Long before I knew I was going to come to Canada I watched the film Léolo that was nominated for 1992 Cannes Film Festival and was directed by Canadian filmmaker Jean-Claude Lauzon. I assumed it was French but to my surprise I discovered it was made in Canada. My Russian TV, which delivered stories of anxiety and political cataclysms daily, never mentioned Canada in any of them. Even though I knew where it was positioned geographically, I almost didn’t believe in its existence. It was a mythical land to me.
I didn’t hear the stories of violence coming from this country but I knew that great films were coming out. Furthermore, I identified with Canada because it had the National Film Board, this Government funded agency supported animation as did my favorite Russian animation studio, Soyuzmultfilm.
I have to admit that my knowledge of Canadian cultural landscape back then was shaped by the voices that were directed outside of the country where they originated from, towards foreigners. These voices shaped Canadian cultural identity for me. Now I am inside this voice-making machine, hearing multiplicities, that are not edited down to create coherence, a unified body of national identity. The cultural picture I am now trying to assemble is not a jigsaw puzzle, where each piece has its original purpose and creates meaning only when it is in the right place. I would like to think of Canadian culture as of kaleidoscope, where with each slight movement an original mosaic is created, emphasizing the unique charisma of Canadian culture that allows re-editing of the national identity in a continuous cycle of multicultural transformation.
Saturday
“Nothing” at the Library or Give us Access to Canadian Cinema! by Irina Lyubchenko
How hard is it to find a Canadian film on the shelves of a library or a movie rental outlet, such as Rogers? It is hard. I naively thought that I would be able to borrow or rent a Canadian film from anywhere where they rent DVDs. I asked for Atom Egoyan’s films in one of the locations of the Ottawa Public library; none of his films the library owned were available at the location. Besides this, in most cases there was only one copy of each film shared among all the library locations. The waiting time to see one of Egoyan’s films was up to 15 weeks! Since there was no separate shelf for Canadian cinema it meant that I had to look at each DVD box individually to identify the country where the film was made.
Ironically, what I found among the DVD boxes was “Nothing”, a film directed by a Canadian filmmaker Vincenzo Natali. My neighbour hood video rental store offered nothing substantial at all. Of course I know that there are local resources available for studying and enjoying Canadian cinema, such as the Canadian Film Institute, the Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa Inc. (IFCO), and the Available Light Screening Collective to name a few. There are also local video stores such as Invisible Cinema, Elgin Street Video (258 Elgin St) and Glebe Video (779 Bank St) that are much more devoted to cinematic art than some of the larger video store chains. I think, though, that the culture of the country one lives in, should be a lot more accessible; the barriers associated with one’s desire to get exposed to the arts of its own country must be completely eliminated. There is an active interest in Canadian cinema but there is not enough access to it!
GIVE IT TO US!!! MAKE CULTURE ACCESSIBLE!
PS By the way, I did watch “Nothing”. The main characters in this film were the underdogs, yet again.
Ironically, what I found among the DVD boxes was “Nothing”, a film directed by a Canadian filmmaker Vincenzo Natali. My neighbour hood video rental store offered nothing substantial at all. Of course I know that there are local resources available for studying and enjoying Canadian cinema, such as the Canadian Film Institute, the Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa Inc. (IFCO), and the Available Light Screening Collective to name a few. There are also local video stores such as Invisible Cinema, Elgin Street Video (258 Elgin St) and Glebe Video (779 Bank St) that are much more devoted to cinematic art than some of the larger video store chains. I think, though, that the culture of the country one lives in, should be a lot more accessible; the barriers associated with one’s desire to get exposed to the arts of its own country must be completely eliminated. There is an active interest in Canadian cinema but there is not enough access to it!
GIVE IT TO US!!! MAKE CULTURE ACCESSIBLE!
PS By the way, I did watch “Nothing”. The main characters in this film were the underdogs, yet again.
Friday
CANADIAN: A RETURN TO COMMON SENSE by Dan Gainsford
There's an old saying, "We speak the world into being." With language we shape our world, out of the primordial realm of vibration things become manifest.
Our national cinema plays an important part in what we consider to be language, but I would argue the role of a deeper Canadian cinema in our broader culture isn't nearly significant enough. These days it seems it's distinctly Canadian to feed at the trough of mass media slop. Our national cinema is too often sidelined to the fringes by Survivor XXXVI, reruns of Star Wars Episode II, or any other mass media machinery muck, be it American or Canadian, since it's all the same machine as far as I can tell. A machine chained by old men, old policy, and old status quo thinking. A machine geared towards what sells safely, rather than innovation, and change. And I would argue this safe and steady governMental approach is distinctly Canadian.
This is not to say that some brilliant works don't slip into the mix, in fact I think much of Canadian Cinema is just that, brilliant! It's the rest of the popular culture that needs an overhaul, and a redirect of the copious amounts of money going to television schlock to be shifted towards independent Canadian film. And hey, here's a novel idea, why not actually invest in marketing our content once it's created... last time I checked, the average Hollywood film put approx 50% of it's budget towards marketing.. compared to Canadian film at 3-5%... hmm.. shelf, dustbunnies, and invisibility.. here we come!
As a result of the current industry policy, it comes as no surprise that we live in an increasingly vapid Canadian cultural paradigm. We find ourselves more concerned with our materialistic technowidgets, passing trends regurgitated as uniquely Canadian, and a monoculture of worker drones all striving for the American Dream of wealth, power, beauty and fame.
Jaded..? actually, overall, I'm not.
In fact, in spending the last five years living in a van from the Arctic to Panama, the one thing I've noticed is not how distinctly different we are, but how similar we are with the rest of the world. And I don't mean in regards to mass media culture, but below the surface of the popular glaze/gaze. The other thing I've realized is that most of these 'important' questions, aren't really all that important. "This too shall pass."
Good ol' Darwin spoke to notions of competition in the natural world, however the other side of his writings, now mostly forgotten, emphasized the importance of cooperation and collaboration. It's time for us to reawaken the collaborative spirit and not waste our time focusing on how different we all are. After all, you're unique, just like everyone else, so let's get on with it!
So what is it that makes us distinctly Canadian? I'd say the conversation is kinda a load of shit to begin with. I feel it's a false dichotomy just like Liberal vs. Conservative, Republican vs. Democrat.. Canadian vs. American... Just more mental masturbation for the masses. Not to say that our national identity or cinema isn't important, but more to say for me it's not a question of what is Canadian, but instead a question of what is intrinsically human?
In this world of capitalist monoculture we should still explore being Canadian, but I think it's more urgent for us as Canadians to explore a return to earthly common sense. And this return comes from the ground up, not from government policy, not from distribution dollars, (although these could help) but from people fighting as they have throughout history to have their voices heard. And I think through this fight, we find that our voice as people is not reflected in the mass media/language that we find ourselves consuming on a daily basis. And I think while searching and fighting for this often marginalized common voice we move beyond the mass media, and in that maybe we come full circle back to what it is to be a Canadian media artist... at least I hope so.
In a conversation with a guru of sorts in Guatemala, I was given a piece of what I now consider to be golden advice,
"Strive to be ordinary."
I feel it's advice worth repeating.
I think this is what makes Canadians what we are, on the whole we're just ordinary regular people, just like everyone else. In fact, we're increasingly made up of everyone else, and now this is becoming increasingly Canadian. All this distinctly Canadian pursuit of an extraordinary national identity is just a national ego clusterfuck. That being said, I do want to make extraordinary cinema. Or maybe I want to make extraordinarily ordinary cinema.. and maybe in being ordinary, in a world of people striving, at all costs, to be extraordinary... we may just end up connecting to a common voice of the people, not just in Canada, but around the world...?
... I would argue that this is what has made Canadian cinema so great all along...
peace,d
Our national cinema plays an important part in what we consider to be language, but I would argue the role of a deeper Canadian cinema in our broader culture isn't nearly significant enough. These days it seems it's distinctly Canadian to feed at the trough of mass media slop. Our national cinema is too often sidelined to the fringes by Survivor XXXVI, reruns of Star Wars Episode II, or any other mass media machinery muck, be it American or Canadian, since it's all the same machine as far as I can tell. A machine chained by old men, old policy, and old status quo thinking. A machine geared towards what sells safely, rather than innovation, and change. And I would argue this safe and steady governMental approach is distinctly Canadian.
This is not to say that some brilliant works don't slip into the mix, in fact I think much of Canadian Cinema is just that, brilliant! It's the rest of the popular culture that needs an overhaul, and a redirect of the copious amounts of money going to television schlock to be shifted towards independent Canadian film. And hey, here's a novel idea, why not actually invest in marketing our content once it's created... last time I checked, the average Hollywood film put approx 50% of it's budget towards marketing.. compared to Canadian film at 3-5%... hmm.. shelf, dustbunnies, and invisibility.. here we come!
As a result of the current industry policy, it comes as no surprise that we live in an increasingly vapid Canadian cultural paradigm. We find ourselves more concerned with our materialistic technowidgets, passing trends regurgitated as uniquely Canadian, and a monoculture of worker drones all striving for the American Dream of wealth, power, beauty and fame.
Jaded..? actually, overall, I'm not.
In fact, in spending the last five years living in a van from the Arctic to Panama, the one thing I've noticed is not how distinctly different we are, but how similar we are with the rest of the world. And I don't mean in regards to mass media culture, but below the surface of the popular glaze/gaze. The other thing I've realized is that most of these 'important' questions, aren't really all that important. "This too shall pass."
Good ol' Darwin spoke to notions of competition in the natural world, however the other side of his writings, now mostly forgotten, emphasized the importance of cooperation and collaboration. It's time for us to reawaken the collaborative spirit and not waste our time focusing on how different we all are. After all, you're unique, just like everyone else, so let's get on with it!
So what is it that makes us distinctly Canadian? I'd say the conversation is kinda a load of shit to begin with. I feel it's a false dichotomy just like Liberal vs. Conservative, Republican vs. Democrat.. Canadian vs. American... Just more mental masturbation for the masses. Not to say that our national identity or cinema isn't important, but more to say for me it's not a question of what is Canadian, but instead a question of what is intrinsically human?
In this world of capitalist monoculture we should still explore being Canadian, but I think it's more urgent for us as Canadians to explore a return to earthly common sense. And this return comes from the ground up, not from government policy, not from distribution dollars, (although these could help) but from people fighting as they have throughout history to have their voices heard. And I think through this fight, we find that our voice as people is not reflected in the mass media/language that we find ourselves consuming on a daily basis. And I think while searching and fighting for this often marginalized common voice we move beyond the mass media, and in that maybe we come full circle back to what it is to be a Canadian media artist... at least I hope so.
In a conversation with a guru of sorts in Guatemala, I was given a piece of what I now consider to be golden advice,
"Strive to be ordinary."
I feel it's advice worth repeating.
I think this is what makes Canadians what we are, on the whole we're just ordinary regular people, just like everyone else. In fact, we're increasingly made up of everyone else, and now this is becoming increasingly Canadian. All this distinctly Canadian pursuit of an extraordinary national identity is just a national ego clusterfuck. That being said, I do want to make extraordinary cinema. Or maybe I want to make extraordinarily ordinary cinema.. and maybe in being ordinary, in a world of people striving, at all costs, to be extraordinary... we may just end up connecting to a common voice of the people, not just in Canada, but around the world...?
... I would argue that this is what has made Canadian cinema so great all along...
peace,d
Wednesday
IFCO Member Profile
Name: Paul Gordon
Membership: Full Member, since 2005
Films:
Selected Filmography
Rambled, 1998, 16mm, Black and White, 50 minutes, Drama
Dump Talk, 2001, 16mm/DV Comdey/Doc multi-part television show
Baghdad or Bust, 2003, Feature length documentary, DV/Super 8, 70mins
Super 8 Winter, 2004, 5mins, Super 8
The Changeover, 2006, 8mins super 8, 35mm, DV
E.I life, 2006, Super 8, 3mins
The Incident at Smiths Falls, 2008, 13mins super 8/HD
Short cuts and Pathways, 2010, Super 8, 8mins
1. Why do you make films? When did you realize wanted to make films?
I've always been a movie junky, growing up near the Mayfair theatre probably started it all. It was a chance to see classic/cult films before everyone had a VCR. I started making films in high school on Video 8.
2. What's your process of creation? Who's involved with it?
Most of my films are created on the fly. I always have a "basic plan" but most of my non-narrative films are simply created/tied together in post after I know what I have on the visual side. Dramatic films are always scripted, and storyboarded though. I also like to always location scout before a shoot, taking photos or video of planned locations. I generally try to get a small crew together that I have worked with before... I always go back to the same people.
3. When making films, do you think to adopt a certain style or common theme?
Not really I'm kinda all over the place...though I really like to tie in original music recorded around the time of filming or just after. The music sets the mood.
4. Where to do you look for inspiration?
Fellow filmmakers, Canadian indie films from the 70's and 80's, and literature.
5. What are the advantages/disadvantages of being a filmmaker in Ottawa?
Advantages: A nice pool of gear that is usually pretty available and easy to book. Zero hassle when it comes to filming in Ottawa, or surrounding locations.
Disadvantages: Small crew/actor pool to choose from for bigger budget dramatic shoots. Filmmaking in Ottawa is always a side project and finding people or time when everybody has a day job can be difficult. And finally finding cash to mount bigger projects can be tough when your competing for funding with larger centres like Toronto.
6. What ultimately determines a good film in your opinion?
It has to be engaging whether that is a good story, unique visuals, or a well produced sound scape.
7. What is your personal mission statement?
To try and have enough time to shoot a couple new works every year.
Friday
IFCO Member Profile
Name: Irina Lyubchenko
Films: Le néant hauté l`être, Milk, Tea, Untitled (Flour)
1. Why do you make films? When did you realize wanted to make films?
I have a background in photography and I have always been interested in creating spaces for the camera to photograph. At one point the scene in front of the camera started to involve temporal elements and I felt it was important to document this shift. That was the discovery of the medium of film for me.
2. What's your process of creation? Who's involved with it?
I usually have an idea that would be a highly defined still image in my imagination. I start from that and advance it further by making sketches and doing some research. The initial still image that I first imagined evolves into a moving one during this stage of development. When I feel I am ready to test it out I ask my friends Mark Macdonald and Virginia Bullock to assist me. They are my team.
3. When making films, do you think to adopt a certain style or common theme?
Yes, I do. My films have been rather experimental and abstract, involving the themes of adding or subtracting, revealing or hiding and of emotional overflowing expressed through material metaphors. The new film I have in mind will be inspired by the German Expressionist cinema.
4. Where do you look for inspiration?
In having a good time and being attentive to myself and surroundings. In trying new things and learning impractical skills.
5. What are the advantages/disadvantages of being a filmmaker in Ottawa?
Advantages: The community is very welcoming and IFCO stuff is amazing! Thank you guys for doing your job with so much expertise and joy!
Disadvantages: Not enough big film festivals in Ottawa that would feature experimental films as well. Or are there any?
6. What ultimately determines a good film in your opinion?
I believe a good film should provide a ground for an aesthetic and mental re-evaluation of norms prevalent in a viewer’s head.
7. What is your personal mission statement?
Mission is a scary word. I hope to be able to continue to make films that will be able to communicate ideas behind those films. Filmmaking is a much more complicated, time consuming and subtle way of talking to people and that’s what I want to do, to say that which couldn’t be said in words as successfully.
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