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: Just For Laughs comedy short films

The Just For Laughs/Juste Pour Rire Comedy Festival has announced a call for submissions for short films to present at their upcoming 34th edition of the festival.

The Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal is currently scheduled to run from July 13 - 31,  2016, and JFL42 in Toronto which is scheduled from September 22 - October 1, 2016.

Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announces 2016 CSA nominations

“We are proud today to announce the nominees for the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards,” says Helga Stephenson, CEO, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

"Congratulations to each and every nominee," Stephenson adds. "They stand out in a field where the bar is already set high and continues to rise. That's one sign of a vibrant screen-based industry in Canada."

CSA nominations in 132 categories (24 film, 101 in television and 7 in digital media) were announced today at simultaneous press conferences in Toronto and Montreal and via live webcast on the Academy’s newly designed fanzone.academy.ca.

“We’re looking forward to a great 2016 Canadian Screen Awards with a brand new production team headed by executive producer Barry Avrich,” says Stephenson.

Third edition of The Shortest Day: a treat for families, kids and movie-lovers of all ages

The Shortest Day returns for a third year across the country from December 18 to 21, 2015, with an outstanding program of new, classic and award-winning shorts by some of Canada’s most talented filmmakers. This year’s free event—a fun way for families and movie-lovers to celebrate the lead-up to the winter solstice on December 21, the shortest day of the year, and usher in the holiday season—features 28 shorts organized into four thematic programs: Kids (under 8, 61 minutes), Family (56 minutes), Musical (16+, 74 minutes) and Dramas and Comedies (16+, 91 minutes).

Among the shorts from Ontario-based filmmakers this year is Bacon & God’s Wrath (Dramas and Comedies program) from director Sol Friedman. Bacon & God’s Wrath screened in the Short Cuts Programme at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Friedman’s short, an endearing mixed-media docu-collage, tells the story of a 90-year-old Jewish woman who reflects on her life’s experiences as she prepares to try bacon for the first time.

10 live action shorts advance in 2015 Oscar race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards. One hundred forty-four pictures had originally qualified in the category.

Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting.

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.

10 animated shorts advance in 2015 Oscar race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards.  Sixty pictures had originally qualified in the category.

Among the films shortlisted are two works produced by the National Film Board of Canada. They are Carface (Autos Portraits) by Claude Cloutier and If I Was God… by Cordell Barker.

Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting.

AMPAS announces 10 Documentary Shorts on 2015 Oscar shortlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 88th Academy Awards® has been narrowed to 10 films, of which five will earn Oscar® nominations.

Voters from the Academy’s Documentary Branch viewed this year’s 74 eligible entries and submitted their ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers for tabulation.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Wine and movies: a Niagara Integrated Film Festival preview

Watching Kajutijuq: The Spirit That Comes in the cellar

by Allan Tong
 
TIFF co-founder Bill Marshall hosts the second edition of the Niagara Integrated Film Festival (NIFF) from June 18-21 by pairing films, gourmet food and the peninsula's finer wines under summer skies.

It's a grand idea that has worked in other wine regions around the world by allowing audiences to enjoy choice vintages and quality world cinema at the same time. Events fall into a few categories:

The $159 Ultimate Gala Experience is the most luxurious, offering a film screening at a winery such as Jackson-Triggs, which will serve a five-course meal, specially chosen wines and a glass of wine during the film. The ticket also gets you into the after-party.