What I loved about HEAVEN WITHOUT PEOPLE is the heated philosophical debate that arises out of a family struggling with a diversity of political beliefs. The captured audience watches to see if secrets kept between certain members will be revealed, if this family with unravel under the weight of the challenges of living in Lebanon […]
LAFF 2018 Review: MUSEO
What a ride for these Mexican friends in MUSEO. This story is a buddy movie akin to DUMB & DUMBER but a bit more melancholy. Inspired by true events, MUSEO follows two veterinarian failures, who decide to make their mark by pulling of Mexico’s largest artifact heist. Not the smartest tools in the box, they steal […]
LAFF 2018 Review: BORDER
BORDER was absolutely not what I expected. It was more. I saw BORDER at the end of LAFF as it had won their World Fiction Jury Award and it had a wild premise. Tine, a woman who can smell emotions, has the perfect job as a border agent in Sweden. She sniffs disembarking ferry passengers […]
LAFF 2018 Review: THE GREAT BUSTER
Historians, film-buffs, comedy-students alike, this is a documentary not to be missed. Buster Keaton is the inventor of dark comedy and a true pioneer of cinema. The documentary film THE GREAT BUSTER is a loving tribute to his legacy as a director, actor, screenwriter, stunt performer and comedian. Keaton’s story is lovingly told by director […]
VIFF 2018 Interview – FROM ACROSS THE STREET & THROUGH TWO SETS OF WINDOWS writer Rayisa Kondracki
“Our film is about a woman who watches her neighbour across the street. She watches him as he eats dinner, talks on the phone, plays nintendo…stands naked in the window. She’s become obsessed. But it’s not sexual. His presence seems to comfort her loneliness.” Writer Rayisa Kondracki on FROM ACROSS THE STREET & THROUGH TWO […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: ELI director Colin Gerrard
“An elderly man’s visit to his local doctor ends up changing the lives of the other patients in the waiting room. Most of the somewhat disillusioned strangers start raising questions over immigration, identity and morality until the old man begins to tell a story he’s kept hidden for years.” Director Colin Gerrard on ELI which […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: HOLY ANGELS director Jay Cardinal Villeneuve
The following is an interview I conducted at last year’s Whistler Film Festival. It has been edited for inclusion in this year’s VIFF coverage. “Holy Angels uses the life-affirming power of dance and the resilience of an unbowed young protagonist to explore the devastating impact of residential school.” Director Jay Cardinal Villeneuve on HOLY ANGELS […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: IN LUCIA’S SKIN director Mayra Hermosillo & Ángel De Guillermo
“We are not aware that we are full of possibilities and that life is a constant opportunity to believe in the fundamental: love. It is the story of a mother and her daughter who arrive at the moment when it is time to allow the memory and choose between silence or allow truth and compassion […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: THEO AND CELESTE director Hannah Dougherty
“This film is about how far you will go for someone you love. Theo and Celeste play a game of ‘would you still be my friend if’ to test their new friendship and their hypothetical questions become reality, forcing them to confront their deepest fears and strongest yearnings.” Director Hannah Dougherty on THEO AND CELESTE […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: COMING OF AGE director Doug Tompos
“Is sex ‘just sex’? Can trust exist in the age of Tinder and Grindr? The loss of innocence can come at any age, and when a younger man pushes an older one to look at his romantic ideas of marriage and monogamy, the afterglow of sex takes on a very different light.” Director Doug Tompos […]