Cinema Studies @TIFF2018

David Gordon Green, Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Danny McBride, and Jason Blum, and Malek Akkad discuss 2018’s Halloween sequel. Jamie Lee Curtis expresses her love and displays her extensive knowledge of the Halloween and Michael Myers mythology.

I visited New Zealand’s agency booth. I learned that the New Zealand Film Commission’s goal is to encourage and promote the national film industry. The New Zealand Film Commission regularly funds film projects and promotes and encourages the arts.

Set in the American frontier, a setting which so happens to be one of my favorites, The Great Darkened Days perfectly encapsulates the feeling of the emptiness of the west, yet somehow also encapsulated the eerieness that the emptiness creates. The main character, a draft-dodging Charlie Chaplin impersonator, is alone for the entire film, even though he meets many others on his journey, he remains alone and, for the most part, self-serving. The film’s beginning chronicles his journey alone, but he soon finds himself in a dungeon which leads him into a ring of human traffickers. It seems as if he is out to rescue the rest of the detainees, but frees himself alone. This act captures the mindset of the true drifter of the west. The film's cinematography, although a tad dark, is amazing. The sprawling shots of the vast American frontier rivaled that of There Will Be Blood.

Kirk, Noah and I were early on the scene. We stood on the sidelines and watched the crowd form. The crowd stared at an already staggering number that was approximately in the hundreds to one that was ineffable. As the rally started and the speakers began their part, the overall aura, and power of the rally manifested into something that was inspiring, bad-ass, and once again ineffable.

Less of an interview, but more of a conversation. We discussed government funding of arts in the united states vs. the funding in Canada. She was surprised to learn of the lack of programs and incentives in the state of Michigan. She expressed her surprise and concern by fondly referring to Michigan as “Ontario’s sister’, and how sad she was of how little there was to be offered. I inquired whether Ontario Arts offered an incentive to international filmmakers. She, unfortunately, replied that they do not offer anything. However, I was able to make a good connection through her with the Bloodshots film festival in Vancouver. The fest is run by one of her close friends.

Meeting Garrard Conley and Joel Edgerton was probably one of the biggest highlights of this trip. Because Boy Erased was a film that displayed such a hard-to-swallow topic already, hearing them speak about this film, seeing Garret’s emotions as this film is based on his life, made the film that much more special. Although brief, I did get a chance to tell Garrett how much this film impacted me on an emotional level. I told him how hard this film was to watch in a sense that the topic was so heavy, but how well it was made. He and Joel enjoyed our “tiff gang” as they called it, and shared to not only me but the whole group, how they are so happy the message was shared and how much this film meant to them. 

The premiere of “The Death and Life of John F Donovan” easily one of the best movies I have seen in quite a long time. It was something new, fresh, riveting, and an emotional roller coaster. (Also, Kit Harington, hi.)

The national film industry of Spain. I decided to choose the Spain cinema table after seeing “El Angel” a great film about a thief who basically turns into a psychopathic killer. It was so well done, that I knew this table would be of great interest. There are some other great films that screened at TIFF and are also on the lineup for other festivals as well, such as, “My Masterpiece”, “The Realm”, “A Twelve Year Night” and more. These films are officially selected for festivals such as the BFI London Film Festival, Festival De San Sebastian and more.

The “Share Her Journey” Women’s March was such an empowering event to experience. Women need more recognition especially in the film world, and this inspired me and many other young women out there trying to make it in the film industry, reminding us that our voices need to be heard, and our work needs to be appreciated. I remember talking to one of my friends, and we both discussed how a lot of our favorite directors, actors, etc are all male, I, to this day cannot think of a female director at the top of my head and that is where this industry needs change. Girl power baby. We need to make it happen.

Second film review of the movie Boy Erased

First film review of the movie Freaks. 

Feeling all sorts of inspired after TIFF :) Here’s my second reflection. 

Reflection 1: Why I love TIFF 

Review2: Aniara

Reflection 2: The directors

This is super cool. The first part of the project is to train how to communicate creative ideas and how to complete “detailed script analysis.” The second part is where some teams get to actually work with tutors on their scripts. This screams dedication to education and development of ideas, and I’m here for it!

Reflection 1: Lines