Tag Archives: TIFF

Want to see a World Premiere film during TIFF? Love Bite is a must-see dark comedy: Buffy meets the Virginity Hit (but with werewolves)

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In a small town in England, four best friends are determined to have sex. Especially when a werewolf shows up and starts feasting on virgins. Starring Jessica Szohr (Vanessa from Gossip Girl), this is a hilarious dark comedy that combines British humour with slapstick horror. And we want to send you!

They’re hosting two special World Premiere screenings during TIFF, and attendees will be the first to see the film before it hits theatres. Want to go? Just send an email to rsvp@clutchpr.com!

The film screens on Friday, Sept. 7th at 7 pm, and Monday, Sept. 10th at 10 am at the Varsity Cinema.

Summer School at the ROM, AGO, TIFF or the Evergreen Brickworks? Sounds good, Blyth Academy

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Summer School classes you’ll actually want to take? Huh? What? IT’S TRUE! Blyth Academy offers an awesome array of summer classes, in conjunction with some of the coolest cultural institutions in T.O. Partnerships with the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Toronto International Film Festival and Outward Bound at the Evergreen Brickworks mean you can satisfy your academic requirements in a seriously cool way. Approximately one third of class time is spent at each of the partner institutions, and the rest either at Blyth’s Yorkville or Lawrence classroom space. Register now!

Take Grade 11 Anthro or Grade 12 Classical Civ at the ROM

Not only will this program score you a credit, it will also get you access to the museum’s public galleries and vaults. You’ll get hands-on access to treasures from exhibits like the Mayan Collection, and Dinosaurs Eggs and Babies. 

Gr. 11 Introduction to Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology (HSP3M)
Gr. 12 Classical Civilizations (LVV4U)
For summer students, ROM courses are $1295 + $95 registration fee.

Take Grade 11 and 12 Photography or Visual Arts at the AGO

Get access to public galleries and interactive studio spaces, and work with the gallery’s curatorial and educational staff. Time spent at the AGO will involve tours of the gallery, and interactive work at the Learning Centre. 

Gr. 11 Visual Arts (AVI3M)
Gr. 11 Photography (AWQ3M)
Gr. 12 Visual Arts (AVI4M)
Gr. 12 Photography (AWQ4M)
For summer students AGO courses are $1295 + $95 registration fee.

Take Film Studies or Writer’s Craft at TIFF

You’ll have access to the Film Reference Library, the Apple Claymation Studios, private use of the viewing and production theatres, as well as exhibitions at the Lightbox. 

Gr. 11 Film Studies (AWR3M)
Gr. 12 Film Studies (AWR4M)
Gr. 12 Writer’s Craft (EWC4U)
For summer students, TIFF courses are $1295 + $95 registration fee.

Take Bio or Enviro Sci at Outward Bound at Evergreen Brickworks

Study at the Brickworks, exploring the marshland and ravines, and using the climbing wall and ropes-course challenge tower. You’ll learn in the outdoor and indoor classrooms, and get real hand’s-on experience. 

Gr. 11 Environmental Science (SVN3M)
Gr. 11 Biology (SBI3U)
Gr. 12 Biology (SBI4U)
For summer students OBC courses are $1295 + $95 registration fee.

TIFF Next Wave hosts Battle of the Scores, where local bands compete for best original score set to a silent film

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A committee of aspiring filmmakers, hailing from a variety of high schools in the GTA, helped put on a totally awesome weekend of events inspired by their love of film.

On Friday night, Shedoesthecity attended Battle of the Scores wherein six bands/musicians took the stage to show off a musical score they wrote that accompanied short silent films, projected on the main screen. The range of music included everything from a mask-clad dude who crafted beats on his laptop to two chicks decked in all grunge slamming a drum kit and riffing hard on a low-slung bass guitar. Badass. Each act was extraordinarily talented in their own right and were judged by a panel of music and film industry movers and shakers. Although we were impressed by all who braved the stage, the boys in What Fools received the most votes; as a prize, their music will be used in an upcoming Canadian flick. How cool is that? Plus, we think their pop-rock sound and cute looks could easily rival One Direction. Seriously. Following Battle of the Scores, we were all granted access to a secret VIP party that included free poutine delivered by Smokes Poutine and a live show from local bad boy rappers, 2 Andrews.

TIFF Next Wave – Battle of the Scores also programmed riveting docs and high school angst films all weekend long AND hosted a set design competition for students interested in art department careers. After all, the film industry is much more than actors and directors!

We think this is an awesome new initiative for TIFF. If you are passionate about film, you should connect with them about potentially joining the TIFF Next Wave – Battle of the Scores committee next year or follow @TIFF_NET and keep up to date with programs offered for Toronto youth.

P.S Creative points go to the two guys who call their band Lesbian Bondage Fiasco. Hee hee.

Photos by Becca Lemire

Being on the TIFF NEXT WAVE committee is the best extra-curricular EVER!

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About a year ago, a family friend passed along word of the TIFF Next Wave Committee, a committee for young film-lovers, organized by TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). In all honesty, I didn’t know much about the committee other than the fact that it was for participants between the ages of 14-18 and involved event planning. Despite my own vague knowledge about what it was all about, I set aside my questions and applied for a position. And am I ever glad that I did.

Within a few weeks, I was contacted by the lovely people at TIFF with the news that I’d landed a spot on the 2011/2012 TIFF Next Wave Committee! Thus forth, 12 high-school students from across the GTA, including myself, began our journey into the universe of TIFF.

The meetings were to be bi-weekly and we started promptly at the beginning of the school year. We would reconvene every other Tuesday to sit, eat, chat about and watch films, and plan events.

Our first event was a screening of Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous followed by a performance and Q&A with the band Obijou. Our next event was a debate over Michael Bay’s (director of the Transformers film franchise) title as an “auteur.” These kinds of events, we resolved, were the types of events that really encapsulated the quirky bunch of us that made up the committee.

In these meetings I learned more than I could have imagined. We were given all sorts of opportunities to attend events, watch films we’d see no where else, and meet people that only an organization like TIFF could introduce us to.

As a group of young film-lovers and filmmakers, this has to have been one of the most beneficial experiences any of us have had. I couldn’t begin to list what I’ve learned this past year, not only about film and filmmaking but everything that goes into planning a film festival – more than you think!

Now, with the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival only a few weeks away and everything coming together, there’s a ton to be excited about. It’s hard to say what I’m most excited for, as there is a lot to choose from this year.

There are plenty of films that I highly recommend you check out. My personal favorite this year is a little film called La Haine. This is a movie that tackles a lot of subjects, some light and some heavy. The film is set in the suburbs outside of Paris and confronts the fine balance between honor and belligerence. Highly recommended!

As well as the films there are several events taking place. I myself look forward to the TIFF Next Wave Set Design Challenge where teams work with industry professionals to build interactive, immersive DIY sets.

Long story short, avid film lovers and casual film watchers alike will find something they love here. If this sounds like you, you best make your way to tiff.net/nextwave and nab yourself some tickets before it’s too late!

For movie mavens like us, nothing could have been more satisfying than the selection process. Getting to sit back and watch movies back, to back, to back and discuss them at length with people that we have so much in common with has been a real privilege.

I’m sure I speak for us all when I say that our anticipation for something great to come out of this has been fulfilled with the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival finally arriving. I wouldn’t change a single thing about my experience here!

To sum up my experience with the TIFF Next Wave Committee, I’ll leave you with this: this is the best extracurricular EVER.

My So-Called High School Life: Matilda

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Matilda is a film buff whose high school alumni list includes David Cronenberg, so we’re expecting big things. She’s on the committee for TIFF Nextwave, has great taste in music, and her last birthday cake was a homemade donut from Delux. If she could take her class on a field trip, she would pack everyone into a van and travel across the country. When she grows up, she plans to make a living pursuing her passion—just like her parents. 

What was the school project you liked the most this year? 

So far this year I’ve debated creation vs. evolution, and whether or not the internet was destroying culture as class assignments. At first I was a bit hesitant but in the end it certainly helped me get in touch with my competitive side.

What music are you currently really into?

Currently I’m listening a lot to the Project X soundtrack (despite myself), most would agree the playlist is pretty awesome no matter how ridiculous the movie was. Aside from that I love Fleet Foxes, The Black Keys, Beastie Boys, Elliott Smith, Girl Talk, Karkwa, Simian Mobile Disco, etc, etc…

Right now, everyone in the locker room is talking about:

I stopped taking P.E. as soon as it was possible! But I hope it has something vaguely to do with athletics.

How did you celebrate your last birthday?

I dined out twice in a row! First with my girlfriends at Caplansky’s on College St, then with my parents at Delux on Ossington Ave. They treated me to house-made doughnuts with a birthday candle. Very sweet.

What makes your school unique? 

Besides the fact that it offers a course called ‘Genocide,’ not tons. I guess our alumni is kind of cool, though, David Cronenberg, Keifer Sutherland, Stephen Lewis, Charles Best (the man who co-discovered Insulin), Wayne and Shuster, Max Kerman (lead singer of the band Arkells).

Does your school have any wacky traditions? 

We have our wacky school song that everyone knows only a section of the words to and just hums for the rest. And I guess the students are kind of notorious for their debauchery at parties- if you can call that tradition.

What extracurriculars are you involved with this year? 

I’m part of the TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) NextWave committee which screens youth-programmed films and hosts events. We have a film festival coming up in May!

What was the last book you read for school? For fun? 

For school I read Slaughterhouse-Five which I read very non-sequentially, but it was very interesting. On my own time I’ve been reading, in shifts, The Descendants, The Maze Runner series and a book on screenwriting called Save The Cat!.

If you were in charge of planning the next field trip for your school, where would you go? ANYWHERE!

Oddly enough, I would propose a cross-Canada road-trip. Probably because it’s the last place I would think to travel to when it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. Also I’ve always loved snowy northern landscapes. I’m not one for warm weather.

Who is someone you look up to?

I would have to say both my parents. They’ve taught me that you can make a living doing what you love and that, to me, is an invaluable lesson.

What is your favourite way to spend the weekend?

Watching movies and hanging out with friends until the wee hours. When you’re constantly trying to crush your boredom you end up with some pretty funny and outrageous stories.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A filmmaker, whether I’m writing, directing, acting or editing. It’s been decided for a while now!

What are you grateful for?

I’m grateful for my family, my friends and the privilege it’s been to grow up in a place like Toronto!

If you could travel in time, what decade would you like to check out? Why?

I would have to say the late thirties early forties because I think, oddly enough, it would be pretty incredible to see the differences between then and now and get some insight into the way our grandparents might have lived. I think it would give me a very different perspective on the present.

The TIFF Next Wave Film Festival has young artists curating must-see films!

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For those who love catching a flick that makes for good conversation, who want to engage with their city, their generation or their family through film, and are interested not only in art but in life, TIFF has got just the ticket. The TIFF Next Wave Film Festival is a look at life in front of and behind the lens, for the youth of Toronto and beyond!

May 10-12 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, 14-18 year olds will be treated to a roundup of film innovation.  For music lovers, Battle of the Scores pits high school indie bands against one another in performances of original scores live. Short films, created by Ontario students grade 9-12, will be screened for Jump Cuts. 

A school programme runs from May 10-12 and includes short and feature films from around the world, including a selection of the best new works from post secondary film students for Future Frames, and the country’s best and most challenging video games by post secondary students for Future Games. 

At the helm of the Festival is the TIFF Next Wave Committee, an advisory committee of 12 young people, a jumble of visual artists, aspiring dancers, writers, filmmakers and film lovers, who are excited about the authentic voice of their festival and the insight it will offer into the lives of youth today.  Hear what they have to say.

TIFF Next Wave Committee member José Camargo, 17, can’t wait to share all aspects of the festival with youth across Toronto and even further afield.  “Film has the power to make us think and to push boundaries,” says Camargo, who describes the event as an “opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the cinema experience and learn about people from different cultures and communities.”

Check out what’s on the big screen May 10-12: 

Closing Night Film: Fat Kid Rules the World (2012)

The SXSW Audience Award pick directed by Matthew Lillard (who has acted in five movies with Freddie Prinze Jr).  Based on K.L. Going’s novel about an overweight teen who turns to punk rock to make high school hurt a lot less.  Jacob Wysocki, the film’s lead, and director Matthew Lillard are slotted to join the youth gang down at the Lightbox. This looks great. 

Re:Generation Music Project (2012)

Amir Bar-Lev’s music documentary featuring five collaborations between DJs/producers such as Skrillex, Mark Ronson and DJ Premier, with traditional music from the likes of The Doors and Erykah Badu.  This also looks great.  High art on the run. 

17 Girls (2011)

Delphine and Muriel Coulin’s French dramedy about 17 high school girls, their pregnancy pacts, and their dream of creating their own utopian society.  Must see this, must bring Mom, Mom will weep, I will dream of a house full of babies in Paris and try not to rationalize.

This one if you are English speaking

Or this one if you can speak la belle langue 

Mosquita Y Mari (2012)

Aurora Guerrero portrays the ins and outs of an unexpected relationship between two young Chicanas.  A tale of longing, choose your date with care.
mosquitaymari.com

La Haine (1995)

Matthieu Kassovitz’s landmark contemporary French film featuring a young Vincent Cassel (who you may recall from Black Swan), documenting racial tensions in a multi-ethnic Parisian suburb with all the style you’d expect.

More flicks online!

Tickets go on sale April 10 for TIFF members, and April 17 for the general public (leave the plebeian life behind you!  Find out more about being a member at tiff.net/membership).

Students $9.50, student Saturday pass for $15, adults $12, seniors $9.50, children 13 and under $8.50 and the school programme for $8.

For more information, check it out on Facebook, click here, call 416 599 TIFF (8433) / 1 800 599 TIFF, or shake a tail down to the box office at the Lightbox.

Bonus art piece!  Gwenaëlle Gobé (who will be on hand at the festival!) gives us The Old Noise.