HIFF Dailies — DAY TWO
HIFF 2022's opening night was truly a blast. The fest made its return to in-person screenings to a packed-house presentation of Martin Edralin's Islands, followed by an insightful and genuinely moving Q+A with the filmmaker. Then we basked in the dreamy beauty of Rhayne Vermette's Ste. Anne before wandering off into the night.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and made our first day something special!
Things really get rolling today on a busy Day Two, starting with our first Artist Talk (taking place at the AFCOOP office) at 4 p.m. and capping off at our first-ever late-night presentation of We're All Going to the World's Fair at Good Robot Brewing (2736 Robie Street).
Check out our full Day Two schedule here:
DAY TWO SCHEDULE
ARTIST TALK WITH MARTIN EDRALIN
FRIDAY, JUNE 10 • 4 PM
@ the AFCOOP OFFICE (1531 GRAFTON STREET, SUITE 101)
FREE ADMISSION!
Join us for our in-depth Artist Talk with Islands director Martin Edralin. We’ll discuss the path of shorts that led to his debut feature, navigating the Canadian film industry, and his breakout moment at SXSW in 2021.
Martin is a Filipino-Canadian, Toronto-based filmmaker. His first short film, Hole (2014), won the Grand Prize at Clermont-Ferrand, jury prizes at Locarno and Seattle, and screened at Sundance, TIFF, and BFI London. His second short, Emma (2016), was selected in TIFF Canada's Top Ten and won Best Live Action Short at the Rhode Island IFF. Islands premiered at SXSW and was awarded Special Jury Recognition.
EL PLANETA
DIR. AMALIA ULMAN
USA/SPAIN / 2021 / 80 MINS
SCREENING IN-PERSON: JUNE 10 at 7 PM
@ LIGHT HOUSE ARTS CENTRE
On HIFF Day Two, we’re thrilled to present EL PLANETA, Amalia Ulman’s stylish debut drama, which hearkens back to the pre-code comedies of the 1930s while carving out a fresh, effervescent filmic sensibility that's entirely its own.
EL PLANETA was filmed in the city of Gijón, in the Asturias region of Spain where she grew up, and stars Amalia alongside her real-life mother, Ale. Their warm, deeply rooted dynamic colours the film with a unique beauty that sticks with you long after viewing.
HIFF FESTIVAL PASS ($35/$25 for AFCOOP members)
RYAN STEEL RETROSPECTIVE
SHORTS PROGRAM
SCREENING IN-PERSON: JUNE 10 at 9 PM
@ LIGHT HOUSE ARTS CENTRE
Up next on Day Two is our Ryan Steel Retrospective, an eclectic mix of short films from the mind of the prolific Winnipeg-based filmmaker. Steel’s work completely disregards genre boundaries, exploring the intersection between experimental, documentary, and fiction filmmaking. From bus commutes to mall culture to Peter Nygard, Steele’s significant output of films highlights the tedious beauty of the mundane. With a clear respect for DIY and analogue aesthetics, this retrospective will be sure to inspire every indie filmmaker who sees it.
HIFF FESTIVAL PASS ($35/$25 for AFCOOP members)
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS ($10)
WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR
DIR. JANE SCHOENBRUNSCREENING IN-PERSON: JUNE 10 at 10:30 PM
@ GOOD ROBOT BREWING (2736 Robie Street)
Day Two closes with a very special late-night presentation of Jane Schoenbrun's unforgettable coming-of-age horror gem We're All Going to the World's Fair.
NOTE: This screening will take place at Good Robot Brewing (2736 Robie Street), not the Light House Arts Centre.
Anna Cobb plays Casey, a teenager in her attic bedroom, documenting the erratic changes taking place in her after participating in the online role-playing horror game The World’s Fair Challenge. She adds her videos to the roster of auto-playing YouTube videos about the game, leading to one mysterious player reaching out to her. World's Fair presents a precisely built, tender and truly frightening world, made all the more haunting by its unflinching, thoughtful character portrayals.
HIFF FESTIVAL PASS ($35/$25 for AFCOOP members)
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS ($10)
ATLANTIC AUTEURS CLOSE-UP
Where are you from?
I'm from Andros Island in the Bahamas.
How did you get your start as a filmmaker?
I got my start in film long before film school and film studies. At the time I lived in the Bahamas and was Editor-in-Chief of a woman's magazine that I had created. We were looking for models for a summer issue of the magazine and decided to do a model search, which we filmed. This picked up traction fast and we were soon pitching this idea to the local TV station. It turned into a reality series that ran for two seasons.
What was the inspiration for the film you’re presenting at HIFF?
I have known Delvina and her family since I moved to Halifax a few years ago. My first introduction to them was through a basement performance at their house. I was intrigued and remained connected to the family. The story of Four the Moment was brought up a few years ago while working with the family on another project, and it stayed with me. Kirsten Taylor (co-writer) had also mentioned how African Nova Scotians and Four the Moment helped young South Africans fleeing Apartheid and joined their fight through committees, resistance groups and music! This film came about quite organically, but the roots had been laid long ago.
What films or filmmakers inspired you to make your own?
The film Rain by a Bahamian filmmaker, Maria Govan, was a huge inspiration to me. To see this film shot in a familiar environment with a young lady who I could relate to gave me the courage to step up and pursue my dream of filmmaking.
What would be the dream feature you’d pair with your short and why?
Maybe it could be paired with a film like Dreamgirls. Even though the subject matter and genre are different, both films are focused on women and music.
What's your favourite memory of making this film?
My favourite thing about making this film was that I was privy to such beautiful music. The a cappella performance was a last-minute addition and really touches me every time I hear it.
This films will screen along with a selection of others made by established and up-and-coming filmmakers from across the region in HIFF's Atlantic Auteurs shorts program at the Light House Arts Centre on June 11 at 9:30 p.m., and will be available online for the following 48 hours. Learn more about the full program here.