We've all heard of the Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF for short. Every fall, the festival brings forth a wonderful series of new and exciting films from around the world. Many people consider it the launching pad for the awards season. Many serious movies have received their first public screenings here.
But why isn't there a festival that simply showcases the best films from Canada? Well, actually, there is. The Top Ten Film Festival has been doing just this for 15 years. After the roundup gets its full due in Toronto, the films get packed up and sent off to Edmonton where they will hit the silver screen at the Metro Cinema starting on Friday.
TIFF's senior festival programmer and Top Ten Film Festival co-organizer Steve Gravestock said that it originated as the brainchild of TIFF's CEO Piers Handling. He wanted to put together an annual event that would put an appropriate highlight on the best that Canadian filmmakers had to offer.
"People pay attention to lists, particularly year-end lists," he began. "He felt that if we did something specifically Canadian then it would raise the profile of Canadian films, which is one of the reasons that TIFF exists."
It evolved from there, he continued. The Top Ten Film Fest doesn't simply focus on films by Canadian directors. There are far too many instances of movies by Norman Jewison or Ivan Reitman that are not considered even remotely Canadian.
This festival specifies that its films must be by Canadians or residents of Canada, selections must be directed by a Canadian citizen or resident, must include Canada as its official country of production, and must have received commercial release or played a major film festival in Canada that year. All of the feature-length and short film selections are then chosen by a panel of filmmakers and industry professionals from across the country.
The list also includes documentaries and a student shorts program was added recently.
The Top Ten Film Fest runs at Metro Cinema from Jan. 22 to Jan. 31. For more information, visit www.metrocinema.org/fest_view/292 or www.tiff.net/festivals/ctt15 for the festival's official website.
Here is a preview of some of the short and feature-length selections. Note: a preview of Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson's recent film, The Forbidden Room, appeared in the Gazette's Dec. 9 edition.
Guantanamo's Child: Omar Khadr – opening night film, Friday at 7 p.m. (also Jan. 28 at 9:15 p.m.)
We all know the name Omar Khadr. He was imprisoned for war crimes, convicted of throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier in Afghanistan, right? Yes, that's right but that's only a small part of this young man's incredible story.
After he was released last May, filmmakers Patrick Reed and Michelle Shephard interviewed him and his Edmonton lawyer Dennis Edney. In this documentary, Khadr talks about being born in Canada, his father (who was the one who took his family to live in the Middle East and got his son to work for militant insurgents), the importance of human rights, and the history of how he was wounded, captured, and imprisoned when he was only 15 years old.
For an 80-minute feature, it's a fairly comprehensive look into the life of the otherwise unassuming individual. He speaks openly about building and placing bombs and what it means to be a child soldier including that fateful day back in 2002 when some people were killed and his life was changed forever, not the least of reasons because he was gravely injured by grenades and bombs from the air strikes. It also features interviews with some American soldiers who offer insights into the fighting in Afghanistan and the jails of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
It makes a fine companion piece to the 2010 documentary You Don't Like the Truth: Four Days Inside Guantanamo. It's available to view for free on www.freeomar.ca.
The Little Deputy – part of Canada's Top Ten Short Films, screening on Sun., Jan. 24 at 2 p.m.
Edmonton director Trevor Anderson's new piece focuses on a bit of his biographical history that seems to have played over and over in his head. He retells an anecdote that starts with an awkward situation at one of those 'Wild West' photo studios in West Edmonton Mall, where they dress you up in old outfits for a fake antique picture. A mistake was made that seemed to have lifelong psychological repercussions for Anderson. He uses the movie as an opportunity to go back to the Old West to make things right in his mind. It's a brilliant, deft and often hilarious piece of work that has Edmonton written all over it – apart from the world famous Mall. Look for some recognizable faces to pop up in the film's climactic scene.
o negative - part of Canada's Top Ten Short Films, screening on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m.
A nearly wordless live action short finds compelling subject matter even though it's not totally obvious what's going on. There are two people – a man and a woman – in a small town. Are they junkies? Are they in trouble with the law? Do they live in that motel? Are they sick? What's wrong with all of this? All of those questions are quasi-answered by the end of 14-minutes. Be warned, however: this one goes from subtly terrifying to visually disgusting in a heartbeat.
My Internship In Canada – screening on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 1:30 p.m.
Monsieur Lazhar director Philippe Falardeau returns to fine form with this satire of an Independent MP who somehow finds himself in the precarious position of deciding whether the country will send troops off to war. He does what any elected member of Parliament should do: consult his electorate. Comically, this does not help him make his choice but rather confounds the well-intentioned man to hilarious consequences. It's drop-dead droll, something that can't be missed.
Some of the others on the big billet
Les Démons – Philippe Lesage's atmospheric horror of a Montréal boy facing his fears. Closing night film on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m.
Ninth Floor – Double Happiness director Mina Shum veers from narrative fiction to astute documentary to look at the Sir George Williams University riot of February 1969. Screens on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.
Into the Forest – acclaimed director Patricia Rozema's apocalyptic survival drama about two sisters in the remote country. Screens Friday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m.
Closet Monster – a real gem. This coming-of-age story is about an East Coast teen who struggles with his sexuality and his overbearing father. First-time director Stephen Dunn is a talent to watch. Screens Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.
