TIFF Next Wave 2014
Starting last night at the TIFF Bell Lightbox is one of TIFF’s biggest offshoot festivals, the youth-programmed and driven TIFF Next Wave festival. The festival itself is steered by the TIFF Next Wave Committee, a voluntary advisory team made up of 12 youth dedicated to bringing quality film programming and film-related events to young cinephiles across the city. The festival aims to empower and inspire youth to make films and come together to watch movies on the big screen. This year’s lineup features Canadian and international films that explore a variety of cultures and topics that are universal for anybody (not only teens), no matter who they are or where they come from. (more…)
The Claire Denis Retrospective rolls on with the Director herself in attendance
This past weekend the TIFF Bell Lightbox started its 4 week retrospective into the works of director Claire Denis with some of her earliest works, Chocolat, Beau Travail and No Fear, No Die. The retrospective continues into mid-November with more of the director’s works on display, but this weekend marks the biggest weekend for the retrospective as the Lightbox will be graced with the presence of the lady herself.
On Thursday October 17th, Denis will be live and in person at the Lightbox for the presentation of the Carte Blanche selection of Djibril Diop Mambéty’s Touki-Bouki, along with director Mati Diop whose short A Thousand Suns will precede the film. Then the following night, October 18th, Denis will introduce her latest film Bastards, which is currently finishing a regular theatrical run at the Lightbox this week. (more…)
‘Blackfish’ will fascinate TIFF Bell Lightbox audiences starting this weekend
Starting this week at the TIFF Bell Lightbox is the documentary that caused quite the splash at this year’s Hot Docs film festival, “Blackfish”. When director Gabriela Cowperthwaite began investigating the death of a trainer who was dragged to her death during a “Dine with Shamu” show at SeaWorld, she soon found the initial story gave way to a far more shocking and further-reaching situation that plumbed the depths of a billion-dollar industry.
Blackfish
Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite
A killer whale linked to three trainer deaths over two decades, Tilikum is the backbone of the story presented in Blackfish. However, Cowperthwaite discovered it wasn’t just this particular whale; there have been multiple cases of Orca attacks on trainers in parks around the world, although never in the wild. Featuring testimonies from experts and trainers, and with never-before-seen footage, (more…)
TOGA! TOGA! TOGA! at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
Starting today at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and running through the rest of the summer is the new series based on the resurgence of the raunchy American comedy that was launched back in the 70’s by the now classic National Lampoon’s Animal House, ‘TOGA! The Reinvention of American Comedy’. Filled with special guests and screenings, the series promises to be one of the most hilarious set of films the Lightbox has managed to group together.
TOGA! The Reinvention of American Comedy
Running July 17th – Aug 29th 2013 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
In 1978 a film was launched into theaters that combined the growing movement of improv comedy, the likes of Saturday Night Live and comedy troupes like the Groundlings, emerging director John Landis and the National Lampoon humor magazine entitled National Lampoon’s Animal House. The film went on to shatter box-office records and drag R-rated comedy from its b-movie drive in origins into the mainstream. The film also made “Toga! Toga!” into a generational rallying cry and served as inspiration for many a college drinking night. This film series will screen 27 rude, crude and brilliant movies that changed the face of modern American comedy, all of which owe at least in part a huge debt to Landis’ ground-breaking comedy.
TIFF gets ready for its ‘Picture Day’ (Review)
Starting an exclusive run at the TIFF Bell Lightbox this week is the TIFF 2012 Festival alum, and Toronto filmed Canadian production, starting the breakout star of TV’s “Orphan Black” Tatiana Maslany, “Picture Day”. The film marks the directorial debut of veteran “Degrassi: The Next Generation” writer Kate Melville, who delivers an accomplished and engaging, yet small, story that is enhanced by some great performances.
Picture Day
Starring Tatiana Maslany, Spencer Van Wyck, Steven McCarthy, Susan Coyne, Fiona Highet and Mark DeBonis
Written and Directed by Kate Melville
Hidden Gem ‘Graceland’ graces the TIFF Bell Lightbox
One of the grittiest films to play at last year’s Reel Asian Film Festival in Toronto was the crime thriller “Graceland” from the Philippines. Not to be confused with the lavish estate of Elvis in Memphis, Graceland in this case refers to the seedy underground that inhabits and seeps out of every pore of the city of Manila. A place where everything has a price and nothing appears to be as it seems. Graceland is finally getting a long deserved theatrical run at the TIFF Bell Lightbox starting May 10th and it’s definitely a film that should not be missed.
Graceland
Starring Arnold Reyes, Menggie Cobarrubias, Dido De Le Paz and Ella Guevara
Written and Directed by Ron Morales
Marlon Villar (Reyes) is a pious family man who minds his own business, takes care of his daughter Elvie (Guevara) and visits his bed-ridden wife at the hospital every night. (more…)
‘A Colt is my Passport’ is one of the highlights of TIFF’s free weekend
Playing March 16 2013 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox as part of the Spotlight Japan series is the Nikkatsu noir classic, “A Colt is my Passport”. The tale of a betrayed hit man from 1967 is also part of the TIFF Bell Lightbox Family Free weekend, so the 10 pm screening is actually free for those who show up one hour before show time to collect a ticket. With a free showing on the big screen of this Nikkatsu gem how could you go wrong?
A Colt is my Passport
Starring: Jo Shishido, Chitose Kobayashi, Jerry Fujio and Akiyoshi Fukae
Written by ShuichiNagahara and Nobou Yamada
Directed by Takashi Nomura
Kamimura (Shishido) is a hard-boiled hired killer commissioned by a local gang to take down a rival boss. He pulls the job off with his customary efficiency, but everything goes to hell anyway. The rival gang lord who hires Kamimura and his driver Shun (Fujio) (more…)
TIFF celebrates the films of Japan in their winter schedule
TIFF celebrates the films of Japan in their winter schedule
Starting Jan 19, as part of the city wide Toronto ‘Spotlight Japan’ celebration, theTIFF Bell Lightbox begins a 3 month celebration of Japanese cinema also entitled ‘Spotlight Japan’. The collection includes 3 series and some other individual titles that spotlight classic and contemporary Japanese cinema. Running through April 17, TIFF will show individuals screenings of classic Japanese cinema broken into three series:
Tokyo Drifters: 100 Years of Nikkatsu
Celebrating the history of the legendary (more…)
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