Tag: Independent Cinema

Mami Wata at Fantasia 2023. It’s All About Absolute Faith.

Students of folklore and the humanities will adore Mami Wata, a goddess whom not everyone is aware of.

Playing July 20 and 21st at Fantasia Film Festival 2023
For tickets, please visit this link.

Beliefs in the goddess Mami Wata stretch from Senegal to as far as Zambia and in what C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s crafts in his movie about her is not only mesmerising but also modern. She’s more than just another mermaid / patron deity to those cities that still venerate her to this day. Her ability to cure ailments isn’t the only reason. The enormous snake that accompanies her is a symbol of her divine authority.

In the isolated village of Iyi, what the people are facing is multifold. Mama Efe (Rita Edochie)’s role as ruler is challenged. That’s because some people are dying from an unknown disease, and she can’t cure this ailment. One child has crossed over already. While some want her to step down, others are asking if their goddess has forsaken them.

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Where Worlds Collide and The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou

What’s amazing about The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou is that it is not a full-blown tale of terror. It’s more of a gentle thriller.

The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou TIFF Poster
Available to preorder on Amazon USA

Available on VOD
Coming to DVD on April 25, 2023

Just what Elsa (Lou Lampros) transforms into in The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou may have many viewers believing she’s a Loup-Garou, but truth be told, what changes inside can be much worse! This French-made film offers a great mystery.

Ultimately, this tale is focused on Jacky (Thomas Parigi) and the relationship with his grandmother Gisèle (Edwige Blondiau), who is a local healer. She uses folk medicine and her gift of altering one’s electrical meridians through the laying of hands (she calls it magnetic therapy) to cure the sick. She hopes to pass on her talent to him, but not everyone in the village is convinced he has that magic, too. Sadly, when she passes, the villagers will have no one else to turn to. 

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On Why Leonor Will Never Die on Home Video!

Ramirez Escobar delivers a lot of classic and cheesy 80s action in Leonor Will Never Die. We can see why this “Mom” loves the genre.

Leonor Will Never Die Movie PosterMusic Box Films
Available to order on Amazon USA

Worlds collide, and as for why Leonor Will Never Die is because she simply refuses to give up! This elderly woman (sweetly played by Sheila Francisco) wants to be a screenwriter for those movies she loves watching. She adores action films and did work in the industry long ago.

Although what she writes is for a Filipina audience, her love for the genre is very clear. I’m sure she can be the next Stephen J. Campbell if she wanted to. But her son, Rudi (Bong Cabrera) can’t put up with her. He plans to leave the nest, and little is said about how the other, Ronwaldo (Anthony Falcon), died. In classic ghost story fashion, he can’t move on until he sees the rest of the family is in a good place.

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There’s No Need to Cry Over Spilled Milk in Island of Cats

No big plot drives Island of Cats. What we see is more like a documentary about man and nature.

Island of Cats PosterBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Available on
Region 2 DVD/Blu-ray
Sept 4

Played at Fantasia 2019
July 28, 2019

Whether the reverence of cats is explored in manga—like What’s Michael—is played at within a cat cafe or is studied through folklore, there’s no denying these felines have a power. In Island of Cats, these kitties have more than just staying power. In Japan, Tama is a station master at Kishi Station who greets nearly every traveller. Even the building itself was redesigned in her honour.

The star of this film even takes on this name, but here, this felis catus is a he and his master is Daikichi (Shinosuke Tatekawa), a retiree/widower. His son lives on the mainland and his wife died two years ago. This old man has no desire to move off his idyllic paradise.

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Writing the Future with Astronaut, An Interview with Shelagh McLeod

The themes writer/director Shelagh McLeod explores in Astronaut are many, and to balance between the concept of sending an elder into outer space to the challenges he faced meant figuring out what the film must focus on. 

Shelagh McLeodIn theatres July 26th
Please check local listings

Not everyone would have been able to attend the North American premiere of Astronaut last week at the 2019 Fantasia Film Festival. Fortunately, hot off the heels of this event are theatrical showings starting tomorrow in major cities of this very fine film. The themes writer/director Shelagh McLeod explores are many, and to balance between the concept of sending an elder into outer space to the challenges he faced meant figuring out what the film must focus on. 

For readers not aware of your work, could you please introduce yourself and the work you feel you are best known for.

My name is Shelagh McLeod, I was born in Vancouver. My family left Canada when I was six years old and we moved to the UK. I have been an actor for nearly forty years and have worked all over the world. I guess my career really started with a TV Film called ‘Cream in my Coffee’ written by the great, late, legendary writer–Dennis Potter. I played the younger version of Dame Peggy Ashcroft’s character–Jean. I did theatre, film and many TV series. One of which was Peak Practice—a lovely heartwarming series that went on for many seasons.

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