Steel White Table

This post is likely to be of little interest to anyone but the filmmakers whose work I discuss.

Here’s my take on the short films I saw at the 2006 Nickel Independent Film Festival, beginning with films from the opening night line-up. (Originally posted last year on Mud Songs.)

OPENING NIGHT

Newfoundland Weather (Roger Maunder, NL) — a music video for Colleen Power’s song of the same name. The look of this one reminds me of the music video I shot for my friend, Mike. I realize now I did a pretty good job on Mike’s video. Roger filmed the video in Super 8. It looks good.

The Seventh Dog (Zeina Durra, UK) — a story about someone who gets mistaken for a terrorist (I think, maybe). It was shot well, and had its moments, but didn’t do much for me.

Thick and Thin (Jordan Canning, NL) — this is one of the few longer films at the festival that wasn’t a waste of my time. Most of the movies over 8 minutes seemed to drag on or get bogged down in their own backstory when they would have been better off just cutting to the chase. Jordan made the most of every minute of her film. It went by in no time. The excellent performances she got out of her young lead actors didn’t hurt either. This film won the Audience Choice Award as well as an acting award.

Nothing Girl (Pierre Daudelin, QC) — I love everything about this movie, even though there isn’t a word of dialogue in the whole thing, and in the end I still didn’t know exactly what was going on. There are two characters: a young girl and a man. They spend the movie walking past each other but never interact. If the intent was to intrigue the audience, it worked. I was drawn in to this film from the first frame to the last — definitely impressed with the effect it had on me. Nothing Girl won the Nickel’s Cinematography Award.

Eye on the Guy (Lewis & Monette, QC) — a good documentary about a guy who took photos of body builders for the underground male pin-up industry at a time when homosexuality was illegal.

SECOND NIGHT

I’ll give my impressions of the Nickel Film Festival in more detail near the end of the all this, around part 5 when I talk about the kids’ screening. Until then, I’m just going to bang off these brief reviews of all the films I saw.

The Fighter (Mark Hesselink, NL) — a guy gets beat-up in a parking lot. (Excellent cinematography!) Apparently “a young man from a well-off family comes to a realization about his pampered lifestyle.” I have to admit I didn’t get that. I just saw a guy get the crap beat out of him. Still, well done.

The Unfolding (Ian Thompson, ON) — I enjoyed this film. The acting in places isn’t top-notch, but at least the screenplay gives us a story to follow. It’s a fun kind of heist movie. Good cinematography.

Two or More (Noel Harris, NL) — impressive camera work and cinematography, good acting, and a great bare-bones of a screenplay that packs a punch. A perfect little film (one that makes me feel completely inept as a filmmaker, which I very well may be). I don’t know what the jury was smoking that they missed giving this film an award. (Watch it online).

Dark Arc (Dan Zukovic, BC) — I went home after the intermission and didn’t see this movie.

THIRD NIGHT

Wormbee (Hatem Zyed, ON) — a cute little animation about a bee that helps a worm escape from… something. Shoot. I don’t remember much about it now. But I think it was good.

Together or Apart? (Ensemble ou Separe?) (Philippe Gauthier, QC) — an entertaining and truthful movie about a couple in a café who get into an argument that begins with them trying decide who’s going to pay the cheque. Something like this is exactly what I think a short film does best. It doesn’t attempt to be bigger than what it is by giving you too much to think about. Simplicity is what makes a short film memorable. The best film of the night for me. UPDATE (Nov. 6/07): I just found out this film can be viewed online (or downloaded).

Trailblazing (Lisa Hoffe, NL) — a documentary about some women in Nepal who start up a trekking guide company for women. Not a bad story, but aside from providing a few insights into what life is like for women in Nepal (and it is interesting), I was visually uninterested. Here we are up in the Himalayas, but we don’t really get to see the mountains. I admire how the film was made (very independently); I just wish I’d been transported to the Himalayas while I was watching it.

Four Play (George Ungar, ON) — everyday objects like spoons and cigarettes are animated to do something funny, but I don’t remember much about it now except I thought it would be more entertaining than it was.

My Little Habitat (John Driftmier, BC) — a weird, surreal short film that, besides being weird and surreal, left me completely baffled. Didn’t work for me at all.

Blackout (Anh Minh Truong, QC) — this is a cool short film because it presents a fantastic idea and makes it feel real — “…an unexplained event leaves the world without electricity or power of any kind.” Even if the film doesn’t succeed on every level, transporting the audience into that reality is an accomplishment. Thumbs up for me.

Changes (Lorcan Finnegan, Ireland) — another cute little animation. It’s about the joys and pains of love as seen through the life of a caterpillar. It won the Nickel’s Jury Award for Animation. Not the one I would have voted for.

An Ordinary Family (Fredrick Gertten, Sweden) — I didn’t see this one because I went home after the intermission. It won the award for Best Documentary Film. Too bad I didn’t see it, but I was tired from the post-production on my film which I still hadn’t passed in to the Nickel at this point, and I just didn’t have the energy to stick around.

I hadn’t noticed this before, but the films that really made an impression on me up to this point are all from Quebec: Les Pieds Dans le Vide (Nothing Girl) by Pierre Daudelin; Ensemble ou Separe? (Together or Apart?) by Hatem Zayed; and Blackout by Anh Minh Truong. (Noel Harris’s Two or More is pretty damn good, too, and from St. John’s to boot. Though there is definitely something about those Quebec films that really struck a chord with me.) Interesting.

FOURTH NIGHT

It’s been two months since the Nickel, but it’s about time I finish up with my impressions of the festival. A two-month gap should prove how memorable some of the movies were. Note: There was a late night showing of four horror films on the third night of the Nickel. I wasn’t interested, so I didn’t go. However, Rogairi by Thomas Cosgrove won the award for Best Dramatic Film.

Deep Vain (Philippe Bergeron, UK) — I later read in the program: “A disturbing and surreal tale of a young man who wakes up one morning to the disappearance of his girlfriend… and of all air travel.” That’s what it’s about? I had no idea. Disturbing = gross. Surreal = gross. Some kind of homage to David Cronenberg? That’s the most I can say about it. I suppose there is an audience for this kind of film; I’m just not it.

A Naked Soul Sliding Into Vivid Waters (Denis Chabot, QC) — a surreal animated film about a “metaphorical world within a simple glass of water.” I was looking forward to this one. It seemed interesting, but quickly became way too long and slow and uninvolving despite the impressive animation. At 16 minutes, it’s another case where shorter would have been better.

The Day After Tomorrow (Jorge Vanegas, Columbia) — this played like a junior high school theatre production of a soap opera recorded on an old VHS video camera. I applaud the filmmakers for their efforts (it’s a hopeful story about the lives of some women in Columbia), but did we really need to sit through 28 minutes of this after 40 minutes of two other movies that put the audience to sleep? Was this really the best of all the movies the Nickel had to choose from?

The Care Package (Brad Gover, NL) — pretty much a word-for-word transcription of the Velvet Underground song “The Gift,” a story about a guy who mails himself to his “girlfriend” (but don’t read the lyrics unless you want to know how the movie ends). I hope I’m not insulting Brad who’s the more experienced and skilled filmmaker, but I think my film, I Want It All, would have played well with The Care Package. I just wish to hell the production and post-production on my film had gone a bit smoother, because The Care Package is exactly the kind of film I was aiming for with I Want It All. Brad’s film is irreverent and entertaining as it gradually unfolds and builds up to an ending that left the audience applauding and smiling at the same time. It doesn’t try to be bigger or more profound than it is, and that’s a relief compared to the first three films of the night. It is what it is and it’s fun. All the elements of sound, light, editing and acting come together just right.

Judith (Caroline Bacle, QC/UK) — I don’t remember how this one ends, but it didn’t seem all that bad. It’s a story of a girl who writes romance novels in her kitchen and tries to meet up with a guy through the wanted ads, but it doesn’t work out. I wish I could remember more about it, but I don’t.

Keeping Up With Cathy Jones (Barbara Doran, NL) — a documentary about Newfoundland comedian Cathy Jones, made for CBC TV’s Life and Times. What can I tell you? A funny and informative biography. Well done.

Overall, a real hit-and-miss night at the Nickel. This was a Friday night, a night when more of the general public was likely to attend the screenings to see what all the fuss was about — an opportunity to make a good impression (it was a packed house). Then to be treated to this line-up, honestly, I talked to more than a few people who walked away feeling disappointed. Kudos to Brad Gover and Barbara Doran; their films were definitely the highlights of the night. But it was otherwise an underwhelming night at the movies. Which seems unfortunate.

FIFTH DAY

All the Nickel screenings were at night except for a Saturday afternoon “Kids Screening,” the proceeds of which went to Big Brothers/Big Sisters. My film short, I Want It All, played at this kids screening even though the film wasn’t written for children. Of course I’m glad the Nickel showed the film, but being clumped in with the kids screening, a screening not many from the film community bothered to attend, was a bit of a let-down to some of us who worked on the film. It felt like we were invited to a big dinner — and then told to sit at the kids table. (Next time I’ll make sure to keep all the curse words in my script.) Nevertheless, the audience seemed to come alive when I Want It All hit the screen, and that was exciting and gratifying for all of us there. The opening film for the kids screening was…

The White Balloon (Roger Maunder, Newfoundland) — This story of a “little boy [who] befriends a white balloon that wants to fly away and see the world” reminded me of one those old segments on Sesame Street narrated by a little kid who takes you on a trip to his house so you can meet his family, except the kid narrating it is a balloon. The story might be a bit too involved for some kids I know with short attention spans, but I like the idea of the film. The music by Colleen Power is effective in creating a fun mood, and the kids at the screening seemed to like it.

Pen Pals (Art Curry, Nova Scotia) — An entertaining computer-animated short that has a pen and a pencil fighting to win the affections of a female pencil. They (the pen and the pencil) draw various characters that come to life on the paper (a knight, a cowboy, a samurai, etc.) and those characters duke it out. It’s a creative idea. Well done and a lot of fun. One of the best animations at the festival.

(View the film online.)

Planet Gortt (CNA students, Newfoundland) — A student CGI film that shows a cartoon-like spaceman land his ship and walk into the mouth of a cave on some planet. I suspect they then ran out of time or money, because it just sort of ends there. Good enough for what it is.

Detroit: Not For Wimps (Leigh Richert, USA) — A funny and sometimes touching story of two young boys growing up in Detroit in the ’70s in a rough neighborhood. To top it off, they hate each other and they fight a lot which makes for some entertaining scraps. At 18 minutes, it does drag on a bit, but it’s a well-made film. Great job at making everything look like the ’70s.

First Steps (Tom Power, Nova Scotia) — If I’m recalling correctly, this 3-minute film short was created through cut-out, stop-motion animation. “With the power of dynamite and the friendship of a crow, She-Rock comes alive in a stone quarry.” It was good, I think. (Trying to remember some of these films after 4 months isn’t easy.)

Santa’s Camels (S. Gray and T. Knight, USA) — In this CGI film short, Santa delivers presents to kids in the Middle East with the help of some camels. Some of the film shorts shown at the kids screening were kind of weird. This may have been one of them. But, honestly, I can’t remember much about it. Sorry.

Sculpture Club (M. Garcia and C. Llanos, Spain) — This one was weird. I didn’t know what I was looking at for the first few minutes. Sculptures made from glass and other materials come to life in an artist’s studio. Apparently, “the materials that they are made of play an important part on their personalities.” I didn’t get this (and the audience seemed non-reactive). Perhaps it was another “concept” piece that went over my head.

I Want It All (Phillip Cairns, Newfoundland) — A young woman wins a lifetime supply of macaroni and cheese, but then comes to view the wall of macaroni boxes in her living room as a symbol of her own mortality when she realizes there’s no way she’ll be able to eat it all in her lifetime. A straightforward and entertaining little film that the audience seemed to have a good time with. However, I get the feeling it was originally intended as a spoof of 2001: A Space Odyssey with the wall of macaroni in the young woman’s living room taking on an ominous presence similar to the monolith. The final shot (I highly suspect) was supposed to be a close-up of a single box of macaroni, looking exactly like the monolith in 2001, towering over the young woman who may or may not be in the best of health by the end of the story. Now that would have been funny. As it is, it’s still a nice little film, and not too bad, I suppose, for a first-time director who learned the ropes by making this film.

Ikuma Siku: Fire and Ice (Glenn Gear, Quebec) — This animated film short is a work of art. Just because it’s animation doesn’t make it a kids movie. It’s too bad it wasn’t shown for the regular festival audience. I’m sure the director would have appreciated some adult feedback on the complexity of the animation, which I was told took him four years to make. Although not in the mainstream, I think this is one of the best animations I saw at the festival. Fire and Ice is “an experimental, painterly animation exploring the growing friendship between an Inuk and an English immigrant set in and around the rugged coastline of northern Labrador in 1849.” I didn’t pick up on that, but I don’t think it mattered because the images and the various animation techniques were so interesting to watch.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad screening of movies for children. I’m not sure all of them really worked as kids films, but except for a few slow moments near the middle of the program, I think the audience (of chidren and adults) had a good time. Seeing how there was a screening held specifically for children, it seems odd that a Best Children’s Film award wasn’t given out. But had there been, Art Curry’s Pen Pals would have gotten my vote.

CLOSING NIGHT

Note: I’m writing this as the 2007 Nickel festival is about to begin (just a little late and incomplete).

At The Quinte Hotel (Bruce Alcook, B.C.) — It might have been an animation of some beat poetry. I don’t remember.

Waste Not Want Not (Sarah Joy Stoker, Newfoundland) — A 7-minute film with no dialogue that shows food, namely a steak, being prepared and served in a “fine dining” restaurant where the customers barely touch the food on their plate. It’s difficult to say much more without giving it all away, but just read the title again. The film is a showcase for Jamie Lewis’s cinematography, which is excellent. Every shot in this film looks great. That’s pretty much it.

Noir en Hommes / Black in Men (Alexandre Gibault, Quebec) — This is kind of cool. I think it’s the one with a girl living with a guy in a house in the middle of nowhere after a nuclear holocaust? If so, it was interesting and worth a look. Or maybe it’s the one with the zombies. Hmm…

Lucy (S. Dunnn and J. Whitten, Newfoundland) — I have no memory of this film at all. (It’s possible it was pulled from the line-up due to technical difficulties and that I actually didn’t see it.)

Head Shot (Dennis Heaton, B.C.) — “What a desperate, talentless actor thinks is simply another videotaped audition that’ll probably go nowhere, turns out to be a snuff film… but his horror truly begins when he discovers he isn’t getting the part.” Snuff films are generally regarded as an urban legend, and it’s a good thing. Head Shot might not otherwise be so funny. A clever single scene movie.

Radio (Partick Boivin, Quebec) — An orderly in a hospital hears strange things on the radio and has sex with a girl in a storage closet? The people on the radio speak to him? That’s the best I can tell you. I guess it didn’t leave much of an impression on me.

I was tired and went home after the first intermission. Regretfully, I didn’t see the closing documentaries, McLaren’s Negatives by M.J. Saint-Pierre and My People’s Journey by Christine Poker.

FINAL THOUGHTS (a year later): I enjoyed most of the films from Quebec. I think an all-Newfoundland-film night would have gone over well, especially since some of the most enjoyable films were from Newfoundland. I might have a film ready for the 2008 festival.

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Tags: newfoundland film, nickel independent film festival, phillip cairns, st. john's

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