INDEPTH: TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL
That's a wrap
CBC News Online | September 12, 2003
Although it won't officially come to a close until Saturday night, the Toronto International Film Festival has pretty much run out of gas. Most of the celebrities who came to town to stump for their latest movies have packed up and flown home; many journalists have moved on to the next assignment.
With that in mind, here are some parting thoughts. This column is a jumble, a collection of unrelated comments, questions and theories springing from this year's festival.
- The left wing is alive and well. It's a mystery why lefties in this country and elsewhere are in such a state of despair because, judging by the movies screened in the last week and a half, that part of the political spectrum has never been better represented on the big screen. Entries like The Corporation, Go Further and Greendale all try to smash holes in the conservative orthodoxy. While it's true the right wing has Fox News and talk radio, when was the last time you saw an effective right-wing documentary? When was the last time you saw any kind of right-wing documentary at all?
- For those who love seeing this country's landscape on the silver screen, this was an especially delightful festival. From small Quebec fishing villages (La grande séduction) to Canada's far north (The Snow Walker) to downtown Toronto (Nothing), it was all there. This is a beautiful country that deserves a cinema to match its beauty. We are there.
- Will the new Tim Burton come from Canada? Granted, Burton's career is not over yet, but his Planet of the Apes remake sure makes it appear his best work is behind him. With talents like Toronto's Aaron Woodley poised to make a big mark, it wouldn't be surprising if the filmmaker who keeps Burton's legacy for weirdness alive comes from the True North (Woodley is the director behind the dream-like Rhinocerous Eyes). Another candidate is Brad Peyton, who actually didn't have a film in this year's festival, but was seen schmoozing at the Canadian Film Centre barbecue. Peyton is preparing to direct The Spider and the Fly, a big-screen fable that sounds positively Burtonesque.
- One particularly Canadian trend emerged at this year's fest: movies about Canada's health-care system. Just look at The Barbarian Invasions, La grande séduction and Dying at Grace if you want proof. Could this be the birth of a new genre?
- One film that everyone at the festival saw more than once is only a few seconds long. It's the trailer for the festival itself, which played at the beginning of every screening. It showed a young woman strolling along a boardwalk accompanied by eerie music. Only eight shots long, it evoked more of a mood than some two-hour-long features. But there's a dark secret: the trailer wasn't filmed in Toronto. Director Barry Avrich shot it in a marsh in Midland, Ont.
- One new trend that emerged this year: movies about milk, like Go Further and The Corporation. Who knew it could be such a source of controversy?
- The festival's organizers unveiled the official plans this week for the festival's permanent home. It will be housed in a posh development in the city's downtown media core. They are betting the film fest is here to stay, but will it always be such a big event? Will the new structure make the film fest even more essential to Toronto?
- One continuing trend: Movies about moviemaking, like Hollywood North. Filmmakers never tire of focusing on themselves, it seems.
- Now the real test begins. The festival provides a protective cocoon of positive headlines, but now all the films that debuted here will have to live or die in the marketplace. Which ones will last? Which ones will never be seen again? The festival is a bit deceptive; since it's a machine designed to generate hype, it makes all of the films seem equally exciting. (Being a hype generator isn't necessarily a bad thing if it's used for good, not evil. Through the judicious application of hype, festival director Piers Handling and his team have put Canadian film on the map.) In the coming months we'll find out which films can generate dollars, not just super-heated air.
Dan Brown will be attending the Toronto International Film Festival for its entirety, from Sept. 4 to 13. Throughout the 9-day festival he will bring you reports on the latest Canadian films. Read his dispatches and follow his comments by clicking on the links.
^TOP
|
|
 |
 MENU |
|
|
| ABOUT DAN BROWN: |
|
Dan Brown is the site's senior arts editor/reporter. Before joining us he was a lineup editor and senior writer for Newsworld International. Dan helped to launch the National Post's Arts & Life section, where he was a columnist and reporter. A former editorial writer, copy editor and journalism instructor, Dan has degrees from three universities.
|
|
| FROM CBC ARCHIVES: |
|
|
| MORE: |
|
|
|
