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Urban Planner: February 27, 2009
FILM: Shake off the February blahs at the World of Comedy Film Festival this weekend (on through March 1). Gut-busting animated and live-action shorts (plus a few features) from around the globe treat us to humour with universal appeal. This year’s line-up includes three new shorts from Wallace and Grommit creators Aardman Animation, the new Matthew Modine–voiced piece Santa: The Fascist Years from Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton, and full-length documentary Certifiably Jonathan featuring veteran comedian Jonathan Winters trying to rediscover his lost sense of humour. Comedy production novices can get into the act with professional development seminars on Saturday and Sunday. Innis College, Town Hall Theatre (2 Sussex Avenue), 9:30 p.m. (opening night program), $10 per screening.
COMEDY: If comedy on film isn’t your beat, get it live at Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival‘s Best of the Fest Encore Show, featuring the Williamson Playboys, Statutory Jape, Uncalled for, and The Riot. All proceeds from the night go toward Sketch Comedy Festival 2009, which can only be a good thing. Second City (51 Mercer Street), 11 p.m., $12.
WORDS: PEN Canada presents Closer to the Land: Freedom of Expression and the Environment. The panel discussion—a co-presentation with Harper Collins and the Toronto Library as part of Freedom to Read week—brings together outspoken environmental activists Taras Grescoe, Sarah Harmer, Trevor Herriot, and Ken McGoogan for conversation with CBC’s Matt Galloway. Given that—despite previous damning articles elsewhere—it’s taken a twenty-page spread in National Geographic to spark actual debate about the oilsands cesspool, they may have something to talk about. Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street), 7:30 p.m., $10.
MUSIC: The Gladstone Hotel wraps up its Black History Month Fridays with four African Divas—Guinean Katenen Dioubate, Sudanese Ruth Mathiang, South African Lizzie Mahashe, and special guest South-African Zaki Ibrahim—paying tribute to the late anti-apartheid empress Miriam Makeba, also known as “Mama Africa.” Before the show, drop in to the free companion event across the hall in the Melody bar where Zimbabwean band Masaisai play live from 7–10 p.m. Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queeen Street West), 9 p.m., $10.
WORDS: Screenwriting festival outfit WILDsound presents its First Act Feature Screenplay Contest showdown. The first acts of the top three finalists’ feature scripts—chosen from over 250 submissions—will be performed by professional actors in lively script-readings moderated by Scott Wentworth. The audience votes at the end of the night for their favourite, to be performed in full at April’s WILDsound reading event. NFB Mediatheque (150 John Street), 7:30 p.m., $8.
PARTY: Why won’t the ’80s just go away? Why? The Blue Moon Pub hosts a retro-active ’80s Dance Party to relive the days of tortured hair, day-glo, artificially ripped clothing, cheap analog video effects, synthesized Brit-pop, and some of the worst “classic rock” ever (over)produced. The all-request play-list may offer some salvation by exposing forgotten ’80s subculture gems like California’s hardcore scene or London’s deep dub reggae underground. Blue Moon Pub (725 Queen Street East), 9 p.m., $12.
ART: Toronto street artist Anser, who we interviewed last week, has had his “Mysterious Date” exhibit extended until March 24. Funktion Gallery (1244 Bloor Street West), 1 p.m., FREE.