Cinema > News and Events

6 Jutra nominations for Part-time faculty member Micheline Lanctôt's film

2012-02-21T16:49:41Z

Part-time faculty member Micheline Lanctôt's film Pour l'amour de Dieu (For the Love of God) received six Jutra nominations: Best director (Micheline Lanctôt), Best actress,(Madeleine Péloquin), Best art direction (Normand Sarrazin), Best Cinematography (Michel La Veaux), Best costumes (François Barbeau) and Best original music (Catherine Major). Part-time faculty member Micheline Lanctôt's film Pour l'amour de Dieu (For the Love of God) received six Jutra nominations: Best director (Micheline Lanctôt), Best actress,(Madeleine Péloquin), Best art direction (Normand Sarrazin), Best Cinematography (Michel La Veaux), Best costumes (François Barbeau) and Best original music (Catherine Major).

Cinema professor Luigi Allemano contributes to Academy Award, Oscar and Jutra nominated films

2012-02-21T16:38:20Z

Academy Award and Jutra nominated animated short film Dimance and Oscar-nominated animated short film, Wild Life, both credited Cinema Professor Luigi Allemano for music and sound design and special thanks for his animation and sound editing respectively. Patrick Doyon's film Dimanche/Sunday, for which Cinema professor Luigi Allemano created the music and sound design, has received both Academy Award and Jutra nominations for Best Animated Short Film. In addition, Luigi Allemano was credited with special thanks for his animation and sound editing contribution to another Oscar-nominated animated short film, Wild Life, by Amanda Forbis and former Cinema professor Wendy Tilby.

Be sure to watch the Oscars on Feb. 26 and Jutras on Mar. 11.

Two Concordia Animation alumni receive Jutra nominations

2012-02-21T16:12:01Z

Cinema alumni Mathieu Tremblay (BFA '08) for his film D'Aléas and Dominique Étienne Simard (Atendee '02) for his film Paula have received nominations for Best Animated Short Film for the 2012 Jutra Awards.

Two Concordia Animation alumni have received nominations for the 2012 Jutra Awards in the category of Best Animated Short Film.

Cinema alumni Mathieu Tremblay (BFA '08) for his film D'Aléas and Dominique Étienne Simard (Atendee '02) for his film Paula have received nominations for Best Animated Short Film.

Cinema alumni share the spotlight

2012-02-21T15:51:21Z

Former film production students win back-to-back international awards.

By Ursula Jugel

A tight-knit group of Concordia film production graduates has won back-to-back awards at several prestigious international film festivals.

Yu (Fish) Xun, MFA 11; Gu Tao, BFA 07; Aonan Yang, BFA 08; and Pan Feng, MFA 11 are celebrating multiple wins for the documentary film On the Way to the Sea and its sequel, The Vanishing Spring Light.

How did four former Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema film production students struggling with the rigours of their academic programs, their burgeoning creativity and student life in Montreal come to win multiple awards just a few short years after graduation? The answer is fate, friendship and a leap of faith.

When the 2008 earthquake hit his home province of Sichuan, China, and claimed 70,000 lives, Gu knew there was a story to be told. He returned to his native country to find his parents and to document life after the devastation. The resulting film, On the Way to the Sea, immediately began to make the rounds on the international film festival circuit.

On the Way to the Sea, which became Gu's thesis project, was chosen as one of the top ten shorts at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. Canadian filmmaker John Greyson described it as "an extraordinary visual poem...lush fragments of black-and-white Super 8 and 16 mm ... interwoven with scraps of testimony from survivors (including Gu's parents) to compose a mournful dreamscape of devastation."

Gu explains how the project was a collaborative effort from start to finish. "Pan was the 16mm DP (director of photography) and the driver; Fish was the Super 8 DP and sound recorder, and Aonan (Green Ground Productions) was my producer," he says. "I couldn't have done such a great job without them."

Nine awards later at film festivals in Italy, France and Brazil, among others, On the Way to the Sea continues to reel in honours.

The group has continued their collaborations, releasing a second documentary in September 2011, The Vanishing Spring Light, directed by Yu and produced by Montreal's EyeSteelFilm (founded by Concordia cinema professor Daniel Cross). The project, which picks up on China's West Street where On the Way to the Sea was shot, also features Gu as the editor.

The Vanishing Spring Light has already landed a number of awards: Best New Talent from Quebec/Canada award Montreal International Documentary Festival (Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal); a special jury mention at the Whistler Film Festival; a distribution award at the Busan International Film Festival in Korea; and Best First Appearance award at Amsterdam's International Documentary Film Festival; a prestigious award for an emerging filmmaker; and a first for a Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema alumnus. The film will have a theatrical release in Toronto thanks to its win at the Hot Docs Festival.

Ten thousand miles and the story of friendship
This story is about more than awards. It's about friendship, and it began at 2777 Bourbonnière Ave. in Montreal when three of the four students became roommates.

"That was the best move ever," says Yang. "It was very convenient. Tao would come by often, and Pan cooked and we talked about films, gossiped about our friends, all hoping that it would never end."

They called themselves F4 after a Taiwanese pop group that was hot at the turn of the millennium. "I was the person who started this silly name, as a joke," laughs Yu. "We're the furthest thing from what the original group is about."

"We're more like the characters in Journey to the West," adds Gu. "It was a popular Chinese TV series back in the 80s about a Chinese Buddhist Master in search of Buddha's 'real sutra' with his three disciples, a monkey, a pig and a savage," he grins.

The budding friendships helped Yu at the start of his studies. "Since I came from a mainstream film education background and had no sense whatsoever about its artistry, in my first two years I struggled with dropping out," he says. "I used to draw on subjects like tea or temples, those obvious Chinese spiritual symbols. It was Tao who made the difference for me ... with his help I started to appreciate the films in school."

Yang, a native of Toronto, always thought of himself as more Canadian than Chinese. "Then I started film school and met them," he continues, referring to Gu, Pan and Yu. "Who would have thought film school would get me back in touch with my roots?"

Yang has also been enjoying recent success with his film, A Winter Song. It won Best Short Film at Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival in November 2011. Pan is back in China, working on a personal documentary about Chinese women cinematographers.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says if you're meant to meet someone, fate will surpass a thousand miles to make it happen. Fate seems to be at work for these four budding filmmakers whose friendship and working relationships were forged at Concordia.

"We grew up, and are still growing up together," Yang says with a smile. "It's a difficult industry, and the friends who you can share your passion and trust with are really hard to find ... it's destiny that we met."

Images:

From left to right: Yu (Fish) Xun, MFA 11; Gu Tao, BFA 07; Aonan Yang, BFA 08; and Pan Feng, MFA 11
Concordia film production graduates named themselves F4, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Taiwanese pop group of the same name that was popular at the turn of the millennium.
Journey to the West was a popular Chinese TV series back in the 80s.

Related links:

Student Kim Nguyen accepted into 62nd Berlinale

2012-02-17T19:07:59Z

Rebelle/ War Witch a film by Concordia Student Kim Nguyen has been accepted into the prestigious 62nd Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlinale. The festival runs from Feb 9th until 19th.

Rebelle (War Witch) by graduate Kim Nguyen received a Special Mention by the Ecumenical Jury in Official Competition at the 62nd Berlinale international film festival. The Mention recognizes a director who has succeeded in portraying actions or human experiences that sensitize viewers to spiritual, human or social values.

Its our great joy to share that Rebelle (War Witch) a film by Concordia Student Kim Nguyen has been accepted into the prestigious 62nd Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlinale. The festival runs from Feb 9th until 19th.

Public Talk and Screening with Richard Fung (FEB 10)

2012-02-10T19:47:32Z

When: Friday, February 10 -- 1:30 pm -- 2:30 pm

Where: Hall Building 110: 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd.

Public Talk and Screening: Richard Fung

Video Artist/Writer/Theorist

When: Friday, February 10 -- 1:30 pm -- 2:30 pm

Where: Hall Building 110: 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd.

Richard Fung is a Toronto-based video artist, writer, theorist and educator. He holds a degree in cinema studies as well as an ME in sociology and cultural studies, both from the University of Toronto. He is Associate Professor in the Integrated Media program at the Ontario College of Art and Design.

His work comprises of a series of challenging videos on subjects ranging from the role of the Asian male in gay pornography to colonialism, immigration, racism, homophobia, AIDS and his own family history. His tapes, which include *My Mother's Place*(1990), *Sea in the Blood* (2000) and *Uncomfortable* (2005), have been widely screened and collected internationally, and have been broadcast in Canada and the United States.

His essays have been published in many journals and anthologies, and he is the co-author with Monika Kin Gagnon of *13: Conversations on Art and Cultural Race Politics *(2002), recently updated and translated into French. Richard is a past Rockefeller Fellow at New York University and has received the Bell Canada Award for Lifetime Achievement in Video as well as the Toronto Arts Award for Media Art.

Fung has always seen himself as much as an educator as an artist, and in Helen Lee's essay 'Dirty Dozen: Playing 12 Questions with Richard Fung' from *Like Mangoes in July: The Work of Richard Fung* (Images Festival and Insomniac Press, 2002), Fung says he aims to produce work which is 'pedagogical, but hopefully not pedantic'. Richard is a public intellectual who has pushed forward the debates about queer sexuality, Asian identity and the uneasy borderlands of culture and politics.

Writers Guild of Canada Panel Discussion at McGill (FEB 6)

2012-02-06T20:00:18Z

When: Mon, Feb 6, 2012 from 7:00pm to 9:30pm

Where: OFF CAMPUS; Moot Court and Atrium, McGill University, New Chancellor Day Hall, 3644 Peel Street, Montreal, QC

Writers Guild of Canada Panel Discussion at McGill

What should you ask for when you option a feature film or a TV series? The Writers Guild's basic contract (the Independent Production Agreement) covers many basic terms, but others aren't codified, including lots of ways you could get paid on the back end, your right to write new material, and the crucial "Created by" credit in TV. Plus, what's all this fine print?

We've invited an agent who reps writers to talk about what writers can and should ask for; a producer's lawyer to talk about what's easy for producers to give and what's hard; and a representative of the Writers Guild of Canada to talk about what contract terms end up in disputes. The panel will be moderated by Alex Epstein, who's worked both sides of the table. Audience members will be able to ask questions. This event is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. It is aimed at professional, emerging and aspiring screenwriters, but filmmakers of all kinds may find it illuminating. The panel discussion will start at 7 pm sharp. (Doors open a half hour beforehand.)

A presentation of the Writers Guild of Canada.

When: Mon, Feb 6, 2012 from 7:00pm to 9:30pm

Where: OFF CAMPUS; Moot Court and Atrium, McGill University, New Chancellor Day Hall, 3644 Peel Street, Montreal, QC

Cost: Free of charge

URL: https://www.facebook.com/events/134773829966652/

Portfolio Day: Get constructive feedback on your artwork before applying. (FEB 4)

2012-02-04T21:02:57Z

When: Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 1 to 5 p.m.
Where: Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex, 1515 Ste-Catherine St. W. Portfolio Day is an opportunity for future students to receive valuable one-to-one constructive feedback on their work.

When:
Saturday, February 4, 2012
1 to 5 p.m.

Where:
Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex
1515 Ste-Catherine St. W., Montreal, 6th floor
Guy-Concordia Metro

The Mel Hoppenheim School will be reviewing portfolios for the following programs:

Film Animation (reviews from faculty members)
Film Production (reviews from current Film Production students)

There will also be screenings of student work.

For more information on Portfolio Day, visit the Faculty of Fine Arts website.

Experiencing the Media Mix: Anime, Manga, Video Games (FEB 4-6)

2012-02-04T17:38:50Z

When: February 4-6, 2012

Where: Concordia University and the Grande Bibliothèque

Marc Steinberg, Assistant Professor (Film Studies) at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, will be a featured speaker at the 2012 President's Conference Series, entitled "Experiencing the Media Mix: Anime, Manga, Video Games."

The President's Conference Series, being held from February 4 to 6, 2012 at Concordia University and the Grande Bibliothèque, is an international conference that will shed new light on gaming, comics and animation through a closer look at Japan's media mix culture.

Concordia scholars, including Steinberg, will showcase their work in the research, creation and teaching of gaming, anime and Japanese media, as well as the impact of each of these worldwide.

Steinberg's research includes Japanese animation and the impact of media theory on Japan's creative industries. His forthcoming book is titled Anime's Media Mix: Franchising Toys and Characters in Japan.

Related links:

Public Presentation by Lorelei Pepi with the Film Animation program (JAN 25)

2012-01-25T19:31:28Z

When: Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 1:30 pm

Where: FB 407, 1250 Guy St.

The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema of Cinema is pleased to present public presentations by professional animation directors and scholars who have been short-listed for a tenure-track position with the Film Animation program. The candidates will present excerpts from their personal practice as professionals and specialists in various fields of film animation.

Lorelei Pepi

Date: Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 1:30 pm

Location: FB 407, 1250 Guy St.

Lorelei Pepi is an internationally award-winning independent animation artist, whose work ranges from the highly experimental film, "Grace," to the narrative form cartoon, "Happy & Gay." Her studio explorations engage with animation as an interdisciplinary studio art. Her background in sculpture, theater, and puppetry add to the sensibilities that infuse her work. She obtained an MFA in Experimental Animation at the California Institute of the Arts.

Public Presentations by tenure-track candidates with the Film Animation program (JAN 17-25)

2012-01-25T19:16:49Z

Benjamin

Uri Kranot

Date: Tuesday, 17 January 2012, 1:30 p.m.

Location: FB 407, 1250 Guy St.

Uri Kranot; born in Jerusalem, is a trained filmmaker, animator and musician. He has worked as director, storyboarder and animator in various studios, on television series and commercials. His personal work creating independent animation films, together with his wife Michal, has won multiple awards internationally.

Luc Otter

Date: Wednesday, 18 January 2012, 1:30 pm

Location: FB 407, 1250 Guy St.

Luc Otter is a graduate of "l'École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre" in Brussels. He is a versatile and multidisciplinary film animation director and animator using drawing, object animation, puppetry and play-doh. His animated films have been recognized at prestigious festivals including Cannes, Annecy, Hiroshima, London, Toronto and SIGGRAPH.

Luigi Allemano

Date: Tuesday, 24 January 2012, 1:30 p.m.

Location: FB 407, 1250 Guy St.

Luigi Allemano is an animation director, animator, musician, composer and sound designer based in Montréal. His work has appeared in Oscar-nominated animation films, television series, Juno-Award winning commercial recordings and film soundtracks. Luigi Allemano is completing a Masters degree in Applied Arts at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver.

Lorelei Pepi

Date: Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 1:30 pm

Location: FB 407, 1250 Guy St.

Public Presentation by Luigi Allemano with the Film Animation program (JAN 24)

2012-01-24T19:28:32Z

When: Tuesday, 24 January 2012, 1:30 p.m.

Where: FB 407, 1250 Guy St.

Luigi Allemano

Date: Tuesday, 24 January 2012, 1:30 p.m.

Location: FB 407, 1250 Guy St.

Luigi Allemano: Music and Sound designer for Oscar-nominated film

2012-01-24T18:26:18Z

Luigi Allemano, film animation faculty member, created the Music and Sound Design for Patrick Doyon's Dimanche/Sunday, an NFB-produced film that has been nominated for a 2012 Academy Award in the Short Film (Animated) category. Luigi Allemano, film animation faculty member, created the Music and Sound Design for Patrick Doyon's Dimanche/Sunday, an NFB-produced film that has been nominated for a 2012 Academy Award in the Short Film (Animated) category.

Dimanche/Sunday, Patrick Doyon's first film, is a magical tale that imparts important lessons about life as seen through the eyes of a child.

In keeping with their Sunday tradition, after mass a family flocks to grandma and grandpa's house, where the chaotic discussion soon begins to resemble a raucous gathering of crows on power lines. The local factory has shut its doors and, naturally, the adults can't stop fretting about their money woes. On this particular grey Sunday, a young boy drops a coin on some nearby train tracks out of sheer boredom. Picking the coin up after a train has run over it, he discovers to his astonishment that an amazing transformation has taken place.

Watch the Oscar-nominated film here. (If video does not load, visit the NFB at the Oscars webpage.)

Allemano was credited with special thanks for his animation and sound editing contribution to another Oscar-nominated animated short film, Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby's Wild Life. He previously worked as an animator and camera operator on Forbis and Tilby's previous Oscar-nominated film When The Day Breaks and on Oscar-winner and Concordia alumna Torill Kove's My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts in 1999

Related links:

Luigi Allemano's faculty bio
NFB at the Oscars
2012 Academy Award nominees
Video: See how Luigi Allemano creates music and sound design for animated films

Public Lecture: "In the Fun House of Aesthetic Experience: Space and the Aesthetics of Immersion" (JAN 20)

2012-01-21T00:57:31Z

When: Friday, 20 January 2012, 1:15 p.m.

Where: EV. 1.615, 1515 Ste. Catherine St. West

New Location: MB 5.255, 1450 Guy St. Montreal, QC

The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema of is pleased to present public lectures by scholars who have been short-listed candidates for a new tenure-track position in Film Studies. Everyone is welcome.

"In the Fun House of Aesthetic Experience: Space and the Aesthetics of Immersion"

Dr. Robin Curtis

When: Friday, 20 January 2012, 1:15 p.m.

Where: EV. 1.615, 1515 Ste. Catherine St. West

New Location: MB 5.255, 1450 Guy St. Montreal, QC

LOCATION CHANGE for Five public lectures by scholars short-listed for tenure-track position in Film Studies (JAN 6-20)

2012-01-21T00:33:38Z

Benjamin

The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema of is pleased to present public lectures by scholars who have been short-listed for a new tenure-track position in Film Studies. Everyone is welcome.

"The Schizophonic Imagination: Audiovisual Ecology in the Cinema"

By: Dr. Randolph Jordan

Date: Friday, 6 January 2012, 1:15 p.m.

Location: EV. 1.615, 1515 Ste. Catherine St. West

"Smothered in Baked Alaska: The Anxious Appeal of Widescreen Cinema"

By: Dr. Ariel Rogers

Date: Monday, 9 January 2012, 9:15 a.m.

Location: MB 5.255, 1450 Guy St.

"Syrian Cinema: Out of Time?"

By: Dr. Kay Dickinson

Date: Friday, 13 January 2012, 1:15 p.m.

Location: ~~EV. 1.615, 1515 Ste. Catherine St. West~~

New Location: MB 5.255, 1450 Guy St. Montreal, QC

"The Idea of the Audible: Film Noir in the Radio Age"

By: Dr. Neil Verma

Date: Monday, 16 January 2012, 9:15 a.m.

Location: MB 5.255, 1450 Guy St.

"In the Fun House of Aesthetic Experience: Space and the Aesthetics of Immersion"

By: Dr. Robin Curtis

Date: Friday, 20 January 2012, 1:15 p.m.

Location: EV. 1.615, 1515 Ste. Catherine St. West

New Location: MB 5.255, 1450 Guy St. Montreal, QC