violentbunny

OK, I'm not from Calgary, but I headed down there for the film festival to check this one out. I spent an afternoon in Calgary's Plus 15 system being totally, utterly, lost. Then I saw the Alberta premiere of waydowntown. Finally a film from the prairies that doesn't involve hearts breaking in wintry farmhouses! Clever use of digital Beta, 35mm, and security cameras. Brilliant use of colour. Exceptionally well acted, fine deadpan performances from all. And most importantly, WELL WRITTEN. Smart, funny, unpretentious. Gary Burns rocks.

When the Day Breaks is a jawdroppingly beautiful animated short made through the National Film Board of Canada. It's about a pig who witnesses the death of Mr. Chicken at the grocery. This sudden brush with a stranger causes our heroine to consider the interconnectedness of urban lives. Extremely charming, this is an Oscar-nominated animation that also won the Palme d'Or at Cannes-- deservedly so. It's hard to see these films theatrically, but projected onto a screen it is gorgeous. For the rest of you, you might have to go to www.nfb.ca