Halifax: The Inevitability of Something that Once Felt Live a Video Dance Party

That film I told you about that is being made by Laura Dawe with an all local cast and crew in Halifax and with the help and support of Dog Day, Jane Vain and the Dark Matter, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees, Jon McKiel, In-Flight Safety, Jenn Grant and others is having another fundraiser. This one is to pay for the (last I think) winter shoot of the film.

On December 11 at the Khyber in Halifax $5 will get you Rich Acoin and video sets from DJ Peer A Mid and DJ Innez Da Future. The Video Dance Party starts at 10:00!

People who show up will also get to see the first Trailer for Dawe's film, made by Halifax for Halifax. Show up, even if it's just to drop off your $5 and walk away.

Facebook Event Page Is Here
and to keep up on developments with the film
Join the Facebook Group.

The Besnard Lakes tapped to score Mark Ruffalo film

I have written recently, a few times about smart Canadian directors tapping into the popularity of Canadian musicians. Most recently it was Buck 65 scoring Sook-Yin Lee's first feature (which premieres tonight in Toronto).

But it is not just Canadian directors who are tapping into our wealth of great musicians. I'm sure that you all know by know about the Arcade Fire - Where the Wild Things Are connection:



Now, according to Chartattack the Besnard Lakes have been tapped to score Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut "Sympathy For Delicious":

"The film, which stars Orlando Bloom (The Lord Of The Rings, Pirates Of The Caribbean), Juliette Lewis (Whip It, Old School) and Ruffalo, is currently in production. Ruffalo says he wanted The Besnard Lakes to score the movie after he heard the 2007 Polaris Music Prize short listed The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse's "Because Tonight," which he describes as "a perfect piece of music."

"Sympathy For Delicious is a magic and agnostic rock 'n' roll revival, and I wanted a score to the film that felt questioning and cinematic," Ruffalo says. "The Besnard Lakes is a perfect match to what we have been trying to achieve with the movie; something rough and not overproduced, not devoid of guts, full of humanity and messy around the edges."

By the way, for those of you who have been following along, "The Inevitability of Something That Once Felt Impossible", the Halifax film which people like Rebekah Higgs, Jenn Grant, Jon McKiel, Dog Day, In-Flight Safety and others have been helping to promote and raise funds for is, by all accounts, coming along well. Scores of production stills have been uploaded to the Facebook Group.

Buck 65 to Score New Sook-Yin Lee Film

Definitely Not the Opera host Sook Yin-Lee's first feature film 'The Year of the Carnivore' is slated to debut at this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and, according to Chartattack it will be scored by her CBC co-worker Drive host and legendary Nova Scotia musician Buck 65.

I have written before about the growing relationship between the booming Canadian music scene and Canada's smarter filmmakers, but neither Sook Yin-Lee nor Buck 65 (Rich Terfry) is a stranger to the overlap.

Buck 65 has previously scored the documentary Discordia and the French film L'histoire de Richard O. as well as the Side Street Project - a musical film with Terfry, Holy Fuck, and Emm Gryner.

Sook Yin-Lee has appeared in several films as well as writing and directing several shorts. Most recently she appeared in Short Bus along with Gentleman Reg and Lex Vaughn and featured music by the Hidden Cameras (amoung others) and starred in and directed a portion of Toronto Stories the soundtrack of which featured Final Fantasy, Broken Social Scene, Jason Collett, and Ohbijou. She has also been known to sing a bit herself have a listen at her Myspace. I'll even through in a music video before you're done reading this.

Year of the Carnivore "is a romantic-comedy-drama about a girl with an unrequited crush on a boy who thinks she's bad in bed, so she goes out to get more 'experience'" Additional information is available at yearofthecarnivore.com or on the Facebook Fan Page.

The film will premiere at the Varsity Theatre in Toronto on Thursday, September 10 additional screenings are scheduled for the following:

TIFF Press & Industry 1 - Friday September 11th - CUMBERLAND 1 - 2:00PM
TIFF Public 2 - Saturday September 12th - SCOTIABANK THEATRE 1 - 12:15PM
TIFF Public 1 (World Premiere) - VARSITY 8 - September 10 - 7:30PM

Because there doesn't seem to be a trailer available for the film here's a music video made by this guy for Sook Yin-Lee's song 'Knock Loud'

"knock loud", by sook-yin lee

Endearing Records Remembers John Hughes with Free Cover Songs

Back in 1998 as part of their third anniversary celebration Vancouver's Endearing Records put together 'Pretty in Pop' - a collection of low fi cover versions of songs from John Hughes films. With Hughes recent passing, Endearing has pulled a few tracks from the vault and is offering them up for free. Visit endearing.com right now to snag your free copies of:

The Bonaduces - "I Go Crazy". Originally by Flesh for Lulu, from the movie "Some Kind of Wonderful".
Speedbuggy - "Pretty In Pink". Originally by The Psychedelic Furs, from the movie "Pretty In Pink".
Ciao Bella - "If You Were Here". Originally by The Thompson Twins, from the movie "16 Candles".
B'ehl - "Don't You Forget About Me". Originally by Simple Minds, from the movie "The Breakfast Club".

R.I.P. Mr. Hughes

Halifax Musicians Help Make a Movie

Canadian music is more popular than it has ever been, inside and outside of Canada. Smart Canadian filmmakers, who are always strapped for cash and desperate for publicity have figured this out and are incorporating Canadian music into their films.

2007 Ed Gass-Donnelly incorporated an amazing soundtrack featuring Sunparlour Players, Buck 65, the Ghost is Dancing, Shad, and others into his film This Beautiful City

2007 Bruce McDonald, who previously made the rock mockumentary Hard Core Logo (Toronto band Billy Talent takes it's name from one of the characters) convinces Broken Social Scene to score his new film the Tracey Fragments. If Hollywood had any taste this would have been taken the Best Picture Oscar.

2008 Michael McGowan not only puts together an amazing soundtrack of Canadian music for his film One Week but the film also features cameo appearances from people like Gord Downie, Emm Gryner and Joel Plaskett.

Laura Dawe's first feature film "The Inevitability of Something That Once Felt Impossible" may put them all to shame before she's done though.

The film is about three "art kids" who, in the midst of an economic depression and gas crisis, move to a house in the country to try to build a sustainable, self-sufficient life for themselves. The Halifax music community, in support of Dawe, her idea, and the possibility of having films made in the maritimes have latched onto it in an unprecedented way.

Artists like Dog Day, Jane Vain and the Dark Matter, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees, Jon McKiel, Jenn Grant and others have donated songs to the soundtrack. Beyond that many of the same people are doing what they can to promote the film and holding fundraisers to get Dawe the money to finish making it.

It has been featured on Rebekah Higgs Sobama radio show on CKDU - especially Episode 5 which is devoted entirely to talking with Dawe about the film and trying to raise funds for it.

Jenn Grant has turned her brithday party into a fundraiser for the film.

"My birthday wish this year is to have a music party with lots of friends and cupcakes to help to raise money for Laura Dawe's first feature film so she can finish it. Everyone! is! Invited! Please come. Musical guests will include Ruth Minnikin, Ryan MacGrath, Dance Movie, Daniel Ledwell, John Mullane, Klarka Weinwurm, Rebekah Higgs, Jon Mckiel, Alright Already, Acres and Acres and Zac Crouse. Oh yeah, i am a white ninja and laura is a black ninja. we are going to fight in a dual. i will wear flowers in my hair but she will probably wear evil crystals to try and deflect my awesome powers. It is required that you dress up as either a black or white ninja. eat my words as well as my knife."

Details are at the Facebook Event Page.

Local independent press from the Coast to Herohill have also been lending a hand.

Smart Canadian filmmakers have learned the value of using Canadian music to draw a wider audience but as far as I know this is the first time that Canadian musicians have been so directly involved with the funding and creation of the film. Canadians have recently become more interested in their own stories and their own voices. Perhaps the unprecedented popularity of Canadian music is only the first step toward a more prosperous and prolific Canadian arts and media on the whole.

I've sent a message asking how others can get involved, keep up with the project and make donations to the cause but haven't gotten word yet. I'll let you know if I hear anything.

On Edit: Those wishing to donate who cannot attend the fundraisers can paypal or donate an email money transfer to laura.dawe@gmail.com - There wasn't a permanent Facebook group so I made one (with Laura Dawe's approval - see http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=115527373251.

First time filmmaker Laura Dawe and Birthday Girl Jenn Grant ninja it up.

RiP: A Remix Manifesto is now Pay What You Want

Brett Gaylor's film on Copyright, mashups and culture RiP: A Remix Manifesto - winner of Audience Choice: International Doc Festival Amsterdam, Audience Choice: Whistler Film Fest, Special Jury Prize: Festival Nouveau Cinema Montreal, and a dozen or so others can now be yours for whatever you feel like paying for it. $20, $10, $5, or nothing at all.

Visit ripremix.com and click on the old cash register (broke or not you can afford a movie for the weekend - happy recession everyone!

Do Make Say Think, Final Fantasy and German Film

Via NxEW.ca: On June 11 at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto there will be a screening of Robert Oswald’s Tales of the Uncanny (Unheimliche Geschichten). The film was originally released in Germany in 1919 - one year after the end of World War I. The film has never been screened before in Canada.

You are only excited right now if you're a hard core film buff. Here is what is going to pack the square. In 1919 movies were silent and had a musical score that was performed with the film. For this particular screening that score will be performed by Toronto's Do Make Say Think and Final Fantasy. There you go - now who's a fan of German silent film??

Do Make Say Think - In Mind



Final Fantasy - Furniture

Kevin Drew dives into film-making with The Water

The Water, a 15 minute film by Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew will premiere this Friday, April 10th on Pitchfork TV. The film short features Irish actor Cillian Murphy, Canadian actor David Fox, and Canadian musician Leslie Feist as well as Feist's song 'The Water'. The Water is a visual poem which questions love, life, and death representing the song of the same name.

RiP: A Remix Manifesto

Ann Arbor Film Fest March 24 - 29 Michigan Theater
http://www.aafilmfest.org/

In RiP: A remix manifesto, Canadian Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.
The film’s central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil’s Minister of Culture Gilberto Giland pop culture critic Cory Doctorow are also along for the ride.
A participatory media experiment, from day one, Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org, for anyone to remix. This movie-as-mash-up method allows these remixes to become an integral part of the film. With RiP: A remix manifesto, Gaylor and Girl Talk sound an urgent alarm and draw the lines of battle.
(from http://www.aafilmfest.org/)

Screening: 9:00 PM Sat, Mar 28
Michigan Theater - Main Theater
603 East Liberty St
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
$9.00 USF

RiP: A Remix Manifesto

RiP: A Remix Manifesto is a film by Montreal's Brett Gaylor released under a creative commons licence that ask you to remix the film itself and contribute to the 2.0 version. This is just a trailer, for the full fim (in chapters) and information on how you can contribute to the next version (Remix Manifesto 2.0) visit http://www3.nfb.ca/webextension/rip-a-remix-manifesto/.