2012 MTV Video Music Awards – nominations

The nominees for the 29th annual MTV Video Music Awards were unveiled today. Rihanna and Drake led the field with five nominations each.

Rihanna's "We Found Love" was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Female Video and Best Pop Video. "Where Have You Been" was nominated for Best Choreography and Best Visual Effects. In addition, she is featured on Drake's "Take Care" which received four nominations, and on Coldplay's "Princess of China" which was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Direction.

The nominations for Drake's "Take Care" were for Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. His fifth nomination was for "HYFR" featuring Lil Wayne, which picked up a Best Hip-Hop Video mention.

Toronto International Film Festival announces titles including Documentaries, Midnight Madness

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES DOCUMENTARY LINEUP LOADED WITH DISCOVERIES, CONTROVERSIES AND REVELATIONS
Slate includes latest films from Ken Burns, Alex Gibney and Julien Temple as well as fresh perspectives on high profile figures including Jared Leto and Thirty Seconds to Mars, Olympic runner Ben Johnson, playwright Sam Shepard, Snoop Dogg and Iceberg Slim

Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival® today announced its 2012 slate of documentaries. The TIFF Docs lineup includes Moon lovers, extreme surfers and disco dancers; films that offer insight into known figures and the art of show business as well as sensitive and eye-opening spotlights on big issues and current events. Canadian documentaries include highly anticipated projects from Canadian directors Denis Côté, Barry Avrich and Peter Mettler.

Films exploring pressing, hot button issues include Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing, Matthew Cooke’s How to Make Money Selling Drugs, Marina Zenovich’s Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out, and a number of powerful films dealing with the conflict in the Middle East: Dror Moreh’s The Gatekeepers, Dan Setton’s State 194 and Mahdi Fleifel’s A World Not Ours.

Call for submissions: DOC Toronto Community Connections

The Toronto branch of the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) has put out a call for submissions to their new Doc Toronto Community Connections series. They are seeking documentaries between 45 and 60 minutes long (a broadcast hour) about a relevant community social issue, local or global.

DTCC free documentary ia a screening and public discussion series that utilizes documentary film as a tool for community engagement and activism.

Filmmakers must be from the GTA or members of DOC Toronto. All screenings will be followed by a moderated audience discussion forum with the filmmaker, participants from the film, and other experts.

Eli Roth presents Umberto Lenzi's Cannibal Ferox

Writer-director Eli Roth is in Toronto and on Monday, July 31, he appears at TIFF Bell Lightbox to present a screening of Umberto Lenzi's cult horror film Cannibal Ferox (also known as Make Them Die Slowly).

Eli Roth was the writer and director of Cabin Fever, Hostel and Hostel: Part II. He also acted in those films as well as others such as Inglourious Basterds and Piranha 3-D. Roth has been in Toronto shooting the the werewolf series Hemlock Grove for Netflix.

Roth says, "I love the Italian cannibal sub-genre from the late seventies and early eighties. The two undisputed maestros of the genre, Ruggero Deodato and Umberto Lenzi, battled back and forth to reign supreme as the Cannibal King. I've shown Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust lots of love in the past (Deodato even did a cameo as a cannibal in Hostel: Part II), but I also want to show my appreciation for the great Lenzi and see how grisly and visceral his work looks projected in 35mm. I've never seen this film projected, so for me it will be like seeing it for the first time as it was meant to be seen, in a theatre with an audience full of horror fans, in all its uncut Italian glory."

Call for submissions: the 8 fest 2013

The 8 Fest Small Gauge Film Festival has put out a call for submissions for their 6th annual festival. The 8 fest is a unique festival that presents all forms of small-gauge film: 8mm, Super 8 and 9.5mm, as well as works in installation, loops, and 'proto-cinema devices' like zoetropes.

The accept films of every genre including: experimental, animated, personal, handmade, diary/essay, documentaries. They may be done with live performance and music mixed with film. They accept any film made within the last five years, although some exceptions can be made if you arrange it in advance.

Classical IV: Strings at Harbourfront, July 27-29

This weekend, the music festival Classical IV: Strings takes place at Harbourfront in Toronto. The event is free.

They will not only feature orchestral strings, but all manner of stringed instruments from around the world – "from cellos to ouds, koras to harps, burus to hurdy gurdys to pipa, quanun to double bass."

"Come explore the dramatically different aural soundscapes created by stringed instruments from across the world, played by virtuosi from home and abroad. Be prepared to open your ears, drop your preconceptions and discover new and ancient heartwarming resonances."

2012 Saturn Awards – winners

The 38th annual Saturn Awards were originally scheduled to be held on June 20, but they took place last night in Burbank. The event was hosted by Jeffrey Ross who received an Appreciation Award for his work.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Super 8 led with three awards each. Rise of the Planet of the Apes beat out Super 8 to win the Best Science Fiction Film and also won for Supporting Actor (Andy Serkis) and Special Effects. J.J. Abrams won Best Director for Super 8, as well as Best Music and Best Performance by a Younger Actor which somewhat surprisingly went to Joel Courtney over Elle Fanning.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 by David Yates was named Best Fantasy Film. That was its only award, however, even though it had led the nominations with ten along with Martin Scorsese's Hugo. The only win for Hugo was for Production Design, though director Martin Scorsese had previously been announced as the recipient of the George Pal Memorial Award.

Comedy review: Aziz Ansari

Parks and Recreation star Aziz Ansari made an impressive return last night to Montreal's Just for Laughs festival with his new show Buried Alive. It's his fourth year in a row appearing at the festival.

The show began with him (or what sounded like him) announcing over the loudspeakers the usual no recording, etc. policies in his usual hilarious manner, before introducing the opening act Chelsea Peretti. She proved to be an apt choice to open. Not only has she written for Parks and Recreation, but she shared a similar comedic sensibility – raunchy, but not too much so. She ventured into tricky territory when she addressed the issue of rape jokes, but showed that rape jokes can indeed be funny.

When Ansari came out, he began by getting a some business out of the way, including noting that the venue didn't seem to be stopping anyone from taking photos as they should, so he asked people to take them then and there to get it out of the way. He helpfully struck some poses before riffing on people showing off the photos afterwards but not knowing what was being said since they were too busy taking pictures.

CFC and Just for Laughs announce the Telefilm Canada Comedy Exchange

ANNOUNCING THE TELEFILM CANADA FEATURE COMEDY EXCHANGE
A CFC North South Marketplace Initiative in collaboration with Just For Laughs

Montreal, July 26, 2012 – The CFC (Canadian Film Centre) today announced the launch of the Comedy Exchange, which replaces the acclaimed 3-year-old Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab. This new initiative will raise the profile of Canadian filmmakers and their film projects internationally while continuing to build interest and business relationships within the Hollywood and North American independent film and comedy communities.

“The Comedy Exchange builds upon the strengths and traction of the previous program, while even more closely aligning itself with Telefilm's mandate to increase the packaging and promotion of exciting Canadian talent and features to the international marketplace,” says Sheila De La Varende, Director Industry Promotion, Telefilm Canada.

Call for submissions: TIFF STUDIO

The Toronto International Film Festival has put out a call for submissions to their inaugural STUDIO program for mid-level producers. This is the first of their year-round industry development programs and starts this September during the 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival.

"STUDIO will consist of interactive sessions throughout the coming year (September 2012 to August 2013). These sessions will offer candidates the opportunity to cultivate their knowledge in a challenging environment. The sessions will also offer expert insights into the business of film production, by providing in-depth views on relevant topics ranging from screenwriting to film financing to the new age of movie marketing.

"This programme will allow chosen candidates to interact with internationally acclaimed industry professionals — including acclaimed filmmakers, experienced producers and other experts in both the Canadian and international film industry. Some sessions will be offered exclusively for the programme's chosen candidates, while others will be open to all industry professionals."

Call for submissions: Toronto Super Pitch Bowl

Paramax Films & Monde Ouest Production in partnership with Screen International is holding the first ever Toronto Super Pitch Bowl. Participants compete for a chance to win an opportunity to pitch their film idea to international/Hollywood producers at the upcoming 37th Toronto International Film Festival.

Those who wish to participate should go to The €co Series Facebook page and click on the "like" button. After that, you can post your movie logline (story idea expressed as a sentence) on the page. Then you need to try to get as many "likes" as possible. The three candidates with the most likes will be asked to send more information on their film. A panel of judges will choose the winner who then will be able to pitch it to a roundtable of producers

Call for submissions: 2012 Sommets du cinéma d’animation de Montréal (Montréal Animated Film Summit)

The Sommets du cinéma d’animation de Montréal (Montréal Animated Film Summit) has put out a call for submissions for its 11th edition of the festival.

Every year, the Sommets du cinéma d’animation de Montréal presents the best animated films from Quebec, Canada and elsewhere. The program includes a selection of international titles, a solid line-up of student films directed by young artists representing the future of animation cinema, an overview of Canadian and Quebec production, retrospectives, and activities for young audiences. Part of the program is also presented in the city of Québec.

In addition to screenings, the Sommets du cinéma d’animation de Montréal offers a range of special activities. The Cinémathèque québécoise hosts a series of original and eclectic events: exhibits, performances, discussion forums with directors and artisans, workshops, film classes, entertaining and rewarding sessions with animation professionals and renowned guests, and festive evening activities.

2012 Toronto International Film Festival first films announced

2012 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS GALAS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Toronto – Piers Handling, CEO and Director of TIFF, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, made the first announcement of films to premiere at the 37thToronto International Film Festival. Films announced include titles in the Galas and Special Presentations programmes. The announced films include 17 Galas and 45 Special Presentations, including 38 world premieres.

Toronto audiences will be the first to see the world premieres of films from directors Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, David Ayer, Maiken Baird, Noah Baumbach, J.A. Bayona, Stuart Blumberg, Josh Boone, Laurent Cantet, Sergio Castellitto, Stephen Chbosky, Lu Chuan, Derek Cianfrance, Nenad Cicin-Sain, Costa-Gavras, Ziad Doueiri, Liz Garbus, Dustin Hoffman, Rian Johnson, Neil Jordan, Baltasar Kormákur, Shola Lynch, Deepa Mehta, Roger Michell, Nishikawa Miwa, Ruba Nadda, Mike Newell, François Ozon, Sally Potter, Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, Eran Riklis, David O. Russell, Gauri Shinde, Ben Timlett & Bill Jones & Jeff Simpson, Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski, Margarethe von Trotta, Joss Whedon and Yaron Zilberman.

Just for Laughs Film Festival 2012, July 23-28

The 16th edition of the Just for Laughs Film Festival gets underway tonight with a special advance screening of Alain Chabat’s Sur la piste du Marsupilami.

The festival will also be screening Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk with Me, Cannes selection La Fée, Neil Berkeley’s Beauty is Embarrassing, plus Oscar-nominated short Wild Life and the multiple-award-winning Mr. Foley.

They will also be screening films for free under the stars at Scène Vidéotron in Place des Festivals at 9pm for the next several nights. Tonight's opening free film is Singin' In The Rain – appropriate, given the forecast. Tomorrow night, they will screen the Oscar-winner The Artist, and on Thursday night, they will screen The Muppets.

Teen Choice Awards 2012 – winners

The Teen Choice Awards were held last night at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. The evening was hosted by singer Demi Lovato and Kevin McHale (Glee), and featured performances by Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Flo Rida, No Doubt and DJ Pauly D.

The Hunger Games led the award-winners taking eight prizes. The movie won for Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Josh Hutcherson), Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Jennifer Lawrence), Movie Chemistry, Villain and Scene Stealer: Male, while the The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins was named Choice Book.

Although the The Twilight Saga didn't maintain its usual domination, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 managed four awards with Movie: Romance, Romance Actress (Kristen Stewart) and Scene Stealer: Female (Ashley Greene) and the Ultimate Choice Award. The brings the series total to 41 wins. In addition, Stewart came away with the award for Summer Movie Star: Female for Snow White & The Huntsman.