If you’re new to attending a film festival, you’re probably going to be a bit overwhelmed by the selection. Whether you plan to catch a single film or twenty, here’s five tips to help you navigate the celluloid seas (who are we kidding, everything’s going to be digital) and make the absolute most of your […]
When you watch enough films in a concentrated period of time, everything can seem like a blur. Film festivals are an amazing opportunity to scope out the best in foreign and domestic cinema, but it’s always good to allow yourself some time afterwards to process the many hours that you spent in the dark with […]
The 34th Atlantic Film Festival has wound down, and so have I (as it turns out, the “non-drowsy” part of cold medicine isn’t quite as effective after nearly 60 hours of film). Luckily, I was able to soldier through three of my four planned screenings on the final night before finally succumbing to what I’m […]
Sorry to disappoint all you vicarious festival attendees out there, but today’s films were pretty conventional stories. First, I saw a relationship movie about desire, the importance of communication, and how all take and no give can start to drive a wedge between two people. After that was a standard gangster flick in which a […]
As the festival leaves weekend mode – where days are stacked, top to bottom, with great regional and international features – you may have noticed that I’m allowing myself to decompress a bit by starting my days with a shorts program. Today, that program included an honourable mention for the Best Atlantic Short award, “The […]
Today was it: the big day. I may have soldiered through six screenings on day three, including an impenetrable and self-satisfied Godard, but day five boasted the most leg-numbing film of the festival: Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s 196-minute Palme d’Or winner “Winter Sleep.” I decided to ease myself in with a repeat screening of some short […]
This morning’s first screening was “Tu Dors Nicole,” a meandering and occasionally surreal black & white portrait of aimlessness. It flows parallel to the vein of mumblecore, which has drawn more than the occasional “Frances Ha” comparison. Stéphane LaFleur writes and directs with a bizarre and hilarious sense of humour, and was on hand after […]
The third day of the festival took me on a morning journey to Sweden in back-to-back wintery films “Force Majeure” and “Santa Quest.” The former, directed by Ruben Östlund, has already been chosen to represent Sweden at the 2015 Academy Awards and is one of my favorite viewings so far. It takes place at a […]
