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Interview with Festival Director Marc D. Lyons (Variety International Film Festival)

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The First Annual Variety International Film Festival (June 1st & 2nd, 2018) will feature emerging filmmakers in various mediums.

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

Marc D. Lyons : Our festival is providing a platform of exposure for independent filmmakers, specifically targeting minority filmmakers with a unique approach to the craft and a fresh voice and vision to the industry as a whole.

2) What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2018)?

This year we couldn’t be happier with our submissions! Variety is definitely the word to describe this years festival. From the storylines, to the unique subject matters, our festival audience is sure to leave enlightened as well as entertained.

3) What are the qualifications for the selected films?

Our rules are simple. Entries must be no longer than 25 mins. That’s it!, other than that, we maintain a strict rule of never stifling anyone’s creativity, the sky’s the limit! If you can dream it, we can screen it! (cheesy yes!, but it’s true!)

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

Absolutely!, it can be so hard just starting out in this industry!, all you want is a chance for your work to get seen and your voice to get heard, but the problem is, you have to start at the bottom, and unfortunately that means the quality of your work may not be up to certain festival standards. We try to look past budget issues and see the artists vision. That’s what makes us so different from other festivals.

5) What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

The children and young adults!, we have a huge adolescent following, seeing the hard work and dedication these young people have put into these films makes it all worth it. Seeing what they did on a shoestring budget and through pure hard work and determination is remarkable.

6) How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

We love partnering with filmfreeway!, its literally a one stop shop for fillmakers and festivals!, we can screen and judge all in one place. It makes life so much easier not having to chase down the many different formats films today come in.

7) Where do you see the festival by 2023?

We hope to continue to be the launching pad for emerging filmamkers, our ultimate goal is to inspire the youth of today to think outside of the box and create the next multimedia phenomenon. Finding their voices through life’s most powerful medium. The cinema!

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

That’s a difficult questions Personally, there aren’t many films that I have NOT seen. I am a true film fanatic. But to answer your question, it’s a tie between “Giant” and “Good Will Hunting”. I’m a sucker for a great storyline and character ark.

9) In one sentence, what makes a great film?

A great film is a film that never gets old, no matter how many times you’ve seen it!

10) How is the film scene in your city?

Astoria is truly America’s melting pot. It’s a unique, very diverse city filled with character and creativity.

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-50 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every single month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto, and Los Angeles at least 3 times a month. Go to http://www.wildsoundfestival.com for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Festival Director Eric Morgret (Crypticon Seattle Horror Film Festival))

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In 2017 Crypticon Seattle was picked as the Best Convention in Seattle by the readers of The Seattle Weekly. Crypticon Seattle, the convention is in its 11th year and Crypticon Seattle Film Festival is in its 7th year. Crypticon Seattle is the convention celebrating the Pacific Northwest’s Darker Side. Three days of your favorite actors, authors, and artists, along with tons of new people and things you never knew existed. But we are so much more than a tidal wave of blood, guts, and scares.

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

Eric Morgret: We provide a fun event with an amazing convention around it. It is a little different than most festivals. We are in a hotel and don’t have a full theater set-up. We do however love the…

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Film Review: KUSAMA: INFINITY (USA 2018) ***

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Artist Yayoi Kusama and experts discuss her life and work, from her modest beginnings in Japan to becoming an internationally renowned artist.

Director:

Heather Lenz

Writers:

Heather Lenz, Keita Ideno (co-writer)

Star:

Yayoi Kusama

 

When I was a kid reading conic books, one of my favourites was a character from the Harvey Comics Richie Rich Group called Little Dot.  Little Dot was a little girl completely obsessed with dots.  Not only was her name dot, but she always wears a polka dot dress and goes around doing everything related to dots.  Who would think that there is actually such a real life character in the world.  And in the art world, too.  This dot obsessed person is dot artist Yayoi Kusama.  In her own words in this eye-opening film: “My life is a dot among millions of dots in the Universe.”  Kusama is also revealed to be a bit dotty, spending a fair portion of her life in a mental institution in Japan.

A rival of Warhol in the ‘60s, Kusama battled sexism and racism in America while her hallucinations of polka dots eventually led her to the Tokyo mental institution.

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese born painter who made it big and famous in America.  Her work is characterized by thousands of dots in an infinity of nets, thus requiring a tremendous amount of work.  One of her most influential painting is called “Pacific Ocean” where the ocean waves are looked upon an as unending pattern of nets.

Like many documentaries on artists, director Lenz devotes screen time showing the artist at work as well as her displayed work (including the best ones like “Green Death” and “PaciFic Ocean”) exhibited at the galleries.  Compared to other artist documentaries especially LEANING INTO THE WIND which was released also the same time as KUSAMA, more time is devoted to the artist’s life.  Lenz follows Kusama from her childhood (not a pleasant one with a domineering mother prohibiting her to paint and her womanizing father) to the present.  Kusama is still alive (now in her 80’s) and speaks to the camera about her work and aspirations.  The film also contains photos of her during her younger days, when she was protesting the Vietnam War with the hippies in America.  Her nakedness caught on and news of her bashfulness reached Japan, causing quite the stir and her rejection by the Japanese people.

If there is anything to learn about Kusama, it is her determination that led to her success in the art world.  She made her way to America on the heels of WWII. There, without connections and speaking only broken English, she devoted herself to her one true love, making art.  On her first day in New York, Kusama has stated that she climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, looked down upon the city below, and made a decision to stand out from everyone she saw below and become a star.  She shows that despite all odds, she finally climbed fame and respect.  Another message that could be learnt is that all the fame and money cannot replace loneliness and happiness.  She has spent 30 year living in a mental institution in Japan.

Despite the grim nature of the artist, Lenz’s documentary is bright and upbeat with music and colours flowing freely through her doc.  KUSAMA INFINITY turns out to be as fierce a film as Kusama’s fierce determination to become a world-renowned artist.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85-_M_BJH1U

 

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Film Review: VENUS (Canada 2017) ***1/2

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Venus Poster
Trailer

A dramatic comedy about a transitioning woman who discovers that she’s the father of a 14 year old boy.

Director:

Eisha Marjara

Writer:

Eisha Marjara

Stars:

Debargo Sanyal, Jamie Mayers, Pierre-Yves Cardinal

 

Transgender subjects are getting more popular in LGBT features now that gay characters have been more and more normalized in mainstream movies.  They have even invaded the gay documentary genre as seen in the recent film TRANSFORMER about a transgendered weight lifter.

VENUS tells the tale of Sid (Debargo Sanyal), a South Asian (Punjabi origin) transitioning woman whose life is turned upside down when Ralph (Jamie Mayers), the “white” 14 year-old biological son she never knew she had, shows up unexpectedly at her door.   And repeatedly at the door daily. “Wreck-It-Ralph” is about to create havoc in Sid’s life.   Shot in Montreal, the upbeat film also deals with the hardship of transition and how it affects family and friends.   

Sid is under pressure to marry a nice Indian girl and raise a family. His East Indian mother (Vancouver’s Zeena Daruwalla) yearns to have grandchildren.  Her dreams are about to come true, but not in the way she ever imagined. When Sid comes out as a woman, a 14 year old boy named Ralph shows up at her door announcing that Sid is his parent.  Although surprised to discover that his biological dad is now a woman, Ralph thinks having a transgender parent is pretty cool (a way director  Eisha Marjara is also saying her film is as cool as her subject).  But Ralph has not told his mother and stepfather that he had tracked down his biological father. 

Another problem is Sid’s boyfriend Daniel (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), who has yet to tell his family of his relationship with Sid.  Daniel is nowhere near ready to accept Ralph as a stepson and complicate his life further.  Sid’s coming out creates a snowball effect that forces everyone out of the closet.

With so many stories, director Marjara surprisingly balances the importance of each effectively culminating the film in a credible yet dramatic climax.

Director Marjara’s spirit and confidence in her subject and movie are catching.  These are evident in a scene in the film’s middle when Sid and Ralph take a walk in a park.  They come across a group dancing in the park.  Ralph joins in as Sid tries to pull him back while feeling uncomfortable.  Sid eventually dances with the group.  The scene shifts into slow motion and the catchy tune and fancy dance moves take the audience up a higher level in entertainment.   The film’s overall soundtrack is pretty good as well.  There is even a song called “Sisters in the Struggle” by a group called Lesbians in Ecstasy.

Sid’s parents provide quite a few of the laugh-of loud moments.  But Sid’s facial expressions are also funny enough to evoke much laughter.

Besides the comedy, the film gets quite serious too, at the end.  Credit to the script (also written by Marjara) for the non-Hollywood ending.

VENUS has won numerous awards on the international film circuit, including most recently two awards at the 2018 Kiel Transgender Film Festival in Germany for Best Trans Performance (Debargo Sanyal) and Best Actor non-trans role (Jamie Mayers), as well as Best Narrative Feature at the 2018 Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose.  The film is an uplifting crowd pleaser.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/225779362

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Full Review: REVENGE (France 2017) ***1/2

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Revenge Poster
Trailer

Never take your mistress on an annual guys’ getaway, especially one devoted to hunting – a violent lesson for three wealthy married men.

Director:

Coralie Fargeat

Writer:

Coralie Fargeat (screenplay by)

Stars:

Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe

 

REVENGE borrows from many classic films like MAD MAX, THE HUNTING PARTY and female stalker movies to provide another gore fest in which victim becomes hunter with a few more tricks on display.  This is French director Carolie Fargeat’s debut feature shot in both French and English and an impressive one at that.  She presented her film at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, proving that she talent as well as beauty.

A rich businessman, Richard (Kevin Janssens) takes his mistress, Jen (Italian model Matilda Lutz) on a getaway in a gorgeous mansion by a desert.  His two hunting friends, Stanley (Vincent Colombe) and Dimitri (Guillaume Bouchède )show up and abuse her while he goes off on a chore for two hours.  Instead of being on her side, Richard takes his friends side.  When she threatens to tell his wife, Richard pushes her off a cliff.  She survives.  They hunt her down while she, turns the table on them.  

The film is the real BATTLE OF THE SEXES and one that is relevant considering how women have ben abused by celebrities like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Crosby.  Fargeat’s strong feminist imprint is present in her frill from start to finish.  She shows that the female is not a plaything and if treated as one with disrespect, will come fighting back for REVENGE.

Fargeat’s film is gorgeous to look at in all respects from the exterior landscape to the interior sets.  The stunning desert landscape that includes one pool of water, as well as the cliffs are well photographed.  The mansion in the middle of the reset with its swimming pool is a marvel in modern architecture.  Around 20% of the film is set in the darkness in the dead of night.  The cinematography by Robrecht Heyvaert is nothing short of magnificent with just enough light to see what is happening in the dead of the desert night.

This French horror slasher can be seen to be quite different from the American counterparts.  REVENGE is ultra violent, flashy with less distracting humour and hardly any false alarms and cheap tricks to jolt the audience.  Fargeat’s attention to detail like the blood dripping on the ant in the desert and the one hunting friend chewing a crunchy chocolate bar while a rep is going on is particularly menacing.

A few gory set-ups include one where a man extracts chards of glass from the base of his foot and another with Jen tending to her wounds with the aluminium of a red hot beer can.  The latter segment lasts a full 10 minutes and almost too gruesome to watch, while Jen takes peyote so that she will be unable to feel the pain while tending the wounds.  

The climatic scene is full of inventive cat-and house chasing complete with Richard applying Saran wrap around his wounds.

It will be a very eager wait for Fargeat’s next film.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTJrztVvmx0

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Film Review: SAINT ETIENNE – MAGPIE EYES, (Music Video)

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SAINT ETIENNE- MAGPIE EYES, is a three minute music video paying homage to youth. Full to bursting with highly polished and glossy production value, boasting bright beautiful young performers and backdropped against a classic urban setting nostalgic to many. The film follows three teenage friends and their beautiful summer day in a city-suburb, as they walk, talk and explore the world around them- all set against music. The result is the classic cinematic food of an age-old story. It is the story of youth. It is the story that captures the leap between children and adults. For a few magical moment between childhood and adulthood we are  suspended in air as teenagers. And while that suspension is uncertain, and scary- it is also alight with possibilities. SAINT ETIENNE attempts to capture that moment- and it does so admirably. For three magical minutes, we are all teenagers again.

Review by Kierston Drier

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the Short Film:

SAINT ETIENNE – MAGPIE EYES, 3min., Music Video
Directed by Tash Tung

Magpie Eyes reimagines the 90s band as teenagers in the modern day and follows them around the sleepy market suburb of Stevenage, UK – the first of the government’s post-war Utopias. The film celebrates a distinct sense place and what it’s like to grow up in a British suburb, mixing stills and moving images of the local kids in and around the New Town architecture.

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Film Review: YOU’RE DEAD WRONG, (Canada, Music Video)

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A thriller music video with a classic twist,YOU’RE DEAD WRONG is a wonderful Canadian film that will have you on the edge of your seat right until the final frame. Carefully cushioned between a our vocalist from Stellar,  a story unravels of a woman taking violent action against partner- who clearly deserves it. But what looks like long-time coming revenge turns out to be a well orchestrated lover’s game.

Beautifully shot, well composed and packing a tight story into six minutes, YOU’RE DEAD WRONG is a strong and vibrant music video, with great talent behind it!

Review by Kierston Drier

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YOU’RE DEAD WRONG, 6min., Canada, Music Video 
Directed by Craig LoboThe debut single from the band “Stellar”.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Film Review: ALL FALLS DOWN, (USA, Experimental/Documentary)

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Heavily experimental and presented stream-of-consciousness style, ALL FALLS DOWN recounts the thoughts that flood one person’s mind while they engage within themselves and the world around them. Our narrator, who speaks through a computerized modulated voice, recounts their strong emotions for houses, their sense of home, their feelings of being trapped, their issues with gender, body image, fear, isolation, loneliness. Strong, highly interpretive and encapsulating what it truly means to be an “experimental art film” ALL FALLS DOWN is cinematic bravery. The narrator taps into the deepest and darkest thoughts that resonate throughout the human consciousness and lays them fully onto the screen. In watching ALL FALLS DOWN, the viewer must share in the sense of profound discomfort that the narrator appears to convey. A true artistic film, with real artistry behind it, ALL FALLS DOWN is a strong, engaging and emotive cinematic experience.

Review by Kierston Drier

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the Short Film:

ALL FALLS DOWN, 6min., USA, Experimental/Documentary
Directed by Oberon StrongALL FALLS DOWN presents a digital hell-loop centering around the idea of the transgender antagonist coming to terms with the ideas of home, anxiety, intimacy, our inevitable death, longing, and the conversation between obsolete and current technologies.

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Film Review: THE LONGING RITUAL, (USA, Experimental/Animation)

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An American four minute animation, THE LONGING RITUAL is really a piece about visual design and graphic aesthetics. The film is composed of a basic series of repetitive shots- similar colors, shapes and designs, set against a series of motifs of the natural world, such as flowers or a person running. The effect is graphic design turned cinematic. The creation of, and circulation of the natural world embedded against the geometric world. Visually tantalizing and unique, THE LONGING RITUAL does not leave its meaning blatantly obvious. It is rather, an expression of textures, designs and colors intermingled with elements of the natural world. A  contemplative piece about the world we live in, and the space our art takes up within it.

Review by Kierston Drier

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THE LONGING RITUAL, 4min., USA, Experimental/Animation
Directed by Scott TurriMost recently, in my latest series The Longing Ritual the focus has been on the nature/culture continuum, in particular the search for real experience and a connection to the natural world

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Film Review: BLACK BIRD, (USA, Experimental/Fantasy)

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BLACK BIRD, an American four minute mixed media , this is a film that begs you to interpret it. Several animated blackbirds fly through a live action urban setting, with the outside world curiously shown upside down.  Symbolic and metaphoric, this piece may be one person’s journey through an urban metropolis on their way to freedom- or it could be a comment on the lost connection between nature and civilization. Yet still- it may be one person’s metaphorical journey through life and into death. BLACK BIRD won’t tell you- it will ask you to guess. One thing is for certain, between the engaging audio, the stunning visuals and the entrancing concept BLACK BIRD is a piece not just to watch, but to experience.

Review by Kierston Drier

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the Short Film:

BLACK BIRD, 4min., USA, Experimental/Fantasy 
Directed by Haonan WangThe journey of a man escaping the concrete jungle of the modern city with help from spiritual black birds.

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