Ottawa International Film Fest This Week!

A Violent State

I just ordered my pass for the Ottawa International Film Festival! OIFF is going into its second year and the sophomore run appears to be an improvement over last year's festival, which seemed to be a one-off screening of shorts at a pub on Elgin Street (I didn’t even hear of it until after the fact). As far as festivals go, OIFF is a nice small dose of Canadian content before September – I’m looking at it like a warm up for TIFF. It’s also nice to have an excuse for not driving to Montreal to attend their high-brow fest…

This year’s OIFF line-up includes five features and plenty of shorts, including the recent Genie Winner Lipsett Diaries, which I caught at WSFF in May. The festival runs from Thursday, August 18^th to Saturday the 20^th. Here’s what’s playing:

Thursday, August 18th

7:30pm: Inescapable – 18:00, followed by:

A Violent State (World Premiere) – 85:00

Written & directed by Adrian Langley, A Violent State is the gritty story of a man (played by Langley) on the run from his violent past. 

The Legend of Beaver Dam

Friday, August 19th, 2011

8:00pm The Legend of Beaver Dam – 12:00
(Named one of the Top Ten Shorts of 2010 by TIFF; "Midnight Madness" WSFF)
Followed by:

Highway Gospel – 91:00 (Ottawa premiere, screened at Hot Docs)
A documentary on homegrown thrill-seekers, be they on Harleys or skateboards, Highway Gospel should attract particular attention for Ottawa moviegoers as one of the film’s subjects is an Ottawa man fighting to protect his skate park. Directed by Jaret Belliveau & Craig Jackson.

Kennyville

10:15pm Beauty Marks – 07:03, followed by:
          
Kenneyville (World Premiere) – 83:00

Sure to steal a few patrons from the Mayfair on Friday night, Kennyville is an intense, action packed thriller about a young woman who goes missing in the small town of Kennyville en route from Toronto. Deliverance meets Hostel in rural Ontario?

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

THEATRE A

Digi60 Short Films Presentation 12pm (Films by Ottawa filmmakers!)

Connecting by Randy Kelly – 8:32

At Last by Mike Horrigan – 4:33
Hint of Winter by Adrian Langley – 8:01
Pie by Kristian Lariviere – 7:27
Dragons by Jeremy Kennedy – 8:55
Polarity by Kevin Preece – 6:44

Sticky Notes by Patrick Kaplin – 8:44

Lipsett Diaries

Documentary Shorts

1:15pm

Caged Innocence – 30:00

This is My Witness – 25:26

Lipsett Diaries (Les Journaux de Lipsett) – 14:00 (Genie Winner; Canada’s Top Ten; WSFF Opening Gala)
Dreamcoat – 31:00

Little Flowers

3:30pm

Mind Rush – 6:30 Nothing Personal – 20:00

 The Waiting Room – 6:16

Vapor – 11:00 (Canada’s Top Ten)

Clarity – 21:40

Les Fleurs de L’âge (Little Flowers) – 18:00 (Canada’s Top Ten)

Above the Knee

THEATRE B

Comedic Shorts 12pm

Polar Bear Love - 11:00

A Sensitive Subject – 11:35

Above the Knee – 12:00 (Canada’s Top Ten)

The Diner – 27:35

1:30pm The Righteous Tithe (World Premier) – 80:00

            A tense and timely film, The Righteous Tithe tells of a married Canadian couple who are stopped at the border and held by the United States PATRIOT ACT. Directed by Paul Dervis. Based on the play by Doug Philips. (Photo/trailer not available)

Running Mates

3:15pm Running Mates – (Canadian Premiere) – 99:00

            Capping the festival off with a raucous comedy, Running Mates see small town Canada run amok when two best friends face off in the race to become mayor. Featuring Graham Greene, Henry Winkler, and DJ Qualls.

Saturday night also features a special double bill of screenings with Hollywood producer Aaron Ryder. Attend screenings of his hit films Memento and Donnie Darko and join in a Q & A!

*All screenings are at the World Exchange Empire 7

All ticket orders and general information can be found at www.oiff.ca

See you at the festival!