| While there aren’t any feature-length films by Calgary directors in this year’s film fest, that hasn’t stopped local filmmakers from contributing some of the most interesting works in the shorts programs. It’s a good reminder that a brief two- or 10-minute film can often accomplish as much or more than many a three-hour epic.
For those interested in discovering some of the miniature highlights of the festival, here is a brief introduction to four of the best.
OUTCASTE
(Canada, 2002)
Directed by Jonathan Bland
October 6, 5 p.m., CSIF
Shot over the period of one year in Rishikesh, India, Outcaste is a wordless documentary portrait of a Mauni Baba, who, according to a title card at the beginning of the film, has taken a vow of silence as an act of devotion to God.
The rest of what we glean about this compelling figure is delivered solely through visuals, as we see the monk living his daily life on the street – sleeping, cooking, urinating, etc. – over the course of four seasons. Citing the documentaries of Frederick Wiseman as an influence, Bland says his non-declarative approach was entirely intentional.
"I never really liked having my hand held through documentaries and feeling like I was being spoonfed information that maybe I already knew," he says. "I wanted to try to leave myself out of it. It’s not about me – it’s about the guy in the street.
Indeed, Outcaste gives us an unsettling vision of an uncommon way of life – and one that Bland hopes will make his audience consider the differences between their own lives and those of less fortunate people in places like India.
Still, he is careful to note that in this case, the monk is following a spiritual calling.
"This guy has chosen to live in this way," says Bland. "Here’s a guy who reads and writes English – he could easily find a job in India, but he’s chosen to go after God. He’s doing an act of penance, and in the Hindu religion it’s a renunciation.... The more stuff you have, the further it takes you away from what you’re supposed to do."
DROWN PROOFING
(Canada, 2002)
Directed by Brenda Terning
October 6, noon, Uptown
Another gem, this time a short fiction film with a fractured and poetic narrative structure. Drown Proofing is writer-director Brenda Terning’s first short film, and it’s an auspicious debut. Reminiscent of John Cassavettes’s A Woman Under the Influence, but condensed into just 10 minutes, there’s a great emotional depth to this chronicle of a family in crisis.
"This film, I have always seen it as a tone poem, dealing with the... confusion of someone with an obsessed personality," Terning says.
YOUNG ROCKET SAMURAI
(CANADA, 2002)
Directed by Jonathan Joffe
October 6, noon, Uptown
Jonathan Joffe’s debut is a sci-fi martial arts action flick jammed into just 17 minutes. Joffe’s the first to admit that Young Rocket Samurai is a calling card to show off his talents – if you want to see just how well special effects can be done on a low-budget, the film is worth a look.
"I think if you look at action in micro-budget independent films, it really stands out," says Joffe. "If you put it next to The Matrix, it looks cheap. It is cheap! I think anyone involved in the film industry who looks at it will appreciate the complexity and effort involved."
DANCETOTHIS
(Canada, 2002)
Directed by Simon Dekker
October 5, 5 p.m., Uptown
The shortest film of the lot at six minutes, Dance To This is also the most kinetic – the result of a collaboration between director Simon Dekker, Alberta Ballet dancer and choreographer Sabrina Christine Mathews and Vancouver composer Douglas Schmidt, among others.
The film features Mathews dancing in a variety of different locales, including Stephen Avenue Mall, the Badlands, the Rockies and a downtown alleyway marked with grafitti.
"I had this idea that I wanted to do a film about the effect of place on movement," says Dekker.
The completed work is a beautiful performance film that passes by in a blur of colour, music and movement – the perfect introduction to a whole program of other shorts.
For a complete listing of short films, see www.calgaryfilm.com. |
