Unfinished Stories

Wednesday night, after showing up the box office to find out that the extra tickets that were released that morning had sold out and feeling completely bummed, I ended up in the Rush line for Unfinished Stories.

From the TIFF website:
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Several quietly powerful works by Iranian directors appear in this year’s Festival. First-time feature filmmaker Pourya Azarbayjani’s Unfinished Stories offers a raw yet stirring study of that nation’s women and – as the work’s open-ended title suggests – its future.

The brilliantly structured film – which Azarbayjani also wrote and co-produced – is composed of three episodes revealing the plight of three young women. Setareh (Setareh Pesyani), Hengameh (Hengameh Ghaziani) and Saiideh (Saiiden Amir Saii) share similar situations: through choice or through fate, they find themselves alone with nowhere to go. Each is forced to spend the night on the streets of Tehran.

Setareh is an independently minded, passionate young girl who has run away from her house and her conservative parents, who oppose her marriage to the boy she loves. She waits for the object of her affection to join her at the bus stop so they can start over together, somewhere new. Hengameh is pregnant. After a quarrel with her husband, who is unwilling to support a baby, she flees her home in search of someone to terminate her pregnancy. Saiideh has just given birth, but with a husband in prison and no money to pay her medical bills she steals away from the hospital and escapes into the night with her fragile newborn.

These three women have three different stories, but together they add up to a moving and surprising portrait of the various obstacles confronted by Iranian women. The pattern of hard decisions and even harder circumstances emerges clearly from this courageous film. Seeking marriage, motherhood or stability, Setareh, Hengameh and Saiideh are each abandoned by their families and obliged to solve their problems on their own. Their strength, resourcefulness and courage are inspiring. The talented leads exude an unexpected power that is simultaneously graceful yet fierce. Azarbayjani, meanwhile, introduces himself as a talent to watch. The original vision manifested by this young writer-director promises more impressive work in the future.

Dimitri Eipides
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What seemed to start off as slow, but with some strange things that I felt like I wasn't getting something, and then in the middle too straightforward to the point that I almost became uninterested, to the unpredicted ending (in content and sudden arrival of closing credits)...as soon as I started walking out of the theatre, I grew to like this movie more and more. Definitely a good sign. I was left thinking about the subtleties. The underlying messages. Open interpretations. The insight provided by the Q&A (love them!!!) with Producer, Pourya Azarbayjani.
I love movies that have different stories which are somehow tied together. I was constantly trying to predict how one story would flow into the next, who and what themes would weave in and out from all three. It was so well done. I would have almost liked to get more insight into the secondary characters, but the whole movie, much like the title suggests is vague and open-ended.
I want someone to tell me a story. To tell me about life in Iran. What life is like there.
Obviously the subject matter is very sensitive in its native Iran, it hasn't really been embraced by the cinemas there (yet?!?). This was the North American premiere of the movie. Mr. Azarbayjani gave great answers (through an interpreter) to some great questions...I was so impressed. This guy is my age and see what he's accomplished? Oh, no, I'm not going to go comparing myself to other people out there, it could get too depressing. But really, the insight and strength that he had was really fantastic. I hope he keeps making movies they way he wants, and for what he wants.
For sure...watch this movie.

This was the last movie I saw at TIFF07...and I have to say, I loved the experience. I probably would never see movies like this. Having access to such an international group of films, I felt really really fortunate. Hearing different languages (not just in the movies, but in Toronto - which is a really multicultural city, for sure, but all clumped together on Bloor Street...I don't know how to describe it. It reminded me of living in Europe. Mental note: find some way to speak French soon). Chatting with total strangers (reminded me a little bit of the Olympic spirit that was in Torino). What a great vibe. You know, things like this are great for the city. Tourism, sense of community, enjoyment of the arts. I love this city and the amazing things that it has to offer.

- picture courtesy of www.tiff07.ca

My Kid Could Paint That

This past Monday night, I got to see my first TIFF movie.
I was downtown anyway, so I thought that I'd walk by the theatre to check out the "rush ticket" situation for this movie that was already sold out. The line was short at 10 people, so after chatting with some volunteers, being a in a pretty good mood and having something to do to pass the time, I thought, you know what? Why not, I'm already here and it's something that I've said that I've wanted to be a part of, so nothing to lose right? An hour of my time really isn't too big of a deal. I'd be at home getting ready for bed anyway. Carpe diem.
My Kid Could Paint That seems to be a documentary about Marla Olmstead and her art. I say seems, because that would be the logical subject matter for the movie.
Marla Olmstead and her family (parents and younger brother) live in Binghamton, New York where at the age of three...pretty much four, she lauded as being a master of modern art. Her art work gets displayed in a gallery and gets sold for thousands of dollars. Worldwide media eats up the story...and the downward spiral begins. There's an "expose" on 60minutes which discredits Marla's abilities and also points a finger to her father as tampering with her individual creative processes.
As I'm watching the movie, I'm torn regarding Producer, Amir Bar-Lev's intentions in this film. Where does he stand in the matter of the authenticity of Marla's work? Who is to "blame" for the hype?
I quickly start to detest certain people. Lose trust in others. Sympathize with others.
For me, Marla's younger brother, Zane seems to be a tell-tale in how this all works. From being ignored, from acting out, from having your loving older sister try to get you praise. You have to see it for yourself.
There's big discussion about Marla's talents. There was a comparison between some of her "early" works (during the buzz) and her "later" works (during the scandal) and to me (untrained artist), the style is completely different. But I have a theory (cause I'm still rooting for the kid). The early stuff, done at age three, early fours don't seem to have set focal points. Lots to colours, smeared (sounds kind of vulgar for something so, ummm, special) in different ways, swirled, mixed. Just like in the picture above. This is the "period" of Marla's work that I really enjoy. The later stuff is more thematic, has motifs of shapes, ideas. I'm wondering is there's something in a child's development when children go from "scribbling" (again, a vulgar term, but it's how I equate it to the style of art of a non-genius child) to things that have form? From experimenting with colours to experimenting with shapes?
And anyway, if you like the art, who cares who created it (and how old they are). Aren't you paying big bucks for what you seen on the canvas? Oh, if only it were that simple.
At the end of the screening, Amir Bar-Lev did a Q&A with the audience. I had so many questions to ask, but was too shy to do so. Lots of other people put up their hands. We could have kept going forever, but was cut off. This is why I think it's worth the $20 to see movies at the Film Festival. Not only do you get to see movies that you may not get to see in a mainstream theatre setting, but you get a chance to see and hear from people associated to the movie. I was three for three for Q&A's. I don't know if I was just lucky, or if that's completely normal. It made the movie more personal and more insight could be gained as well.
By the end of the movie, while some things are still unclear (in the Q&A, it seemed as though Mr. Bar-Lev was still unclear about a couple things as well), but what it clear is that this documentary shows that it is not Marla that we focus on (even though she's super-duper cute and completely unfazed by any of this, afterall, she's just having fun and playing and most of the time the social engagements are this confusing chore to her), it's the adults in her lives. Their interactions. Their involvement.
Here's the movie's official website.
I would recommend this film...for sure. And then let's have a discussion!

- picture courtesy of www.tiff07.ca

Lessons learned from my first TIFF

- Don't wait until last minute to think about the Toronto International Film Festival. If you do, then chances are, you've already missed the boat.
- Check the website and/or sign-up for the newsletter for volunteer and staffing announcements. Working with the Toronto International Film Festival Group seems like a really fun experience and you get to interact with lots of neat people!
- Never trust the ticketing section of the TIFF website. Here's hoping that they do something about that for next year!
- There are more than 10 movies that are good (if you watch movies alone, and if you don't you definitely won't have any problems), so for sure get a 10-pack. Best deal EVER. That is, unless you've got a lot of stamina and time to go full tilt and get a full-out pass of some sort.

If you did leave it until last minute...
- Usually a good chance that there's a couple more tickets available the day of the show. But, getting to the box office early is key. First come first serve...you know how it is...
- Same day tickets at theatre box offices are cheaper than at the Manulife Centre box office. The trade-off is that theatre box-offices usually open later...so you're taking a risk that tickets may disappear between 7am and theatre opening times. The price difference is minimal...$1
- Student/Senior pricing available for same-day tickets. Save money where you can!
- Rush tickets are a total possibility. Line up about 1h15m before the show starts and you're practically guaranteed to get in. You'll be surprised how fast the time goes if you're prepared (with some reading and/or music to listen to) and/or have company (familiar and new-found...seriously, everyone's so nice!). Anywhere less is a crap shoot, well, technically anything is a crap shoot, but from what I've seen it's been pretty good. I never tried to Rush a Gala though.
- Getting lucky is also a possibility too...waiting in Rush, lots of people who's friends couldn't make it, or are just too pooped to attend the screening are trying to get rid of their tickets. Feel free to bargain with them (depending on how desperate the parties involved are). Usually, the timing's perfect that you pick up a ticket, go and grab a coffee and come back feeling superior or that you just head right into the theatre to wait in the "Ticket Holder's" line. Yes, some ticket holders line up 1h15m in advance as well.

It was such a great experience - can't wait for next year!

It's (slightly) loosing it's appeal

I think for the rest of the TIFF, I'm going to think it's super cool to spot celebs, but not be over zealous and take their pics. In a bunch of year, when I go through my pics...will I really have any use for them? I mean, I can find lots of better pics of them through many resources.
Come to think of it...how substantial are any of the pics that I have? Or objects that I've aquired?

Oh yeah...saw Leelee Sobieski and maybe Tricia Helfer arriving to their screening of Walk All Over Me. Leelee for sure, cause someone said so (after the fact) and Tricia maybe cause I compared pictures on the net to my memory. My memory's bad enough, but I was gawking more at her unfortunate fashion statement of a dress than spending time looking at her face. Leelee also stood out with her bad fashion sense (which clued me into the fact that she was someone important - cause she was dressed up fancy), but no one was paying attention to her for some reason. I didn't have a cue from the crowd to cycle through the famous people named "Leelee" in my head, so I just kept staring for awhile. I thought she looked sorta like Helen Hunt, but I would have thought more people who've recognized her. That and she dress much better.

Blind

I'm going out of order, but this one will be short, so I'm writing it quickly. I just got home from the theatre. Darn the commute.

This movie was AMAZING. It was the first screening of it...period. I felt so special. At least I think it was. Maybe first screening in North America. The movie was introduced by the director, Tamar van den Dop and the lead actor, Joren Seldeslachts. The producer, Petra Goedings sent along a letter (SO well written, I couldn't believe it) as she was in the Netherlands, due to go into labour at any time.

To save you time on clicking, I'll give you the description of Blind from the TIFF website:
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Remarkably beautiful to look at and listen to, Blind is a fable come vividly to life. It also exerts a formidable pull on the heartstrings throughout all its plot twists, keeping viewers tightly pinned to their seats.

Ruben (Joren Seldeslachts) is a young man who, along with his mother and assorted household staff, inhabits a large estate in the country sometime in the late nineteenth century. Ruben cannot see, and he is also rapaciously bloody-minded, ruling the household through fierce tantrums and intimidation. This frustrating state of affairs comes to a head upon the arrival of Marie (Halina Reijn), a pale-as-snow, slightly odd-looking older woman who is just as strong-willed as Ruben. She refuses to become embroiled in his power struggles, as she has been hired to read to him and she loves books more than anything else.

It is the perfect job for Marie. Emotionally scarred by a childhood trauma, she believes herself to be grotesque, so a blind employer relieves her of self-consciousness. Ruben doesn’t love anyone or anything until Marie’s quiet insight into his soul provokes an affection for her stronger than anything he has ever felt before. In the bleak winter months, the two misunderstood outsiders find each other.

Into their unlikely idyll swoops a doctor who insists that Ruben’s eyesight can be restored through a new surgical procedure. Ruben wants the operation to be able to finally see his true love and the world around her, but Marie panics, convinced that Ruben will discover she is ugly and her only love will be destroyed. The remarkable and unexpected turns that follow are reminiscent of both O. Henry and Aesop.

Sound has a prominent place in Blind; the attention-grabbing aural barrage of the opening, for example, soon gives way to more melodic textures and temperatures. This auditory richness, combined with impeccable period production design by Hubert Pouille, makes the film a sensual as well as emotional experience. Confidently directed by first-time feature filmmaker Tamar van den Dop, with memorable performances by both Seldeslachts and Reijn, Blind exquisitely explores that age-old question: is true love really blind?

-Jane Schoettle
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It was beautifully shot. The colours. The sounds. The ending was great. I wasn't sure how it was going to end, and I'm very happy with how it did. I don't like movies very often, so the fact that I like this one makes me think that it's special. Or at least it's my type of movie. This movie is intense. That's for sure. I don't want to say too much more. I don't want to give anything away. It was so good.

There was a Q&A afterwards (that's two for two!) and I have to say that I didn't really have any questions. The first movie I watched was a documentary with many issues and "controversy", so lots to discuss, but this was just a beautiful story. It's there, no confusion. I think the audience may have felt that was as well. In the other movie, we had to be cut off. In this one, I think to a certain extent, people were grasping at straws so they didn't seem uninterested. And the venue for this movie was much bigger, so more people to pool from.

All I can say is that I hope there's hype about the film somewhere down the line. It deserves it. Or should I say, all parties involved deserve it.

- picture courtesy of www.tiff07.ca

Yeh yeh yeh!!!

I went to a TIFF movie last night and will go to another tonight! I'll write more soon... Yeh yeh yeh!!!!

Getting caught up in the TIFF frenzy

Love the frenzy. Well, maybe not really, but I'm on Bloor Street a lot lately, so something was bound to happen at some point.

Fact: The person with the celeb with the huge day planner and is constantly checking their cell phone is the publicist.

Fact: People wait around the entrance of the Hotel InterContinental all the time, waiting for "someone famous" to walk out They don't know who's coming out and when, but they still wait.

Fact: TIFF revellers are a friendly bunch. This is from my interactions with staffers (my fav is the Trivial Pursuit in the Rush line...candy prizes!), volunteers, attendees, star-struck fans...

Fact: I lied. Not everyone is friendly. Hard-core paparazzi are pushy and grumpy (there are more casual ones who are just happy to show off the lucky shots they got and tell you fun stories about the encounters they've had). I've also met the breed who have glossy photos (headshots, screen shots, movie posters) and sharpies ready to go. They obviously have inside info to know which glossy to have on hand (literally, the others that they don't need are in their fancy envelopes). They are rude and just want to make money off of the situation. Bah.

Sightings: Who knows? I'm sure I've walked right by a bunch of famous people, but I'm the worst at spotting them.

**pic to be posted**Sighting: I lied. Colin Farrell was pretty obvious. I'd joined the crowd in front of the Intercontinental for kicks, and when he came out and the mob started going crazy, it was a cue for my mind started cycling through the options. It didn't take long.

**pic to be posted**Sighting: Lisa Ray? That's what someone told me. I'd never heard of her.

**pic to be posted**Sighting: _______. People took pictures and asked for autographs. I figure he's somewhat important.

Story: Guy beside me in the frenzy say "Hi" to Colin Farrell. Colin turns around, says "Hi ____. Nice to see you again." (I'm bad with names.) And gives him a hug. Colin take a good look at him, asks how he's been and stuff and then invites him to go with him to the hotel for lunch. They get into the towncar and drive off. Mucho jealous.

Story: Last year, Colin Farrell befriended a homeless guy in Toronto and at some point, gave him $2000. I stood beside him in the frenzy. (Either the really down to earth paparazzi was trying to spread a rumour, or else Colin Farrell is a pretty cool guy.)

Miffed because of TIFF

The Toronto International Film Festival is in town. You know, I'm not even sure why I linked to the website - it's horrible!

You see, I don't really know much about how the Festival works, I just know that it's getting more and more popular, celebs show up for the event and lotsa good movies are played.

After finally trying to go onto the website and looking into the ticketing procedures, and then trying to sort through all of the different movies to see which ones I was interested in (I have to admit, my starting point was the selections of other reviewers and then narrowing down the field from there) I thought I understood the format well enough to prepare a list of movies that I was interested in seeing.

I was still a little confused about the prices of the tickets ($20 for a movie is pretty steep and then there's a whole "Premium" ticket thing that I didn't really understand) but was excited to see that once the tickets were released to the public, most of the shows still had tickets available (except Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution"...darn it). Hearing that there's an extra surcharge on tickets bought on the net, I decided to head down to the Manulife Centre and pick up tickets in person.

Apparently the line of 20ish people was considered short, but before I could join it, I looked at the "availability" board. And then everything went wrong.

ALL of the movies that I wanted to see were unavailable. On the plus side, I guess that means that I picked good movies. Movies that a lot of other people thought were worth paying money to see too. Sigh.

So why did they show up fine on the internet? A representative said that they were having some technical difficulties with their website. I was told that very rarely would new tickets become available and that they would also become available if anyone decided to return their tickets. I asked about the "Premium" tickets. Apparently, at Gala performances, there are chats with the director or another important person to do with the movie...so this I would understand needing to pay more for. The other type of expensive ticket goes for movies that are being shown at the Visa Screening Room at the Elgin Theatre. The theatre is a little nicer than other venues, but the only reason that the representative gave as to why the tickets were so expensive (pretty much twice the price of the already expensive regular priced ticket) was that usually stars went to watch movies at this location. So, pretty much you're paying to sit in the same, albeit dark (so you can't really see them) room as someone famous. Right.

So pretty much, my chance to being part of the TIFF is next to nothing. Boo-urns.

The representative did state that waiting in line for rush seats often turns out well. Now, I don't know how early in advance the queue starts up, but letting in approx 20 people's not bad in my eyes. Maybe I'll do that. I'll just go downtown, and walk by the theatre to see what's up and hopefully snag a seat so that I can say that I was part of TIFF.

FYI, here's a couple of the movies I was hoping to see (in case by some weird stroke of luck, by posting names my measly blog gets people to return their tickets exactly at the moment that I walk into the Manulife):
*Blind*Breakfast with Scot*Buddha Collapsed out of Shame*Chacun son Cinema*My Kid Could Paint That*Secret Sunshine*Unfinished Stories*

I can never spot them, but I still love thinking that I'm hanging out with celebs and doing super cool things like being an amateur film critic. And I'm in Toronto. I said that I wanted to make the most out of everything that It had to offer right?

I wonder how I can start networking so that I can attend a Fashion Week somewhere. Did that comment come out from left field? The segue made complete sense in my mind.

Speaking of celebs, Sassafraz is still not open. The scaffolding is gone, but it's obvious that the hot-spot is nowhere near completion. I guess their goal of being open in time for the festival didn't work out. I gotta get to Lobby somehow. I still remember when it first opened...but I still haven't gone.

- picture courtesy of www.tiff07.ca

bizarro

It's amazing what pathways your mind tends to drift along. What items spark your curiosity and memory bank.
So, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is coming up. I'd like to get tickets to Cassandra's Dream, by Woody Allen and Lust, Caution, by Ang Lee (partly due to other finds on the internet), but the online box office seems to show that tickets aren't available. I'm vaguely reminded about someone mentioning something about ticket packages. I try to find out more info, because I'm a little confused as to how it all works. My search somehow segues to a random article from Now Magazine. In this article, I come across the name Nicholas Mellamphy. It sounds so familiar...I google him thinking that I might come across something to confirm my hunch.
Googling shows that he's a stylist to the stars. No eureka yet.
You know, being a pack rat comes in handy. Yup, this guy hired me to work P/T Sales @ $8.25/hr at Club Monaco back in 2000. I remember liking him, not only because he hired me, but he was actually nice. Not a very common trait in CM managers (at least, back then). Soon after, he left to work at the Gucci store down the street on Bloor. At least, I'm assuming this is the same guy. Recent pictures (more googling) don't seem to help jog my memory.
I wonder where all the other Clubbers ended up.