“Two guys running a lemonade stand but instead of lemons it’s mangos inadvertently start a war with their mango dealer who is a psychopathic old blind man named Nancy because the stand’s representative was over five minutes late to the meeting point.” Director Terry Chiu on MANGOSHAKE which screens at the 2018 edition of […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: ANIMAL BEHAVIOR animators David Fine & Alison Snowden
“It’s an animated comedy about a group therapy session with animals. We thought that animals are not criticized for behaviour which we typically associate with them, but what if they were? So we put them in a group therapy session and had their behaviour analyzed. It’s obviously analogous to human behaviour too.” Creators David Fine […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: WHAT WALAA WANTS director Christy Garland
“Soon after her mother is released from jail, Walaa decides she wants to train to be one of the few women on the Palestinian Security Forces – a big challenge for a girl who breaks all the rules.” — Director Christy Garland on WHAT WALAA WANTS which screens at the 2018 Vancouver International Film […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: THE MUSEUM OF FORGOTTEN TRIUMPHS director Bojan Bodruzic
“The film considers the collapse of the former Yugoslavia—and the Bosnian war in particular—through the prism of the life of an old couple living out their last days in Sarajevo. The couple just happen to be my grandparents, who I was separated from as a child when the war started in the region. The film […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: LEVEL 16 director Danishka Esterhazy
“Level 16 is a female-driven dystopian thriller about a group of teen girls who are trapped in a mysterious and cruel boarding school that hides a dark secret.” Director Danishka Esterhazy on LEVEL 16 which screens at VIFF 2018. You are back this year! Tell me about what you have had here in the past, […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: N.O.N. director Zebulon Zang
“From porn to the apocalypse, a smattering of everyday concerns are worked out and brought together by a central character in search of a job.” Director Zebulon Zang on N.O.N. which screens at the 2018 VIFF. Congratulations on your film playing and welcome to VIFF! Is your first time here and are you planning […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: Meet the team behind SPICE IT UP!
“Rene is a film student struggling to complete her thesis project. Alone and longing for connection, she finds solace in her work—a film about seven 17-year-old girls who fail their final year of high school and decide to join the Canadian army.” Directors Lev Lewis, Yonah Lewis & Calvin Thomas from SPICE IT UP which […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: GARRY WINOGRAND: ALL THINGS ARE PHOTOGRAPHABLE director Sasha Waters Freyer
The following is an interview that took place at South By Southwest 2018. It has been edited for this VIFF interview. “Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable is about one of the great photographers of the 20th century. If you’re a fan of street photography, you probably already know (and love) his work. But it’s […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: Meet the creators of SCIENCE FAIR!
NOTE: The following interview took place at this year’s South By Southwest Film Festival and has been edited for re-use for my coverage of VIFF 2018. “Science Fair follows nine students and one mentor on their journey to the International Science & Engineering Fair, or ISEF, which is like the Olympics of science […]
Toronto International Film Festival 2018: The Twenty Best & More
Oh, heavenly TIFF. The Toronto International Film Festival is a stunning behemoth that is a complete celebration of film, so many of them, in the busiest and most populated city in Canada. Out of all of the film festivals I attend every year, there is just something special about Toronto’s film culture. Of course […]
TIFF 2018 Interview: WHEN ARABS DANCED director Jawad Rhalib
“The film is an alarm signal that I urgently draw. But also a sensual ode to Arab Muslim culture and freedom. They are artists who resist and refuse to remain silent in the face of the increasingly violent Islamist threat.” Director Jawad Rhalib on WHEN ARABS DANCED which screens at TIFF 2018. Congratulations on your […]
TIFF 2018 Interview: JIRGA director Benjamin Gilmour
“Shot in extraordinary conditions in Afghanistan, Jirga follows the story of an Australian war veteran who returns to Kandahar searching for the family of a civilian he accidentally killed during the war, and offering himself up to the village justice system – the Jirga.” Director Benjamin Gilmour on JIRGA which screens at the 2018 edition […]
TIFF 2018 Interview: DZIADZIO director Aaron Ries
“As summer days grow longer, 22-year old Stefania – who lives with her aging grandfather – begins to spiral into fantasy in this unpredictable and darkly comedic drama about intergenerational disconnect and malaise. Buckle up, Dziadzio is a 12 minute ride.” Director Aaron Ries on DZIADZIO which screens at the 2018 edition of the Toronto […]
BLACKKKLANSMAN Review – Based On Some Fo’ Real, Fo’ Real S**T
In November of 1992, my life was changed forever. My parents took me to a Saturday night screening of MALCOLM X in the biggest theater in my home town. I was a casual movie buff at that time and enjoyed some of the major studio movies on the big screen and watched some movies on […]
SKATE KITCHEN Review – The Subculture of the Revolutionary Girls Who Skate
The “rowdy ass girl crew” known as the SKATE KITCHEN, are here to give people a new perspective on the male dominated community of skateboarding. Following the same title of the movie, The Skate Kitchen is a real group of girls who like to shred and inspire other female skaters in Brooklyn and around the […]