PLANET OF THE ARTS vol.4no.2 “ - j @ é its \ as ivi e im 0 | r David and Rudy: Space Pioneers Frank Cole: A Life interviews. Rudy set out to find the Canadian contribution to the “space age” and found it in the hands of a small group of physicists and scientists. Yes, there was life before “Canadarm.” The filmmaker directly addresses the camera, and thereby avoids the irritating omniscient narrator- god syndrome. I appreciated that. I also had the pleasure of speaking with Rudy after the film. Not surprising, he’s just as passionate about documen- tary film making. The founding chairman of the Canadian Independent Film Caucus, Rudy is currently a contributing editor to their quarterly newsletter. The CIFC is a non profit organization “,..devoted to developing , promoting, and support- ing ...independent Canadian film and video.” The quarterly reports on the (currently low)**status of documentary film-making in this country, and lobbies influential institutions for improvements. The State of Documentary in Canada CIFC Newsletter, Festival Issue #8 To summarize an article by Geoff Pevere (one of the programmers of Perspective Canada), the Canadian documentary used to be something of an international yardstick, for which the NFB de- serves much credit. Nevertheless, in recent years the doco has fallen on economic hard times, the root cause of which is a change in semantics. More and more the “Canadian Film Industry” means “the Canadian Feature Film Industry.” Canadian documentarians, animators, and experimental filmmakers are going unnoticed by those who influence culture in this country. All interest is being focussed on a currently strong feature film industry, and as a result, documentary has become a low priority for the press, the government, and the public. The only remedy for this is a campaign that reverses “...the popular attitude that regards documentary as a lesser form of filmmaking.” The author has optimism, however, that the quality of documentary films currently produced will bring about a reversal in public opinion similar to that currently enjoyed by our feature filmmakers. VANCOUVER ( the short report ) The 7th Annual Vancouver Film Festival finished October 16th, after 17 days of workshops, seminars, receptions, press conferences, parties and films, films, films. Because I am personally a film freak, the festival was a wonderful opportunity to do a screening blitz and see a host of works that would not otherwise be seen in Vancouver at all, and to meet and listen to filmmakers talk about their craft (not all were here simply to promote their latest endeavour). Just to be a part of this huge exchange of ideas was a treat. Okay, so maybe not all the films were visually, emotionally, politically or intellectually compelling, but they were all made with a lot of energy, and drive, and, I think, love (awww). I think with film, more than with other media, the audience forgets that people make these things. No matter how crassly com- mercial, industry-oriented the product is, it is still a reflection of the people who made it, singular vision or no. Anyway, the festival was extremely well attended, so much so that the organizers used among their criteria for “favourites of the festival” any film that had to have people turned away at the door. Ten favoured films were chosen for rescreening at the end of the festival, so all those viewers previously turned away could have another chance to stand in line. Td like to talk about two films I saw on that last day, Matador, by Spanish bad boy Pedro Almodovar, and Pelle: the Conqueror by Billie August, both breathtaking finales to this autumn celluloid binge. Matador was the most amazing film. It ~ managed to be violent, brutal, erotic and funny all at the same time. By using the bullfight, that archetypal Spanish anachronism, Almodovar takes (For more information on the CIFC, write to: 490 Adelade West, Suite 304, Toronto MJV 1T3, or drop by the offices of our very own Canadian Film Distribution West in the heart of Vancouver’s Independent film community at the CINE CENTRE, 1131 Howe Street, Suite 100.) Moving our attention now to the West coast, Midi Onodera’s The Displaced View, is part documentary, part fictionalized narrative, part experimental. It focuses on questions of identity, history, and memory. Midi is a Canadian of Japanese descent. With subtle manipulation of image and narrative, she communicates a sense of estrangement from the culture of her parents and grandparents . It’s a difficult subject, and a sensitive treatment. At a completely different pace, Peter Ray- mont brings us a glimpse of the disturbing speed at which the news-gathering media machine destroys what it purports to deliver. The World is Watch- ing, set in Nicaragua (but by no means limited to that country), exposes the lie of “objectivity “in news reporting. The film explores the many levels at which ideological forces shape what we watch on the television. Abbie Hoffman showed up in T.O. with the film Growing up in America, and offered a few quips for Canadians contemplating the Free Trade Agreement. “The problem with Canadians” he said, “is that you’re too obliging...(also)you love rowing, you sit down, move backwards and think you’re going somewhere.” Filmmaker Morley Markson combines footage he shot during the 60’s with recent interviews. In addition to then-and-now footage of Abbie, the film also includes Jerry Rubin, Timothy Leary,Allen Ginsberg and other ‘60’s luminaries. The death toll in Canadian heavy industry is much higher than you think. See No Evil: The Story of an Industrial Accident is a reconstruc- tion of an event that led to the permanent blinding of an employee at a Westinghouse plant. This film confirms the need for strong unions to protect INTERNATIONAL the theme Shakespeare introduced to us with Romeo and Juliet — the relationship between sex and death — throws some jalepeno peppers in for good measure, and makes you chew it until you think your head is going to explode. The plot is a stupid thriller story: a visionary young man, prodded on by his overembellished sense of sexual guilt and inadequacy, confesses to four murders he did not commit, to cover up for his bullfighting coach and his kinky lawyer who kill their lovers in the throes of passion. Got it? Oh, and the whole story builds up to an overwhelming eclipse of the sun during which the matador and advocate get it together and blow their brains out in a culmination of orgasmic ecstasy and death. And it’s hysterical. Stylishly shot, violently edited, daring to go where few movies have gone before...at times I found myself wondering whether I was in the presence of “great art” or another highbrow excuse for soft porn. The film is so manipulative, I’m still not sure. The audience really becomes one with the film; we are not just watching but participating. The images are so unsettling that merely by watching them we become vicarious accomplices in _ some dark ritual. These people aren’t just acting, they are having sex, killing people, bleeding all over the place. Almodovar takes away the illusion in the process or building one up, and shoots down any hope of normalcy, leaving us with a reality we hoped did not exist. And it stays on, in the mind, forever. I felt that I had been ruined after this film, and I was shaking. Pelle: the Conqueror is at the other end of the cinematic rainbow. The only traits it shares with Matador are that it is a dramatic narrative, and it comes from overseas, Denmark in this case. workers lives. It should eventually find broadcast on television, as should Strangers in a Strange Land, an informative doco on the ill fated Be- thune project in China. What else did I see? I’d love to go on and on. There was an excellent experimental film program put together by the Canadian Film Distribution Centre in Toronto. A series of short films by women - which I regretfully missed, and a number of Canadian Feature Films, but there just isn’t enough time in a day... From the experimental program Mike Hoolboom’s From Home, Bruce Elder’s Consola- tions (Love is an Art of Time) and Richard Kerr’s apocalyptic landscape titled The Last Days of Contrition are well worth seeing. Frank Cole’s A Life was entered independently. I saw only a few feature dramas, but of what I saw, only Lea Pool’s Straight to the Heart gets my vote. Of the American documentaries there were The Thin Blue Line and Let’s Get Lost, both of these pushing forward the definition of the medium. Driving Me Crazy, (U.K.) is an hilari- ous account of a documentary turned true-life disaster movie. e State vid i a What else can I say...it was a great ten days for Canadian Film, and now my apartment’s a mess... P’'ve got laundry to do...my toast is burning and I’ve got to find a real job. How long am I staying in Montreal? can’t say...give me a ring some time if you want to know what’s happening in the East...just give me a call...I godda go... David Vaisbord Film Festival It tells the story of a young boy, Pelle, who immi- grates with his spineless, aging father (masterfully played by Max von Sydow), from Sweden to Den- mark to look for work at the end of the 19th century. The film explores, through the relation- ship of these two travellers, the treatment of immigrants and peasant workers in general ina country not now known for its racist, sexist policies. In Denmark of old, Swedes were treated like swine. Beautifully shot, and directed with a gentle hand by Billie August, the same director who gave us Twist and Shout, Pelle takes us through the gamut of human experience during the course of a slow year at the isolated “Stone House,” home to philanderers, misogynists, cowards, bullies, racists, lovers, dreamers, schemers, philosophers and cows. In true bildungsroman tradition, Pelle depicts a young boy sifting through the various experiences life has to throw at him — beating his dwarf-child friend, seeing frozen bodies of explorers drift to shore, witnessing the murder of a newborn, losing the awed respect he holds for his father, hearing the screams of a castrated errant husband. Pelle draws his own conclusions: time to go to America. This is a movie about opportunities, how they present themselves and who has the presence of mind to see them for what they are. And it is not cloying or sentimental. ; So, if either of these two films come your way, Matador in red/blue neon and Pelle in ambered warm pastels, take some time to see them. They’re made by a couple of European guys, and a few locals sat around a table and decided to bring them here with a bunch of other films, and call it the 7th Annual Vancouver Film Festival. Nothing special, just some people bringing some good things to- gether. Ann Marie Fleming mem oir) interviews. Rudy set out to find the Canadian, contribution to the “space age” and found it in the hhands of a small group of physicists and scientists. Yes, there was life before “Canadarm.” The filmmaker directly addresses the camera, and thereby avoids the irritating omniscient narrator- ‘god syndrome. appreciated that. Ialso had the pleasure of speaking with Rudy after the film. Not Surprising, he's just as passionate about documen- tary film making. The founding chairman of the Canadian Independent Film Caucus, Rudy is currently a contributing editor to their quarterly newsletter. ‘The CIFC is a non profit organization “devoted to developing , promoting, and support- ing ..independent Canadian film and video.” The quarterly reports on the (currently low)**status of documentary film-making in this country, and lobbies influential institutions for improvements. ‘The State of Documentary in Canada CIFC Newsletter, Festival Issue #8 ‘To summarize an article by Geoff Pevere (one of the programmers of Perspective Canada), the Canadian documentary used to be something of an {international yardstick, for which the NFB de- serves much credit. Nevertheless, in recent years the doco has fallen on economic hard times, the root cause of which is a change in semantics. More and ‘more the ‘Canadian Film Industry” means “the Canadian Feature Film Industry.” Canadian documentarians, animators, and experimental filmmakers are going unnoticed by those who {influence culture in this country. All interest is being focussed on a currently strong feature film industry, and as a result, documentary has become a low priority for the press, the government, and the public. The only remedy for this is a campaign that reverses “..the popular attitude that regards documentary as a lesser form of filmmaking.” The ‘author has optimism, however, that the quality of documentary films currently produced will bring ‘about a reversal in public opinion similar to that currently enjoyed by our feature filmmakers. VANCOUVER (the short report ) ‘Tho 7th Annual Vancouver Film Festival finished October 16th, after 17 days of workshops, seminars, receptions, press conferences, parties and films, films, films. Because I am personally a flm freak, the festival was a wonderful opportunity to do. screening blitz and see a host of works that ‘would not otherwise be seen in Vancouver at all, and to meet and listen to filmmakers talk about thelr eraft (not all were here simply to promote their latest endeavour). Just to be a part ofthis Jnuge exchange of ideas was a treat. Okay, so ‘maybe not all the filme were visually, emotionally, politically or intellectually compelling, but they ‘wore all made with a lot of energy, and drive, and, T ‘think, love (awww). I think with film, more than ‘with other media, the audience forgets that people ‘make these things. No matter how crassly com- ‘mercial, industry-oriented the product is, itis still a reflection of the people who made it, singular vision ‘Anyway, the festival was extremely well ‘attended, so much so that the organizers used among their criteria for “favourites of the festival” any film that had to have people turned away at the door. Ten favoured films were chosen for rrescreening at the end of the festival, so all those ‘viewers previously turned away could have another chance to stand in line. Ta like to talk about two films I saw on that last day, Matador, by Spanish bad boy Pedro Almodovar, and Pelle: the Conqueror by Billie ‘August, both breathtaking finales to this autumn celluloid binge. Matador was the most amazing film. It managed to be violent, brutal, erotic and funny all at the same time. By using the bullfight, that archetypal Spanish anachronism, Almodovar takes W PLANET OF THE ARTS vol.4no.2 ¥ ana Dave ane Roy: once Pew (or more information on the OIFC, write to: 490 Adelade West, Suite 904, Toronto MV 179, or drop bythe offices of our very own Canadian Fim Distribution Westin the heart of Vancouver's Independent film community a the CINE CENTRE, 1131 Howe Street, Suite 100.) Moving our attention now to the West coast, Midi Onodera's The Displaced View, is part documentary, part fictionalized narrative, part experimental. Tt focuses on questions of identity, history, and memory. Midi isa Canadian of Japanese descent. With subtle manipulation of image and narrative, she communicates a sense of estrangement from the culture af her parents and srandparents . It’s a difficult subject, and a sensitive treatment. ‘At a completely different pace, Peter Ray- ‘mont brings us a glimpse ofthe disturbing speed at the news-gathering media machine destroys ‘what it purports to deliver. The World is Watch- ing, st in Nicaragua (but by no means limited to that country), exposes the lie of “objectivity “in news reporting. ‘The film explores the many levela at which ideological forces shape what we watch on the television. "Abbie Hoffman showed up in T.O. with the ‘film Growing up in America, and offered a few ‘quips for Canadians contemplating the Free Trade ‘Agreement. “The problem with Canadians” he said, “is that youre too obliging..(alsoyou love rowing, you sit down, move backwards and think you're going somewhere.” Filmmaker Morley Markson combines footage he shot during the 6’ with recent interviews. In addition to then-and-now footage of Abbe, the film also includes Jerry Rubin, ‘Timothy Leary,Allen Ginsberg and other 60's lumina ‘The death toll in Canadian heavy industry is much higher than you think. See No Evil: The Story of an Industrial Accident is a reconstruc- tion ofan event that le tothe permanent blinding ofan employee at a Westinghouse plant. This lm confirms the need for strong unions to protect INTERNATIONAL the theme Shakespeare introduced to us with Romeo and Juliet — the relationship between sex ‘and death — throws some jalepeno peppers in for {good measure, and makes you chew it until you think your head is going to explod ‘The plot is a stupid thriller story: a visionary ‘young man, prodded on by his overembellished sense of sexual guilt and inadequacy, confesses to four murders he did not commit, to cover up for his bullfighting coach and his kinky lawyer who kill lovers in the throes of passion. Gotit? Oh, and the whole story builds up to an overwhelming clipse ofthe sun during which the matador and \dvoeate got it together and blow their brains out inaculmination of orgasmic ecstasy and death. And it's hysterical Stylishly shot, violently edited, daring to go where few movies have gone before..at times I found myself wondering whether Iwas in the prosence of “great art” or another highbrow excuse for soft porn. The film is so manipulative, I'm still not sure. The audience really becomes one with the. film; we are not just watching but participating. ‘Tho images are so unsettling that merely by watching them we become vicarious accomplices in some dark ritual. These people aren't just acting, they are having sex, killing people, bleeding all over the place. Almodovar takes away the illusion in the process of building one up, and shoots down any hhope of normaly, leaving us with a reality we hhoped did not exist. And it stays on, in the mind, forever. Ifalt that Thad been ruined after this fim, and I was shaking. Pelle: the Conqueror is at the other end of the cinematic rainbow. The only traits it shares with Matador are that itis a dramatic narrative, and it comes from overseas, Denmark in this case. workers lives. It should eventually find broadcast ‘on television, as should Strangers in a Strange Land, an informative doco on the il fated Be- ‘thune project in China. ‘What else did I see? Td love to goon and on. ‘There was an excellent experimental film program peut together by the Canadian Film Distribution Centre in Toronto. A series of short films by women - which I regretfully missed, and a number of Canadian Feature Films, but there just isn’t enough time in a day. ‘From the experimental program Mike Hoolboom’s From Home, Bruce Elder’s Consola- tions (Love is an Art of Time) and Richard Kerr's apocalyptic landscape titled The Last Days of Contrition are well worth seeing. Frank Cole's ‘ALLife was entered independently. saw only a few feature dramas, but of what I saw, only Lea Pools Straight to the Heart gets there were ‘The Thin Blue Line and Let's Get Lost, bth of these pushing forward the definition of the medium. Driving Me Crazy, (UK, isan hilari- ous account of a documentary turned true-life disaster movie. ‘The State of David in Montreal ‘What else ean I say..it was a great ten days for Canadian Film, and now my apartment's a ‘mess... I've got laundry to do..my toast is burning ‘and I've got to find areal job. How long am I staying in Montreal? can't say..give me a ring some time if you want to know what's happening in the Bast..just give me a call.1 godda go... David Vaisbord Film Festival I tells the story of a young boy, Pelle, who immi- ‘grates with his spineless, aging father (masterfully played by Max von Sydow), from Sweden to Den- ‘mark to look for work at the end of the 19¢h, century. The film explores, through the relation- ship of these two travellers, the treatment of {immigrants and peasant workers in general in a country not now known for its racist, sexist policies In Denmark of old, Swedes were treated like swine. Beautifully shot, and directed with a gentle ‘hand by Billie August, the same director who gave ‘us Twist and Shout, Pelle takes us through the ‘gamut of human experience during the course of a slow year at the isolated “Stone House,” home to philandorers, misogynists, cowards, bullies, racists, lovers, dreamers, schemers, philosophers and cows. ‘In true bildungsroman tradition, Pelle depicts ‘a young boy sifting through the various experiences. life has to throw at him — beating his dwarf-child friend, seeing frozen bodies of explorers drift to shore, witnessing the murder of a newborn, losing the awed respect he holds for his father, hearing the sereams ofa castrated errant husband. Pelle