A still from director Alexis Dos Santos’s Unmade Beds, one of the 10 films competing in the CIFF’s Mavericks program.
Merriam-Webster defines “maverick” as an unbranded range animal, especially a stray calf. Let’s try again.
For most of us, “maverick” connotes independence. It also functions as a ready-made metaphor for the Calgary International Film Festival, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary. Now past its calf-like early years, the festival is making the label official with its Mavericks program, an ambitious contest with a large cash prize.
The criteria and concept behind the Mavericks program are simple: 10 films by 10 emerging directors (first or second feature-length release) from around the world will compete for a $25,000 prize, ponied up by festival sponsor American Express. From roughly 130 eligible films, a long list of about 30 that were deemed worthy of a second look were then whittled down to the 10 finalists. All 10 directors will attend their respective screenings and hang around for the climactic award banquet where a jury will choose one top directorial doggie.
It’s a concept, says CIFF director of programming Trevor Smith, whose time had come.
“[Mavericks has] been sort of percolating around the festival for a couple of years now and the 10th year seemed like the perfect place to launch it and take the festival to the next level,” he says.
A filmmaker himself, Smith has been with CIFF since its first year, starting as a “gofer” and joining the staff last year. This year, he was more than ready to grab the bull by the proverbial horns.
“Sometimes it’s more work than fun,” he admits. “There’s such a volume of films.”
“The best part of the job is sort of the responsibility of trying to put some of these hidden gems in front of people who might not otherwise get a chance to see them, and share some of that glee that you get from seeing these films for the first time.”
It’s that sense of glee that Smith looks to find in the program’s first year. Despite its competitive aspect, Smith hopes the Mavericks program will inspire a sense of fraternity among all the contenders.
“You want them to mix and to mix with our own local industry,” he says. “That’s one of ideas, I think, that’s key to this succeeding: that people get a chance to exchange ideas and share in their challenges, their accomplishments and celebrate together what they’ve achieved.”
The inaugural Mavericks program is an international affair, including contributions from Europe (France, Germany and the U.K.), Asia (China-Korea, Malaysia, Turkey and Iran) and the U.S. Even Juntos, the only Canadian contender, is a Canada-Mexico co-production helmed by Mexican-born Toronto transplant, Nicolas Pereda. It was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and filmed in Mexico, in Spanish, with English subtitles.
The only place missing? Alberta. While a few Alberta films were eligible, none are represented in this year’s competition.
“For the most part, they were independent and there were some really interesting pictures. Unfortunately, none of them made the grade,” says Smith.
“That doesn’t mean they weren’t great films,” he adds. “It just means they weren’t considered in the Top 10.”
This is something he expects will change in future years. “When it comes to features, it’s the dream of everybody’s to have an Albertan film, front and centre, in the Mavericks program, in years to come. Some filmmakers have told me that it’s really inspired them to get off their behinds and get that feature film developed.”
There’s more to CIFF 2009 than the Mavericks, but the series clearly reflects and parallels the concept and vision of the festival overall. In a city still struggling with its own artistic identity, while trying not to lose whatever sense of itself it already has, the maverick label seems to stick.
“We’re struggling to be a ‘destination’ film festival, to be a little bit different than some of our national partners and without getting too ‘cowboy’ about it,” says Smith. “We thought that Mavericks fit pretty well.”
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