Tag Archives: Vancouver International Film Festival

Canadian Films at VIFF

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The Vancouver International Film Festival has just started, and already some great films have hit the screen in this celebration of fantastic cinema from around the world.

Aside from being one of the best ways to explore truly great film from around the world, VIFF is the biggest showcase of Canadian films, bar none. There are 86 films in the festival this year, here are my picks of the maple-tinged flicks:

Mammalian

Mammalian Film Trailer from Frank Wolf on Vimeo.

A film by Frank Wolf, it should prove to be an illuminating experience. Frank and his expedition partner Taku Hokoyama travel 2,000 km across northern Canada, the largest wilderness in North America. A portrait of both the last great wilderness of Canada, and the people and cultures clashing over exploration and protection of that space.

Guido Superstar: The Rise of Guido


A ballsy charicature of an Italian going undercover against Canada’s drug underworld. I don’t know much about this film other that the trailers look awesome. Plus, it’s a good break from being all serious about artistic merit and the like.

Breaking the Silence: Burma’s Resistance

A challenging undertaking, it took the team months at the Thai border to convince a humanitarian agency to take them to meet displaced people hiding inside Burma.

When the Devil Knocks


An exploration of a life-long battle with Dissociative Identity Disorder, this film is a rare look into a “fragmented life” and, a mix of home-video and taped therapy sessions, deeply personal and startlingly challenging.

There you have it, from a portrait of a uniquely Canadian landscape to the jungles and refugee camps in Burma, and from a caricature of a Canadian immigrant to a deeply personal portrait of a Canadian fighting DID. Get thee to the silver screen.

Day of Blog Action 2009: Climate Change

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This blog can also be read at thebigwild.org under Making Contact – Finding Farley. Gotta love the link love – especially when more than 8000 blogs join forces! Actually, I think it’s closer to 10 000 now – Enjoy!

Today is Blog Action Day. This year, over 8500 bloggers all around the world are writing about climate change. That’s more than 8000 stories that reflect the personal impact climate change has had on over 8000 people and their friends and family. It’s a real wake-up call as we approach December 7th, the kick-off date to the Climate Talks in Copenhagen.

I can’t help but think reaching out to world leaders and the decision makers behind the policy that will shape the future of our planet is best done with a story. Make like a writer – tell them what you know.

Well, here’s what I know – I just watched a film called Finding Farley, the story of a Canadian family that sets out in a canoe from Calgary, Alberta in the hopes of reaching Cape Breton, Nova Scotia where they will meet Canadian author and activist Farley Mowat.

What I love most about Finding Farley is how the film uses different storytelling techniques to weave the journey together. It follows filmmaker Leanne Allison, her husband and biologist Karsten Heuer, their toddler-son Zev and their dog, a border-collie named Willow. The family uses Mowat’s books as their guide, a literary compass of sorts – from paper to foot. They bring a video camera with them so they can document their journey – from reel to real. Both Leanne and Karsten keep an on-going correspondence with Mowat as they traverse Canada’s landscape – from eyes and ears to paper. That paper reaches Mowat in Nova Scotia in the form of a letter and settles into his memory and imagination. The film presents a lovely cycle of storytelling – one that happens in the Canadian wilderness.

What I find extraordinary about this journey is the story that comes from a dedication to mimic and follow a storyteller on a path already taken. Leanne and Karsten show us what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. I don’t want to give too much more away. It’s a lovely film and I think you should see it.

On this Day of Action, when the power of the web and it’s engineers is harnessed to reach out and engage, Finding Farley is a reminder that the movement to protect our vulnerable planet and the wildlife that depends on it from climate change is sometimes best told through the stories of our own lives. Well done Leanne, Karsten, Zev and Willow!