Short Cuts Canada Lineup Celebrates The Best In Short Film
Toronto – An impressive array of 40 films makes up the Short Cuts Canada programme at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival. The diverse lineup showcases the breadth of Canadian short films, with works by both veteran and first-time directors from across the nation.
Above The Knee [Greg Atkins, ON, 12’] Jack’s suit-and-tie career never quite fit. As he summons the courage to dress for the job he wants, he risks changing the way his co-workers and his wife see and treat him.
The Adder’s Bite [Firas Momani,ON, 9’] Designed as a quasi sci-fi choreography, The Adder’s Bite is a haunting rendering of the micro world of parasites.
Animal Control [Kire Paputts, ON, 16’] Larry is an amateur taxidermist who, as the pick-up man for the local Animal Services, gets all his specimens through work.
The Camera and Christopher Merk [Brandon Cronenberg, ON, 15’] Quiet Christopher Merk just found a new apartment. Getting to know his neighbours doesn’t require borrowing a cup of sugar; it means picking up the remote.
Champagne [Hans Olson, ON, 19’] Clara’s birthday is just another night shift of window-dressing beds at the local furniture store, until she learns her secret crush James is working his final shift.
The Closer You Get to Canada [John Bolton, BC, 11’] Adapted from Thomas King’s darkly comic story, two old friends trapped in a futuristic American seniors’ residence try to escape to Canada.
Eggcellent [Martin Sokol, ON, 2’] An underperforming chicken is under enormous pressure to produce at work.
File Under Miscellaneous [Jeff Barnaby, QC, 7’] Resigned to assimilate and shed his identity, a spiritually exhausted Mi’kmaq man visits a dystopian clinic.
A Fine Young Man [Kevan Funk, BC, 13’] Pete – with his perfect job, perfect home and perfect wife – seems to epitomize the American Dream. But is his life really so spotless?
Les fleurs de l’âge [Vincent Biron, QC, 18’] Selling ice cream, smoking pot, falling in love, dealing with family: it’s just another summer day for a regular group of school kids.
Green Crayons [Kazik Radwanski, ON, 10’] Director Kazik Radwanski narrows his lens on Xavier and Liam, two second-grade boys who are moulded by their actions and moralistic educators.
The High Level Bridge [Trevor Anderson, AB, 5’] Edmonton’s High Level Bridge has a morbid notoriety; it’s a frequent spot for suicides. Anderson pays homage to the people and events surrounding an odd landmark.
Home: Life Advice [Aaron Phelan, ON, 2’] A young woman works at a retirement home where an elderly man makes scathing comments about her appearance.
How To Rid Your Lover Of A Negative Emotion Caused By You! [Nadia Litz, ON, 15’] Like any other couple, Sadie and Dennis have problems. Will Sadie’s trust issues remain insurmountable, or will she finally decide to open up?
Interregnum [Nick Fox-Gieg, ON, 7’] As a Nazi-occupied France has a population under threat, one man’s attempt to thwart a corrupted system shapes a dramatic sequence of events.
The Legend Of Beaver Dam [Jerome Sable, QC, 12’] This musical horror comedy follows an unlikely hero – nerdy Danny Zigwitz – at a summer camp listening to fireside stories.
Lipsett Diaries [Theodore Ushev, QC, 14’] Deconstructing a visionary in experimental film, this animated documentary presents the incredible creativity and emotional tumult that defined filmmaker Arthur Lipsett’s life.
Living History [Isaac Cravit, ON, 7’] Living History follows a father and his teenaged son as they make their way to the annual reenactment of the Upper Canada Rebellion.
Love. Marriage. Miscarriage. [Darragh McDonald, ON, 10’] In the wake of a miscarriage, Magda finds herself at a family gathering, caught between denial and acceptance.
Manèges [Sophie Goyette, QC, 5’] Trying to avoid some big decisions, Nadège spends a restless night at an arcade and go-kart track.
Marius Borodine [Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, QC, 15’] A mockumentary about inventor Marius Borodine who is on the brink of completing his master creation when something goes terribly awry.
La Métropolitaine [Dan Popa, QC, 25’] At once an essay and an epic story where we never get to really meet the protagonist, La Métropolitaine conveys with grandeur that love can be everywhere and nowhere.
Mokhtar [Halima Ouardiri, QC, 15’] Based on the eponymous folktale, Mokhtar recounts the tale of a young boy in a remote Moroccan village as he adopts a fallen owl.
Negativipeg [Matthew Rankin, MB, 16’] In part three of the Burton Cycle, Rory Lepine gives a personal account of his fateful 1985 encounter with The Guess Who’s legendary lead singer, Burton Cummings, at a 7-Eleven in Winnipeg.
The Old Ways [Michael Vass, ON, 13’] When a judge sentences a child to the death penalty, the court mitigates a public relations crisis with an elaborate and dubious scheme.
On The Way To The Sea [Tao Gu, QC, 19’] On May 12, 2008, the largest earthquake in China’s history devastated the Wenchuan region. Director Tao Gu visits his parents’ home to capture the physical and emotional aftermath.
Open Window [Cam Woykin, ON, 9’] A backyard birthday party is consumed with tension when an abusive relationship between the birthday boy’s parents is revealed.
Poudre [Ky Nam Le Duc, QC, 21’] Two young men, who have recently returned from military missions, struggle to reintegrate with civilian life while coping with the impact of their respective experiences.
Le Projet Sapporo [Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre, QC, 5’] This homage to acclaimed calligrapher Gazanbou Higuchi utilizes rotoscope animation to illustrate the craft of Japanese shodo.
Sad Bear [Liz Van Allen Cairns, Joe LoBianco, BC, 10’] Sad Bear collects people’s saddest objects to help them process past regrets. People are generally amenable to this, except for Steve, who can’t let go of his prized possession.
Les Softies [Emmanuel Shirinian, Russell Bennett, ON, 10’] Chooch and Ponch are hit men. While waiting to knock off a mark, they ponder what life might have in store if they quit their day jobs and pursued their unrealized potential.
Sophie Lavoie [Anne Émond, QC, 9’] Anne Émond delivers a stripped-down study of a young woman participating in a patient interview during her doctor’s appointment.
The Trenches [Claude Cloutier, QC, 7’] Trench warfare is brought to harrowing life as Claude Cloutier creates a high-stakes world of physical and psychological dangers, by animating archival images with India ink.
Tsunami, Horses and Civilization [Carla Susanto, ON, 4’] A tsunami approaches a city where the human residents are incapable of saving themselves from imminent disaster.
Turkey [Sara St. Onge, ON, 6’] Ally is doing her best to accommodate her husband, two stepdaughters and her husband’s ex-wife for a Thanksgiving dinner, but even she has her limit.
Vapor [Kaveh Nabatian, QC, 11’] In this stunning portrait of a shattered psyche, a Mexican man begins to understand his life when he confronts his own deep-seated phobias.
Wapawekka [Danis Goulet, ON, 16’] Josh and his father visit their family cottage for the last time. They are leaving their traditional Cree territory, but Josh has already adopted an urban lifestyle and finds it hard to relate to his heritage.
Warchild [Caroline Monnet, MB, 6’] On a solitary portage between the barren wilderness and a desolate city, a young man reflects on his troubled past and hopeful future.
Woman Waiting [Antoine Bourges, BC, 15’] A middle-aged woman searches for a place to live in Vancouver. The system should be there to assist her, but amidst all the red tape of applications and waiting periods, she longs for human help.
Yesno [Brian D. Johnson, ON, 7’] Adapting esteemed poet Dennis Lee’s recent collection of poetry, film-critic-cum-filmmaker Brian Johnson creates a vivid visual language to lift Lee’s words off the page.
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