International Art English. Are You Fluent?
The Guardian catches up with the syntax and vocabulary of curators, artists and the interns who love them.
Canada’s Top 10 Films of 2012: Le Canada est mort. Vive le Canada.
They’re here: TIFF’s list of the best Canadian feature and short films of the year.
Here are the full lists:
Canada’s Top 10 Feature Films
COSMOPOLIS d. David Cronenberg
THE END OF TIME d. Peter Mettler
GOON d. Michael Dowse
LAURENCE ANYWAYS d. Xavier Dolan
MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN d. Deepa Mehta
MY AWKWARD SEXUAL ADVENTURE d. Sean Garrity
REBELLE (WAR WITCH) d. Kim Nguyen
STILL d. Michael McGowan
STORIES WE TELL d. Sarah Polley
THE WORLD BEFORE HER d. Nisha Pahuja
Decided by a panel composed of: Barri Cohen, Kerri Craddock, Paul Ennis, Matt Galloway, Judy Gladstone, Jacob Tierney and Elizabeth Yake
Canada’s Top 10 Short Films
BYDLO d. Patrick Bouchard
CHEF DE MEUTE (HERD LEADER) d. Chloe Robichaud
CRACKIN’ DOWN HARD d. Mike Clattenburg
KASPAR d. Diane Obomsawin
LINGO d. Bahar Noorizadeh
MALODY d. Phillip Barker
NE CRÂNE PAS SOIS MODESTE (KEEP A MODEST HEAD) d. Deco Dawson
OLD GROWTH d. Tess Girard
PAPARMANE (WINTERGREEN) d. Joëlle Desjardins Paquette
REFLEXIONS d. Martin Thibaudeau
Decided by a panel composed of: Eileen Arandiga, Laura Good, Matthew Hays, Jennifer Jonas and Greg Klymkiw
And here’s one thought: Canadian filmmakers have successfully obliterated the borders of our country. This year’s Canadian films are set in central Africa (REBELLE), India (MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN and THE WORLD BEFORE HER), New York (COSMOPOLIS) and all over the world (THE END OF TIME). They join a recent batch of films that begin from a global outlook: Denis Villeneuve’s INCENDIES, Ingrid Veninger’s MODRA, Philippe Falardeau’s MONSIEUR LAZHAR, most of Bruce LaBruce’s films and Nicolás Pereda’s entire body of work. On the documentary front the change is even more striking: THE WORLD BEFORE HER and END OF TIME follow films like Yung Chang’s UP THE YANGTZE, Lixin Fan’s LAST TRAIN HOME, Jennifer Baichwal’s MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES and Mettler’s own GAMBLING, GODS AND LSD in reaching beyond Canada’s borders to tell “local” stories.
This is striking because Canadian film has strong roots in regional realism, which can also be found in McGowan’s STILL on our Top 10 list. But this year’s feature films show the strongest yet reflection of our national cinema’s engagement with the rest of the world not as a foreign place, but as a part of our home. This may be a result of immigration and growing diversity among the filmmakers telling stories in Canada. It may also be a result of changes in technology that allow Canadians more and quicker access to the rest of the world. Technology and diversity do the same work in the end: they decentralize.
We’ve seen the same globalizing shifts recently in Canadian literature and for many years in Canadian music. What now seems clear is that the future of Canadian movies is global, and perhaps the future of Canada will begin at its airports.
CB
I can’t get this film out of my head. CAMP 14 - TOTAL CONTROL ZONE: a documentary about a man born into a North Korean labour camp, and the only person ever to escape from such a place. Plays at the Toronto International Film Festival, Sept. 6-16.
(Source: youtube.com)
Opening doors in LA
Toronto International Film Festival
Founded in 1976. Launcher of THE BIG CHILL, BLOOD SIMPLE, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, DEAD RINGERS, DRUGSTORE COWBOY, ROGER AND ME, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, LEAVING LAS VEGAS, BOOGIE NIGHTS, RUSHMORE, AMERICAN BEAUTY, SEXY BEAST, TRAINING DAY, WHALE RIDER, HOTEL RWANDA, SIDEWAYS, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE KING’S SPEECH, MONEYBALL, THE DESCENDANTS… and a whole lot of other movies that started their public lives in a nice, sprawling city on a lake.
Hello Tumblr. Had to happen sooner or later. Photo is typical: sitting in an airport.
