There is quite a bit to check out this week, but the most original piece of work (albeit not too substantive) is Fear(s) of the Dark, a collection of five animated stories brought together by a woman narrating her unease. Primarily an animator’s film, the five separate artists/directors work in B&W with one mood in mind: fear. Read more »
DVD Previews | 
August 25, 2009 | No Comments »
From REW-FFWD, his collaboration with the NFB to last year’s award-winning Next Floor, Denis Villeneuve’s short films have complemented his features in style and allowed primary elements of his narrative style to come to the fore: paranoia, surrealism, manipulation. They have filled out his filmography, cementing his status as a leading auteur in new Québecois cinema. Read more »
Film Reviews | August 9, 2009 | No Comments »
The first full-length film by Denis Villeneuve premiered at Cannes’ during it’s Un Certain Regard series and was nominated for most of the major Jutras the year of its release (though only Alexis Martin took away an award for Best Actor). The analysis of this film is from the strandpoint of Villeneuve as a new director, and how his particular brand of auteurship begins to sprout amidst other stylistic choices. Read more »
Film Reviews | June 3, 2009 | No Comments »
Eight years before Polytechnique, Villeneuve’ sophomore film, Maelström, won all eight of its Jutra nominations, as well as the Genie for Best Motion Picture. Unlike Polytechnique, in which he adhered to fact as much as possible, Maelström is completely fictional, and shows a sense of playfulness despite its dark tone and brooding sense of doom. Read more »
Film Reviews | May 23, 2009 | No Comments »
This week, Denis Villeneuve’s Polytechnique will be showing during the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes film festival. Since 1994, he has directed only three feature films, his latest coming after an absence of eight years. Despite such a short filmography, his work has shown an artistry and contemporaneity that is sure to gain him a place among great Québecois directors. This series will track his career backwards, reviewing and commenting on his work from 2009 back to 1994. Read more »
Film Reviews | May 16, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Beginning this evening at Cinéma du Parc, Denis Villeneuve’s controversial fictional rendition of the 1989 massacre at Université de Montréal’s Polytechnique school is available for the first time with English subtitles. Tonight’s 6pm showing is in collaboration with the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and will be introduced by actress Karine Vanasse. The limited run ends on May 14th. Read more »
Screenings | May 7, 2009 | Comments Off
Montreal’s Festival du Nouveau Cinema celebrates it’s 37th year as one of the city’s premiere film festivals. It’s success has been due to great organization, original and modern advertising as well as its policy of allowing all of the latest films, regardless of whether or not they have played at previous festivals around the world. So while the Montreal World Film Festival is more concerned with being the first to premiere films, the FNC places this importance secondary to showing the latest great films. Thus, not only are you more likely to hit a higher quality film, but much of what is shown is known beforehand. This year’s festival is no exception, showing some of the critically acclaimed Cannes hits and others. The festival opens with short film, Next Floor and feature-length film A Sentimental Capitalism (Un capitalisme sentimentale) - both Quebecois premieres. It closes with the Cannes festival winner, The Class (Entre les murs). Read more »
Film Festivals | October 8, 2008 | Comments Off
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