A record number of Canadian films have made it to the Sundance Film Festival, this year.
Canadian and independent U.S. filmmakers fight a similar struggle to get low-budget, non-generic films into their cinemas.
…There are five Canadian feature films in Sundance this year, two each in the world-documentary and world-dramatic competitions, and a fifth in the “spectrum” sidebar (not to mention a couple of Canadian co-productions).
Stephanie Azam, Telefilm’s new head of English-Canadian film, thinks the value of being at Sundance for Canadians is “huge.”
…Paradoxically, the economic slump could actually help the profile of Canadian films.
…Ryan Ward, director of Son of the Sunshine, a believer in a “self-sustaining Canadian film industry,” he’s proud not to have had public financing for the film, in which he stars as a man with Tourette’s syndrome and supernatural powers.
…Where Canadian movies often proudly stand out is in their success at offering a multicultural perspective on global – including American – issues.
The same goes for two Canadian co-productions in Sundance: Amreeka, one of the films that E1 will be selling, is about a Palestinian mother who moves to Illinois after the Iraq war. Helen, starring Ashley Judd, is written and directed by German filmmaker Sandra Nettelbeck (Mostly Martha).
David Bezmozgis finished the screenplay for Victoria Day while he was living in Los Angeles, Ironically, he says, it took leaving L.A. and moving back to Canada to make the movie he wanted…Reports film critic, Liam Lacey.
Read the complete article at:www.theglobeandmail.com