A kind of sequel to his short film Haven, which concerned a radical treatment program that offered drug users free medical-grade heroin, Colin Askey’s Love in the Time of Fentanyl is not an easy film to approach. The work of “harm reduction”––a concept that seems to have found some acceptance in urban centers throughout Canada, including Vancouver and Toronto (as chronicled in Hugh Gibson’s The Stairs)––the idea begins with the assumption that if addicts are going to use regardless, why not give them a clean, safe space to take drugs and prevent overdoses?
The Downtown Eastside clinic in Vancouver began as a pop-up and has since moved into a storefront run by Ronnie, a bearded Gen X-er who earns the name “Narcan Jesus.” He remains haunted by those he can’t save and the weight of the work. Initially a skeptic of harm reduction, Ronnie now...
The Downtown Eastside clinic in Vancouver began as a pop-up and has since moved into a storefront run by Ronnie, a bearded Gen X-er who earns the name “Narcan Jesus.” He remains haunted by those he can’t save and the weight of the work. Initially a skeptic of harm reduction, Ronnie now...
- 12/7/2022
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
In 2018 we've published 70 interviews whose subjects have ranged from old masters to emerging new voices, and including some unexpected conversations, including those with curators (Dave Kehr of the Museum of Modern Art), as well as archival finds (a 1971 talk with Jerry Lewis).Below you will find an index of our conversations throughout the year, listed in order of publication date.Blake Williams (Prototype)Samira Elagoz (Craigslist Allstars)F.J. Ossang (9 Fingers)Jerry LewisAndré Gil Mata (The Tree)Christian Petzold (Transit)Raoul Peck (Young Karl Marx)Ashley McKenzie (Werewolf)Penelope SpheerisTed Fendt (Classical Period)Dominik Graf (The Red Shadow)Blake Williams ("Stereo Visions")Arnaud Desplechin (Ismael's Ghosts)Ruth Beckermann (The Waldheim Waltz)Nelson Carlos de los Santos Arias (Cocote)Esther GarrelPhilippe Garrel (Lover for a Day)Jonas MekasJohann Lurf (★)Karim Aïnouz (Central Airport Thf)Juliana Antunes (Baronesa)Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra (Birds of Passage)Wang Bing (Dead Souls)Donal Foreman...
- 12/27/2018
- MUBI
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSOn the occasion of Spike Lee's latest release, BlacKkKlansman, reports have surfaced stating that the filmmaker was paid $200,000 to "help develop a public awareness campaign that would aim to strengthen the partnership between the [New York Police Department] and the communities it serves."Wes Anderson's follow-up to the Japan-set Isle of Dogs will be a musical in post-wwii France, according to a report by French publication Charente Libre.Recommended VIEWINGThe first teaser trailer of Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, his first film since Gravity in 2013. Set in a tumultuous era of political transition in early 1970s Mexico, the semi-autobiographical film boasts lush black-and-white cinematography by Cuarón himself. Roma will have its world premiere at this year's Venice Film Festival, and will continue onto the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.
- 8/23/2018
- MUBI
Hugh Gibson's The Stairs (2016) is exclusively showing August 9 – September 8, 2018 on Mubi in most countries in the world as part of the series Canada's Next Generation.Hugh Gibson’s feature film debut represents the arrival of a major new voice in documentary filmmaking. The Stairs is a compassionate, unvarnished look at the lives of drug users in urban Toronto—their struggles to help themselves and one another, to change their lives for the better, and above all to maintain dignity in a society that often seems to prefer their invisibility. Gibson’s film avoids the pat narratives and uplifting bromides so often associated with this genre, instead preferring to allow the subjects to speak for themselves. His camera is curious and non-judgmental. Applying a style that is equal parts Errol Morris and Allan King, Gibson combines free observation with direct testimony to produce a vital document of a culture all around us.
- 8/20/2018
- MUBI
Hugh Gibson's The Stairs (2016) is exclusively showing August 9 – September 8, 2018 on Mubi in most countries in the world as part of the series Canada's Next Generation.One day in summer 2012, I was meeting at a Toronto health agency with around twenty clients and staff, many of who later appeared in The Stairs. We’d come to know each other during the prior year, and we discussed my unfolding documentary: who wanted to participate, what it might look like, what should be covered. Suddenly, someone interrupted: “Yeah, yeah, yeah… I wanna know, what will the movie’s ending be? How do you know if there’ll a happy ending?” I began to stammer… I didn’t have any answer. Then a client interjected, “That depends on us, doesn’t it?” That client’s name was Lisa. I’d intended for her to be a lead character, but soon after that meeting,...
- 8/8/2018
- MUBI
Although there’s no shortage of regional film festivals throughout the year, few — if any — are better curated than the Maryland Film Festival. With a slate organized by Director of Programming Eric Allen Hatch, the downtown Baltimore festival, which takes place from May 3-7, offers the finest in independent and international cinema of the past year, as well as some of our most-anticipated world premieres.
Now in its 19th year, we’re pleased to debut the full line-up for the 6-screen festival, and can exclusively reveal that Brett Haley‘s The Hero (one of our favorite films from Sundance) will be the Closing Night film. World premiering at the festival is Stephen Cone‘s Princess Cyd, his follow-up to one of last year’s finest films, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, along with Josh Crockett‘s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks.
We can also exclusively reveal the Opening Night Shorts — 5 short...
Now in its 19th year, we’re pleased to debut the full line-up for the 6-screen festival, and can exclusively reveal that Brett Haley‘s The Hero (one of our favorite films from Sundance) will be the Closing Night film. World premiering at the festival is Stephen Cone‘s Princess Cyd, his follow-up to one of last year’s finest films, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, along with Josh Crockett‘s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks.
We can also exclusively reveal the Opening Night Shorts — 5 short...
- 4/21/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries.NEWSWang Bing's Bitter MoneyA touching bit of news from the Canadian independent film scene: When the Toronto Film Critics Association picked Hugh Gibson as the recipient for its $100,000 prize for his terrific documentary The Stairs, Gibson decided to split the award with the other nominees:Kazik Radwanski (How Heavy This Hammer), and Matt Johnson (Operation Avalanche). Solidarity in Canadian filmmaking!Berlin Critics' Week has announced part of its lineup for its festival, which runs concurrently as the Berlin International Film Festival and is intended both as counter-programming and counter-experience. Films so far include I Am Not Madame Bovary, The Human Surge and Bertrand Bonello's Sarah Winchester.Meanwhile, in New York the 17th Film Comment Selects series, which tends to be more unconventional than the Film Society of Lincoln Center's New York Film Festival, will include an "Ultra-widescreen" version of...
- 1/18/2017
- MUBI
HBO has acquired Evgeny Afineevsky’s Sundance selection and follow-up to Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom in a deal with executive producer David Dinerstein.
Cries From Syria chronicles the Middle East country’s civil war and draws on hundreds of hours of war footage as well as testimony from child protestors, human rights activists, citizens and high-ranking army generals who have defected from the Army.
The film receives its world premiere in Park City this month in the Documentary Premieres strand and will debut on HBO on March 13.
Annapurna Television is partnering with the Coen Brothers on Western anthology The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs. Annapurna issued a press release saying it intended to pursue “an innovative television and theatrical integrated approach” without elaborating. Joel and Ethen Coen wrote the script and will direct and produce through their Mike Zoss Productions label. Ellison and Annapurna Television president of television Sue Naegle are executive producers. UTA represents...
Cries From Syria chronicles the Middle East country’s civil war and draws on hundreds of hours of war footage as well as testimony from child protestors, human rights activists, citizens and high-ranking army generals who have defected from the Army.
The film receives its world premiere in Park City this month in the Documentary Premieres strand and will debut on HBO on March 13.
Annapurna Television is partnering with the Coen Brothers on Western anthology The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs. Annapurna issued a press release saying it intended to pursue “an innovative television and theatrical integrated approach” without elaborating. Joel and Ethen Coen wrote the script and will direct and produce through their Mike Zoss Productions label. Ellison and Annapurna Television president of television Sue Naegle are executive producers. UTA represents...
- 1/10/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight" is becoming the darling of critics groups. Besides big wins for Dallas Fort Worth Film Critics and San Francisco Film Critics among others, the moving film took the top spot at the 2016 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards. Here's the full list of winners and runners-up:
Best Picture
.Moonlight. (Elevation Pictures)
Runners-up
.Manchester by the Sea. (Mongrel Media)
.Toni Erdmann. (Mongrel Media)
Best Actor
Adam Driver, .Paterson. (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up
Casey Affleck, .Manchester by the Sea.
Peter Simonischek, .Toni Erdmann.
Best Actress
Sandra Hüller, .Toni Erdmann.
Runners-up
Rebecca Hall, .Christine. (The Orchard)
Isabelle Huppert, .Elle. (Mongrel Media)
Natalie Portman, .Jackie. (Fox Searchlight)
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, .Moonlight.
Runners-up
Ralph Fiennes, .A Bigger Splash. (Elevation Pictures)
Michael Shannon, .Nocturnal Animals. (Focus Features)
Best Supporting Actress
Michelle Williams, .Manchester by the Sea.
Runners-up
Viola Davis, .Fences. (Paramount)
Naomie Harris, .Moonlight.
Best Director
Maren Ade, .Toni Erdmann.
Runners-up
Damien Chazelle,...
Best Picture
.Moonlight. (Elevation Pictures)
Runners-up
.Manchester by the Sea. (Mongrel Media)
.Toni Erdmann. (Mongrel Media)
Best Actor
Adam Driver, .Paterson. (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up
Casey Affleck, .Manchester by the Sea.
Peter Simonischek, .Toni Erdmann.
Best Actress
Sandra Hüller, .Toni Erdmann.
Runners-up
Rebecca Hall, .Christine. (The Orchard)
Isabelle Huppert, .Elle. (Mongrel Media)
Natalie Portman, .Jackie. (Fox Searchlight)
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, .Moonlight.
Runners-up
Ralph Fiennes, .A Bigger Splash. (Elevation Pictures)
Michael Shannon, .Nocturnal Animals. (Focus Features)
Best Supporting Actress
Michelle Williams, .Manchester by the Sea.
Runners-up
Viola Davis, .Fences. (Paramount)
Naomie Harris, .Moonlight.
Best Director
Maren Ade, .Toni Erdmann.
Runners-up
Damien Chazelle,...
- 12/13/2016
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Maren Ade’s German comedy won three awards including best director and best actress, while Barry Jenkins’s drama was named best film.
Father-daughter comedy Toni Erdmann was also named best foreign language film. Moonlight won best film and best supporting actor for Mahershala Ali at Sunday’s awards meeting of The Toronto Film Critics Association (Tfca).
Best actor honours went to Adam Driver for Paterson. Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea won awards for screenplay and supporting actress for Michelle Williams.
The Canadian Tire Allan King Documentary Award, which comes with a $5,000 cheque, went to Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson. Zootopia won the animation prize.
The best of three finallists selected for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award will be unveiled at the Tfca Awards Gala on January 10. They are: How Heavy This Hammer by Kazik Radwanski; Operation Avalanche by Matt Johnson; and The Stairs by Hugh Gibson.
The winner of the Stella Artois Jay Scott...
Father-daughter comedy Toni Erdmann was also named best foreign language film. Moonlight won best film and best supporting actor for Mahershala Ali at Sunday’s awards meeting of The Toronto Film Critics Association (Tfca).
Best actor honours went to Adam Driver for Paterson. Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea won awards for screenplay and supporting actress for Michelle Williams.
The Canadian Tire Allan King Documentary Award, which comes with a $5,000 cheque, went to Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson. Zootopia won the animation prize.
The best of three finallists selected for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award will be unveiled at the Tfca Awards Gala on January 10. They are: How Heavy This Hammer by Kazik Radwanski; Operation Avalanche by Matt Johnson; and The Stairs by Hugh Gibson.
The winner of the Stella Artois Jay Scott...
- 12/12/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Masked MonkeysThe cutting edge of cinema culture at this moment is not what’s premiering in competition at Cannes or picking up the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Rather, it is at the quietly flourishing but deeply influential genre of film festival focusing on new and adventurous work in documentary filmmaking. More than any red carpet extravaganza, this type of festival is consistently challenging audiences to expand their understanding of how the art of cinema explores reality and how reality complicates moviemaking. Whether big, like Copenhagen’s Cph:dox, or smaller, like Missouri’s True/False Film Fest, these events go further than the traditional and staid vision of festivals devoted to documentary film, whose emphasis is above all on the camera as a bland tool to invisibly tell a nonfiction story, and instead present more closely curated programs that showcase the infinite nuance and complexity—not to mention shades...
- 11/29/2016
- MUBI
A selection of films from the 2016 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has been unveiled, with films by Jim Jarmusch, Maren Ade, Tom Ford, Paul Verhoeven, Damien Chazelle, and many more.Opening NIGHTThe Magnificent Seven (Antoine Fuqua)GALASDeepwater HorizonArrival (Denis Villeneuve)Deepwater Horizon (Peter Berg)The Headhunter's Calling (Mark Williams)The Journey Is the Destination (Bronwen Hughes)Jt + The Tennessee Kids (Jonathan Demme)Lbj (Rob Reiner)Lion (Garth Davis)Loving (Jeff Nichols)A Monster Calls (J.A. Bayona)Planetarium (Rebecca Zlotowski)Queen of Katwe (Mira Nair)The Rolling Stones of Olé Olé Olé!: A Trip Across Latin America (Paul Dugdale)The Secret Scripture (Jim Sheridan)Snowden (Oliver Stone)Strange Weather (Katherine Dieckmann)Their Finest (Lone Scherfig)A United Kingdom (Amma Astante)Special PRESENTATIONSLa La LandThe Age of Shadows (Kim Jee-woon)All I See Is You (Marc Forster)American Honey (Andrea Arnold)American Pastoral (Ewan McGregor)Asura: The City of...
- 8/12/2016
- MUBI
The third cascade of world premieres in 15 days flowed from the headquarters of the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday as programmers revealed their Midnight Madness, Tiff Docs, Vanguard, Tiff Cinematheque and Short Cuts selections.
This week’s offering includes Ben Wheatley’s all-star gangster thriller Free Fire, which opens Midnight Madness one year after the premiere of the British auteur’s High-Rise; fast-rising Chadwick Boseman in revenge thriller Message From The King in Vanguard and a Tiff Docs strand that features climate change documentary The Turning Point, featuring and produced by Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio.
The 41st Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8 to 18.
Wp = world premiere, IP = international premiere, Nap = North American premiere, Cp = Canadian premiere, Tp = Toronto premiere.
Midnight Madness
Ben Wheatley’s all-star gunfight Free Fire starring Brie Larson, Armie Hammer and Cillian Murphy will open the section, which includes Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Rats, Adam Wingard’s Blair Witch, André Øvredal’s [link...
This week’s offering includes Ben Wheatley’s all-star gangster thriller Free Fire, which opens Midnight Madness one year after the premiere of the British auteur’s High-Rise; fast-rising Chadwick Boseman in revenge thriller Message From The King in Vanguard and a Tiff Docs strand that features climate change documentary The Turning Point, featuring and produced by Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio.
The 41st Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8 to 18.
Wp = world premiere, IP = international premiere, Nap = North American premiere, Cp = Canadian premiere, Tp = Toronto premiere.
Midnight Madness
Ben Wheatley’s all-star gunfight Free Fire starring Brie Larson, Armie Hammer and Cillian Murphy will open the section, which includes Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Rats, Adam Wingard’s Blair Witch, André Øvredal’s [link...
- 8/9/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival has nearly completed its slate announcement this year — expect a few stragglers to be announced in the coming days, but this is about the size of it — rounding out its lineup with today’s announcement of its Docs, Midnight Madness, Vanguard and Tiff Cinematheque picks. And what a group this is, including plenty of returning favorites and some very exciting new names.
Tiff’s Docs section features a collection of works from award-winning directors including Steve James, Raoul Peck, Errol Morris and Werner Herzog. Leonardo DiCaprio even pops up for a “rousing call to action on climate change” in “The Turning Point,” made in collaboration with Academy Award winner Fisher Stevens and already picked up by National Geographic.
Read More: Tiff Reveals First Slate of 2016 Titles, Including ‘Magnificent Seven,’ ‘American Honey,’ ‘La La Land’ and ‘Birth of A Nation’
The beloved Midnight Madness section offers...
Tiff’s Docs section features a collection of works from award-winning directors including Steve James, Raoul Peck, Errol Morris and Werner Herzog. Leonardo DiCaprio even pops up for a “rousing call to action on climate change” in “The Turning Point,” made in collaboration with Academy Award winner Fisher Stevens and already picked up by National Geographic.
Read More: Tiff Reveals First Slate of 2016 Titles, Including ‘Magnificent Seven,’ ‘American Honey,’ ‘La La Land’ and ‘Birth of A Nation’
The beloved Midnight Madness section offers...
- 8/9/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
After a promising initial line-up, the Toronto International Film Festival has delivered more titles with their full Canadian slate. Among the line-up is Xavier Dolan‘s It’s Only the End of the World, Bruce MacDonald‘s new feature Weirdos, Deepa Mehta‘s Anatomy of Violence, as well as Two Lovers and a Bear, starring Tatiana Maslany and Dane DeHaan, which we have the first trailer for today.
We said in our review from Cannes, “Kim Nguyen’s Two Lovers and a Bear is a film that suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. Like an indie playlist stuck on constant shuffle, unapologetically reveling in a sort of manic unclassifiable genre. This isn’t always necessarily a bad thing, but, for some reason, Nguyen’s scattershot tonal shifts — which hop between a romance on the rocks; a self-serious study of grieving; and a surreal buddy comedy — can prove quite jarring.
We said in our review from Cannes, “Kim Nguyen’s Two Lovers and a Bear is a film that suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. Like an indie playlist stuck on constant shuffle, unapologetically reveling in a sort of manic unclassifiable genre. This isn’t always necessarily a bad thing, but, for some reason, Nguyen’s scattershot tonal shifts — which hop between a romance on the rocks; a self-serious study of grieving; and a surreal buddy comedy — can prove quite jarring.
- 8/4/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
A heavyweight roster of world premieres from the leading lights of Canada’s film industry will grace the Toronto International Film Festival next month.
New work from Deepa Mehta, Bruce McDonald and Chloé Robichaud are among the Canadian features set to receive their world premieres, while Xavier Dolan and Kim Nguyen earn North American premieres for their latest films following their Cannes debuts.
Wednesday’s announcement included the slate of Canadian short films, the festival’s four Rising Stars, and participants in the Talent Lab and Telefilm Canada Pitch This! programmes.
Talent Lab alumnus Andrew Cividino is named the 2016 Len Blum Resident. The film-maker will take up residency at the Festival Tower for three months later this year and receive one-on-one script consultations with screenwriter Blum, mentoring from Tiff’s industry and programming teams, and support from Tiff partners.
Cividino will work on his screenplay, We Ate the Children Last, a feature...
New work from Deepa Mehta, Bruce McDonald and Chloé Robichaud are among the Canadian features set to receive their world premieres, while Xavier Dolan and Kim Nguyen earn North American premieres for their latest films following their Cannes debuts.
Wednesday’s announcement included the slate of Canadian short films, the festival’s four Rising Stars, and participants in the Talent Lab and Telefilm Canada Pitch This! programmes.
Talent Lab alumnus Andrew Cividino is named the 2016 Len Blum Resident. The film-maker will take up residency at the Festival Tower for three months later this year and receive one-on-one script consultations with screenwriter Blum, mentoring from Tiff’s industry and programming teams, and support from Tiff partners.
Cividino will work on his screenplay, We Ate the Children Last, a feature...
- 8/3/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
A heavyweight roster of world premieres from the leading lights of Canada’s film industry will grace the Toronto International Film Festival next month.
New work from Deepa Mehta, Bruce McDonald and Chloé Robichaud are among the Canadian features set to receive their world premieres, while Xavier Dolan and Kim Nguyen earn North American premieres for their latest films following their Cannes debuts.
Wednesday’s announcement included the slate of Canadian short films, the festival’s four Rising Stars, and participants in the Talent Lab and Telefilm Canada Pitch This! programmes.
Talent Lab alumnus Andrew Cividino is named the 2016 Len Blum Resident. The film-maker will take up residency at the Festival Tower for three months later this year and receive one-on-one script consultations with screenwriter Blum, mentoring from Tiff’s industry and programming teams, and support from Tiff partners.
Cividino will work on his screenplay, We Ate the Children Last, a feature...
New work from Deepa Mehta, Bruce McDonald and Chloé Robichaud are among the Canadian features set to receive their world premieres, while Xavier Dolan and Kim Nguyen earn North American premieres for their latest films following their Cannes debuts.
Wednesday’s announcement included the slate of Canadian short films, the festival’s four Rising Stars, and participants in the Talent Lab and Telefilm Canada Pitch This! programmes.
Talent Lab alumnus Andrew Cividino is named the 2016 Len Blum Resident. The film-maker will take up residency at the Festival Tower for three months later this year and receive one-on-one script consultations with screenwriter Blum, mentoring from Tiff’s industry and programming teams, and support from Tiff partners.
Cividino will work on his screenplay, We Ate the Children Last, a feature...
- 8/3/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced an additional selection of feature picks — all falling under the banner of Canadian-made films, appropriately enough — along with their Tiff Rising Stars group, the recipient of the Len Blum Residency and a selection of Canadian shorts. Major programming standouts including Xavier Dolan’s Cannes Grand Prix winner “It’s Only the End of the World” and Nathan Morlando’s Cannes debut “Mean Dreams.” Other films of note include April Mullen’s “Below Her Mouth” and Kim Nguyen’s Dane DeHaan-starring “Two Lovers and a Bear.”
This year’s Tiff Rising Stars — four Canadian actors who will take part in a series of specialized programming organized by Tiff’s Industry team — include Jared Abrahamson, Grace Glowicki, Mylène Mackay and Sophie Nélisse. Additional international Rising Stars will be announced in the coming weeks.
Screenwriter and filmmaker Andrew Cividino is the 2016 Len Blum Resident. Cividino,...
This year’s Tiff Rising Stars — four Canadian actors who will take part in a series of specialized programming organized by Tiff’s Industry team — include Jared Abrahamson, Grace Glowicki, Mylène Mackay and Sophie Nélisse. Additional international Rising Stars will be announced in the coming weeks.
Screenwriter and filmmaker Andrew Cividino is the 2016 Len Blum Resident. Cividino,...
- 8/3/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
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