We’ve moved!

Please visit us at http://www.csif.org/csif to view our new website and blog!

Best of Alberta Award-winner was a first-time filmmaker.

Making your first film can be an intimidating experience. The fear of failure can cause us to procrastinate indefinitely. That’s too bad, because you really don’t know what you’re capable of until you try. Just ask Doreen Wood, a Calgary artist whose first attempt at filmmaking resulted in the award-winning Super 8 short, I’ll Never Let Go of Your Hand. She describes the film as a ‘moving postcard’ that tells the story of a man going back to his birthplace in Croatia. Beautiful and melancholy, the stunning film earned Wood the Best of Alberta Award at  the 17th Annual $100 Film Festival in March 2009.

While Wood had no previous filmmaking experience, she had a strong background in photography. This interest drew her from creating still images to shooting moving ones. A script supervisor’s course at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) gave her the opportunity to work on a movie set. The experience, while interesting, made her realize that she wanted to be behind the camera. An established filmmaker advised Wood to check out the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Wood had been thinking of making a documentary about a friend who left his war-torn home in Croatia and never returned. When a mentorship programme was established at the CSIF in the summer of 2008, Wood applied. She wanted to pair a documentary on her friend’s experience with images she planned to take while in Croatia. However, when her friend backed out of the project, Wood wrote a fictionalized version of his story instead, incorporating the pathos of his tale while omitting personal details.

The experience taught Wood an important lesson–its okay to start out with one idea and have it lead to something else. In this case, her flexibility wound up enhancing her work. I’ll Never Let Go of Your Hand is a touching film that speaks not only to Croatians, but to all people displaced from their homes due to war.

Despite the challenges, and the long hours in the editing suite, Wood says filmmaking is an exciting and magical process. She loves all aspects of the process, from developing the initial idea to finalizing the soundtrack. She credits the CSIF for being supportive of first-time independent filmmakers and fostering a creative environment where ideas can flourish.

Wood is currently in post-production on her next short, an experimental film under the working title Phoenix. This film was shot entirely in a wheat field just outside Calgary. 

More about Doreen Wood:

Film/Music Explosion! Returns to the 18th Annual $100 Film Festival (March 4 – 6)

Doreen Wood discusses “True Love Forever”

Writer: Erika Walter

Hunter Gatherer discuss the Film/Music Explosion!

Local band Hunter Gatherer participated in the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers’ Film/Music Explosion! program last year. They teamed up with filmmaker Alex Mitchell to create an original film based on their song “Werewords.” In this interview by CSIF member Kassondra Juan, the band discusses their reaction to Mitchell’s film, and what it was like playing live at the 17th Annual $100 Film Festival.

Do you write music? We are currently seeking musicians to participate in this year’s Film/Music Explosion! In March 2010, the films will premiere at the 18th Annual $100 Film Festival with a live performance by each of the collaborating songsters.

Please submit original songs and a biography to $100 Film Festival Coordinator Melanie Wilmink at festival@csif.org before Dec. 1.

Earlier this year we posted an interview with filmmaker Alex Mitchell where he also discusses his interpretation of Hunter Gatherer’s song, “Werewords.”

Film/Music Explosion! Returns to the 18th Annual $100 Film Festival (March 4 – 6)

The 18th Annual $100 Film Festival submission deadline is Dec. 1, and once again we are seeking musicians to participate in our wildly popular Film/Music Explosion! Local musicians and CSIF filmmakers will have the opportunity to team together to create a short film based on an original song. In March, the films will premiere at the 18th Annual $100 Film Festival with a live performance by each of the collaborating songsters. Musicians, please submit original songs to $100 Film Festival Coordinator Melanie Wilmink at festival@csif.org or call (403) 205-4747 before Dec. 1.

We thought we’d catch up with one of last year’s Film/Music Explosion! participants to see what collaborating with a Calgary independent filmmaker was like for her.

Sidney York and the Film/Music Explosion! Experience

by Spiralina Turchese

Like Calgary’s independent filmmakers, prairie singer-songwriter Sidney York manages the business side of her career herself. When I caught up with her she was in Sault Ste Marie on a cross-Canada tour promoting her self-titled debut album. Renowned for her eclectic style, she sings jazz with a military band, and trained as a classical musician in Melbourne where she was inspired by Australians’ fierce pride for their national artists. The Film/Music Explosion! with its emphasis on local and independent film and music seemed like a good fit for the self-motivated songstress.

York submitted her song, Stalker, to $100 Film Festival Coordinator Melanie Wilmink after hearing a submission call on CJSW 90.9.  She felt Stalker would translate well into film because it has a “strong sense of story line, and candid visual associations”.

The song had resonance for independent Calgary filmmaker Doreen Wood who liked the upbeat tempo paired with the dark lyrics and relatable themes of heartbreak and rejection. Soon, York and Wood were communicating and the film began to fall in place.

York thoroughly enjoyed her Film/Music Explosion! collaboration with director Doreen Wood. Collaboration, she says, “improves understanding and artistic awareness for every creator involved.” York feels the experience gave her useful insights into the filmmaking process, and increased her confidence in the ability of another artist to interpret her work.

“Doreen is a woman with a great attitude and vision. I felt the end result really portrayed the message I’d intended for the song.”

Sidney wishes to thank Doreen Wood and CSIF for choosing her song for the Film/Music Explosion! in 2008. “It was a humbling experience to watch my message gradually being articulated in picture.”

How to hear Sidney York:

Live:

“The Ladies that Like to Folk”, tour with Amy Thiessen and Kaley Bird, playing 50 shows from October to January.

In Calgary Dec 5 at Mike’s Juke Joint.

In Canmore on January 24 at the Drake.

In Cochrane on January 28 at the Blue Dog Café.

Go here for a full tour schedule: http://feeds.artistdata.com/a-GHQOU7MV3YJK5JTC/shows

Online:

You can hear Sidney York on sidneyyork.com and buy her music on iTunes.

She’s just released two music videos, which you can also find on her site.

Tuesday #2 + J2 = 5!

What: CSIF November Classic Film Screening
Theme: “Raw / Absurdity”
When: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 7pm
Where: CSIF – Building J2 – Currie Barracks [map]
Why:

“In such a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners.” — Albert Camus

Quite honestly, this quote might well have been printed on the posters for the classic film being screened this November, for I’d be hard-pressed to find another statement that so fully captures the movie’s essence and so neatly summarizes its plot. And what’s more, the director is not only an unparalleled master of the filmic art, but a natural storyteller whose deliberate style and influence allow even detached viewers to enjoy the show. As if I still need to tell you that this free one-night-only event will also have cheap drinks and popcorn!

So pull up a sofa and feast your eyes and mind on some stunning 16mm footage – Library of Congress certified footage, actually – not to mention a little discussion when it’s all done.

Your cinephile guest curator,
Murray Smith

P.S. I haven’t decided yet, but I might also show a half-hour short as well; it’ll depend on an audience vote as to whether they think they can handle it!

You’re Invited!

Come to our 30th Anniversary Potluck on Sat. Oct. 24 @ 6 p.m.

CRISIS CLOCKS, MEDIA MOCKS & SILLY SHOCKS

Dr. Strangelove himself would likely marvel at the upcoming October Classic Film Screening program – and if that’s not reason enough to show up for some free films, ridiculously good popcorn, and über cheap beverages, then let me explain what this month’s program is all about.

 

To start: I’ve decided to spice up the recipe for the evening by showing three films instead of one. But don’t despair – you won’t be arriving home at 3 in the morning – they’re all short films, the longest of which is only about 45 (thrilling) minutes. Rather ironically, considering I’ve split one feature length spot into three smaller, more digestible, ready-to-serve portions, the underlying theme that links them together is humanity’s ever-present fear of rapid modernization (eeek!!). Each piece offers a slightly different perspective on the issue, but together they form an engrossing and wholly entertaining mixture.

Crisis Clocks

The first short, which tallies less than 10 minutes in runtime, is an obscure, United Nations-produced animated short about the disastrous possibilities of an encroaching crisis. Its imaginative metaphors and narrative encounters are succeeded only by its brilliant animation techniques that seem to morph perspective along with material. It is, as you might have guessed, a highly creative, albeit rather serious attempt to inform its audience of the dangers of Cold War-era arms racing. That said, its arguments still apply to a great many other ‘innovations’ that could inevitably prove to be just as destructive.

Media Mocks

But what the first short lacks in humour, the second film of the night makes up for. Produced in the midst of the age of globalized media enterprise, but before the onset of the personal computer boom, it takes a highly satirical look at what exactly our media outlets are comprised of, how they came to be, and how they affect our daily lives. The film is based around an anachronistic on-screen narrator who relays various stories and allegories about the structure and purpose of mass media; from Gutenberg’s printing press to colour-TV to in-brain processing centers, the warnings given and conclusions reached are surprisingly valid, perhaps even more so today because we have become so conditioned to mass-media ideology. This gem should truly not be missed – it’s not available for purchase (as far as I can tell) and it’s not even listed on Google or IMDb!

Silly Shocks

Not coincidentally, the third and final film is somewhat of a synthesis of the first two: though it aims to be serious and concerning, its datedness gives it a rather different appeal in a present-day viewer’s eyes. A 70’s child in every sense of the word, it aims to alert, inform, and alarm its audience with its highly politicized look at a world of ever-increasing change and rapidity. Luckily for us 2009’ers though, the content has become somewhat outrageous, and the resulting prophecies and perspectives of a time passed now serve as a tongue-in-cheek look back to a society in the midst of a technological revolution. That’s not to say all the issues it brings to the table are utterly ridiculous (for it actually manages to offer some ahead-of-its-time commentary on gay marriage, consumerism, computerization, etc), but many of the segments come off a tinge surreal nowadays. Some of the highlights include: the scientist explained clip of ‘race-changing’ via face paint; the ‘modern man’ being hooked up to a portable battery with which to jolt himself (and his wife!) up from bed; and the ‘serious danger’ of shopping for babies at ‘Baby-toriums.’ Stitch it all together with a seriously epic Moog soundtrack, and you’ve turned what was once school-mandated educational material into a modern day comedic variety show. Did I mention Orson Welles features as the brooding host and narrator?!

So Here’s the Deal

Whether you’re a film buff or not, come down to Currie Barracks building J2 [map] on Tuesday, October 13^th, 2009 at 7pm sharp for a chance to chill on a variety of low-riding comfy couches and watch some superb, enjoyable, and rare classic films. And though Dr. Strangelove might not physically be in attendance, you can expect his odd, hilarious, and surreal spirit to be present in the air because, as usual, we’ll be having some discussion about the featured shorts. If you don’t feel like speaking up though, just grab some popcorn or a drink, sit back, and enjoy: this is the movies, after all!

 

Hope to see you there,

Murray Smith
October CFS Curator

(Note that although all of the above images are taken from Dr. Strangelove (Kubrick, UK, 1964) – they are for illustrative purposes only: it is not the film being screened. It is, however, listed in CSIF’s film library!)

We’re at the U of C!

Please join us in the University of Calgary Art Parkade tonight at 8:30 p.m. for another free screening. Tonight’s program includes a short from Winnipeg about communist zombies–RARRGH!!!!

Urbanity continues to roll along!

If you haven’t already, check out our Urbanity blog. Last Friday we held a screening and artist talk in Tomkins Park. It turned out to be a great location, and the films were really interesting, prompting many people walking by to stop and watch.

Read all about it, and check out pictures HERE!

The next Urbanity screening is this Friday, Sept. 18, at 8:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Whitehorn Community Association. The next workshop is our Failed Film Critique on Saturday, Sept. 19, in the same location. Bring your “failed” Super 8 footage to this fun discussion with Calgary filmmaker Kyle Whitehead, whose practice is built on so-called “failures.” The address for both screening and workshop is 228 Whitehorn Road NE.

We hope to see you there!

View Larger Map

The CSIF’s Sofa Cinema gets some press!