From the category archives:

FESTIVAL CITY

Global Stage Soars

Festival Transamérique, May 22 – June 8

by Marianne Ackerman
13.05.2013

For a Quebec Anglo de souche or by adoption, there can’t be a better tonic to the maudit winter of our discontent than a spell at the Festival Transamérique, opening in Montreal next Wednesday. An 18-day many-lingual feast of cutting-edge dance and theatre from the world out there, this is the Quebec we know and love. The rest is just politics.

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FESTIVAL CITY

Lush Life

Day of the Crows, dir. Jean-Christophe Dessaint, Festival du Nouveau Cinema

by Heather Leighton
23.10.2012

What better way to spend a rainy afternoon with the kids than seeing The Day of the Crows (Le Jour des corneilles), an animated feature directed by Jean-Christophe Dessaint. Presented as part of the 41st edition of the Festival du cinéma du nouveau monde at the Théâtre Outremont, the much anticipated film, a France-Canada-Belgium-Luxembourg production is based on the internationally acclaimed book Le Jour des corneilles by Quebec writer Jean-Francois Beauchemin. In addition to using the voices of actor Jean Reno and late Nouvelle Vague legend Claude Chabrol, the film was drawn almost entirely by hand, instead of the usual computer-generated images. As 24 images are required for just one second of animation, making a feature-length film is no small feat.

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BOOKS

Storyfest Kicks Off with a Whisper

Hudson Storyfest, to October 30

by Audrey Wall
04.10.2012

Celebrated author Wayson Choy opened StoryFest this week- the month long literary festival held in Hudson each fall. Choy mesmerized his audience with his stories of how he almost died from asthma attacks and a subsequent heart attack. Since he has always been “lucky,” he said, he survived not only the first near death experience, but others after that.

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ART

Sounds like Art

Nuit Blanche, Toronto

by Marianne Ackerman
01.10.2012

Two a.m. Saturday night, Bay St. is thoroughly occupied. A human island in the middle of the street dances to a thumping rock beat. Line-ups at caravans offering food and free coffee are dozens deep. The rest of us slide by like a human snake under neon and starlight. Insiders call it Nuit – (sounds [...]

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ART

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Torontonians pulling all-nighters on September 29

by Marianne Ackerman
20.09.2012

The welcome mat is out, should you decide to hit the 401 for Toronto’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, beginning at 7:03 p.m. sharp next Saturday, September 29. Expect a different kind of event from Montreal’s annual all-night art party, celebrating 10 years next February. The TO version promises to be a little more cerebral, but in the spirit of the international Nuit Blanche movement, close to overwhelming.

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FESTIVAL CITY

Laurence For Sure

Xavier Dolan's Laurence Anyways snags the big prize at TIFF

by Shawn Katz
18.09.2012

Montréal’s cinematic prodigy Xavier Dolan has done it again. His audacious third feature, Laurence Anyways, was awarded Best Canadian Feature at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The young actor-director touted by some as Québec’s Almodovár was lauded by the jury for his “unfettered genius” and for the “breathless cinematic energy” of his gender-crashing romance. At only 23 years of age – Dolan began writing the screenplay for Laurence at 19 – he adds this latest honour to an ever growing list which encompasses some of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, and four from Cannes alone.

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FESTIVAL CITY

Looks Like TIFF

Toronto International Film Festival

by Shawn Katz
16.09.2012

It’s September in Toronto, and that means the Toronto International Film Festival has arrived. Every year at this time, the city rolls out its red carpet for the rich and famous to come hobnobbing among the Canadian crowds. In a town where last call is at 2am, limited extended liquor licenses suddenly stretch select parties [...]

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FESTIVAL CITY

Passion Paint

Under Pressure, August 11-12

by Catherine Averback
13.08.2012

The greatest thing about the Under Pressure skate/graffiti fest is that it definitely leaves a mark every year. Dozens of artists come together to tag designated walls down Ste Catherine Est between St. Laurent and St. Denis (approximatively), arranged on scaffolding while crowds of spectators watch. The result? A ton of fresh paint left up to be admired until the next edition of Under Pressure the coming year.

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FESTIVAL CITY

Horror & Heartbreak

Excision and Beast unleash anguish at Fantasia 2012

by James Gartler
09.08.2012

Fantasia audiences are used to seeing blood splatter across the screen. In fact, they’ve come to expect it. For a film to really impress, it must go beyond bodily fluids to explore the kinds of deep psychological wounds most film festivals would consider taboo. This year’s program delivered two such offerings, overflowing with despair and inner darkness…with just a hint of blood thrown in for good measure.

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FESTIVAL CITY

Osheaga 2012 recap: Day 3

Rock on, rain or shine

by Crystal Chan
08.08.2012

There was gravel instead of grass, but I felt like a hippie at Woodstock as I walked into Osheaga’s last day. Chappo was playing on the Mountain Stage, and their weirdo psychedelic rock is made to be played outdoors; fittingly, it’s heavy on the megaphone. The act was a throwback to another time, complete with old-school interpretations of ‘Native American’ dancers.

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FESTIVAL CITY

Authors Inspiring Scholars

Art and the Emerald Isle examined at the 2012 IASIL Conference

by Elizabeth Johnston
08.08.2012

Last week, the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures held its conference in Montreal. Primarily an academic conference, it also included literary readings and film screenings. I had the pleasure of sitting in on a number of academic panels on poetry, nature writing, fiction and film. It was an engaging combination of intellectual [...]

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FESTIVAL CITY

Osheaga 2012 recap: Day 2

A lot of rock, followed by the now uncategorizable Snoop

by Crystal Chan
07.08.2012

It was hard to believe, but Day 2 of Osheaga 2012 was even hotter than the first. Fittingly, I started it off with a bit of Calexico, a band that plays a spicy blend of Latin groove and Southern rock. What better way to launch off than with the sound of horns mixing in the air with the smell of freshly applied sun block?

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FESTIVAL CITY

Osheaga 2012 recap: Day 1

Intrepid Rover concert goer sees all the shows so you don't have to

by Crystal Chan
07.08.2012

As expected, ticket hawkers swarmed the metro exit, greeting me and anyone who glanced their way with offers. “How much?” someone nearby asked. “$250!” We grinned and clutched our tickets a little harder. It was going to be a good day. There was a lineup of concerts so coveted that hawkers were selling one day admission at over $30 more than a three-day pass.

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FESTIVAL CITY

Delivering the Goods

Katsuhito Ishii’s ‘Smuggler’ packs a punch at Fantasia 2012

by Devon Gallant
01.08.2012

You’ve heard the story before. A young man gets in over his head with the wrong type of people. Unable to pay his debts, he is forced to accept a job of their choosing and an already bad situation just gets worse. However, in the skilled and deft hands of Japanese virtuoso Katsuhito Ishii, this [...]

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FESTIVAL CITY

Osheaga Underdogs

Acts you've probably never have heard of—and might not see again

by Crystal Chan
01.08.2012

Chances are, you’ve already made up your mind about Snoop Dogg, Justice, The Black Keys, and the other headliners at Osheaga this year. Sure, these big names may have surprises up their sleeves. Snoop Dog, last seen at Osheaga in 2010, might be rolling out a reggae-infused set list in his new incarnation as “Snoop Lion.” And not everyone may be familiar with the lesser known mid-level names, either (please check out Santigold and Of Monsters and Men, if you haven’t already). But barring these exceptions, Osheaga will be long on fun but short on discovery.

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