time and sound and make sense of it all. Very cool stuff. However, an editor I will never be, but I am still glad I am taking this course. On the other hand, I don’t think I will ever watch movies the same way. Right now, every single cut jumps out at me.
10) Dead CAN Dance: I recently learned from my woman’s group facilitator and documentary filmmaking partner, Susan Z, that when you are working on a major project of any kind, and it is nearing its end, it’s a good idea to schedule some kind of treat for yourself after the project concludes. The particular context she was discussing was the situation of a friend of ours who is training to do a marathon. But I decided to apply this concept to my TIFF experience, since, for me, TIFF is a huge commitment and I am always so disappointed when it terminates (relieved, but still disappointed). So this year, I had bought tickets to the concert of the year, that of recently reunited Dead Can Dance.
This pair never got any radio time, so most of you won’t have a clue who they are. But I have been a HUGE fan since first hearing them on CFNY (back in the old days, when they were playing progressive music rather than "Today’s Hits and Yesterday’s Classics"). This pair of Anglo-Irish musicians perform the most incredible otherworldly kind of music that sends my soul into sublime rapture. Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry were not just co-musicians but were partners in life until they split many years ago. They went on to solo careers, with Lisa Gerrard doing particularly well in the realm of film scores (she was nominated for an Oscar for her score for "Gladiator"), but I thought I had seen the end of them as a twosome. But they decided to get back together to tour. Oh thank you lord!!!
Perry’s voice is smoother than the most favourite nectar of the gods, and he is at the top of my list of all-time favourite male vocalists amongst which Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) are found. And Lisa Gerrard’s mesmerizing voice vibrates to your core and unexpectedly releases primal emotions. I was literally crying through some of her songs. To me it is unfathomable that two such talents met. How does that happen? It can only be the work of angels!!! The day Perry and Gerrard met, supernovas all over the universe must have been exploding. What a treat this concert was. This music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but you can’t deny what a force each of these performers has become. Move over you Cecilia Bartoli types! Make way for the new breed.
11) Wassup: So what else is coming up? Well despite the fact that I have crippled Mike (not just by subjecting him to TIFF, but he also finally agreed to see a massage therapist about his back and now he can barely walk) and passed my cold on to him, we are heading out to Vancouver to spend Thanksgiving with his sister (who has just moved there). Neither of us has ever been to this Canadian "outpost," can you imagine? Anyway, we will trek out to the west coast for five days and I am ecstatic. And other than that, it’s the usual "go, go, go" schedule. And we already have our tickets for next year’s "The Lord of the Rings: The Musical." Considering that I played hooky from work on opening day of each installment of the LOTR film trilogy, how could I not go see the musical? Tee hee. I need help.
So that’s it folks, another TIFF, another year. Thanks as always for following the journey with me.
I will end with an ode to the end of summer.
Syntax
the sky was a puzzling shade of blue tonight
an iridescent hue I had never seen before
the corners of the atmosphere were folding into black
a portent of a storm, perhaps
the flavour of the wind was new
it tasted so randomly true
and silence was gently suspended in the air
taking care
not to touch the ground
where fallen leaves had left their tracks
following an unusual syntax
what a puzzling shade of blue
July 2005
Kiss, kiss, hug, hug,
Luba
International and Canadian Films Honoured at Closing Awards Event
Toronto - With a total of 335 films (including 109 world and 78 North American premieres), from 52 countries, screened over 10 days, the 30th Toronto International Film Festival wrapped on Saturday, September 17 with an awards cocktail at the Hilton Hotel Toronto.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
The People’s Choice Award is voted on by Festival audiences - known worldwide for their enthusiasm and love of cinema. The 2005 award goes to Gavin Hood's TSOTSI (UK/South Africa), based on the novel by Athol Fugard and traces six days in the lonely, violent life of Tsotsi (meaning "thug"), a ruthless, young gang leader.
DISCOVERY AWARD
Sarah Watt's LOOK BOTH WAYS (Australia) is the recipient of the Discovery Award. The film chronicles the lives of a collection of characters over an uncomfortably hot weekend who are confronting various crises in the wake of a train accident. The press corps, which consists of more than 750 international media, voted on the Discovery Award. The award offers a $15,000 cash prize.
FIPRESCI PRIZE
The FIPRESCI Prize is awarded to South Korean director Kang Yi-kwan for SA-KWA (South Korea). SA-KWA follows an emotionally damaged woman as she searches for true love. This prize is annually bestowed upon a feature film directed by an emerging filmmaker, and making its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Festival welcomed an international FIPRESCI jury for the 14th consecutive year. The 2005 jury is president Howard Feinstein (Freelance, Indiewire, USA), Rui Pedro Tendinha (Noticias Magazine, Portugal), and Charles-Stéphane Roy (ICI Montréal, Canada).
CITYTV AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
There is a tie for the Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature. The award goes to Louise Archambault's FAMILIA and Michael Mabbott's THE LIFE AND HARD TIMES OF GUY TERRIFICO. Archambault's FAMILIA is a taut, fast-paced, and visually inventive film that tackles the complexities that arise from familial bonds with humour, sympathy, and a pervasive air of bittersweet desperation. The jury selected FAMILIA for its "strong female cast, accomplished directing, finely observed writing and skill at balancing a variety of tones." Mabbott's THE LIFE AND HARD TIMES OF GUY TERRIFICO is the journey through fictional singer Guy Terrifico's (Matt Murphy) strange and debatably short life. The film takes the audience from the wilds of Canada to the wild times of Nashville and London, and features contemporaries such as Kris Kristofferson, Ronnie Hawkins, Levon Helm, and Merle Haggard (all playing themselves). The jury selected THE LIFE AND HARD TIMES OF GUY TERRIFICO "for its witty and entertaining satire of the music industry, its exuberant performances and its deadpan comedy cinema verite techniques." Established by sponsor Citytv, the award carries a cash prize of $15,000, which will be split among the recipients, and is presented to a Canadian filmmaker whose first feature film is considered exemplary. This award acknowledges the fresh new talent emerging within Canadian cinema.
TORONTO - CITY AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
The Toronto - City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to C.R.A.Z.Y. directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. Vallée's wildly entertaining film is an ambitious and magical cinematic homage to the pop-culture-saturated middle class of the seventies. Zachary Beaulieu (Marc-André Grondin), a sexually confused teenager with an affinity for Bruce Lee, John Lennon and, most importantly, David Bowie, tries to survive four rough-and-tumble brothers and win the affection of his loving but old-fashioned father (Michel Côté). The jury selected C.R.A.Z.Y. "for its standout acting, its incredible emotional resonance and extraordinary visual inventiveness." Presented annually at the Toronto International Film Festival and generously co-sponsored by the City of Toronto and Citytv, the Toronto - City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film carries a cash prize of $30,000.
CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARDS JURY
The Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film and the Toronto - City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film were selected by the following jury members: Kay Armatage, Associate Professor of cinema, women's and gender studies at the University of Toronto; Ellen Baine, Vice-President of Programming at CHUM Television; journalist Leonard Klady; award-winning filmmaker and professor Brenda Longfellow; and acclaimed director and producer Ron Mann (GO FURTHER).
BRAVO!FACT SHORT CUTS CANADA AWARD
The Bravo!FACT Short Cuts Canada Award offers a $10,000 cash prize. The award goes to Renuka Jeyapalan's BIG GIRL. The jury selected BIG GIRL "for the poignant portrayal of the complex issues facing single parent families and its skillful mix of drama and comedy, and for the nuanced performances of Kris Holden-Ried, and Samantha Weinstein." Honourable mention goes to Andrea Dorfman's THERE'S A FLOWER IN MY PEDAL. The jury consists of actor Rachel McAdams (THE WEDDING CRASHERS; RED-EYE); director Rob Stefaniuk (PHIL THE ALIEN); and Lois Vossen, Emmy® Award-winning series producer of the weekly PBS series "Independent Lens.
1) Blog: My colleague, Susan S, so very, very kindly posted my reports to my Blog but I did not have a chance while TIFF was up and running to let everyone know it was there. It can be found at www.torontofilmfester.blogspot.com. Next year I will NOT bother with e-mailed reports. The Blog is THE only way to go.
2) The Day After: Despite the limited amount of sleep I had during TIFF, this is the first year that I did not feel like I "hit the wall" at any point. I certainly had many days where I nodded off during movies, but I never had that feeling like I could not go on any more. So the Sunday after TIFF I did some yoga in the morning. But while doing so, I managed to step on my purple specs with the turquoise racing stripe, and I completely bent one of the arms. My heart sank (you have no idea how much these things cost), but I was able to maneuver the arm back into position without breaking it off. Whew! I guess the metals they use these days are much more supple.
I also went to the gym to get back into my regular routine and then met up with the cripple, aka Mike, and we headed off to brunch at one of our favourites, Fresh: Juice for Life. It was such a gorgeous day out that we were able to sit outside on the patio. After a week of mostly vampire-like activities (sitting in dark theatres), it was nice to be out in the open air and eating a decadently large breakfast PLUS dessert. Detox starts on Monday. From there we sauntered over to Trinity Park where they were having an outdoor art show. That’s about all the cripple could handle so we parted ways in the early afternoon and I had a quiet evening to myself, again.
3) Just a Little Too Cocky for My Own Good: Despite feeling highly energetic through to the end of TIFF, my overall lack of sleep, over-consumption of sugar and exposure to far too many people with colds led to a physical meltdown. By Tuesday of the week after TIFF, I had a killer sore throat and the makings of a cold-from-hell. I took one day off work and then had a relapse by the end of the week and had to take a second day off to recuperate more fully. By the way, just in case none of you "got" this year’s title, "I’ll Sleep When TIFF is Over," it comes from a Clive Owens’ film that I saw at TIFF a couple of years ago called "I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead." "When I’m Dead"/"WhenTIFF is Over," it’s all the same thing to me :-)
4) TIFF Favourites: My favourite doc was "Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man." It’s still haunting me. And my favourite features were "The White Masai" and "Everything is Illuminated," (the second of which is now playing at a theatre near you - GO SEE IT - it is a hoot). Honourable mentions go to docs "Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey" (really) and "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" and features "Slow Burn" and "Matador." My favourite sound tracks were from "Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man" (but I don’t know if the sound track will be released) and from "Slow Burn." I have attached the press release regarding TIFF’s award winners - naturally, I saw NONE of them.
5) Most Inane Conversation Overheard During TIFF: I heard one guy coming out of the French movie "Caché" and he was trying to impress his friend with his knowledge of French. He told his friend that the title meant "broken." WRONG! The word for broken is "cassé." The title "Caché" means "hidden." Okay, so everyone is entitled to make a mistake, but considering that the film hinged on the notion of a HIDDEN camera, I had to bite my tongue hard so as not to correct this dweeb’s linguistic interpretive error.
6) Best Musical Discovery: Antony (of Antony and the Johnson’s) did a soul-moving rendition of a Leonard Cohen tune in "Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man." But he also sang on Laurie Anderson’s "Hidden Inside Mountains." The Sunday after TIFF I noticed an ad for a performance by Antony and the Johnsons in Toronto, on the same day that I had tickets for "Dead Can Dance" at Massey Hall. What were the chances of there being two to-die-for concerts playing in town on the SAME night? Probably one in two hundred gazillion billion. I checked Antony’s web site and he’ll be heading off to tour in Europe soon, so no more upcoming Toronto dates. DAMN!
7) TIFF Changes: TIFF made some really good improvements this year including adding the finish time for movies to the schedule - thank you TIFF gods. But they seemed to have cut back on the amount of staff in the box office this year and that had a major impact on lines for things like ticket exchanges. Frankly, it made it almost impossible to do exchanges. I did not have several hours available to stand in line in between movies any day during TIFF. What were they thinking?
I have, however, adapted to the fact that there is no epicentre for TIFF. I am getting fond of the Ryerson campus, and now that I have found things like sweet picnic spots, undiscovered (undiscovered by most TIFFers, that is) washrooms, free phones, one of the best vegetarian restaurants/take-outs in the downtown core (Le Commensal on Elm, near Dundas and Yonge) and a nearby candy store (Tutti Frutti), the area is growing on me. Still, this means that in future my schedule will continue to be dictated disproportionately by timing (being able to get from one part of the city to the other). It definitely affected the number of indie films that I saw this year, but it did not affect my overall enjoyment of the festival.
After last year’s fiasco regarding searches of TIFFers for recording devices at some screenings, they have desisted with this procedure. Instead, however, for some of the major studio screenings, there were security guards posted throughout the theatres. Some of them even carry some kind of device that they point at the audience throughout the screening in order to detect people who may be recording. I don’t know if it’s some kind of infrared apparatus or what. It’s all very James Bondish and often distracting.
On the positive side, TIFF added a series on Canadian screen legends to the roster of trailers that were screened before films. These were really well done and they made enough of them so that I saw few repeats. Archival materials were taken from the now-deceased Brian Linehan’s archives. I thought this was a great tribute to this legendary Canadian film critic and to the stars featured in these shorts. TIFFers regularly clapped after these vignettes indicating how well they were received. Bravo!
8) Reality TV: Canadian J.D. went on to win "Rock Star: INXS." It broke my heart, as Marty was my fave. But in the end, it did seem like J.D. was a better fit for the group, even if he was a psychopath. Good luck to them. So what am I watching now? Please don’t lose all respect for me - "America’s Next Top Model." I need help! Good news is that "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" kept my attention for a whole 20 seconds before I gave up on it entirely. That means I still have a bit of a brain left.
9) New Respect for Editors: I was so sick with my cold for my second "Film and Sound Editing Class" that I was pretty well delirious and it took me close to two hours to figure out how to do the most basic of editing functions. So, I was rather nervous about my third class - I figured if I didn’t get it, I was not going to get it at all. But it DID start to click and I am finally making some headway on editing that bit of footage from "The X Files." But oh my gawd!! I knew that editing was a painstaking process, but OH MY GAWD!!! The people who go into editing must feel a true "calling" for the work. Even without my cold, I was bleary-eyed after two hours. And I have discovered that my visual memory is PATHETIC. It would be embarrassing to tell you how many times I had to look at clips before I was ready to do a cut. But I am finding the theory of editing positively fascinating i.e. why we as humans are able to process and accept these juxtapositions of time and sound and make sense of it all. Very cool stuff. However, an editor I will never be, but I am still glad I am taking this course. On the other hand, I don’t think I will ever watch movies the same way. Right now, every single cut jumps out at me.
10) Dead CAN Dance: I recently learned from my woman’s group facilitator and documentary filmmaking partner, Susan Z, that when you are working on a major project of any kind, and it is nearing its end, it’s a good idea to schedule some kind of treat for yourself after the project concludes. The particular context she was discussing was the situation of a friend of ours who is training to do a marathon. But I decided to apply this concept to my TIFF experience, since, for me, TIFF is a huge commitment and I am always so disappointed when it terminates (relieved, but still disappointed). So this year, I had bought tickets to the concert of the year, that of recently reunited Dead Can Dance.
This pair never got any radio time, so most of you won’t have a clue who they are. But I have been a HUGE fan since first hearing them on CFNY (back in the old days, when they were playing progressive music rather than "Today’s Hits and Yesterday’s Classics"). This pair of Anglo-Irish musicians perform the most incredible otherworldly kind of music that sends my soul into sublime rapture. Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry were not just co-musicians but were partners in life until they split many years ago. They went on to solo careers, with Lisa Gerrard doing particularly well in the realm of film scores (she was nominated for an Oscar for her score for "Gladiator"), but I thought I had seen the end of them as a twosome. But they decided to get back together to tour. Oh thank you lord!!!
Perry’s voice is smoother than the most favourite nectar of the gods, and he is at the top of my list of all-time favourite male vocalists amongst which Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) are found. And Lisa Gerrard’s mesmerizing voice vibrates to your core and unexpectedly releases primal emotions. I was literally crying through some of her songs. To me it is unfathomable that two such talents met. How does that happen? It can only be the work of angels!!! The day Perry and Gerrard met, supernovas all over the universe must have been exploding. What a treat this concert was. This music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but you can’t deny what a force each of these performers has become. Move over you Cecilia Bartoli types! Make way for the new breed.
11) Wassup: So what else is coming up? Well despite the fact that I have crippled Mike (not just by subjecting him to TIFF, but he also finally agreed to see a massage therapist about his back and now he can barely walk) and passed my cold on to him, we are heading out to Vancouver to spend Thanksgiving with his sister (who has just moved there). Neither of us has ever been to this Canadian "outpost," can you imagine? Anyway, we will trek out to the west coast for five days and I am ecstatic. And other than that, it’s the usual "go, go, go" schedule. And we already have our tickets for next year’s "The Lord of the Rings: The Musical." Considering that I played hooky from work on opening day of each installment of the LOTR film trilogy, how could I not go see the musical? Tee hee. I need help.
So that’s it folks, another TIFF, another year. Thanks as always for following the journey with me.
I will end with an ode to the end of summer.
Syntax
the sky was a puzzling shade of blue tonight
an iridescent hue I had never seen before
the corners of the atmosphere were folding into black
a portent of a storm, perhaps
the flavour of the wind was new
it tasted so randomly true
and silence was gently suspended in the air
taking care
not to touch the ground
where fallen leaves had left their tracks
following an unusual syntax
what a puzzling shade of blue
July 2005
Kiss, kiss, hug, hug,
Luba
International and Canadian Films Honoured at Closing Awards Event
Toronto - With a total of 335 films (including 109 world and 78 North American premieres), from 52 countries, screened over 10 days, the 30th Toronto International Film Festival wrapped on Saturday, September 17 with an awards cocktail at the Hilton Hotel Toronto.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
The People’s Choice Award is voted on by Festival audiences - known worldwide for their enthusiasm and love of cinema. The 2005 award goes to Gavin Hood's TSOTSI (UK/South Africa), based on the novel by Athol Fugard and traces six days in the lonely, violent life of Tsotsi (meaning "thug"), a ruthless, young gang leader.
DISCOVERY AWARD
Sarah Watt's LOOK BOTH WAYS (Australia) is the recipient of the Discovery Award. The film chronicles the lives of a collection of characters over an uncomfortably hot weekend who are confronting various crises in the wake of a train accident. The press corps, which consists of more than 750 international media, voted on the Discovery Award. The award offers a $15,000 cash prize.
FIPRESCI PRIZE
The FIPRESCI Prize is awarded to South Korean director Kang Yi-kwan for SA-KWA (South Korea). SA-KWA follows an emotionally damaged woman as she searches for true love. This prize is annually bestowed upon a feature film directed by an emerging filmmaker, and making its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Festival welcomed an international FIPRESCI jury for the 14th consecutive year. The 2005 jury is president Howard Feinstein (Freelance, Indiewire, USA), Rui Pedro Tendinha (Noticias Magazine, Portugal), and Charles-Stéphane Roy (ICI Montréal, Canada).
CITYTV AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
There is a tie for the Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature. The award goes to Louise Archambault's FAMILIA and Michael Mabbott's THE LIFE AND HARD TIMES OF GUY TERRIFICO. Archambault's FAMILIA is a taut, fast-paced, and visually inventive film that tackles the complexities that arise from familial bonds with humour, sympathy, and a pervasive air of bittersweet desperation. The jury selected FAMILIA for its "strong female cast, accomplished directing, finely observed writing and skill at balancing a variety of tones." Mabbott's THE LIFE AND HARD TIMES OF GUY TERRIFICO is the journey through fictional singer Guy Terrifico's (Matt Murphy) strange and debatably short life. The film takes the audience from the wilds of Canada to the wild times of Nashville and London, and features contemporaries such as Kris Kristofferson, Ronnie Hawkins, Levon Helm, and Merle Haggard (all playing themselves). The jury selected THE LIFE AND HARD TIMES OF GUY TERRIFICO "for its witty and entertaining satire of the music industry, its exuberant performances and its deadpan comedy cinema verite techniques." Established by sponsor Citytv, the award carries a cash prize of $15,000, which will be split among the recipients, and is presented to a Canadian filmmaker whose first feature film is considered exemplary. This award acknowledges the fresh new talent emerging within Canadian cinema.
TORONTO - CITY AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
The Toronto - City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to C.R.A.Z.Y. directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. Vallée's wildly entertaining film is an ambitious and magical cinematic homage to the pop-culture-saturated middle class of the seventies. Zachary Beaulieu (Marc-André Grondin), a sexually confused teenager with an affinity for Bruce Lee, John Lennon and, most importantly, David Bowie, tries to survive four rough-and-tumble brothers and win the affection of his loving but old-fashioned father (Michel Côté). The jury selected C.R.A.Z.Y. "for its standout acting, its incredible emotional resonance and extraordinary visual inventiveness." Presented annually at the Toronto International Film Festival and generously co-sponsored by the City of Toronto and Citytv, the Toronto - City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film carries a cash prize of $30,000.
CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARDS JURY
The Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film and the Toronto - City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film were selected by the following jury members: Kay Armatage, Associate Professor of cinema, women's and gender studies at the University of Toronto; Ellen Baine, Vice-President of Programming at CHUM Television; journalist Leonard Klady; award-winning filmmaker and professor Brenda Longfellow; and acclaimed director and producer Ron Mann (GO FURTHER).
BRAVO!FACT SHORT CUTS CANADA AWARD
The Bravo!FACT Short Cuts Canada Award offers a $10,000 cash prize. The award goes to Renuka Jeyapalan's BIG GIRL. The jury selected BIG GIRL "for the poignant portrayal of the complex issues facing single parent families and its skillful mix of drama and comedy, and for the nuanced performances of Kris Holden-Ried, and Samantha Weinstein." Honourable mention goes to Andrea Dorfman's THERE'S A FLOWER IN MY PEDAL. The jury consists of actor Rachel McAdams (THE WEDDING CRASHERS; RED-EYE); director Rob Stefaniuk (PHIL THE ALIEN); and Lois Vossen, Emmy® Award-winning series producer of the weekly PBS series "Independent Lens.
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