Friday, January 17, 1997
FILM:
Increased recognition given to nation’s filmmakers at Sundance,
Academy AwardsBy Ash Steffy
Daily Bruin Contributor
Historically, our French- and English-speaking friends to the
North haven’t been particularly known for their filmmaking. Until
recently, few Canadian directors had gained distinction and
recognition in Hollywood.
In the mid to late 1970s a low-budget horror-film director,
David Cronenberg, developed a cult following which led him to make
"The Dead Zone," "The Fly" and "Dead Ringers," in the 1980s.
Atom Egoyan also started out as a cult filmmaker before
achieving success. His earlier works such as "Next of Kin," and
"The Adjuster" were familiar on the festival and art-house
circuits. In 1995, his mystery film "Exotica" set box-office
records in Canada.
In addition to Cronenberg and Egoyan, however, the past two
years have seen a new group of artists create a resurgence in
Canadian filmmaking. Three films showing in this month’s
"Borderlines: New Canadian Cinema" series at Melnitz Theater will
be featured at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City,
Utah.
"Canadian filmmakers are coming into their own as they are
exploring their own ‘borders’ and ‘edges,’" says David Pendleton,
programming coordinator for the UCLA Film and Television Archive,
which organized the program. "They have their own stories to tell.
Their own history to draw from."
According to Pendleton, the word "borderline" was chosen because
of Canadian filmmakers’ tendency to examine the marginal and
extreme. The works of Cronenberg and Egoyan have demonstrated this,
as do the recent films being shown at Melnitz.
"What was once considered the province of painfully earnest,
well-meaning cinema has recently provided the screen with some of
its most exciting images," Pendleton says.
This newfound identity is evident in Saturday night’s program,
"Hard Core Logo," which tells the story of thirty-something
bandmates still trying to break into the big leagues. Director
Bruce MacDonald has developed a talent for showcasing the outcasts
and misfits of British Columbia. The 1996 comedy-drama-musical will
show at Sundance after it plays at UCLA.
In addition to MacDonald’s film, Saturday night will bring a
chance to view "Super 8 1/2," directed by Bruce LaBruce. "Super 8
1/2" defies viewer expectations by exploring the fine line between
art and porn.
"This playful ability (for Canadian artists) to unsettle and to
startle has changed the profile of Canadian cinema over the years,"
Pendleton says. LaBruce’s film has shocked audiences everywhere
with its attitude, tackiness and raunchy sex.
The series continues Thursday with the sneak preview of
"Margaret’s Museum," directed by Mort Ransen. The 1995 film centers
around a young woman living in a Nova Scotia mining town who
refuses to fall in love because all the men in town end up dead
from the mine. Ransen directed movies for Canadian TV before moving
into theatrical features.
Also playing on Thursday is "September Songs: The Music of Kurt
Weill," directed by Larry Weinstein. This documentary pays homage
to the rebellious 20th-century composer.
On Jan. 26 at 2 p.m., "Lodela" will play. Directed by Philippe
Baylaucq, it is the official Canadian entry to the Academy Awards
Live Action Short Film category. Directly following it comes a
double feature of "Rude," directed by Clement Virgo, and
"Eldorado," directed by Charles Binam.
"Rude" is a unique look at urban apocalypse, told through the
tales of three young characters from Toronto. "Eldorado" looks at
the troubled love lives of artsy twenty-somethings in Montreal.
Later that evening, Quebecois Robert Lepage’s "Le Confessional"
and Srinivas Krishna’s "Lulu" will be showcased. "Le Confessional"
chronicles one man’s search for his long-lost brother. "Lulu" is a
postmodern film noir about a Vietnamese woman who learns of a shady
organization dealing in human organs for transplant.
FILM: The series will continue through Jan. 26. For more
information call (310) 206-FILM.
The series continues … with the sneak preview of "Margaret’s
Museum" …