Canada
Tribeca 2013: From Novel to Screen in "A Single Shot"
Katherine Brodsky meets up with cast and crew of "A Single Shot" on set in Vancouver.
April 24th, 2013 | Katherine BrodskyYou've been working on your movie for how long? Take heart, A Single Shot clocks in around 15 years, probably longer if you factor in how long Matthew F. Jones worked on the novel he later adapted. Katherine Brodsky talks with star Sam Rockwell, the director, producer and others while on set in Vancouver.
As indie filmmakers know, making a film is a long process that requires a passion that burns deeper than the holes is your pocket. There's a certain dedication that goes into bringing a story alive that is borderline obsessive compulsive. But without that commitment, most films will never make it onto celluloid, let alone into movie theatres.
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The New in Nouveau is a Moving Target
Festival du Nouveau Cinema's Philippe Gajan considers the shifting landscape of his programmatic specialities: short format and new media.
October 29th, 2012 | Patrick PearceFestival du Nouveau Cinema's Philippe Gajan explains how web docs are new media and not just documentaries on the web: "The place of the viewer is completely different now. You can choose the way you participate in the documentary." The Independent's Patrick Pearce gets the whole scoop on how the definition of nouveau changes from year to year.
Montreal’s Festival du Nouveau Cinema deals in the new, from new cinematic territories to new media forms that take their cues from film.
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Adam Cohen on the Marriage of Music and Film (he's for it)
Katherine Brodsky stops into the third annual Festival Music House during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.
October 4th, 2012 | Katherine BrodskyFestival Music House invites Canadian musicians to apply for a spot on their three-day invite-only concert line-up that coincides with the Toronto International Film Festival. Mixing, matching, and marriage between motion picture and sound is encouraged and one of this year's featured performers, Adam Cohen, has no problem with that whatsoever.
The Festival Music House set up camp at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival for the third consecutive year. The invite-only three-night event lured in top Canadian indie musicians and put them in front of filmmakers, producers, and other film industry types.
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Five TIFF Filmmakers Who Play it Short
At TIFF 2012, Katherine Brodsky talks with Canadian short filmmakers about the benefits of an abbreviated form.
September 29th, 2012 | Katherine BrodskyShorts programs may not garner headlines, or coverage at all for that matter, but there are MANY reasons to cut it short. The Independent's Katherine Brodsky spoke to five Canadian filmmakers at Toronto International Film Festival about why short is soo sweet.
Sometimes it's difficult to see beyond the flashing bulbs, glitz, and glamour of a high-profile film festival like the Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF. There's no shortage of star power and tent-pole films. Even the top indie features have to fight to get noticed and are the unsung heroes of festivals.
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Postcard from Northern Ontario
John Charette reports from Sudbury, Ontario about the local films and filmmakers featured at the 23rd Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival.
September 27th, 2011 | John CharetteFor 23 years, the Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival has come at the heels of the Toronto International Film Festival. But Cinefest has no red carpet, and the only big name you’re likely to see is on the screen. John Charrette introduces us to one Ontario filmmaker whose name you should know, Benjamin Paquette. His fourth feature, (Non) Fiction premiered at Cinefest over the weekend.
Filmmaker Benjamin Paquette stood stoically by the theater lobby with his crew, his friends and collages. He quietly greeted movie goers as they filed in to the premiere of his fourth feature film, (Non) Fiction, at this year’s Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival in Sudbury, Ontario.
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Leader of Red Sheep
Lou Reed and his cousin--organizer, activist, and spitfire, Red Shirley--talk life after his documentary about her screens at the New York Jewish Film Festival.
January 19th, 2011 | Kurt BrokawIn Red Shirley, notorious rocker Lou Reed asks his 101-year-old cousin, Shirley Novick, to share her wisdom on camera. Reed and Novick appeared with the short doc at its New York premiere at the New York Jewish Film Festival.
Red Shirley, Lou Reed’s 28-minute homage to his 101-year-old cousin, Shirley Novick, had its New York premiere January 15th, as part of the 20th Annual New York Jewish Film Festival which runs through January 27th.
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George Hickenlooper on “Casino Jack” and the New Definition of Independent Film
Katherine Brodsky spoke with the now departed filmmaker in Toronto.
November 23rd, 2010 | Katherine BrodskyFrom a childhood of activism to the Reagan campaign of 1984, the late George Hickenlooper wrestled with politics on and off screen. He discussed his final effort, Casino Jack, a fictional re-telling of lobbyist Jack Abramoff's rise and fall, opening on December 17th, with The Independent.
There’s no doubt that making a political film was meant to be in Casino Jack director George Hickenlooper’s future.
How to Open a Festival with a Bang
Katherine Brodsky reports on how "Score: A Hockey Musical" opened the Toronto International Film Festival with an unforgettable gala, complete with viral song and video.
October 4th, 2010 | Katherine BrodskyFestival opening night can be a pressure cooker for both programmers and filmmakers. Katherine Brodsky examines how the gala premiere of Score, the Canadian hockey musical that opened the Toronto International Film Festival, hit all the right notes.
There is something unusual about Score: A Hockey Musical, which opened the Toronto International Film Festival this year. For one, it is a Canadian musical.
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Do Canadian Indies Depend on American Celebrity?
Getting your independent film seen often means packing it full of famous actors. At the Toronto International Film Festival, Katherine Brodsky discovered that to be especially true for films made in Canada.
September 21st, 2010 | Katherine BrodskyAt the close of the Toronto International Film Festival and after taking in most of the fest's new Canadian releases, Katherine Brodsky noticed a common import: American fame.
Barney's Version is a Canadian film with a lot of stars, especially American ones like Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman.
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Fantasia's Programmer Simon Laperrière Wants You to See More Genre Films
Genre and auteur cinema cross paths in Montréal at the Fantasia International Film Festival.
July 30th, 2010 | Patrick PearceThe Independent's Patrick Pearce sits down with Fantasia International Festival's programmer Simon Laperrière to discuss the intersection between genre and auteur cinema at the festival, and genre films' most influential directors.
Montréal’s Fantasia International Film Festival may well be the largest film fest you’ve never heard of. If you haven’t been following genre film at all, you might be excused...but not for much longer.
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