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| Ursus |
Screening on Days 4 and 5 of the CFC Worldwide Short Film
Festival was the Official Selection “Stranger in a Strange Land.” A programme
that arguably offers the widest appeal in the festival, “Stranger” includes one
of the more diverse line-ups. It has a few dark tales to be sure, but they have
some release and catharsis. There are some comedies here, too, so the laughs
can all come out of hiding.
Most of the stories in “Stranger” deal with the effects of
migration and/or displacement. Reinaldo Arenas (USA, 4 min.), for
example, is an intriguing experimental film about a fisherman who relocates by
accident and does not like his surroundings. Like many of the characters in
“Stranger in a Strange Land,” he’s a real fish out of water. After the fish
comes a bear. Ursus (Latvia, 10 min.) is a stunning piece of hand-drawn
animation about a bear that performs a motorcycle act in the circus, but longs
to return to the great outdoors. The grayscale etchings of Ursus add a haunting sense of nostalgia for the bear’s lost
paradise. Ursus is a rare and
beautiful allegory of preservation.
Another powerful tale comes in I am John Wayne (USA, 18
min.). Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Fest, I am John Wayne is a tough yet
understated pony ride through the streets of Brooklyn. Taco (Jamir Daaliya)
struggles to accept the death of his best friend and, after escaping his
alcohol-sedated mother, he skips his friend’s funeral and opts to pay tribute
to his late friend by riding said friend’s horse to Coney Island. This
impressive film by writer/director Christina Choe is one of the better portraits
of urban living since The Wire.
Another tough but well-handled story is The Crossing of the Living Room (La
traversée du salon) (Canada, 19 min.). The film’s title comes from a
Biblical reference to the crossing of the desert as a pinnacle of personal
struggle and endurance. The journey in Crossing
is one woman’s attempt to stay sober and get a fresh start on life. Helene
Mercier stars as Céline and her portrayal of the recovering alcoholic is consistently
compelling.
Another story of a long, hard personal journey comes in Odysseus’
Gambit (Spain/USA, 12 min.). Odysseus’
Gambit, which comes to WSFF after screening at Sundance, is one of the stronger
documentaries at the festival. The film follows Saravuth Inn, who is a staple
at the chess tables in New York City parks. As Saravuth explains, he was
removed from Cambodia by the American military during his childhood and he has
ever since been in a place of exile. He keeps himself sane by playing chess
with friends and passersby in NYC and by expressing himself through music
(which appears as the film’s soundtrack). It’s the chess, though, that offers
the best outlet for keeping his life in perspective. As Saravuth explains his
different strategies, one sees how his manipulation of the chessboards
illustrates his grasp on life. An
impressive doc, Odysseus’ Gambit,
directed by Alex Lora, also ranks among the better student films at WSFF.
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| The Immigrant |
Also notable is the animated fable The Changeling (Der Wecheslbalg)
(Germany, 9 min.), which gives a divinely biblical rendering of a medieval tale
of a couple whose baby is swapped for a troll. The last “Stranger” of the night
brings the most familiar faces to programme. The Immigrant (Canada, 20
min.) stars “Kids in the Hall” alum Scott Thompson as a once-famous comedian
named Bob London. Desperate to escape the dearth of the Canadian entertainment
industry, Bob decides to move to Los Angeles and remove himself from the
Z-list. Being such a has-been, though, Bob can’t get a decent Green Card. He
therefore smuggles himself across the border (via Mexico) and blends in with
the other illegal aliens in LA. The
Immigrant is a hilariously self-conscious film with Thompson giving a fine
belly-laugh of a riff on his own career, and the self-deprecating humour
extends to a sharp onscreen rivalry with Bob’s nemesis/former co-star Dave
Foley, also of “Kids in the Hall” fame. The
Immigrant further lampoons many a Canadian artist’s desire to escape to LA
and find success with Michael Cera appearing in a cameo as star reluctant to
help the besieged actor for of deportation. (Margaret Cho and Will Forte also
make some humorous appearances.) A fair and scathingly funny look at celebrity
and at the Canada/US divide, The
Immigrant shows that not every good Canadian talent must make the exodus
south of the border. The film, directed by Josh Levy, was originally conceived
as a television series that would explore Bob’s immigrant experience, and the
film itself could serve as a pilot for a great sitcom. The Immigrant makes good on a premise that has ample room for
growth, but it works well as a stand-alone film to be sure. As one of the few
comedies in the festival, The Immigrant
almost feels like a stranger in a strange land itself, but that’s part of the
film’s charm: it feels good to laugh.
On day four I also took in the symposium panel “The Feedback
Loop”, which gave filmmakers the opportunity to screen their film for industry
reps and receive feedback on the pros and cons of the film’s sale potential.
The panel was comprised of a distributor, a festival programmer, a broadcaster,
and a marketing/press relations rep. All four panelists gave the filmmakers some
decent pointers on how to expand their market and how to maximize the appeal of
the film. Top tips: narratives sell, music must be licensed, and beware the
perils of uploading!
Day four ended with one of the annual highlights of WSFF: “Scene
not Herd.” This programme gives music fans a treat by playing music videos on
the big screen before things head on over to a big after party. This year’s
after party took place in the trendy open space of The Burroughs Building, with drinks
provided by Steamwhistle and Jackson Triggs, and a tasty spread of food catered
by Per Se. (I like the puff pastry with goat cheese and roasted fig the best.) There was even cotton candy! A very fun
night, which you can enjoy too by making the “Scene not Herd” playlist for your
own party:
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| Jean-Marc Vallee directs Vanessa Paradis and Marin Gerrier in Cafe de flore |
Day 5 of the festival included on the week’s highlights: a
master class with acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée. Vallée serves
on the jury for the Official Selections at this year’s WSFF, but he kindly took
the time to give a class to all the filmmakers and interested attendees on the
art of filmmaking. Although Vallée is known primarily for his features C.R.A.Z.Y., The Young Victoria, and Café de Flore, he has also made some shorts, including his first film Les fleurs magiques (1995). Vallée gave
a good account of his experiences as a filmmaker in the event, which was
moderated by Toronto film critic Richard Crouse. Best in the talk was hearing
about Vallée’s inspirations for the use of music in his films and of the
lengthy work that goes into the visual effects for a film. (I had no idea that Café de flore featured so many visual
effects!) It was an exciting event overall!
