In part seven of our TIFF 2011 preview, Brian McKechnie takes a look at seven shorts that are screening in the Short Cuts Canada programme. Check back over the next few days for more previews of films playing at TIFF 2011.
Issues
SCC: Programme 1
Directors: Hugh Dillon and Enrico Colantoni
Hugh Dillon stars as a creepy clown in a therapy session in this bizarro piece from the minds of Flashpoint partners Dillon and Enrico Colantoni. Very slick production and an excellent performance by Dillon made me want to see a feature film based on this character.
Rating: **** (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
September 9 at 10 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
September 10 at 10 a.m. at Jackman Hall – AGO
Patch Town
SCC: Programme 1
Director: Craig Goodwill
Patch Town brings the idea of Cabbage Patch Kids to real life in the guise of a Russian fable. There’s singing, oppression, and even a nod to the Garbage Pail Kids. It’s a lot of fun, and like Issues, should definitely be turned into a feature. Screens in 3-D.
Rating: **** (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
September 9 at 10 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
September 10 at 10 a.m. at Jackman Hall – AGO
Throat Song
SCC Programme 3
Director: Miranda de Pencier
Producer-turned-director Miranda de Pencier (who recently produced Beginners, starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer) presents the struggles of an Inuit woman as she tries to find her voice in the community she lives. It’s a very intriguing piece and will hopefully get de Pencier directing more films.
Rating: *** (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
September 12 at 6 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
September 13 at 3:30 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
Mandeep
SCC Programme 4
Director: Darrin Klimek
Mandeep is a 6-minute portrait of Mandeep Sanghera; a 23-year-old photographer in Vancouver who suffers from severe Tourette’s syndrome. It’s a powerful piece that will tear your heart out and open your eyes as to how someone lives with this syndrome in a world that doesn’t understand it.
Rating: **** (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
September 12 at 8 p.m. at Jackman Hall – AGO
September 13 at 5 p.m. at Jackman Hall – AGO
Pathways
SCC Programme 6
Director: Dusty Mancinelli
For a 12-minute film, Pathways felt like it just went on forever. The story is about a boy who is bullied at school and then stumbles upon a dead body. That’s really it.
Rating: ** (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
September 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
September 15 at 1 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
Acqua
SCC Programme 6
Director: Raha Shirazi
Acqua is a pointless, boring piece about the quest for water. I’m sure the filmmaker had good intentions when she set out to produce it but the presentation is extremely dull.
Rating: * (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
September 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
September 15 at 1 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
Ora
SCC Programme 6
Director: Philippe Baylaucq
Ora is something that should be playing in an art gallery instead of a film festival. It’s a 3-D thermal dance piece that is beautiful to look at, but tedious to sit through for 15 minutes. Falls under the same programme as Acqua and Pathways.
Rating: ** (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
September 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
September 15 at 1 p.m. at the Bell Lightbox
TIFF 2011 runs from September 8 – 18. For more information, visit tiff.net.
Top image: A scene from Patch Town. Courtesy TIFF.
