Free screenings of WWI films at Carlton Cinema

The Magic Lantern Theatres' Carlton Cinema in Toronto will be screening free films about World War I all day on Saturday, April 7 as part of a Vimy Ridge Anniversary Celebration. The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place from April 9-12 1917 and brought together all four Canadian divisions from every part of the country to participate in victorious battle.

The four films will be Richard Attenborough's musical Oh! What A Lovely War, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement), Paul Gross' Passchendaele and Peter Weir's Gallipoli.

2012 Festival Du Cinéma Latino-Américain De Montréal, Apr 6 – 22

The third Festival du Cinéma Latino-américain de Montréal (FCLM) kicks off two-and-a-half weeks of Latin American films starting tonight. The opening films are El lenguaje de los machetes (Machete Language) and Medianeras (Sidewalls). They will be followed by screenings of Silencio en el Paraiso (Silence in Paradise) and Bonsai.

Highlights from the festival include the Oscar-nominated films A Better Life (Best Actor nomination for Demian Bichir) and the animated feature Chico Y Rita (Chico and Rita). Pedro Almodovar's latest dark thriller La Piel que Habito (The Skin I Live In) will screen, as will the Sundance Film Festival selection Joven y alocada (Young and Wild) about a young woman's awakening sexuality.

The documentaries being co-presented with Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal are José y Pilar (José and Pilar) about the Nobel Prize-winning novelist and his wife, and Yatasto which profiles young recyclables collectors.

2012 Hellenic Film Academy Awards – nominees

The Ελληνικής Ακαδημίας Κινηματογράφου (Hellenic Film Academy) announced the nominees for its Third Annual Ελληνικής Ακαδημίας Κινηματογράφου Βραβεία (Hellenic Film Academy Awards) on Wednesday.

Leading the field were Άδικος Κόσμος (Unfair World) by Φίλιππος Τσίτος (Filippos Tsitos) and Το Γάλα (Burning Heads) by Γιώργος Σιούγας (Giorgos Siougas) with eleven nominations each. Both were nominated for Best Picture as well as each of the four acting categories.

Well behind with five nominations each were Η Πόλη των Παιδιών (The City of Children) by Γιώργος Γκικαπέππας (Giorgos Gikapeppas), Το Τανγκό των Χριστουγέννων (Christmas Tango) by Νίκου Κουτελιδάκη (Nikos Koutelidakis) and Παράδεισος (Paradise) by Παναγιώτης Φαφούτης (Panagiotis Fafoutis). Η Πόλη των Παιδιών (The City of Children) was a Best Picture nominee and Gikapeppas picked up three nominations himself for Picture, New Director and Screenplay.

Call for submissions: 2012 Toronto Urban Film Festival

No talk, just TUFF.

The Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF) returns for a sixth year of spectacular one-minute silent films. Forever the strong and silent type, TUFF takes place September 7 - 17, 2012, concurrent with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Named one of MovieMaker Magazine's "20 Coolest Film Festivals of 2010", TUFF is an 11-day long celebration of the art of the urban silent screen. TUFF films screen via the Pattison Onestop network of digital platform screens to over 1 million daily commuters who ride the Toronto subway system.

Call for submissions: Giving Voice: Filmmakers Working with Filmmakers

CBC’s digital channel documentary and the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) have announced their second deadline for their documentary masters apprenticeship program known as Giving Voice: Filmmakers Working with Filmmakers.

The program is an opportunity for documentary professionals from across Canada to apprentice under a master documentary filmmaker on a specific project. It is designed to support documentary professionals in the early stages of their careers to further their filmmaking expertise and authorial voice with the guidance of a mentor of their choosing. The duration of the Apprenticeship will be a minimum of 4 months during which time the Apprentice will be paid an honorarium.

Giving Voice: Filmmakers Working with Filmmakers is designed as an exchange where both Master and Apprentice benefit from each other’s experience. The Master benefits by working with a passionate and creative resource, while the Apprentice gets unprecedented access to the Master’s creative process and expertise.

Free Screening of A Simple Life

The Reel Asian Film Festival, China Lion Film Distribution, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, and the University of Toronto's Asian Institute are presenting a free advance screening next week of Ann Hui's 桃姐 (A Simple Life), starring Andy Lau and Deanie Ip.

The film is based on the true story of a producer Roger Lee (Andy Lau) who is raised by a servant Sister Peach (Deanie Ip). After decades of faithful service, she suffers a stroke and Roger must in turn care for her.

A Simple Life has won numerous awards including Best Actress at the Venice International Film Festival; Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress at the 48th Golden Horse Awards; and Best Actress and People's Choice – Best Actor at the 6th Asian Film Awards where Ann Hui received a Lifetime Achievement Award. It placed 28th on Time Out Hong Kong's list of top 100 Hong Kong films. It has eight nominations for the 31st Hong Kong Film Awards which take place later this month.

Festival Vue sur la Relève 2012, April 4–21

The 17th edition of the Festival Vue sur la Relève for emerging Francophone artists begins today in Montreal. Vue sur la Relève is an annual celebration of multidisciplinary talent from emerging young professional artists under 35 years of age. The festival promotes performing arts and rising Francophone artists from Québec, Canada and internationally and features music, dance, theatre, storytelling, DJs and circus performers.

Tonight's opening show features Jardin Mécanique multidisciplinary show La sinistre histoire du Théâtre Tintamarre, and music performances by Leela from Les chansons de Leela, and Thierry Bruyère from Le sommeil en continu.

In addition to performances, the festival presents 5 à 7 Profession: Artiste, free conferences and panel discussions for arts workers in the early stages of their careers. They will cover topics such as broadcasting, creating a team, and the use of music. They also provide meetings for artists participating in the festival.

Call for submissions: Talent Lab 2012

The Toronto International Film Festival is now accepting submissions for the 9th edition of its Talent Lab.

Talent Lab is a fantastic opportunity for advanced filmmakers who are still early in their careers to participate in learning and networking sessions with some of the world's top filmmakers attending TIFF. Talent Lab consists of four days during the first half of TIFF and is led by several governors. Other writers, directors, producers and actors join in for mentoring as well.

Last year's governors were Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air), Jennifer Baichwal (Payback, Manufactured Landscapes) and the late Bingham Ray. Visiting mentors included Gus Van Sant, Brian De Palma, Sarah Polley and Fernando Meirelles. Previous governors and mentors include Danny Boyle, Lee Daniels, Jane Campion, Michael Ondaatje, Miranda July, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Steve McQueen, Paul Haggis, and Tilda Swinton.

Call for entries: 2012 RIDM, Montreal International Documentary Festival

The Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) or Montreal International Documentary Festival has put out a call for entries for their 15th edition of the festival. RIDM is Quebec’s only film festival dedicated to documentaries, and presents the best reality-based films from Canada and around the world.

The documentaries must be produced after January 1, 2011. If the films are not in French or English, then the films must be subtitled, preferably in French. The films must also be at least a Quebec premiere for consideration, and must not have been broadcast, webcast or released commercially within Quebec, nor screened at another Quebec festival before screening at the RIDM.

The submissions deadline is June 29, 2012. Notices will be sent out no later than mid-September.

2012 CIMA Film & TV Awards – winners

The Catholics in Media Associates (CIMA) has announced the winners for the 19th Annual CIMA Film & TV Awards.

The CIMA Motion Picture Award will be given to Martin Scorsese's Hugo, the 3D adventure drama based on Brian Selznick's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The film won five Academy Awards and was named Best Picture by the National Board of Review.

The Documentary Award will go to Tom Shadyac's I Am. Although primarily known as a director of comedies such as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Liar Liar and Bruce Almighty, Shadyac suffered a cycling accident that left him confronting his mortality. I Am is his first-person exploration of two key questions: what’s wrong with our world, and what can we do to make it better?

2012 CSC Awards (Canadian Society of Cinematographers) – winners

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers held their 55th Annual CSC Awards this weekend at Westin Harbour Castle Conference Centre in Toronto.

The CSC Award winner for Theatrical Feature Cinematography was Jon Joffin for his work on Michael Goldbach's Daydream Nation. He won out over David Greene who lensed The Entitled , and Ronald Plantewho was nominated for both Funky Town and the Oscar-nominee Monsieur Lazhar.

The Robert Brooks Award for Documentary Cinematography went to Stephen Whitehead for A People Uncounted. He had been up against René Jean Collins for Lost Years: A People’s Struggle for Justice and John Minh Tran for the film Standing Wave, from The National Parks Project.

2012 JUNO Awards for Canadian Music - winners

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) held their 41st Annual Juno Awards at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. The event was hosted by the venerable actor William Shatner.

At the top of the awards winners were Feist and the band The Sheepdogs with three awards each. Feist won for Artist of the Year as well as Adult Alternative Album of the Year and Music DVD of the Year. She performed her single “The Bad in Each Other.” The Sheepdogs won for Single of the Year, New Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year.

Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Mangan won two awards. He picked up New Artist of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year.

Crooner Michael Bublé picked up the JUNO Award for Album of the Year, while teen heartthrob Justin Bieber won the Fan Choice Award. Unfortunately, neither were able to attend the ceremony.

2012 Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies) - "winners"

On this April Fool's Day, the "winners" for the 32nd Annual Golden Raspberry Awards ("Razzies") were handed out.

After setting a record for the most nominations, Adam Sandler set another record with wins with his Jack and Jill. which became the first film in Razzie history to win all ten categories. In two cases, the awards were shared with another Sandler vehicle Just Go With It. Sandler himself was declared worst for both Actor and Actress as well as sharing in Worst Screen Couple and Worst Screenplay.

Last month, Movieline set up a rival "anti-award" called the Soily Awards and they were supposed to announce their "winners" on March 23. As of yet, they have not made their announcement.

2012 University of Toronto Film Festival, April 2

On Monday April 2, University of Toronto hosts the 11th edition of its own U of T Film Festival. The event consists of an evening of short films and videos by students and alumni/associates of the university.

One of the short films being played is a work that I co-directed with Katarina Soukup called Notes from the Kuerti Keyboard. It features the renowned musician Anton Kuerti performing the very playful second movement scherzo (Italian, meaning "joke") from Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 18. He performs the piece on an antique Underwood Model 1 typewriter made in the 1890s, courtesy of The Martin Howard Collection of Antique Typewriters. The film is a visual pun on the words "notes", Kuerti/Qwerty and "keyboard."

The U of T Film Festival is free and open to all to attend. It begins with a reception at 7pm. The screenings begin at 8pm.

2012 NEFTA Film Awards – winners

The Nepal Film Technician Association (NEFTA) in association with Terai Television (TTV) held their 5th annual NEFTA TTV Film Awards ceremony last night at the Hotel Soltee Crown Plaza in Kathmandu.

Topping the winners on the night was कस्ले चोर्यो मेरो मन (Kasle Choryo Mero Maan) with seven awards. It won for Best Debut Director (Sabir Shrestha), Best Actress (Rekha Thapa), Best Actor (Aryan Sigdel), Best Character Actor – Male (Nir Shah), Best Make-up, Best Costume Design and Best Art Director. Rekha Thapa, won Best Actress at last year's NEFTA Awards for Hifazat, also picked up the Popular Actor Award.

However, बाटो मुनिको फुल (Bato Muni Ko Phool) took Best Film. It also won for Best Director (Suraj Subba), Debut Actor (Yash Kumar) and Best Cinematography – Digital. This is the first year that the NEFTA TTV Awards have divided the technical awards into separate Celluloid and Digital categories.