Thursday January 18th 6:30pm
Festival gala-like performance by the 11 piece band MINDS AT WORK
THE MOODY BROOD
(40min, Canada, 1999)
This is the story of the filmmaker's ten siblings from their childhood in the forties to the present day, from a small Catholic community to the world stage. This documentary explodes the myth of the idealized normal family and asks "Is there any such thing as the ‘functional' family"? The Moody brood examines issues universal to all families: the effects of community and religion, the influence of siblings, and the moral standards imposed by parents.
The Writer and Director of the Moody Brood, Lulu Keating, will attend the screening.
Preceded by:
Lulu's Back In Town(Canada, 1980, 2min) & Ladies in Waiting(Canada, 2000, 9min) Two short films also by filmmaker Lulu Keating (The Moody Brood).
Friday January 19th 6:30pm
GORDON'S HEAD
(34 min, Canada, 1993)
In Gordon's Head, a Kaleidoscopic montage of contemporary suburban imagery is combined with "drive by shootings" of hundreds of monster homes, all constructed around a teenager's monologue about his schizophrenic brother. The result is a colourful, kinetic and 'painterly' alternate view of the world, as we gradually enter into a family's complex of grief, fear, guilt and finally anger.
The filmmaker of Gordon's Head, Clive Holden, will attend.
DAD
(52min, Canada, 1998)
Through this documentary, filmmaker Chris Triffo seeks some answers to questions that have haunted him most of his life. How could his family go from a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence to drugs, near murder and a father spending ten years in a high security mental institution? Featuring edgy, almost surreal camera techniques that emphasize the harshness of its subject matter, Dad is a journey of discovery into the mind of a man who seemed to have it all, and then let it slip away.
Preceded by:
Pride (B.C. 1999, 6 min)
Director Michelle Ryan is the heroine in this well-made, poignant short film as she relates how she, a Native Canadian but with pale skin and red hair, lives in a world where her "people" were constantly degraded and insulted by the white people around her. The documentary explores the potential racism that lives within us and exposes "socially acceptable" racism. The film was made at the Gulf Island Film and Television School by Michelle Ryan and Jessica Salo and demonstrates that there is a multitude of film talent in our own backyard. Sometimes we just need to go out there and find it.
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Saturday January 20th 6:30pm
MY FATHER'S ANGEL
(86 min, Canada, 1999)
"Every night I sleep in Sarajevo, and wake up in Vancouver". This is the opening line of an emotionally charged story about the complexity and horror of the Muslim/Serb conflict. The film, unwavering in its realism, yet sensitive and lyrical, takes us through the essence and effects of the historical conflict in Bosnia using the simple story of the daily lives of two families residing in Vancouver yet living in worlds which are very far apart. The war has cast these families as enemies but now in Canada they similarly are all struggling to make a new life. Ahmed, a Bosnian Muslim, prays in the bathroom for an angel to rescue his wife who is both mute and hysterical from her torture and rape at the hands of Serb soldiers. My Father's Angel illustrates how the impact of war forever colours the lives of those who survive it. (The film has just been nominated for 3 Genies.) R (Strong subject material and language)
We will be joined by the film's writer/director Davor Marjanovic.
Sunday January 21st 6:30pm
THE GOODBYE
(22min, Canada, 1999 )
This is a dramatic presentation based closely on an incident in the filmmaker's life. In spite of her mother's declining ability due to Alzheimer's Disease to remember and understand her friend's circumstances, she somehow found her way to her dying friend's bedside. The story illustrates some of the frustrations, challenges, and also some of the humour and even the odd miracle encountered when living with a person whose faculties are becoming impaired by aging and disease.
Filmmaker Katherine Surridge will join us for a discussion at this screening.
She is a wife, mother and daughter living in Vancouver. She has been a visual artist for 25 years, more recently embarking into film, now working on a feature length film.
COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER
(43 min, USA, 1994)
This is a return Reel Madness Film Festival showing of this award winning documentary. It is another film created by a daughter who is caring for her mother with Alzheimer's Disease. In this film she answers the daunting question "How can I put my loved one into a home when I promised to look after her till the end?" This is a loving film that includes a surprising amount of humour and uses inventive story telling devices throughout. The film has been nominated for both an Academy Award and an Emmy as well as being recognized by the American Society on Aging as an "unflinchingly honest (film) that will give hope to Alzheimer caregivers as well as early stage Alzheimer patients".
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Monday January 22nd 6:30pm
ROLLERCOASTER
(90min, Canada, 1999)
This brilliant film by Vancouver's Scott Smith takes us into Vancouver's deserted PNE grounds with a group of five teenagers in pursuit of fantasy and escape. Through compelling characters the film explores issues of teenage sexuality, abuse, and suicide. Perhaps the film is mostly about friendship, love and survival. All of this is conveyed through spectacular camerawork and a cool soundtrack. You may never be able to watch another cute Hollywood "coming-of age" film again! R(Strong subject material and language)
Filmmaker Scott Smith will hopefully be at this special presentation.
Preceded by:
Blue City (USA, 1996, 12 min)
A boy and his ball, a suicidal man and his chalk, and two car thieves cross paths on the empty streets of the inner city. Brilliantly shot, edited and soundtracked, this 'student' film has over 11 "Best...awards" from fests around the world. The director, David Birdsell in LA, generously donated this version to our fest and it makes an apt match to tonight's feature, rollercoaster.
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