Call for submissions: imagineNATIVE + CBC Internship 2012

Application Deadline: 5:00pm EDT, Monday, October 8, 2012

imagineNATIVE and CBC are seeking one young Aboriginal journalist (19-35) for an exciting and unique career-building opportunity with CBC.ca/arts (www.cbc.ca/news/arts). This week-long internship will run from October 15^th through Oct 21st, 2012 and will be flexible to work and school schedules.

The selected intern will assume the role of the Festival Correspondent, learning how to file copy, photos and videos with CBC.ca/arts while covering special events and screenings at the 12^th Annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (October 17^th-21^st) in Toronto. As Festival Correspondent, the intern will receive an All-Access pass to the festival, be connected to imagineNATIVE’s Publicist to arrange interviews with artists, and will work directly with experienced individuals from CBC.ca/arts who will offer guidance in posting daily reports to the website. A per diem will be provided during the five-day festival by imagineNATIVE.

RIDM announces 2012 festival's opening and closing films

Montreal, Wednesday, October 3, 2012 - The Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) will have the honour of presenting the Quebec première of The End of Time, the latest from Canadian filmmaker Peter Mettler, as the festival’s opening film on November 7 at the Monument National’s Ludger Duvernay Theatre. The director will be present, as will producer Ingrid Veninger. After 11 days of films and activities, the festival will close with Journal de France by Raymond Depardon and Claudine Nougaret.

The End of Time (La Fin du temps)
What is time? That is the question acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Peter Mettler tackles in his new audio-visual odyssey. He takes us to far-flung places on a scientific, poetic and profoundly human odyssey into the very idea of time. Once again working in essayist mode, the maker of Gambling, Gods and LSD layers different avenues of enquiry, resulting in what is perhaps his most visually stunning work. With alternating psychotronic sequences and interviews, observation of nature and autobiography, The End of Time is a unique and unforgettable journey haunted by the spirits of Kubrick and Marker. Produced by Maximage, Grimthorpe and NFB, and distributed in Quebec by Métropole Films; theatrical release on December 12.

2012 British Academy Cymru Awards – winners

BAFTA Cymru (BAFTA in Wales), the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, held their 21st annusl British Academy Cymru Awards in Cardiff.

The night's big winner was Patagonia by Marc Evans. It won four awards, for Director (Fiction), Editing (Fiction), Sound and Make-up/Hair. The film tells of a young Welsh couple who travels to Argentina to work on their relationship.

Submarine by Richard Ayoade won Best Television Film and Best Actor for Craig Roberts who played the 15-year-old Oliver Tate. Sharon Morgan picked up Best Actress for her role in Amit Gupta’s Resistance.

Book launch tonight for RAISING HELL: Ken Russell and the Unmaking of The Devils

ECW Press and TINARS are proud to present the launch of Richard Crouse's new book RAISING HELL: Ken Russell and the Unmaking of The Devils! (ECW Press, October 2012)

Some people have yet to recover from seeing Ken Russell’s infamous film The Devils. Considering it was released in 1971, that’s saying something.

Russell was determined to put his own spin on a real-life case of mass hysteria (and supposed demonic possession) that took place amongst a group of Ursuline nuns in 17th century France. His efforts enraged censors and led the film to be banned numerous countries. To this day, The Devils remains a highly controversial cinematic work.

2012 Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards – winners

The Environmental Media Association held their 22nd Annual EMA Awards on Saturday night at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. The ceremony was hosted by Malin Akerman, who performed with her band. She also announced that she is expecting her first child with her husband Roberto Zincone.

The winner in the Feature Film category was The Lorax, edging out 21 Jump Street and Big Miracle. The Documentary Award winner was Jeff Orlowski's Chasing Ice which had been up against Chimpanzee and Last Call at the Oasis.

The television winners included Dallas, Superfish and Handy Manny.

Special guests at the EMA Awards ceremony included Danny DeVito, Adam Scott, Amy Smart and Lance Bass.

Toronto's Nuit Blanche 2012, Sept 29

Toronto hosts its seventh annual Nuit Blanche tonight in and around the city's downtown core. From 7pm to sunrise, there will be over 150 free art events and exhibitions for the public to enjoy.

The centrepiece of the night will be a special exhibition of 14 projects in and below Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square. The selection is entitled Museum for the End of the World and was curated by Janine Marchessault and Michael Prokopow.

Other highlights include Christian Marclay's The Clock at the Power Plant; Kelly Mark’s film Scenes from a Film I’ll Never Make, With Alternate Scores at the Eaton Centre; and several events at TIFF Bell Lightbox including the interactive Movie Studio Playhouse, a looped visual installation compilation of 101 zombie death scenes Cent une tueries de zombies, and STRANGE LOVE/STRANGE LIVES: Silent Films with Live Piano Accompaniment.

2012 Toronto Palestine Film Festival, Sept 29-Oct 7

The fifth annual Toronto Palestine Film Festival begins tonight with the Canadian premiere of The War Around Us by Abdallah Omeish. The documentary tells the story of two Western journalists in Gaza as the ceasefire in 2008 is broken. The director Abdallah Omeish will be in attendance. The film will be preceded by Samouni Street by Mostafa Alghoul and Tilde Dawandel.

The closing night film will be Habibi by Susan Youssef. The film is a modern retelling of the Arabic folktale of Layla and Qays, the Arabic Romeo and Juliet. Lead actor Maisa Abd Alhadi will be in attendance at the screening.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival announces 2012 programming

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival released the second of two programming announcements today. Together with their announcement of August 30, they have revealed their entire program for their 7th annual festival which will take place October 18 to 26.


TORONTO AFTER DARK 2012 - FINAL FILMS ANNOUNCED!

September 28, 2012: Toronto After Dark Film Festival is thrilled to officially unveil its final wave of eleven exciting film announcements for 2012! Included in the lineup are some of the most eagerly anticipated new genre films from the international film festival circuit. In total 20 new horror, sci-fi, action and cult feature films and 29 short films will screen either their Canadian or Toronto Theatrical Premieres exclusively at the festival’s 7th Annual Edition this October 18-26, 2012 at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. Fans can now conveniently preview trailers to all 20 feature films at the 2012 Festival Youtube Playlist.

2012 Culture Days, Sept 28-30

The third annual Culture Days weekend takes place September 28 to 30 across Canada. It will feature "thousands of free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate 'behind-the-scenes,' to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, designers and other creative people in their communities." In Québec, it's the 16th year for their annual Journées de la culture, which in turn inspired the nation-wide movement.

Film-related events in Montreal include the opening screening of the 2012 YoungCuts Film Festival; the Festival International du Film sur l'Art screening two award-winning films Aux limites de la danse and Frédérick Back: Grandeur nature at Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal; Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois showcases Québécois short films; and Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) hosts an interactive screen-printing booth.

2012 Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards – winners

The Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards have held their 60th annual FAMAS Awards at the Fiesta Pavilion of Manila Hotel.

The crime drama Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story by Tikoy Aguiluz swept the awards with eight wins. Its haul included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Gov. Jeorge Estregan) and Best Supporting Actor (Baron Geisler). The black-and-white film tells the story of gang leader Nicasio "Asiong" Salonga. Controversially, director Tikoy Aguiluz asked to have his name removed from the credits when it was re-edited and parts were re-shot without his involvement.

The action fantasy film Ang Panday 2 (The Blacksmith 2) was the only other multiple-winner, taking two trophies – Best Child Actor (Buboy Villar) and Best Story.

2012 Filmi Festival, Sept 27-30

The 2012 edition of Filmi, Toronto's South Asian Film Festival takes place this weekend. The opening night film is Rajan Khosa's Gattu. It will be preceded by the short films Raju by Max Zahle and Affection by Ash Varma.

The closing night film will be Runaway (Udhao) by Amit Ashraf, preceded by the short film Arranged by Ash Varma.

The festival will also host industry events, a party and a masterclass/retrospective with Vipin Sharma. The short film screening on Saturday includes Mr. Crab by director Faisal Lutchmedial which I helped to produce. The cast will be on hand to participate in the Q&A.

imagineNATIVE Festival announces complete 2012 programming

13^th Annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
October 17-21, 2012

Five days of Indigenous film, video, radio, new media, entertainment, and more

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, the world’s largest Indigenous media arts festival, celebrates its 13th year October 17-21, 2012 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox (Reitman Square, 350 King St. W) and various other venues in downtown Toronto. This year imagineNATIVE celebrates 117 new works by Indigenous people at the forefront of innovation in film, video, radio and new media.

The Festival officially kicks off at 2:00pm on Wednesday, October 17 with a Welcome Gathering at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (16 Spadina Rd.). This reception is FREE and open to the public, and features traditional Indigenous performances, craft vendors, food, and a welcome address from imagineNATIVE in a casual, family-friendly atmosphere.

Festival du nouveau cinéma announces 2012 programming

The 41st edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma will run from October 10 to 21 in Montreal. After its incredibly successful 40th anniversary was awarded the Conseil des arts de Montréal Grand Prize, this edition looks set to be just as memorable.

True to form, Canada’s oldest international film festival is back with a stunning lineup featuring something for all audiences! 288 films from 52 countries – among them 41 world premieres, 4 international premieres, 66 North-American premieres and 39 Canadian premieres, the cream of local and international cinema, have been selected. Get ready for 11 days of festivities with feature films, shorts, documentaries, animated films, tributes and retrospectives, professional gatherings, interactive installations and events. This is the place to get to know the influential filmmakers of today and tomorrow.

Grierson 2012 British Documentary Awards – nominations

The Grierson Trust has announced the final 40 documentary films that are competing for the 40th anniversary edition of the Grierson British Documentary Awards.

The nominees for the Best Cinema Documentary Award are Bobby Fischer Against the World by Liz Garbus; Dreams of a Life by Carol Morley; Knuckle by Ian Palmer; and Project Nim by James Marsh.

Nominations are selected by judging panels made up of a mix of industry experts, film-makers, channel commissioners, genre experts and well known faces from across cinema and television. The 60 members of the Award panels include presenters Julia Bradbury, Louis Theroux, Claudia Winkleman, Ross Kemp, Tim Marlow and Reggie Yates; film-makers, Asif Kapadia, Nick Kent and Jesie Versluys; as well as former Grierson winners and nominees Bruce Goodison, Tony Palmer, and David Clews.

2012 Polaris Prize goes to Metals by Feist

2011 Polaris Prize winners Jeremy Gara and Tim Kingsbury of Arcade Fire made the announcement at the conclusion of this evening’s Gala, that METALS by FEIST was the winner of the 2012 Polaris Music Prize.Held at the Concert Hall Studios at Bell Media’s Masonic Temple in downtown Toronto, Feist will take home $30,000.00. The other nine short list nominees were awarded $2000.00 by Slaight Music.

“Polaris is asking me for a quote.... I haven't had a second to consider how to talk about this yet, but what I want to say is thank you to the people who really listened to my record,” said Feist. “I'm genuinely grateful from one solitary listener to another. Honestly, thanks.”

Pictured are Feist (centre) with hosts Lauren Toyota, Grant Lawrence and Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara of Arcade Fire.