film review: Once Upon A Time in Gaza

 

Directed by Tarzan and Arab Nasser

ChinoKino rating: A- 

Review by Allan Tong 

  

    The Toronto Palestine Film Festival opened last night with the strong Cannes-winning Once Upon A Time in Gaza. It's an artfully done genre picture about two small-time drug dealers and a corrupt cop, and takes place in two sections covering 2007 and 2009.

    We follow Osama (charismatic Majd Eid, above in purple) and partner Yahya (Nader Arb Alhay, above right) who run a falafel joint in Gaza. Really, they deal in stolen pharmaceuticals that they hide in their sandwiches. They're small-time crooks who take bong hits and dream of better days under occupation. Both Hamas and Israel are tightening their grip around Gaza. Yahya can't visit his family in the West Bank an hour away because the Israeli authorities won't let him. He's never left Gaza and is literally stuck there. Meanwhile, Osama battles a corrupt cop (Ramzi Maqdisi has presence) who demands a cut of Osama's business. Osama is fearless, perhaps reckless.

 

    Without giving away spoilers, the film jumps ahead two years. The switch is jarring, like the break in Hitchcock's Psycho or Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express. "So, where is this going?" I asked myself. Be patient, however, and you will see how the two acts connect. Let's just say that one day an enthusiastic director (Isaaq Elias) spots Yahya in a restaurant and wants to cast him as the hero in a cheesy action series, The Rebel. The government-backed TV program will showcase a heroic militant who died a martyr. Yahya hasn't acted a second in his life, but he looks perfect.

    The satire continues as we see them film. The budget is so low that they use real bullets on set. Real Hamas militants mingle with fake ones, while Palestinians double as IDF soldiers. Everything is shot on the twisting streets of Gaza (in reality, Jordan for this film) as families look on. With such small circles overlapping, Yahya inevitably runs into the corrupt cop. Their paths collide in a surprise ending. At the end, I asked, What is martyrdom?

    Does the story hold together? Yeah, surprisingly. Credit the Nasser Brothers for keeping the satire deadpanned so that the story's twists and turns are convincing. Their gritty approach keeps the movie grounded. Sets are relentlessly dark and claustrophobic. The viewer feels trapped like its anti-heroes. Life is absurd and painful in Gaza.

     The Nasser Brothers began writing the film in 2015. Apart from quoting Trump's idiotic speech of building a riviera heard over the opening titles, Once Upon A Time in Gaza does not address what is happening now. (It's set in Gaza, because it's the brothers' hometown.) However, politics are inescapable in any film about Gaza. TV reports are sprinkled throughout the film, like a Greek chorus, about Israel building a wall and Hamas defiantly standing tall. That said, this is not a jingoistic picture. Politics is part of everyday life.

    The Nasser Brothers captured the best director award at Cannes' Un Certain Regard last May. Each scene is skillfully executed. Performances are tight, particularly by Majd Eid who commands the screen. There are nods to filmmakers, such as Coppola. The writing and photography are tight.

    Once Upon A Time in Gaza is the right choice to open (sold out) the Palestine Film Festival, which runs through October 3 at the TIFF Lightbox. Also programmed are art receptions, book signings, and a concert by the group Dam at Lee's Palace (sold out). Tickets and passes are available at TPFF.

film review: The Apprentice

 

Directed by Ali Abbasi

Written by Gabriel Sherman

ChinoKino review: A-

Reviewed by Allan Tong

Donald Trump doesn't want you to see this movie.

Pulling no punches, The Apprentice traces his relationship with nefarious New York lawyer Roy Cohn. Cohn represented the young Trump when he was a real estate developer from Queens, New York, struggling to follow in the footsteps of his overbearing father in the family business. It's the mid-1970s and New York City is broke, but young Trump (Sebastian Stan) wants to build a luxury hotel in seedy Times Square. Another problem is that Trump is accused of discriminating against Black people in one of his properties.  Desperate, Trump hires Cohn to coerce the powers-that-be--using blackmail--into granting Trump a massive tax break to build that hotel.

Not only that, but Cohn grooms Trump, seeing dollar signs in his disciple's future. The Machiavellian Cohn imparts three golden rules to student: 1) Attack, attack, attack. 2) Admit nothing, deny everything. 3) And no matter what, claim victory and never admit defeat. Armed with Cohn's cruel amorality, Trump builds a real estate empire that leaves a trail of lawsuits and liens (from unpaid workers and angry creditors) in his wake, all the while claiming to be the master of the business deal. 

All true, by the way.

Let's take a step back: Who was Roy Cohn? Described as "vile" and "malicious" by his own cousin, Cohn was a lawyer whose clients included four Mafia bosses and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. He also hunted "homosexuals" and "perverts" in Washington, despite being gay and dying of AIDS in 1986. That same year, New York courts disbarred Cohn for unethical and unprofessional conduct for forcing a dying man to sign away control of his estate to him and the man's granddaughter.

Jeremy Strong (Succession) nearly steals the film with his powerful portrayal of Cohn. However, Strong and scriptwriter Gabriel Sherman add dimension to this villain, who actually believed he was on the side of Good using any means to fulfill his twisted, extreme-right wing view of America. Likewise, Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) delivers a fine performance as Ivana, Trump's first wife. She casts a powerful presence as one of the few figures to stand up to Trump, though I wish more light was shed on their fractious marriage.

No doubt, the Trump army will deny the film's portrayal of [spoiler alert] Trump raping Ivana (which she publicly alleged then watered down), his racism, his deadbeat history, addiction to speed, scalpal surgery to reduce baldness, his alcoholic older brother, and ultimately his betrayal of his so-called friend, Cohn. By the end of the film, Sebastian Stan succeeds in portraying Trump as a completely corrupt, empty man, the true successor to Roy Cohn.

The Apprentice opens across Canada in cinemas on Oct. 10.

film review: My Days of Mercy

Directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer

Written by Joe Barton

ChinoKino score: C+

Review by Allan Tong

My Days of Mercy dramatizes the death penalty debate through an unlikely relationship between activists on opposing sides of this complex issue. Ellen Page plays Lucy, from a poor, white family in Ohio, whose father has been sitting on death row, convicted of murdering Lucy's mother. His defence is mental deficiency, though he appears (as played by Elias Koteas) to have all his faculties intact.

At a demonstration where she rallies against the death penalty, Lucy meets the too-aptly named Mercy (Kate Mara) whose father is a policeman. Her father who has seen his share of capital crimes and the destruction those criminals have inflicted on the innocent. Mercy represents the pro side of the death penalty issue, so it's unlikely that she falls in love with Lucy, but they do. The strong performances by Page (great as always) and Mara pull it off. If their roles were in lesser hands, I doubt it.

film review: Aquarela

Directed by Victor Kossakovsky

ChinoKino score: B

Review by Allan Tong

Aquarela is Portuguese for "watercolour" and an apt title for a 90-minute visual essay about the power of water. Think of the Koyaanisqatsi films, visual feasts portraying nature without any narration or characters. These are films you have to watch on a big screen, unless your home movie theatre backs out into a drive-in.

film review: Science Fair

Directed by: Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster
Written by:  Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster and Jeff Plunkett

ChinoKino score: B

Review by Allan Tong

It's a good idea for a documentary: follow nine bright high school students from the States as well as Brazil and Germany as they build innovative science projects to compete at the 2017 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in L.A. This Superbowl of science pits 1,700 of the smartest teens from 78 countries to battle for the US$75,000 top prize.

Co-director Cristina Costantini knows first-hand what these science geeks are feeling: she herself is a two-time alumna of ISEF. Costantini and her team deftly capture the personalities who star in this film. The most engaging is Anjali (above), a 13-year-old child prodigy from Louisville, Kentucky, who's built an arsenic-testing device that could save millions of lives. Anjali is confident, articulate, but also nervous at competition time. She wins us over instantly.

Toronto International Film Festival announces Gala and Special Presentations programmes for TIFF 2017

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVEALS FIRST GALA AND SPECIAL PRESENTATION TITLES FOR 2017
Featuring premieres from filmmakers including Hany Abu-Assad, Haifaa Al Mansour, Darren Aronofsky, George Clooney, Guillermo del Toro, Richard Eyre, Stephen Frears, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Greta Gerwig, Craig Gillespie, David Gordon Green, MahamatSaleh Haroun, Angelina Jolie, Anurag Kashyap, Mélanie Laurent, Sebastián Lelio, Ben Lewin, Martin McDonagh, Hansal Mehta, Olivier Nakache, Alexander Payne, Angela Robinson, Andy Serkis, Eric Toledano, Wim Wenders, Joe Wright and more.

Piers Handling, CEO and Director of TIFF, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF, today unveiled the first round of titles premiering in the Gala and Special Presentations programmes of the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival®. Of the 14 Galas and 33 Special Presentations, this first announcement includes 25 World Premieres, eight International Premieres, six North American Premieres and eight Canadian Premieres.

“Festival-goers from around the world can anticipate a remarkable lineup of extraordinary stories, voices and cinematic visions from emerging talent and some of our favourite masters,” said Handling. “Today’s announcement offers audiences a glimpse at this year’s rich and robust selection of films, including works from Canada, USA, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, India, Chile, Egypt and Cambodia.”

20 things I learned at the Toronto Screenwriting Conference

by Allan Tong

TV scribes and some film writers, descended on the Toronto Screenwriting Conference last weekend (April 22-23) to listen to two full days of advice about the craft and business of writing for screen. Gracing the stage at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre were the creators and showrunners of Archer, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, Shoot The Messenger, Kim's Convenience and Mohawk Girls as well as big-league American and Canadian producers and network AMC. 

The $500 pass all the panels, but passholders paid $25 or each industry roundtable that overlapped panels to ask showrunners, producers and network buyers anything...as long as they didn't pitch any shows. I didn't attend these, but delegates I spoke to were pleased to meet these folks, and some hoped it would lead to pitch meetings one day.

Overall, the level of advice inspired writers. Speakers raised fresh ideas and reinforced existing notions, which is the aim of the TSC. However, pitching was off-limits and the guest speakers were hard to access once they were onstage, though many were in the audience to watch other panels. The TSC is not a marketplace, but a school. 

A step forward for Canadian diversity at 2017 CSAs

Tatiana Maslany (above) walked away with two big statues at Sunday's Canadian Screen Awards gala in Toronto. That's three if you count the award that Orphan Black (below) snagged for its farewell season. Pretty good for a show that nobody in Canada picked up until BBC America did. Oh, Canada...

Other big winners were Montreal director Xavier Dolan's It's Only the End of the World, the Jesse Owens biopic Race and Letterkenny for best TV comedy series.

Nominations announced for the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards

The nominations for the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards were announced today in joint press conferences in Montreal and Toronto. Montreal director Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World | Juste la fin du monde and Space’s series Orphan Black are the leading nominees for this year’s Canadian Screen Awards.

Dolan’s French-language drama It’s Only the End of the World | Juste la fin du monde leads the film portion with nine nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for French actor Vincent Cassel.

Orphan Black leads the televion categories with 14 nominations. CBC comedy “Schitt’s Creek followed with 13 nominations, while another of their comedies “Kim’s Convenience had 11. “19-2 and “Vikings each received nine nominations.

Christopher Plummer had been previously announced as the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards.

145 documentary features submitted for 2016 Oscar race

One hundred forty-five features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 89th Academy Awards®.

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules in order to advance in the voting process. A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.

Films submitted in the Documentary Feature category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2016 Award Winners

The Toronto International Film Festival® announced its award winners at a ceremony at TIFF Bell Lightbox today, hosted by Piers Handling, CEO and Director of TIFF, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. To watch the presentation, visit tiff.net/ceremony. The 41st Festival wraps up this evening.

The short film awards below were selected by a jury comprised of American filmmaker Abteen Bagheri (That B.E.A.T.), French filmmaker Eva Husson (Bang Gang), and Canadian filmmaker Jeff Barnaby (Rhymes for Young Ghouls).

SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
The Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Alexandre Dostie’s Mutants. The jury remarked, “Mutants takes a summer in Quebec and infuses it with a ribald lyricism. Awkward moments of sexual awakening paired with self cannibalism and self immolation rise it above standard nostalgia. It was a film that took chances with both its subject matter and humour, and framing it through the eyes of children. Congratulations.” The award offers a $10,000 cash prize.

Jackie Chan, Anne V. Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman to receive Academy’s 2016 Governors Awards

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (August 30) to present Honorary Awards to actor Jackie Chan, film editor Anne V. Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman. The four Oscar statuettes will be presented at the Academy’s 8th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 12, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center.

“The Honorary Award was created for artists like Jackie Chan, Anne Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman – true pioneers and legends in their crafts,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “The Board is proud to honor their extraordinary achievements, and we look forward to celebrating with them at the Governors Awards in November.”

After making his motion picture debut at the age of eight, Chan brought his childhood training with the Peking Opera to a distinctive international career. He starred in – and sometimes wrote, directed and produced – more than 30 martial arts features in his native Hong Kong, charming audiences with his dazzling athleticism, inventive stunt work and boundless charisma. Since Rumble in the Bronx in 1996, he has gone on to enormous worldwide success with the Rush Hour movies, Shanghai Noon, Shanghai Knights, Around the World in 80 Days, The Karate Kid and the Kung Fu Panda series of animated films.

Academy reveals 2016 Student Academy Award winners

The Academy has voted 17 students as winners of the 43rd Student Academy Awards® competition. The Academy received a record number of entries this year – 1,749 films from 286 domestic and 95 international colleges and universities – which were voted by a record number of Academy members. The 2016 winners join the ranks of such past Student Academy Award winners as Pete Docter, Cary Fukunaga, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

First-time honors go to Maharishi University of Management, DePaul University, Michigan State University, The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz.

All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for 2016 Oscars in the Documentary Short Subject, Animated Short Film or Live Action Short Film category. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 49 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards in several categories, including Writing, Directing, Documentary Feature and Animated Feature Film.

Toronto International Film Festival announces Canadian selections, Talent Lab, Pitch This!, Rising Stars

POLITICS AND BOLD STORYTELLING HEADLINE CANADIAN LINEUP AT THETORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The Toronto International Film Festival® announced an exciting lineup of Canadian features, packed with World Premieres from acclaimed filmmakers Deepa Mehta, Alanis Obomsawin, Bruce McDonald, and Brigitte Berman to promising new work from Kevan Funk, Anne Émond, Chloé Robichaud, Jamie Kastner, and Vincent Biron. North American Premieres include the latest from Xavier Dolan, Nathan Morlando, Kim Nguyen, Ann Marie Fleming, and Johnny Ma.

“We are thrilled to present a robust selection of projects from some of Canada’s best filmmakers,” said Steve Gravestock, Senior Programmer, TIFF. “From thought provoking documentaries and affecting dramas, to unconventional biographies and thrillers, to animated features, this year’s selections highlight the diversity and high-calibre work produced in Canada.”

“We are proud to shine a spotlight on both veteran filmmakers and emerging talent in this year’s slate,” said Magali Simard, Film Programmes Manager, TIFF. “Canadians continue to forge their own path on a global scale with their own distinct perspectives and methods of storytelling.”

Call for submissions: EURODOC Pitch, and One‐on‐One for Emerging Filmmakers

CALL FOR PROJECTS:
EURODOC PITCH and ONE‐ON‐ONE FOR EMERGING FILMMAKERS

Montreal, August 1, 2016 – Doc Circuit Montréal (DCM) is delighted to announce two exciting calls for projects: the EURODOC Pitch and the One‐on‐One for Emerging Filmmakers. Established québecois producers and emerging filmmakers are invited to submit their documentary projects by September 15th as part of these two pitching events.

EURODOC Pitch

We are now accepting submissions to the prized EURODOC Pitch! Five Quebec-based documentary producers will be selected for the opportunity to pitch live in the hopes of receiving a $4,000 grant and securing a much coveted slot for one of Europe’s leading training programs.

Toronto International Film Festival announces first films for 41st edition

2016 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS ITS FIRST SLATE OF GALAS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Featuring World Premieres from filmmakers including Oliver Stone, Mira Nair, Ewan McGregor, Konkona Sensharma, Lone Scherfig, Raja Amari, Jonathan Demme, Baltasar Kormákur, Amma Asante, Christopher Guest, Feng Xiaogang, Rob Reiner, J.A. Bayona, Arnaud des Pallières, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and many more

Piers Handling, CEO and Director of TIFF, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, announced the first round of titles premiering in the Gala and Special Presentations programmes of the 41st Toronto International Film Festival.

Of the 19 Galas and 49 Special Presentations announced, this initial lineup includes films from such celebrated directors as Werner Herzog, Denis Villeneuve, Jim Jarmusch, Mia Hansen-Løve, Rebecca Zlotowski, Tom Ford, François Ozon, Andrea Arnold, Maren Ade, Park Chan-wook, Kim Jee woon, Kenneth Lonergan, Antoine Fuqua, Damien Chazelle, Pablo Larraín, and Paul Verhoeven.

Academy Invites a record 683 New Members

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 683 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2016.

18 individuals (noted by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.

New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in the fall.

Call for submissions: TIFF Studio 2016

TIFF Studio 2016 Applications are now open:
Calling Canadian writer-directors!

Applications for Canadian writer-directors are now open for TIFF Studio, our year round training programme for mid-career professionals, co-supported by the Harold Greenberg Fund and the Director’s Guild of Canada. Our fourth edition will run from June to January 2017.

Studio is a space for filmmakers to be inspired, consolidate skills, exchange ideas, and discuss challenges in a collaborative environment. Offered to a select group of 10 mid-career, writer-directors, Studio is intended to take the candidates careers to the next level, via creative and business skill development.

Call for submissions: Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM)

Submissions for RIDM 2016 are now open!

Quebec’s only film festival dedicated to documentaries, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) presents the best reality-based films, including the works of established directors and new talents alike. Every November, RIDM screens approximately 140 domestic and foreign productions and hosts a dozen complementary activities such as workshops, master classes, debates and roundtables. The festival typically welcomes about 100 guests from outside Quebec, and hands out 11 awards selected by juries comprised of industry professionals.

Doc Circuit Montréal, the documentary market organized in parallel with the festival, hosts a dozen activities for documentary professionals, including workshops and presentations, and facilitates more than 1,500 business meetings.

2016 Canadian Screen Awards – Pre-Show & CBC Broadcast Winners

Comedian Norm Macdonald hosted the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards live on CBC from the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, where 39 CSAs were presented to winners from across the country, it was announced by the Academy of Canadian Cinema &
Television.

"Tonight we congratulate and applaud all of the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards' nominees and winners,” says Academy Chair Martin Katz. “Through your skill, artistry and talent – you represent the cultural infrastructure of our creative economy. We are all very proud of you.”

39 Canadian Screen Awards’ winners included six Academy Special Awards: