OIFF spotlight: A Violent State ‘is not a love story’

Photo credit: Judy via Flickr

Christine Skobe is the Ottawa International Film Festival’s director of social media.  In a series of posts also being published on OIFF’s blog, Christine is shining the spotlight on some of films being featured in the festival, which runs from Aug. 18-20.

Be warned: This is not a love story. Jordan Reese is a man on the verge of leaving his life of crime far behind him — until the night that his past sneaks back into town. It doesn’t take long before violence is unleashed in the open streets and the city’s underworld erupts into a game of death. And that’s just the beginning …

A Violent State screens Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

The dark themes of A Violent State, though not new to Canadian cinema, have definitely been underrepresented. Adrian Langley, the film’s writer, director and star, has dabbled in the genre before with his film Donkey. Langley has worked in many different aspects of film production, from editing to composing and almost everything in between. That puts him in the perfect position to assert this genre of film in Canadian cinema. A Violent State was shot in the Ottawa region with the help of OGFT, an organization that connects filmmakers with the City of Ottawa and cuts through the red tape that often bogs down independent film-making.

This is not Langley’s only connection to OIFF 2011. He is also screening his films The Diner, a comedic short in the same vein as The Office, and Hint of Winter, a Digi60 short with darker themes similar to those found in A Violent State. As Langley works his way to mastering the crime drama genre, he is definitely someone to keep an eye on — and not only in the regards to Canadian cinema. Originally titled Strife, A Violent State explores the ripple effect that can occur with just one wrong turn and examines the human condition through its use of violence and crime.

A scene from Adrian Langley's A Violent State

A Violent State holds its World Premiere during OIFF on Thursday, Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m. (The film runs 80 minutes and has an OIFF unofficial rating of 16+ for violence, language, some nudity and mature subject matter. Tickets are available online or at the box office on the day of, located at the Empire Theatres in the World Exchange Plaza (111 Albert Street).

For the full Ottawa International Film Festival schedule, be sure to visit OIFF’s website. 

OIFF spotlight: Short films sure to impress in Saturday series

Photo credit: Judy via Flickr

Christine Skobe is the Ottawa International Film Festival’s director of social media.  In a series of posts also being published on OIFF’s blog, Christine is shining the spotlight on some of films being featured in the festival, which runs from Aug. 18-20.

With only 3 days left until the kick-off of OIFF 2011, it’s a great time to look at some of the short films that are featured in this year’s program. Up today: The Waiting Room and Clarity.

The Waiting Room and Clarity both play Aug. 20 during OIFF

The Waiting Room

Recipient of the “Voter’s Favourite” Award at the OIFF 72-hour film challenge held earlier this year, The Waiting Room is a passionate and engaging film straight from the heart of Ottawa. In fact, this film brings us back to the roots of the festival itself — filmmakers coming together and shooting movies. The 72-hour film challenge is just that — movie makers are given a few rules and a number of ‘must-include’ plot points, and let loose on a wild three-day movie shoot. The finished products are presented to a crowd of artists and local filmmakers; they voted in masses to give The Waiting Room the top honours.

The Waiting Room won OIFF's 72-hour challenge

The film revolves around one man’s experience in a waiting room in preparation for a spiritual adventure to Taiwan. It uses many surrealist techniques to create the distortion that is necessary in illustrating the rift between living and beyond. The narrative explores several past memories before setting off for the trip of a lifetime. Staring Jane Chupick, Sean Hockey and Kyle Lidster, The Waiting Room is an existential adventure into one man’s perception of life after death. The film runs a mere six minutes and is bound to leave a philosophical mark on the audience.

Alex Williams, the film’s writer, director and a budding auteur, is an Ottawa success story himself. An Algonquin graduate in television broadcasting, Williams has gone on to work as a producer with the non-profit organization Free the Children, as well as to co-found Wilco Productions. Williams also worked with OIFF 2010 in coordinating the Music Video Challenge.

Clarity

Clarity is a force that has been making the festival rounds, appearing at the San Antonio Film Festival, the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival and the Long Island Film Expo. The story itself is one of Max Stein (played by director Eric Lunsky), an optometrist like his father and grandfather before him. Max brings much-needed clarity to his patients. With the aid of his mystical eye-chart, some of Max’s clients are presented with a sense of clarity as they read the final line in their eye exam. The letters form a message of personal meaning that is only visible to the specific person it relates to. The film dares to explore fantastical ideas while remaining grounded in more traditional narrative storylines.

Matt Baram plays Glen in Clarity

Lunsky is also the film’s writer, co-director and producer, receiving the ‘Best Story’ award for Clarity at the aforementioned Long Island Film Expo. Co-directed by Harvey Wolfe, the production team has created a quirky and developed plot line that borders on philosophical. Wolfe also worked on the project as editor, sound editor, and composer. The score is something to keep your eye on — Wolfe spent two years working on music and sound design and composing original scores for North American television and movies. Since then, Wolfe has worked as the President of Cause & Effect Communications, Clarity‘s production company.

The Waiting Room and Clarity both screen Saturday, August 20 at 3:30pm in a program of six short films. Tickets are available online or at the box office on the day of, located at the Empire Theatres in the World Exchange Plaza (111 Albert Street).

For the full Ottawa International Film Festival schedule, be sure to visit OIFF’s website.

OIFF spotlight: Highway Gospel is skateboarding ‘documentary with heart’

Photo Credit: Judy via Flickr

The Ottawa International Film Festival, running from Aug. 18-20, is less than a week away. OIFF’s social media director Christine Skobe tells us about one of the festival’s documentaries, Highway Gospel, in the first of a series of posts being published on OIFF’s blog.

For years, Ottawa has had a lively, blossoming and creative filmmaking scene. Though Ottawa is not a powerhouse of production like Toronto or Vancouver, the city holds a unique position when it comes to Canadian cinema. Home to several successful production companies as well as independently owned arthouse theatres, such as the Mayfair and the Bytowne, Ottawa’s filmmaking scene is finally getting the recognition it deserves. 

And so in conjunction with the presentation of the second annual Ottawa International Film Festival (OIFF), we’re presenting the Festival Spotlight – a hub for all things film in Ottawa.

Highway Gospel plays at the OIFF on Aug. 19

OIFF, a grassroots non-profit organization, was founded in 2010 with the purpose of bringing local, national and international filmmakers together with film enthusiast in the national’s capital. With a focus on independent filmmaking, the OIFF mandate includes a commitment to supporting the development of film talent in Ottawa, as well as providing filmmakers with opportunities to showcase their work alongside major international films.

Today’s spotlight is on the Ottawa-premiere of Highway Gospel – a documentary with heart. An official selection at the HotDocs and DOXA film festivals, OIFF is pleased to present such a unique and Canadian film. The film captures an insider’s look at the extreme sport of slalom skateboarding — and the lifestyle that goess with it.

Directed by Jaret Belliveau and co-directed/produced by Craig Jackson, Highway Gospel is, at its heart, a story about passion, dedication and extraordinarily unique characters. Shot over a four-year period, the film is a true labour of love. With scenes shot in Ottawa, British Columbia, Washington State and Sweden and a summer spent working out of Belliveau’s ’76 Volkswagen, Highway Gospel tells the tale of people coming together to form a community and putting everything on the line for the sport they love. The film’s Ottawa Premiere is being held by OIFF in association with the World Championship of Slalom Skateboarding, which is taking between Aug. 19-21, in Ottawa as well.

OIFF is taking place at Empire Theatres, in the World Exchange Plaze

While this is Belliveau’s directorial debut, the NSCAD graduate is no stranger to the world of Canadian art and film. Majoring in photography, Belliveau’s work was selected to be a part of the Swiss exhibit “reGeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow” at the Musee de L’Elysee. A bit closer to home, his photography can also be seen at The Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto. Beginning with his minor in film history, Belliveau transformed his flair for the photographic image to that of the moving image. 

Belliveau notes the difference between Gospel and the hyper-commercialized skateboard industry that is portrayed by the media. Where previous Hollywood films such as Lords of Dogtown or Grind present one side of skateboard culture, the Gospel team focuses more on the emergence of downhill skateboard and the culture that surrounds it. Within this newly development discipline, the filmmakers find a way to challenge stereotypes, break down barriers and present a heart-warming, often comedic portrayal of real struggles and achievements.

Highway Gospel runs 91 minutes and will screen at 8:00pm on Friday, Aug. 20. Tickets can be purchased on the day-of at Empire Theatres at the World Exchange Plaza (111 Albert Street) or online at OIFF.ca. The film has an OIFF unofficial rating of 14A for language and reckless behaviour. Check out Highway Gospel’s Facebook and official site for even more coverage. 

Thanks, Christine! And for the full OIFF schedule, visit the film fest’s website.