Results tagged “focus”

During TIFF we said, "if you’re as big a fan of Joy Division as Torontoist is, you’ll quickly come to terms with the fact that Control is simply one man’s interpretation of Deborah Curtis’s book Touching from a Distance, and your overall feelings will (probably) lie on how you feel about that interpretation," and we stand by that even now—despite the gorgeous cinematography, which remains the film’s strongest point, we still like 24 Hour Party People better (even though that’s really about Tony Wilson).

The Royal St. George's College "Focus on the Environment" speaker series continues with David Suzuki at the Bloor Cinema on Monday night. This year's series kicked off in September with Jane Goodall and continues through the rest of the school year with guest speakers ranging from writer Roy MacGregor to polar explorer Geoff Green. In contrast, the only guest speakers we remember from our high school years were actuaries and federal civil servants telling us how important it was to study calculus and French.

So, what’s scarier: a zombie infestation or the melting of the polar ice caps? This is an urgent and legitimate question! And later this week, Toronto cineastes can compare and contrast, for just as the After Dark Festival winds down, the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival springs up. Running from October 24 to 28, Planet in Focus is the most acclaimed film festival of its environmentally-minded ilk. This year, to coincide with the International Polar Year (which 2007 is, as you are doubtlessly already aware), the festival’s Spotlight Program is entitled Polar Visions. (Hint: these visions may include the melting of large volumes of ice.)

The After Dark Film Festival! Happening all week! The only film festival where Uwe bloody Boll could have his film accepted! We talked about it here! Check it out!

Transformation AGO will soon be entering the final stages of its expansion project, estimated to finish sometime in mid-2008. But before the AGO closes its doors in order to begin reinstalling over 5,000 pieces of art into 110 galleries, they will be offering free admission to the public for its closing weekend this October 6 and 7.

Earlier this week, Toronto's film production industry introduced the Green-Screen alliance, which has the goal of increasing the eco-consciousness of productions shooting in and around the city. At a time when more and more producers, directors and actors are supporting environmental charities yet not applying their tax-deductible beliefs to their own industry, Green-Screen is taking a welcome step inside. A voluntary initiative that will help film shoots to reduce their carbon footprint at all levels of production, the alliance is making an effort to put Hollywood North a step ahead of the rest when it comes to sustainable standards.

The 17th Annual Inside Out Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Festival Continues! Last night, the festival presented its centrepiece gala screening at the Isabelle Bader Theatre of King and Clown (reviewed by Torontoist at last year's TIFF), a movie about a Korean monarch who falls in love with his cross-dressing jester that also happens to be the top-grossing Korean film of all time (OK, so at least it was until this happened).

The 17th Annual Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival had its official launch earlier this week at the Gladstone (following a recent fundraiser) where it announced its lineup to the public.

This year, Hot Docs honours Toronto-based film maker Kevin McMahon with its Focus On retrospective. McMahon, whose films are noted for being playfully intellectual, accepts the accolade in that same spirit. "Geoff Pevere said to me, 'a retrospective—now you have to die.'" says the director, "So I'm focusing on the mid-career part."

Update on the stolen Taras Shevchenko statue story: its head has turned up at a smelter in Burlington, and one person has been arrested. With luck, all the assholes who stole the statue will get caught now that there's a lead. With more luck, the statue is recoverable.

The subject on everyone's mind at Spacing this morning is Regent Park's revitalization project. Our favourite public space newswire will be featuring a series of documentaries on YouTube called Regent Park TV, a project by the Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre. The Toronto Public Space Committee will be screening another series on Regent Park at the Toronto Free Gallery on Thursday, December 14 @ 7:30.

The 4th annual Regent Park Film Festival hits tonight, 6pm, at Nelson Mandela Park Public School (440 Shuter Street) with Wrecking Ball Videos, an evening of films made in Regent Park by youth trained at Regent Park Focus, not-for-profit organization that promotes health in vulnerable communities across Ontario. The festival continues until the 12th with a diverse programme that reflects on the lives and experiences of multicultural communities in Canada, based, as it is, in the multicultural Regent Park, Canada’s oldest (and largest) public housing community. Most importantly, though, all the screenings are free!

As David Miller heads for a “well, there’s no one else to vote for” style victory for his second term as mayor of Toronto, it’s easy to forget that only three years ago he was a virtual unknown who surprised everyone by becoming mayor of Canada’s largest city. During that campaign, filmmaker Andrew Munger had unprecedented access to the candidate, his family and campaign team.

. Anyway, now that’s over, we can say that we didn’t get a chance to see it at TIFF but everyone liked it a lot then and everyone likes it a lot now. NOW give it the cover feature, and Barrett Hooper notes it has “a perversely appealing mix of romance, humour and bestiality that will have you laughing hard and nodding knowingly even as it leaves the occasional bad taste in your mouth”.

The 7th annual Planet in Focus International Film and Video Festival starts tonight at the Royal Ontario Museum, 7pm with a screening of Grant McLean’s 1953 short Farewell Oak Street before feature Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox, Sara Lamm’s documentary on the strange Dr. Emmanuel Bronner, a gentleman who (quite absurdly) escaped a psychiatric hospital and began a all-natural all-organic soap company.

Torontoist already has a documented history on disliking Death of a President (including arguing with a FIPRESCI jury member about it) and we don’t really need to go into it again, so let’s hear what the critics have to say. Eye’s Liz Clayton gives it three stars, but doesn’t seem that enthused; “ultimately doesn't insinuate anything more creepy and despairing than what turns up in the real news every day”, while NOW’s Cameron Bailey finds it more interesting to talk around the film rather than about it, finally admitting the film is “not paranoid enough to be really interesting”.

Elizabeth May, the newly chosen leader of the federal Green party, is currently riding the rails across Canada from Vancouver to Ottawa. May was scheduled to stop in Toronto yesterday evening, where the public was invited to meet and greet with her outside Union Station.

There's a breeze in the air, and a million things to do before winter wraps its claws around you. Get out there!