Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), Nov 9-20

The 14th Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) or Montreal International Documentary Festival begins tonight at Ludger-Duvernay Theatre at the Monument-National. The opening night screening is Frederick Wiseman's latest offering Crazy Horse, a direct cinema look at the behind-the-scenes workings of the renowned cabaret/burlesque show that bills itself as "he best nude dancing show in the world." The festival will also present a retrospective selection of Frederick Wiseman's work and a masterclass with Wiseman vie Skype Frederick Wiseman: the Art of Watchfulness.

The closing night screening will be Stefano Savona’s Tahrir, Place de la Libération, which shows a first-hand account of the events in Cairo during the overthrow of President Mubarak.

In addition to showing 119 films from 32 countries, RIDM also presents numerous industry events and sessions. They will hold Master Classes, discussions, screenings & debates, and parties. They also host the market Doc Circuit Montreal, the only bilingual documentary market in North America. Doc Circuit Montreal supports doc filmmakers with training, pitching and networking opportunities with 75 invited decision-makers and panelists.

2012 People's Choice Awards - nominations

The nominations were announced today at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, California for the 38th People's Choice Awards. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 led the field with nine nominations including Favorite Movie, Favorite Action Movie and Favorite Ensemble Cast.

The other Favorite Movie nominees were Bridesmaids, The Help, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

The television categories were led by Glee. It was nominated for Favorite Network TV Comedy and six individual awards for its actors, including Gwyneth Paltrow who was a Guest Star on the show.

Katy Perry received a total of seven nominations all by herself. Not only was she recognized for her music, but she received nominations for her voice work on the film The Smurfs, and for her television work on How I Met Your Mother.

Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards - winners

On Sunday night, the Hamilton Watch Co. held a ceremony for the 5th annual Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards last night at the Conga Room in Los Angeles. Isaiah Mustafa hosted the awards, and presenters included Harrison Ford, Jon Hamm, JJ Abrams, Jon Favreau, Antonio Banderas and Michael Bay.

Twilight star Robert Pattinson presented Chris Weitz with the True Grit Director Award for A Better Life, a story about a Los Angeles illegal immigrant who his new truck will allow him to earn a better income for his family.

Antonio Banderas presented the Super Producer Award to Agustín Almodóvar, the younger brother of renowned writer-director Pedro Almodóvar. Yasmina Reza won the Screenwriter Award for her adaptation of her play Le Dieu du Carnage into the film by Roman Polanski, Carnage.

JJ Abrams presented the Film Editor Award to his long-time collaborators Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey, saying "I found two collaborators who could do it all." They most recently worked together on Super 8.

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, Nov 8-19

The 15th Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival begins tonight with an Opening Night Gala screening of 戀人絮語 (Lover's Discourse). Director 曾國祥 (Derek Tsang) will be in attendance.

Other highlights this year include 翻滾吧！阿信 (Jump Ashin!) with director 林育賢 (Lin Yu-hsien) in attendanceand the Closing Night gala 观音山 (Buddha Mountain) also with guests in attendance.

Reel Asian celebrates its 15th anniversary this year with new initiatives including free screenings, larger venues to accommodate growing audiences (over 10,000 each year), a multi-venue media art installation, special guest filmmakers from across Asia and the world, and a major expansion into Richmond Hill. Reel Asian is Canada’s longest-running and largest showcase dedicated to contemporary cinema by East Asian and Southeast Asian moviemakers from around the world. 

In a city with around 80 film festivals, Reel Asian stands out as one of the very best. It was named Toronto's Best Small Festival by NOW Magazine. I have always found their programming to be consistently strong. Likewise, their industry series is very useful to filmmakers both Asian and non-Asian. They are highly supportive of the Canadian and Asian filmmaking community and for that I am personally very grateful.

2011 Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Nov 8-13

The 7th annual Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival begins tonight with 44 troupes performing during the week-long festivities throughout the city.

Headliners this year are 2008 Audience Choice winners Picnicface, Vancouver's This is That Live based on CBC Radio's This Is That, and Two Kids One Hall (Kevin McDonald and Scott Thompson of Kids in the Hall).

The Featured Series presents Uncalled For's Hypnogogic Logic, National Theatre of the World, Second City's Dreams Really Do Come True...(And Other Lies), Falcon Powder, The Imponderables and The Williamson Playboys. Other comedy troupes include Asiansploitation, She Said What, Fratwurst, Deadpan Powerpoint and The Sketchersons.

The festival also hosts industry panels and workshops some of which are free. Free workshops include Picnicface: The Making of a Multi-Platform Sketch Sensation and Sketch 101 with Eric Toth.

Paul Haggis named chair of Canadian Film Centre film programs

The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) has just announced that Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis has been named the Chair of CFC Film Programs.

Paul Haggis is a London, Ontario-born screenwriter and filmmaker. He is the only screenwriter to write two consecutive Best Picture Oscar-winners (Million Dollar Baby and Crash) and wrote a further Best Picture nominee the following year with Letters from Iwo Jima.

Other films he has written include Casino Royale, The Last Kiss, Flags of Our Fathers, In the Valley of Elah, Quantum of Solace and The Next Three Days. He directed and produced Crash, In the Valley of Elah and The Next Three Days.

MTV Europe Music Awards 2011 - winners

The 18th MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) took place tonight at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Ireland. The event was hosted by Selena Gomez, who is still apparently Justin Bieber's girlfriend. Rumours had swirled that she dropped him after a paternity suit was filed against him.

As she did last year when she won three awards, Lady Gage dominated the evening. She had led with six nominations and came away with four awards. She won prizes for Best Song, Best Female Artist, Best Video and Biggest Fans. Her rival in four categories Katy Perry came away with a single win for Best Live Act.

Canadian heartthrob and supposed teen father Justin Bieber claimed three awards on the night. He won for Best Pop Artist and Male Artist as well as receiving the MTV Voices Award.

It was a good night for Martians as double prize-winners included Bruno Mars and Thirty Seconds To Mars. Big Bang claimed Best Worldwide Act and Best Asia and Pacific Act. German Eurovision winner Lena Meyer-Landrut who simply goes by Lena won for Best German Act and Best European Act.

2011 European Film Awards - nominations

The European Film Academy announced their full nominations for the 24th European Film Awards this morning. Lars von Trier’s Melancholia led the field with eight nominations for Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Actress (both Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg), Cinematography, Editing and Production Design.

The other Best Film nominees were Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist, the Dardenne Brothers' Le Gamin au Velo (The Kid with a Bike), Aki Kaurismäki's Le Havre, and Oscar-winners Hævnen (In a Better World) by Susanne Bier, and The King's Speech. Each of these films received four nominations each.

A Torinói ló (The Turin Horse) followed with three nominations including a surprise Best Director nomination for Béla Tarr who recently announced that he was retiring from directing. The double nominees were Nanni Moretti's Habemus Papam and Pedro Almodovar's La Piel Que Habito (The Skin I Live in).

The Prix ARTE nominations for Documentary Film went to Wim Wenders' outstanding 3-D dance film Pina, Stand van de Sterren (Position Among the Stars) by Leonard Retel Helmrich and ¡Vivan las Antipodas! by Victor Kossakovsky.

Academy longlist of 18 submissions for Animated Feature

November 1 was the deadline for submissions to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for consideration for the Best Animated Feature Film category. AMPAS released the titles of the all the submitted films today.

Among the submissions to the Academy were The Adventures of Tintin, Cars 2, Gnomeo & Juliet, Happy Feet Two, Kung Fu Panda 2, Mars Needs Moms, Puss in Boots, Rango and Winnie the Pooh.

Eighteen films total were deemed eligible for consideration which means that it is possible for there to be five nominees this year, only the third time that has happened (the last time was two years ago). Academy rules stipulated that there must be a minimum of sixteen eligible submissions for there to be five nominations in the category, otherwise, there are only three. This year the rules were changed further: 8 to 12 submissions can produce 2 or 3 nominees; 13 to 15 entries can lead to 4 nominees; and 16 or more films can result in up to five nominees.

CFC and Bell Media Announce New Showrunner Bootcamp

A high level advanced program committed to developing our future showrunners

TORONTO, November 04, 2011 – CFC (Canadian Film Centre) and Bell Media jointly announce the creation of the BELL MEDIA SHOWRUNNER BOOTCAMP, designed to equip 3-4 experienced TV writers per year with the knowledge and management skills necessary to becoming successful showrunners.

“In the ever-changing Canadian TV business, creating and delivering successful series has never been more demanding, and the need for experienced and committed showrunners never greater,” says Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. “We are delighted to partner with the CFC on a program that will be so valuable to our industry.”

The BELL MEDIA SHOWRUNNER BOOTCAMP will build on leadership skills, provide practical exposure to the producing side of the equation, and empower participants to confidently take on all of the challenges and responsibilities of showrunning. 

2011 Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival, Nov 4-12

Tonight is the opening night for the 19th Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival in Toronto. The festival on mental health issues features over 25 programs of feature and short films, artist talks, industry events, installations and performances. All artist talks and industry events are free.

The festival begins with a pre-gala reception in the Blackberry Lounge at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Then at 7pm, they'll screen the opening night gala film Sisters&Brothers with director Carl Bessai in attendance. The film stars Cory Monteith (Glee), Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew, Gabrielle Miller and Kacey Rohl. It premiered at TIFF and mixes comedy and drama in portraying the lives of several sets of siblings.

Other highlights include the screening and discussion Intervention Canada, an experimental short Canadian film program curated by Award-winning filmmaker Deirdre Logue and Erik Martinson of Vtape featuring an Artist Talk and work by Canadian Media Artist Jenn E Norton, and an evening with stand-up Comedian Big Daddy Tazz followed by a conversation featuring Yuk Yuk’s founder Marc Breslin.

Grace Kelly exhibit at TIFF Lightbox

Four months after announcing the new exhibit, Grace Kelly: From Movie Star to Princess opens officially today at Toronto's Tiff Bell Lightbox. The first floor gallery space at Lightbox will be dedicated to rare items from the life of actress Grace Kelly who then became Princess of Monaco. This is the only North American venue to host this show.

The exhibition is based on the Grimaldi Forum’s “The Grace Kelly Years” exhibition in Monaco and the Victoria and Albert Museum’s “Grace Kelly: Style Icon” exhibition in London. Video footage includes moments with the Royal Family on their visit to Montreal for Expo '67.

Lightbox hosted an invitation-only opening on Wednesday night that was attended by Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène of Monaco.

As with earlier exhibitions, Lightbox will be screening related films. Icy Fire: The Hitchcock Blonde runs from November 4 to December 11. The Grace on Screen film series starts December 15 and continues to December 29.

Festival de films francophones CINEMANIA, Nov 3-13

Tonight is the opening for the Festival de films francophones CINEMANIA (CINEMANIA French Film Festival) in Montreal. The festival is dedicated to showing French-language films with English subtitles and will screen 35 films from around the world.

The opening night screening will be the North American premiere of Maïwenn Le Besco’s Polisse which won the Prix du Jury (Jury Prize) at the Festival de Cannes earlier this year. It was a controversial choice, however, as critical opinion was sharply divided. It tells the story of a journalist who covers the Police Department's Juvenile Protection Unit and becomes involved in an affair with one of her subjects. Some critics compared it to dramas such as The Wire.

The closing night film will be Les neiges du Kilimandjaro (The Snows of Kilimanjaro) by Robert Guédiguian. Unrelated to the Hemingway short story or the 1952 film based on that starring Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward and Ava Gardner, this film takes its inspiration from a Victor Hugo poem "Les Pauvres Gens" ("How Good Are the Poor"). It tells the story of a working-class neighbourhood in Marseille and the effects of a home invasion.

Other titles that will screen over the next week-and-a-half include many highlights from Cannes and TIFF: Aki Kaurismäki’s FIPRESCI prize-winner Le Havre, Pierre Schöller’s FIPRESCI (Un Certain Regard) prize-winner L'Exercice de l'État (The Minister), Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon’s La fée (The Fairy), Ismaël Ferroukhi’s Les hommes libres (Free Men), André Téchiné’s Impardonnables (Unforgivable), Alain Cavalier’s Pater, Bruno Rolland’s Léa, Frédéric Louf’s J'aime regarder les filles (18 Years Old and Rising), Rémi Bezançon’s Un Heureux Evenement (A Happy Event), and Cédric Kahn’s Une Vie Meilleure (A Better Life).

2011 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards - winners

The Korean Association of Film Critics has announced the winners of their 31st annual KAFC Awards. The main winner with four awards was the war film 고지전 (The Front Line) by 장훈 (Jang Hoon). It won for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and New Actor for 이제훈(Lee Ja-hoon).

The Best Actor Award went to 하정우(Ha Jung-woo) for 황해 (The Murderer or The Yellow Sea). Chinese Actress 탕웨이 (Tang Wei) won Best Actress for her starring role in 만추 (Late Autumn). The film also won the prize for Best Music.

종병기 활 (Arrow the Ultimate Weapon) also won two awards. It received the honours for Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.

A Lifetime Achievement Award goes to director 정창화 (Jeong Chang-hwa) whose prolific career includes many classic martial arts films, notably with the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers.

Call for submissions: Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2012

Toronto's Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is now accepting submissions for their 7th annual event in 2012.

Toronto has been hosting the Nuit Blanche since 2006 and now attracts around 1 million people to the all-night free event.. This year there are over 130 art exhibitions, projects and events for everyone to check out.

As in previous years, the program will include a mix of City-produced Exhibition and Open Call projects, as well as Independent Projects.

There are two different ways artists and venues can participate in next year's event:  either as part of an Open Call Project or an Independent Project.  Those interested in submitting an application are encouraged to attend an information session hosted by the City of Toronto. It is an opportunity to, ask questions, share ideas and meet event organizers and other artists. The information session will take place Monday, November 21 at City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, 2nd floor in Committee Room 2 starting at 7 pm.