Preview
HERLAND FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL
May 1 to 8
Plaza Theatre
In the world of addiction, gambling can often be the most invisible and isolating pariah, buried in an otherwise entertaining and recreational facade. Confused by the lure, casino addicts often find themselves transfixed in a time warp, throwing endless cash into machines that ultimately spit out bigger costs.
For Calgary filmmaker Michelle Wong, addiction became personal in 2000, when it suddenly fuelled her brother Philip’s suicide. Camera in hand, she sought answers, interviewing friends and family and attending Gamblers’ Anonymous to see things through Philip’s lens. Her research got backing from the National Film Board (NFB), and after a cleansing three-year journey, she completed her first feature doc, Pieces of A Dream: A Story of Gambling.
"It’s almost a micro-examination of a family dealing with gambling," describes Wong. "We saw the signs, but we never saw the expense or depth of what Philip was doing. He made it a daily job, which gamblers often do. And we weren’t all getting together and sharing information, only getting pieces of info. This is the fallout – the worst-case scenario".
Nominated for an Alberta Motion Picture Industry Award, Pieces of A Dream heads a roster of local films and videos on Local Motion night May 3, one of several programs at this year’s Herland Film Festival. Herland’s activities kick off two days earlier at Inglewood’s Alexandra Centre as part of May Day Celebrations, and besides collaborating more this year with other festivals, Herland’s finally found a one-stop location at the Plaza for the remainder of the week’s screenings.
"Having more visibility first and foremost is a major plus for us," says administrative co-ordinator Jaylene Scheible. "There is some sense of culture at the Plaza, and it got confusing keeping track of where we were in more than one location."
Now in its 14th year, Herland’s role as an umbrella for women’s new media still has serious glitches in resources. Scheible hopes to change all that, planning more fundraisers and increased overall support – including more men.
"We’ve been trying to encourage men to get involved for a while," says Scheible, "along with getting more emerging artists and students. Last year we had our first male involved with programming, but there’s still this idea that men can’t be involved."
Alongside returning co-ordinator Patricia Duquette, Scheible has found renewed strength for the festival working as a pair. While Duquette takes on sponsorships, communications and publicity for this year’s festival, Scheible is abuzz in programming, administrative work and volunteer co-ordination, and it’s made a world of difference.
With a mandate to screen Canadian work, last year’s festival was the first time Herland began screening international material, a formula which seems to be a hit. Along with an international lineup of shorts, this year’s timely tribute is to the women of Palestine and Israel, including one-hour features Frontiers of Dreams and Fears by Mai Masri and Michal Aviad’s celebrated For My Children.
For the fourth year, Herland will also dish out some trans-gendered programming from the U.S. in its Gender Continuum Series, accompanied by audience discussion. Heading the evening is Paul Hill’s feature Myth of Father, another personal exploit doc about Hill’s relationship with his father, a transsexual woman.
Curated by Picture This Film Festival director Vern Reynolds-Braun, Celebrating Disability Culture is also new on the menu this year, with subjects that include artist Frida Kahlo and deaf lesbian performance artist and playwright Terry Galloway. A unique blend of poetry, performance art and visual and digital animation, the evening is a promising first collaboration between both festivals.
The rest of Herland’s programming includes More Than Four Directions, a series of shorts and live performances topped by award-winner Shirley Cheechoo’s feature Bearwalker, a drama about four sisters’ struggles on a fictional Cree reserve at Manitoulin Island. In collaboration with Fairy Tales, the festival winds up this year with queer screenings and a closing night party.
Wong, whose shorts Return Home and Do Wop-A-Do have screened at Herland in the past, will be among many filmmakers present for screenings. Pieces of Dreams has already aired on CBC’s Rough Cuts and will screen in Vancouver next as part of Asian Heritage month. Thanks to screenings and workshops at Herland, Wong has grown considerably in her work.
"I’m not a wide-eyed Alberta girl anymore," says the St. Paul native. "Personally, the biggest change for me and my family from this film is that the dynamic has changed – that level of silence is not there anymore."
With any luck, we can expect the same from Herland’s future filmmakers. |
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