Festival Interview

Interview with Festival Director Brennan Tilley (Calgary Underground Film Festival)

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Founded in 2003, the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) is dedicated to programming films that defy convention. Through the screening of contemporary works in various categories that include: feature, documentary, animation and shorts – CUFF brings Calgarians a unique roster of films rarely seen in North American theatres. CUFF currently has two annual festivals. The main Calgary Underground Film Festival runs for 7-days in mid-April; CUFF.Docs International Documentary Festival is in November. In addition, CUFF showcases special event screenings throughout the year.

Interview with the Festival Director Brennan Tilley:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Brennan Tilley: The Calgary Underground Film Festival has always highlighted underseen films and helped filmmakers get their work in front of an audience. As new distribution models have been introduced it is easier for filmmakers to get their films seen, but we are still providing one of a limited number of ways to properly experience a film with an audience. We maintain a casual environment and are a great opportunity for visiting filmmakers to connect with each other.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

Brennan: An engaged audience that trusts us to bring in the best films. It is an opportunity to watch these films with people that love the films we screen. We enhance the experience through an arcade featuring new games from independent developers, DJs and VJs between films, a themed bar, and plenty of pop-up surprises

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Brennan: The main criterion is that a film defies convention or breaks boundaries. These films in some way depart from what we have seen before.

Matthew: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Brennan: By and large, festivals want to screen the best films possible. If a film is good and made available to festivals, a film will likely get a fair shake.

Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Brennan: We strive to connect with the filmmakers whose films we screen. Those connections and the appreciation the filmmakers show for it is a big driver for us. Cultivating the best audience experience and the response we get from that is also a huge motivator.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Brennan: The spirit and the intentions of the festival have remained consistent. The main change is the size. We have moved from a single, small non-theatrical venue over a few days to a full week with two dedicated screens at an arthouse cinema. At times, attendance figures increased at levels that made us certain we were miscalculating and then increased more the following year. Also, CUFF has become a yearround presence with an offshoot documentary festival in November and events year round.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Brennan: We have several initiatives on deck to be added over the next five years. Nothing we are revealing right now 😉

Matthew: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Brennan: In my life, probably GHOSTBUSTERS or WIZARD OF OZ, two films I started watching young and continue to watch. In the last 10-15 years, I would like to think it is Noah Baumbach’s KICKING AND SCREAMING. I also lost count of how many times I saw the Mandy Moore vehicle HOW TO DEAL in theatres; the summer of 2003 was a weird time.

Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Brennan: A great film is engaging while watching it and sticks with a viewer long after.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Brennan: Movie watching in Calgary is heavily weighted in multiplexes and home theatres. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in audience attendance and engagement with film festivals and events. Also, cultural groups and arts organizations are highly supportive of related film screenings and events. The film scene is supported by a burgeoning film production community.

***

Interview Subject Brennan Tilley holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Process Management. He serves as Lead Programmer and Administrative Manager of the Calgary Underground Film Festival, President and Programming Chair of the Calgary Cinematheque and Shorts Programmer for the Calgary International Film Festival. He can count to ten (diez) in Spanish with assistance on only eight (ocho) of the numbers. Contrary to rumours, he has not recently watched his VHS copy of the Chevy Chase classic Funny Farm.

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Fesival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Aviel Silook, Founder & Creative Director (BERLIN MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS)

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Berlin Music Video Awards
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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Aviel Silook: Our event is not a film festival, we really try to step out of this definition. The next teaser will explain: http://dai.ly/x3hcbkz

Our event is the biggest music video networking event in Europe, we already know about many nominees and winners who visited and found great job opportunities. Besides, some of the winners who traveled between Music Video’s events grasped that it is very unique, personal and fun compares to others.

We believe that getting selected by us means something special.. different than other events that their winners are always high budget productions. 2 of our final winners were winning with their first ever music video and since then they were invited to make many more videos. I believe that the fact that we nominate music videos in all languages is really appreciated as well.

We managed to get over 700 mentionings in a bit more than 3 years and we always ask to include videos from our nominees

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

Aviel: I am originally a nightlife events producer and my main goal is that the guests of the event will have fun! so besides the great video selection we pay a close attention to other elements like good food, after parties, live shows, fun guests and a lot of press presence.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Aviel: Originality and good execution

Matthew: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Aviel: I think that many film festivals care about big names.. that’s a pity really.

We do our best not to discriminate unknown artists and also on the other side to give a fair chance to filmmakers who did a video for famous musicians. In Berlin we have a lot of social pressure not to let those in but we always remember that behind the music video could be a young filmmaker that had his first chance to make a video for a big musician. So if the video is good we won’t exclude him but at the same time we rejected many big names before.. the fame plays no role for us. If you take a look at our previous selections.. we have Bob Dylan, Katy Perry, Cold Play and other big artists who were nominated but in the end most of them lost. Popularity plays no role for us.

Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Aviel: To do something unique

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Aviel: We really grew fast.

In the first year we had 1000 guests and this year we expect 8000 (4th edition). We have better prizes and a bigger press exposure for the winners. The venues are bigger and we work with more professionals.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Aviel: The real question for us is where do we see our nominees in 2020. We really hope that what we do will push them to go far, we want them all to get good job offers and keep making music videos.

Matthew: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Aviel: I will refer this quetsion to music videos.

I think that the music videos that i watched really many times are the ones that we are getting as submissions and specifically the winners. I view them over and over again before they get nominated and then maybe 50 more times afterwards (and try to compare them to the others, which is very difficult) just to make sure that we don’t do any mistakes with the selection.

Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Aviel: A great music video is a music video where the crew went with it all the way without a safe play (but that’s just my personal opinion).

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Aviel: The independent scene in Berlin is pretty good but not really many big productions, especially not around music videos.

Originally our festival was supposed to be a local festival and our goal was to develop the local scene but in the end we received so many international good videos and changed our mind very quick.

***

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Fesival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Co-Director Maria Nicolacakis (San Francisco Greek Film Festival)

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13th Annual San Francisco Greek Film Festival,

October 15-22, 2016

www.grfilm.com

Interview with the Festival Director Maria Nicolacakis:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers? 

Maria Nicolacakis: Our film festival is one way Greek filmmakers can get their work out to the world.  Greece is a small country with a suffering economy right now, and our film festival is a great opportunity to reach new audiences and networks.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)? 

Maria: 2016 marks our 13th year.  Every year, we strive to present a diverse selection of current feature films, shorts, and documentaries.  This means different genres and themes, as well as different budgets.  Some of the films we show have well known actors, directors and producers, and a bigger budget, while others (most of them) are on a shoestring budget with up and coming names.  It’s amazing to compare the average cost of a Hollywood film to that of an average Greek film; it’s night and day.  The past several years we have brought filmmakers to our festival, which is always a very fun and engaging experience for the audience, and we expect to do that again this year.  Stay tuned!

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films? 

Maria: We showcase contemporary work by filmmakers who are Greek or of Greek descent.  Beyond that, we look at the pool of entries every year, and as mentioned above, we aim to choose a diverse selection of films.  We personally screen all of the hundreds of entries we receive every year.

 

Matthew:  What motivates you and your team to do this festival? 

Maria: I am a child of Greek immigrants and my team members are Greeks from Greece who moved to the U.S. many years ago.  We all love Greece and we love Greek Film, and we want to provide this wonderful art form to the broader community.  It’s a way to preserve our culture.  Additionally, all proceeds from our film festival benefit the Modern Greek Studies program at San Francisco State University.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception? 

Maria: I would have to say technology.  Not needing to physically receive and ship film reels around the world has been a huge savings in time and cost.  FilmFreeway has been great!  Also, we’ve made changes to our website and now use an online ticketing service.  Our numbers across the board have also steadily increased:  the number of films that are submitted annually, the attendees, and donors.

Matthew:  Where do you see the festival by 2020? 

Maria: That’s only four years away!  We would love to continue to grow our festival and expand it to more locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley.

Matthew:  What film have you seen the most times in your life? 

Maria: Dead Poets Society.  I was obsessed with Thoreau quotes when I was younger.  In terms of Greek films, growing up in the 80s, Greek comedian Stathis Psaltis was my absolute favorite.  My brother and I watched his comedies over and over!

Matthew:  In one sentence, what makes a great film? 

Maria: A great film reflects the human experience, both good and bad, and takes your breath away while leaving you hopeful at the same time.

Matthew:  How is the film scene in your city? 

Maria: San Francisco is a world-class city with a wonderful film scene.  There are numerous film festivals here and in the surrounding Bay Area, as well as a fantastic International Film Festival.

 

Thank you very much for the interview!

13th Annual San Francisco Greek Film Festival,

October 15-22, 2016

www.grfilm.com

 

 

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Fesival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

 

Interview with Festival Director Amanda Macchia (Toronto Indie Doc Fest)

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Amanda Macchia is an independent director and producer from Toronto, and the founder of Moderna Pictures. She founded the production company upon completing her undergraduate degree in journalism and documentary filmmaking at Ryerson University, where she began collaborating on student film projects and as a production assistant at the CBC. Since then, she has worked for industry leaders at both Rogers Communications and VICE Media, and curates the Toronto Indie Doc Fest film festival, now in its second year of programming.

 

I recently chatted with Amanda about the Indie Doc Festival:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Amanda Macchia: Toronto Indie Doc Fest is an affordable opportunity for independent filmmakers to have their documentaries screen at a historical cinema in one of the biggest film cities in the world.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

Amanda: You can expect a well-curated showcase of short to mid-length documentaries from all over the world for an affordable entry fee. Because we are a small festival, we take great care in ensuring the limited amount of time we do have to screen films is packed with the best quality subjects and cinematic executions of those subjects.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Amanda: We currently accept any documentary, or mockumentary, films that have running times of under 50 minutes. Any subject goes, but we are especially interested in films that explore subjects or personalities that you normally would not get a chance to learn about.

Matthew: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Amanda: Absolutely. There are so many variables that go into whether festivals – especially the larger and more prestigious festivals – will program your film. Often, as an independent filmmaker, particularly one that is working with little to no budget, you don’t necessarily have a chance of getting programmed. And although TIDF obviously cannot offer the kind of benefits that you would derive from having your film screen at these other festivals, we can and do offer a realistic opportunity to have your film screened in a proper cinema to a diverse audience.

Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Amanda: This festival was born out of my own frustration with getting some of my own independent documentaries to screen in Toronto and other major cities around the world in an affordable manner. Not every film you make is Harlan County, USA, so there should be festival options for filmmakers who are making great films and telling incredible stories, but may not be at the point in their career where they are receiving funding and initiating large-scale productions that would qualify for more competitive festivals.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Amanda: This is the second annual TIDF, so we have not seen much change since last year, although we do hope more filmmakers are aware of our festival this year and will therefore have a bigger and more diverse pool of content to choose from when programming.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Amanda: I would like to see this festival grow outwards, rather than internally. Our goal is not to have more consecutive days of programming in Toronto necessarily, but rather to have simultaneous one-day festivals in other major cities in North America, such as Montreal and New York.

Matthew: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Amanda: The Last Waltz

Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Amanda: For me, a great film is not so much in the story, but in the themes hovering beneath the surface and how they are delivered visually. White Chimney, for example, a Finnish documentary we programmed last year, outlines the story of the tragic and mysterious death of the actress Sirkka Sari in 1939. You might read that description and wonder why you would care about the death of a Nordic actress that you’ve likely never heard of that took place 77 years ago. But you would care – because the film isn’t really a documentation of her death – it’s a film about youth, nostalgia, and other themes that I find difficult to even formulate words for in my mind, but they are there on the screen.

Sorry, that was not one sentence.

_____

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go tohttp://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Shane Burzynski (Northwest Horror Show)

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The Northwest Horror Show is a way for cult and horror fans to experience their favourite genre films on the big screen with special guests, giveaways, trailers and short films before each feature. All films will be screened on 35mm prints and Uncut whenever possible.

http://www.viff.org/theatre/series/northwest-horror-show

Interview with the Festival Director Shane Burzynski:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Shane Burzynski: The Northwest Horror Show is still very new, so at this time its pretty much just having the chance to have their films screened for audiences of like minded genre fans and help promote their work among the festival guests from the audience to our guest speakers. I’m also trying to start issuing awards so that they can also have the laurels for their posters.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)? 

Shane: Some very enthusiastic film goers, a lot of beer and some of the greatest junk food cinema ever produced! Maybe a little bit of emotional trauma for those heading into our 40th anniversary screening of Salo as well. It’ll be a very positive atmosphere despite the subject matter of a couple of our films.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films? 

Shane: They just have to be made within the last couple of years, be under 15 minutes and be in the horror/exploitation genre. Seen a lot of great stuff so far!

Matthew: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why? 

Shane: It’s hard to say as I haven’t really had the opportunity to experience any others myself. With the sheer volume of films flooding into them I’d imagine its hard to choose between all the submissions. I had to turn down some really terrific films last year and we only had 50 submissions, I can’t even imagine what its like for some of the big festivals. Luckily though there are tons of niche festivals for practically any subject these days and a lot of very supportive festival organizers/audiences. There’s an audience for pretty much anything these days, just gotta get your stuff in front of the right one.

Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival? 

Shane: Mostly just bringing these classic genre films back to Vancouver and introducing some programming to the city that wouldn’t have been shown otherwise. For instance, last year I got to finally bring in these two Duke Mitchell films in which I had wanted to see here for a long time and it was a blast! People seemed to really enjoy themselves so that was really great.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception? 

Shane: As it’s only our second year, not too much. I’ve got some deals I’m making that will make it a bit more interactive and fun and am also adding more awards for the short films, but the atmosphere will pretty much be the same layout as we did last year.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020? 

Shane: Hopefully still running! We had a great first year and momentum just seems to keep on building. I dont think it will get much different than it is now but maybe a bigger crowd. I’m hoping to have the funds to bring more guests in as well as to start recreating some of the old gimmicks that came with the films I’m screening.

Matthew: What film have you seen the most times in your life? 

Shane: I think its a tie between a few movies. I’ve seen the first two Lone Wolf and Cub movies a ton due to how many people I’ve felt the need to show them to. Brain Damage and Taxi Driver are also playing constantly as well.

Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film? 

Shane: To me a great film is a passionate film. If you love what you’re doing and believe in the project you can make a great film, even if its not necessarily  talented. Ed Wood made terrible movies but charming movies that have stood the test of time because they were so hilariously sincere.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Shane: Its there but a little hard to get people out. Luckily my festival is offering something unique enough to pique peoples interests as no one else seems to wanna show things like Cannibal Holocaust or Salo, especially on 35mm.

It’s definitely a rarity in this city so it really helps to get people motivated to come out. They seem to be really happy to get these movies too which makes me even happier to bring them in.

Hopefully we can reach out to more people and keep it all going for as long as possible.
—

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Reham Alsamerai (Green Caravan Film Festival)

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The Green Caravan Film Festival (GCFF) is a traveling festival of environmental and socially conscious films that was founded by the environmental company Equilibrium in 2009. It has toured Kuwait and Dubai and London. In 2016 it returns to the Gulf for an expanded tour of several Gulf cities. The festival hopes to bring together a variety of audiences, filmmakers, NGOs and supporters that can discover, share and cooperate on the vital issues presented by the films in an atmosphere of inspired camaraderie and passion.

I recently sat down with the Co-Festival Director  Reham Alsamerai:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Reham Alsamerai: As of 2015 Green Caravan, which up until that point was focused mainly on environmental films, launched a new section for Middle Eastern shorts. This is was during our London edition and we felt it was a good opportunity to give exposure to up and coming filmmakers from the Middle East, and to give the London audience access to these stories that might otherwise not get told to them. Filmmakers from the Middle East region suffer from a lack of support and weak infrastructure, not that this deters their creativity, but what it does is make everything much harder than it should be. Taking their films with us to multiple platforms where the reception is overwhelmingly positive means that we are helping in our own little way in ensuring that there is a future for filmmaking in the region.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

Reham: This year we are taking a batch of films on a Gulf Tour, multiple cities and multiple venues. In each place we’re screening a programme of Middle Eastern shorts as well as a feature film or documentary. Later in the year we go back to London for another run- 3 to 4 days of social and environmental films including a selection of Middle Eastern shorts.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Reham: When it comes to shorts, they have to be succinct, impactful, and stylistically impressive. With environmental features and documentaries, we look for films that don’t come across as sensationalist, that tell stories seldom heard before, and of course that are well crafted and can hold an audience’s gaze.

Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Reham: Happy faces, angry faces, shocked faces, teary-eyed faces.
When someone comes up to me after a screening and says something that starts with “I never knew…” or “thank you” or “what can I do about…”

When we know that we have changed someone’s perception of or perspective on something, that makes it all worthwhile.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Reham: The festival began as a local event meant to raise local levels of awareness about environmental topics. It is now a traveling festival showcasing films of environmental as well as social relevance, and includes a section dedicated to short films from the Middle East.

Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Reham: Within the themes we cover: balance, honesty and creativity.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Reham: In Kuwait city where I’m from and where the festival is headquartered, there isn’t a film ‘scene’ per se. There is a handful of filmmakers all working tirelessly to get their work produced. Most of the time they have to self-fund. There is excellent work being made with extremely low budgets. In neighbouring countries there are multi-million funds available to filmmakers every year, but this is a concept still absent in Kuwait, although I am told there are plans in the pipeline for a local film fund, and I do hope it gets realised in the near future.

—-
Reham Alsamerai is co-founder and co-director of the Green Caravan Film Festival, a traveling festival for social and environmental films, established in 2009.She holds an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths College, University of London, and has been managing cultural events and happenings since 2008. Responsible for multiple start-ups, mainly in the fields of social and cultural entrepreneurship, Reham also currently holds the title Entrepreneur in Residence at Goldsmiths College.

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to http://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival President Sergey Mavrody (Blow-Up Film Festival)

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The 2016 BLOW-UP ARTHOUSE FILM FESTIVAL brings the most original storytellers together with very adventurous audiences for its annual program of dramatic and documentary films, shorts, animations, experimental films, and student work. The Festival was named after the Michelangelo Antonioni’s iconic film “Blow-Up”.

For more information, to go: http://www.blowupfilmfest.com/

I recently sat down with the Festival President Sergey Mavrody:

  • What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

We believe we succeed in promoting authentic voices that can awaken new ideas that have the power to push creative boundaries, spark new levels of compassion and understanding, and even lead to social change.

  • What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

I would expect to bring the most original storytellers together with very adventurous audiences. It would be a great range of quality art-house films from all over the world. I would also expect a smart audience, people, who love art-house films.

  • What are the qualifications for the selected films?

The Festival welcomes serious, independent films aimed at a specific audience rather than a mass-market consumer. We would like to see films made primarily for aesthetic and philosophical reasons rather than commercial profit. The festival would like to approach the caliber of films made by such great directors as Eisenstein, Antonioni, Fellini, Tarkovsky, Godard, Truffaut, Kurosawa.

  • Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Yes and no. On one hand, many films have to try very hard to get seen and recognized. On the other hand it is hard to miss a truly great and talented film.

  • What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

The main motivation would be to discover new talented artists promoting that type of films that fit well into our vision, that push creative limits and educate audiences. On the other hand, if we have passion we don’t really need a motivation.

  • How has the festival changed since its inception?

The festival is always evolving. We have changed names, concepts, and places of screening, websites, staff, jury, method of film submission.  This is a great question and answer could be very long.

  • Where do you see the festival by 2020?

By 2020 the festival will be making an even greater impact on the world cinema by discovering talented filmmakers and setting new standards.

  • What film have you seen the most times in your life?

The most times in my life I have seen the films I made, of course.

  • In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Well, Jean-Luc Godard once said: all you need for a great movie is a gun and a beautiful girl J That was an irony, of course. Truth: that’s what makes a great film in a nutshell. More specifically, this includes an authentic story and a sincere unpretentious artistic expression.

  • How is the film scene in your city?

The MovieMaker Magazine recently unveiled its list of cities with the best film scene. You’re probably wondering who topped the list? Well, it’s my Chicago! According to the magazine – the criteria they used include festivals, film schools, movie-related vendors, local theatres, living standards, unemployment rate, median home price and aggressive tax incentives. Chicago is also rich in filmmaking history and has seen an increase in both independent and Hollywood film productions in the last few years. As we speak, a bunch of film production trucks parked right on my street. They are filming the “Empire” TV series.

BIO: Sergey A. Mavrody

Sergey Mavrody moved to US from Moscow, Russia in 1990. He was granted a green card as an “Alien of Extraordinary Ability”.  Sergey received his first graduate degree in animation from VGIK film school, Moscow, Russia. Sergey earned his second MFA degree in Computer Animation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Sergey was a Production Designer for the Emmy Award-winning musical film “The Bridge”. Sergey produced and directed several animated films. His films have received numerous international awards.

Sergey is also a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and DeVry University. Sergey served as a board member and as a head of the jury at several film festivals. He is a founder and a president of the Blow-Up Arthouse International Film Festival.

 

http://blowupfilmfest.com/

 

 

 

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go tohttp://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

TIFF Cinematheque Presents – ON THE ROAD – The Films of Wim Wenders

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Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

TIFF Cinematheque Presents – ON THE ROAD – The Films of Wim Wenders

by Gilbert Seah

The On the Road – the films of Wim Wenders” retrospective is devoted to German director Wim Wenders and features new digital restorations of his essential early works.

Born Ernst Wilhelm, Wim Wenders, alongside Fassbinder and Herzog, is a major German director of the ‘New’ German cinema.  Besides being a filmmaker, Wenders, still working at present in film is a playwright, author and photographer.  Wenders works with the medium of photography, emphasizing images of desolate landscapes which resulted in his second latest film THE SALT OF THE EARTH featuring Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado.

Wenders has gone on to win many awards including prizes at Cannes, Venice as well 3 Oscar nominations.  His most famous film is arguably WINGS OF DESIRE that won him Best Director at Cannes in 1987.  

Wenders’ favourite collaborators include author Peter Handke whose directorial debut THE LEFT-HANDED WOMAN will also be screened.

Wenders’ films have encompassed different genres that include detective film noire, documentary and personal drama.  This is the chance for the public to appreciate a whole range of films by Wenders,

Fo complete program, showtimes, venue and ticket ricing, please check the Cinematheque website at: 

tiff.net

The series runs from Jan 28th to March 6th.  Films are screened at The TIFF Bell Lightbox.  

TIFF Cinematheque also presents a sidebar to the retrospective, Wim’s Films: American Friends & Foreign Influences, running from January 30 to March 17.  Curated by James Quandt, Senior Programmer, TIFF Cinematheque, it spotlights fifteen of “Wim’s Films”—road movies and noirs, venerated classics and films maudits—gathered both from evidence (Wenders’ own list of favourites) and inference (of his obvious influences and affinities).  Again check the Cinematheque website above for the complete sidebar program.

Selected films are capsule reviewed below.  Films were provided courtesy of TIFF Cinematheque.  Dates of screenings of the selected films listed below the reviews.

CAPSULE REVIEWS:

ALICE IN THE CITIES (ALICE IN DEN STADEN) (West Germany 1974) ****

Directed by Wim Wenders

Considered one of the best but little seen Wenders film that almost never got made when the director found his film too similar to Peter Bogdanovic’s PAPER MOON.  ALICE  is the first part of Wenders’ “Road Movie Trilogy” which included The Wrong Move (1975) and Kings of the Road (1976).  The film is shot in black and white by Robby Müller with several long scenes without dialogue, also used by other directors like Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch.  The story concerns a writer Philip Winter (Rüdiger Vogler) who has missed his publisher’s deadline for writing an article about the United States.  He decides to return to Germany, and encounters a German woman, Lisa (Lisa Kreuzer), and her daughter, Alice (Yella Rottländer), who are both doing the same thing.   Lisa leaves Alice temporarily in Phil’s care with Phil stuck with Alice, (like father and daunter in PAPER MOON) searching various cities of Germany for her grandmother.  But it is more the story of Phil, who needs to find himself and some meaning in life.  Phil does not feel his own existence and Alice is his saviour.  A seemingly simple film with deeper undertones and a profound message.

(Screening: Jan 29)

THE AMERICAN FRIEND (W Germany 1977) ***

Directed by Wim Wenders

Wenders who has an obsession with Patricia Highsmith crime novels get his chance to film one of her stories.  Unfortunately, the film fails as a crime thriller and barely succeeds as film detective noir.  The plot concerns Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper), who deals in forged art, suggesting a picture framer he knows who would make a good hit man for a mysterious Frenchman (Gerard Blain).  It is this farmer, Jonathan Zimmermann (Bruno Ganz) who is the film’s lead character.  Wenders treats him just as in his other films.  It is a character study of a lonely man, suffering from fear of his death from leukaemia, wanting to provide for his family.  So, he takes his job as a hit man.  Wenders does provide surprisingly suspenseful scenes, like the ones in the subway when Jonathan executes his first hit and the train sequence.  But there are too many loose ends in the story and the story lacks coherency.

(Screening: Feb 5)

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (USA/UK/France/Germany/Cuba 1999) ****
Directed by Wim Wenders

The film that shows Americans more about Cuba than any other, while celebrating Cuban music at its best!  The BUENA VIISTA SOCIAL CLUB is an old meeting of band musicians and singers in a building that does not exist any longer.  The musicians used to meet weekly to perform band music while people listened and danced.  In this delight tribute to these Cuban musicians, Ry Cooder assembled talents like Compay Segundo, Joachi Cooder, Omara Portoundo, Ruben Gonzale among others to perform together at NYC’s Carnegie Hall.  The result is a reunion of friends and music.  Just go with the flow, sit back and enjoy this free flowing tribute to times gone by and thankfully, not yet lost.  The documentary also won Wim Wenders (a  lover of music, as evident in all his film where music plays a large part) an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary.

(Screening: Feb 27)

THE GOALKEEPER’S ANXIETY AT THE PENALTY KICK (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter (West Germany/Austria 1971) ****

Directed by Wim Wenders

Wender’s second feature is an assured piece that follows the lines of many of his similar films.  As in PARIS TEXAS, the opening line was “this river looks just like any other river.”  In GOALKEEPER’S ANXIETY, the lead character (Arthur Brauss) is again a brooding nobody that resembles the nobody in his other films.  This nobody is a hot tempered goalie who ends up killing a cinema ticket seller, Gloria (Erika Pluhar) he follows home.  There is no real reason for him to do so.  Based on the novel by Peter Handke, Wender’s often collaborator, the slow moving non-film is nevertheless a captivating one.  The acting is nothing short of absorbing and the audience is drawn into the boring yet absorbing world of the man who keeps having his way with women.  In his defence, he is quite a good looking fellow.  The atmosphere of the 70’s is certainly well presented, understandably as the film was made in 1971, but the music (mainly American rock and roll from the likes of Van Morrison, The Troggs, Roy Orbison) from jukeboxes and an eerie score helps.  Wenders was supposed to be unable to pay royalties for all the songs, so this restored version has had some of the songs replaced.  Still, this is a simple film, told by a Master who utilizes the medium to the maximum.

(Screening: Jan 28)

THE LEFT HANDED WOMAN (West Germany 1978) **

Directed by Peter Handke

Wenders’ writing collaborator Peter Handke gets to direct his own film from his novel and script in THE LEFT HANDED WOMAN.  Wenders’ influence is clearly apparent from the camera shots particular the wide pa moving shots that Handke also uses.   The film follows the lonely and sad life of the woman in the tile, Marianne (Edith Clever) who dishes her husband to live alone with her son, for no apparent reason except to rediscover herself.  The film then plods on and on and on.  It is a slow film not helped by the fact that the reason is left for the audience to surmise and that Marianne is quite an annoying creature.  It is not surprising that her husband Bruno (Bruno Ganz) ends up slapping her around.  (I am saying this despite being opposed to female abuse.)  Her life and her husband’s lives are in tatters.  But consolation arrives later in the film with the visit of her father and Bruno’s final acceptance of her absence.  The film is pensive, and pretty – the images being crisp and clear, but this is one slow film that is difficult to be absorbed into.  Maybe the film would have been different if directed by Wenders, who produced the film.

(Screening: Feb 5)

TOKYO-DA (USA/West Germany 1984) ****

Directed by Wim Wenders

A Master’s tribute to another Master.  The late Japanese director Yasujio Ozu’s work from the silent to present featured the city of Tokyo in all his films.  The film begins with the credits of Ozu’s TOKYO STORY.  Director Wenders travels to Tokyo in search of Ozu and to get a feel of the Master as well as his works.  The result is marvellous.  The audience, given a perspective of Ozu from Wender’s voiceover get to experience Tokyo as never before.  From golf, baseball, restaurants with artificial food (there is a section of how this is made) on display and arcade games, the film feels occasionally surreal.  The best parts of the film deal with his reminiscing of the Ozu films, especially in the one in which Ozu’s regular actor Chishu Ryu gets to have his say.   From the bird that flies across an image, to the shadow that a cloud casts to the gesture of a child, all those make up the wonder and power of an Ozu film – all of which are captured in this wonderfully inspiring Wenders  documentary.

(Screening: Feb 7)

PARIS, TEXAS (UK/West Germany/France 1984) ****

Directed by Wim Wenders

Touted as many’s favourite Wenders’ film, PARIS, TEXAS is a sprawling desert epic about a man discovering and re-discovering himself in a desert landscape.  This allows stunning cinematography by Robby Miller aided with music by Ry Cooder, the musician featured in Wenders’ BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB.  Written by L.M. Kit Carson and playwright Sam Shepard, the story follows an amnesiac, Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) wandering and lost in the desert.  His long-suffering brother Walt (Dean Stockwell) finds and brings him home where it takes a while before he re-connects with his 7-year old son, Hunter (Hunter Carson) after his 3-year disappearance.   The two bond and take off to find the wife/mother (Nastassja Kinski) leaving Walt and his wife Anne (Aurore Clement) puzzled.  The film is as pensive as the best of Wenders’ films and Wenders allows his audience to go deep into the thoughts of his main character.  A bit puzzling is the casting of French actresses Clement and Kinski as the two wives, who speak with a strong French accent.  The film unanimously won the Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival from the official jury, as well as the FIPRESCI Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.

(Screening: Feb 6)

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

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Interview with Festival Director Sean Gabriel (Shortfest International)

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Shortfest International is aimed to promote as much as possible the productions created by our submitters. All foreign films must have English subtitles. Genres including: Sci Fi, Animated, horror, experimental, drama, comedy, thriller, action, documentary. Live screening will be held during the festival on 3 nights where elite personalities from the local scene will be attending this event. There will be a winner for each category. All those who will make it to the end and are nominated for the final award ‘The Best Overall Film’  will have the opportunity to attend or virtually attend to the final night as All films and any other kind of production which are submitted to this festival will be aired on an IPTV channel and it will be promoted on our websites and Facebook pages. This could be a one time opportunity!! Our aim is to turn this event in an annual event where here filmmakers will be able to meet and share their thoughts and ideas, hopefully from all around the globe.

Interview with Festival Director Sean Gabriel:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival ​succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Sean Gabriel: This is our first edition of The Shortfest International Festival and we are hoping that we can be a good helping hand to those producers who dedicate their time and money in creating short movies. Being ourselves a production house and having produced a couple of short films ourselves, we know the dedication and sometimes even financial sacrifices these producers do to get their film casted and produced. When the production is ready and presented to different festivals around the world, some succeed and others not, and are then put on a disk and archived to be forgotten and never given the opportunity to have the chance to screen them and get promoted properly. So we hope that through our initiative, where we created an IP TV channel dedicated solely for short movies incorporating both short film festivals and also content submission for free, we will be able to give the well deserved attention to all these productions having their films screened on an international platform.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

Sean: It will be a wonderful experience for everyone present at the festival. Being our first edition we are very limited financially but we are still giving it our best both in setup and organisation. Several distinct local producers and filmmakers will be present to this festival, some of which will be giving their contribution as part of the judging panel. This will be a good opportunity for those attending to meet up with some of the best local producers and filmmakers having the opportunity to meet in person and maybe share some ideas for future projects they might collaborate in.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Sean: There are no specific qualifications for the selected films. All short films are welcome as we believe that every film has its story, then it is up to our judges to determine whether a film should be qualified to the next level or not.

Matthew: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Sean: I don’t think that there are any specific reasons the way a film is judged and not given a fair shake but then again that is just my opinion. When we participated with our productions we always had what we thought was fair for us, always depending on which festival we were participating in.

Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Sean: The need for more exposure and promotion for such small productions drove us to come up with the idea of this festival boosting it with the idea of having all movies promoted on our channel to which we asked the permission to have their films aired as part as the festival procedure. Some had other commitments and withdrew their submissions and others greeted this idea with enthusiasm to the extent to give us consent to air their production anytime we want during the year.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Sean: This is the first year of our festival therefore there has not been much time for changes even though i have to admit that from the the day we started this festival project to present day we have changed, added and improved alot the festival in terms of promotion and presentation….. and it keeps getting better.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Sean: Our aim is to make this festival an annual event. In 5 years time we hope that we manage to make it a calendar event in the media industry in Malta, something that filmmakers, producers etc will be looking forward to. Hopefully with some help we could be getting some international professional people in the field to attend our Festival which will definitely make it an important event for the short film enthusiasts.

Matthew: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Sean: One of the films i love and am never fed up of watching is Gladiator – watched it last week again in fact ….. probably it was the 300th time i watched it lol!!

Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Sean: A great film is made when it has an artistic core and every aspect of filmmaking is well prepared and executed.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Sean: Malta has d same equivalent value in terms of the city you are referring to. With its 440,000 inhabitants the film industry is still very strong. We had some of the best blockbusters here in Malta, to mention a few Gladiator, Troy, Munich, Assassin’s Creed and recently 13 hrs. The people involved in the film industry are very competent and recently a new fresh overhaul in the Film Commission has given the desired results attracting more and more film producers and directors who chose Malta as part of the filming location for their film. As for the local scene unfortunately things are somehow different with alot of emerging filmmakers not having enough opportunity to express their creativity and passion for this industry. This happens just because in the technical dept of filmmaking locally we ar not given much opportunity as most of the films bring their technical crew with them which makes it even harder to get involved.

_____

Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go tohttp://www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Jeff Ross (SF IndieFest // SF DocFest // Another Hole in the Head)

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Jeff Ross was the Operations Manager at San Francisco International Film Festival in the mid 90s and realized American indies had no venue in San Francisco at the time. He started the SF Independent Film Festival in 1998, which expanded to include the SF Documentary Festival in 2001 and the Another Hole in the Head horror/sci fi festival in 2003.

sfindie.com

Get to know Jeff Ross:

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Jeff Ross: We provide great audiences, great press coverage and a fun time in San Francisco.

Matthew: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?

Jeff: A full show at the historic Roxie Theater (the old movie house west of the Mississippi). Insightful QA interactions. Fun parties.

Matthew: What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Jeff: We look for uniqueness and competent filmmaking.

Matthew: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Jeff: No, I think each festival knows its audience and curates accordingly.

Matthew: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

Jeff: I love getting people together for shared experiences and the opportunity to introduce people to films they would not have found on their own.

Matthew: How has the festival changed since its inception?

Jeff: We’ve grown from a 4 day event with 3000 attendees to three two-week festivals and a year round attendance of about 21,000.

Matthew: Where do you see the festival by 2020?

Jeff: Not much different than today, or 18 years ago. We are motivated to find good films and bring out good audiences to view them, that wont change.

Matthew: What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Jeff: Blade Runner, Casablanca, Fury Road.

Matthew: In one sentence, what makes a great film?

Jeff: Uniqueness either in story or execution.

Matthew: How is the film scene in your city?

Jeff: The audience for arts and culture in San Francisco is stronger than ever.