In conversation with Amazon Falls director Katrin Bowen
For director Katrin Bowen, Amazon Falls is a very personal story. It’s based on her experiences in the B-movie industry and is also a tribute to the women who mentored her throughout her career. The Jana character “encapsulates all those women,” says Bowen. Read more
In conversation with Made in Dagenham director Nigel Cole and Rosamund Pike
Director Nigel Cole has been fortunate enough to tell many great stories, most of which are ensemble-driven. But he says, “It doesn’t feel like I choose films at all. It feels like they choose me.” Read more
In conversation with Cool It director Ondi Timoner and Bjorn Lomborg
Independent documentary director Ondi Timoner was approached by producers to direct a film about “The Skeptical Environmentalist” Bjorn Lomborg. Not an issue-driven filmmaker, Timoner wasn’t sure why they’d selected her. So she did her research, read the book and met with Lomborg at the Cosmic Diner in New York. After a five-hour conversation, Timoner accepted the project with the intention of producing a follow-up to Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and calling Lomborg out on everything to avoid making a fluff piece.
Emerging Filmmakers Competition Top Prize Awarded to Jane Tattersall
TIFF isn’t just an opportunity for you to see hundreds of films; it’s also a place where new and talented filmmakers get to strut their stuff. Launched just last year, the Emerging Filmmakers Competition was “created in an effort to sustain a connection with participants in the TIFF Talent Lab programme.” Participants were given a video camera and $500 to make a film on the subject of water. Jane Tattersall’s Hot Water won the top prize of $15,000. Read more
Shane: Festival Diary Sept. 15
I’m sure on Sunday afternoon I’m going to wish I did more with the relative downtime I’ve had over the past couple days. Yet, somehow, the idea of two screenings a night doesn’t seem so taxing since, well, I’m a tough guy. You may quote me on this when I start yelling “Just pull the plug! I’ve had a good run!!” at about noon on Sunday. Read more
Shane: Festival Diary Sept. 14
Nothing brings out the large population of nerds in this city like a chance to spend the majority of 11 days in darkened cinemas, talking about movies a bit, then lining up to do it all over again. Read more
Kat: Festival Diary Sept 13
Day Five started well because I was smart enough to skip the midnight screening the day before and actually get my ass to bed at a reasonable-ish hour (12:30am, I think it was) so that I would be able to attend a Canadian double bill of Xavier Dolan’s Heartbeats at 9:00am followed immediately by Barney’s Version. Read more
Shane: Festival Diary Sept. 13
Alright, so I’m jamming two days into one diary… sue me… but there’s only so much time and a whooooooole lotta fest to get through. Read more
Kat: Festival Diary Sept 12
The first three days of the festival always seem endlessly long. By the fourth, it starts to speed up, and before you know it, it’s over and you’ve got a terrible cold because all you did was eat muffins and popsicles and get four hours of sleep every night for ten days. Or at least that’s my frequent experience. Read more
Kat: Festival Diary Sept 11
Day three, and the fatigue is already setting in. I feel like a lightweight, but I’m trying not to let it get to me. Today’s TIFF diet consisted of a very reasonable Starbucks breakfast sandwich (and half an oat bar – the other half was accidentally dropped on the floor of the Scotiabank). Lunch was nonexistent, and dinner was some of the best hors d’oeuvres I’ve had in a long time, at the Bunraku party. One of the major fringe benefits of being engaged to the Midnight Madness programmer is that he’s the sort of classy gent who talks me up to his guests, makes me sound charming and delightful, and gets me invited to fancy receptions. I try to repay him by being a really excellent party guest. Hard work, I know. Read more
