Arts & Culture

18 to 35 co-creator talks filming in London and bringing diverse comedies to Canadian TVs

The Reel Asian International Film Festival returns for its 29th year, bringing Asian filmmakers and enthusiasts together to celebrate the stories that exist both in the Asian-Canadian diaspora and the many countries from which they hail. Although the festival usually focuses on the big screen, there’s plenty of room to celebrate the achievements of Asian-Canadian creatives on the small screen as well. One such creative is Rahul Chaturvedi, director and co-creator of Bell Fibe TV1’s 18 to 35, a workplace sitcom following Misha Patel (played by Natalia Gracious) a young Indian-Canadian woman as she struggles to run a youth hostel…

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Forest City Youth Film Festival showcases Southwestern Ontario’s best young filmmakers

The 7th annual Forest City Youth Film Festival (FCYFF) was held at the Wolf Performance Hall on Tuesday, showcasing talented storytelling by young filmmakers across Southwestern Ontario secondary schools. Nineteen short films and 5 feature film pitches were screened to an audience of over 120, including parents, filmmakers and industry professionals. For each of the five categories, films had the chance to win prize money, with $300 going to the winners and $200 to each runner up. FCYFF’s youth co-hosts and H.B. Beal Secondary school students Finn Brady and Kalista Langford led the crowd through each of the categories with…

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“Cinema knows no borders”: Opening night at the Forest City Film Festival

The opening ceremonies of the 10th annual Forest City Film Festival (FCFF) were held Friday evening. The ceremony saw more than 200 attendees gather to celebrate film, music and the festival’s 10 year milestone. “Cinema knows no borders — and neither do we,” said festival director Dorothy Downs in a letter to festival-goers. “Each festival year is a celebration of how our stories connect to the world, and how the world connects to us.” The opening ceremony, held at the Wolf Performance Hall, celebrated London’s role as UNESCO City of Music. It presented a collection of 16 music videos, recognizing…

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Project Pitch narrative feature entry – Cracked

With the Forest City Film Festival returning for its tenth year this weekend, the city is brimming with creative talent. The festival is bringing back Project Pitch, a pitch competition where filmmakers can submit pitches for a chance to win support and funding. Project Pitch’s narrative feature film competition champions projects that hope to produce Canadian-made feature-length films, with at least 50 per cent of filming taking place right here in London. The winner of the narrative feature competition will win a $60,000 prize package to support their production. One pitch that I’m looking forward to learning more about is…

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Project Pitch short film entry – Grape Expectations

With the Forest City Film Festival returning for its tenth year this weekend, the city is brimming with creative talent. The festival is bringing back Project Pitch, a pitch competition where filmmakers can submit pitches for a chance to win support and funding. In the short film category, winners will receive $17,000 in production funding. This year, London-based director Brad Spencer and screenwriter Mary Ann Dixon will be pitching their short, Grape Expectations. In Grape Expectations we follow a recently terminated business executive, Claire, seeking to reinvent herself by purchasing a run-down winery. I spoke with the creative duo on…

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Project Pitch documentary entry – 100 Days to Showtime

With the Forest City Film Festival returning for its tenth year this weekend, the city is brimming with creative talent. The festival is bringing back Project Pitch, a pitch competition where filmmakers can submit pitches for a chance to win support and funding. Project Pitch’s documentary feature film competition champions projects that share remarkable stories across Ontario, with many taking place right here in London. 100 Days to Showtime, one documentary in the pitch competition, shares the legacy of the High School Project, a mentorship program for high school students at London’s Grand Theatre.  I spoke with producer Kristina Esposito,…

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Project Pitch documentary entry: Airside All Access

With the Forest City Film Festival returning for its tenth year this weekend, the city brimming with creative talent sharing their work. The festival is bringing back Project Pitch, a pitch competition where filmmakers can submit pitches for a chance to win support and funding. Project Pitch’s documentary feature film competition champions projects that share the remarkable stories happening across Ontario, with many taking place right here in London. Airside All Access, one documentary in the pitch competition, tells the story behind London’s internationally-recognized airshow. I spoke to director Mark Drewe, founder of London based production company Mosaic Mind Pictures,…

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Project Pitch short film entry – How to Make a Baby

With the Forest City Film Festival returning for its tenth year this weekend, this weekend the city brimming with creative talent sharing their work. The festival is bringing back Project Pitch, a pitch competition where filmmakers can submit pitches for a chance to win support and funding. In the short film category, winners will receive $17,000 in production funding. Taylor Mendonça, London resident and instructor in the faculty of information and media studies at Western University, will be pitching her London-set short film — How to Make a Baby. Tentatively shooting in London’s Old South, the script follows a lesbian…

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The Voice of Hind Rajab delicately captures pure despair

On January 29, 2024, Red Crescent (also known as Red Cross) volunteers in Gaza received a call from a family trapped in a car under Israeli military fire. Moments later, only five-year-old Hind Rajab remained on the line, begging to be rescued. As paramedics had been killed in the area days earlier, the Red Crescent was forced to navigate a maze of military and governmental approvals before a rescue attempt could even be considered. Hind stayed on the call, scared and alone, as dispatchers tried to help. The Voice of Hind Rajab is an expertly dramatized retelling of the tragic…

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Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk still (Courtesy of TIFF Media Library)

Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk struggles to balance humility amidst the raw display of human connection

Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk was one of the only films at the Toronto International Film Festival that I was actively disappointed by. It is hard to find space for criticism of such a documentary given the tragedy of its main subject, Fatma Hassouna, a 25-year old Palestinian photographer who was killed by an Israeli airstrike on her family home. The ache I felt in watching someone so full of life and so clearly optimistic for her future in the wake of terrible indiscriminate violence perpetuated by a rogue state is more than palpable.  Director Sepideh Farsi’s…

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