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TheNFB at Victoria Film Festival 2025, Incandescence Review & Much More!

As the Victoria Film Festival is in full swing, Incandescence is a film from Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper leads the charge on what works produced by theNFB to watch.

The National Film Board of Canada always has a delightful range of films that’s set to debut at one film festival or another. And in Victoria, BC, this homegrown event will feature eight produced (or co-produced) TheNFB pieces featuring the work of talents who know what living in this country means. High on the list is Incandescence, a documentary by Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper whose last work, Metamorphosis, was a potential game-changer. I interviewed them about why this work matters not only on a grander scale but also in what humanity can do to save the environment.

Incandescence Movie Poster — Playing on Feb 10, 5 PM Cinecenta Theatre (on UVic campus); for tickets, please visit this link.

Flash forward to now, those themes they’ve explored back then get revisited again in their latest. This time, the topic concerns wildfires and how they affect forested communities. What viewers should takeaway afterwards is how tragedy can bring some people together, but also bring about change.

Whether these accept the problems that can arise while living in the boonies, some folks are up to it and others not. This work delicately examines the pros and cons, and also considers the life cycle that occurs following the death of a forest and the renewal process afterwards. It’s a work that’ll get people talking. The footage used ranges from seeing how some fires can get out of control to showing how people feel about the attempts to save homes. It’s quite vivid, and I’d be scared too if I were a volunteer firefighter!

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Inkwo for When the Starving Return. When Indigenous Rights Matters in this Amazing Stop-Motion Epic!

Inkwo for When the Starving Return is a brilliant short film that’s more about survival in the arctic! When confronting the self is just as important as dealing with the supernatural, is Dove Ready?

National Film Board of Canada
Available Light Film Festival (Feb 7-16)
Victoria Film Festival (Feb 7-16)

After debuting at Sundance Film Festival, the short film, Inkwo, is headed to the Victoria Film Festival! It’s a beautiful film by Amanda Strong who has nicely integrated some folk tales into a battle about humanity versus self, and also nature! There’s some mention of industry, but it’s only implied than openly said out loud.

Not only will this work mesmerise not only its technical achievement as a stop-motion animated piece but also in telling folks it’s okay to be gender-fluid. Although this is not the primary message, that’s what I first recognized. When Dove (voiced by Paulina Alexis) is introduced as female, I’ll stick to this pronoun. During her excursions outside, she must face various arctic dangers. While some encounters are real, it is the ones she must face about herself that’s the most telling.

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Season Two of David J. Fernandes’ Creepy Bits is Here! Prepare for More Spooky Tales of the Unexpected!

And we have an episode guide too! Disclaimer: Creepy Bits is best experienced in the dark, with headphones. If only they were quadraphonic….

Hollywood Suite Broadcast Premiere Nov 19 at 9pm ET.

After Halloween, not everyone was preparing for The Day of the Dead. Some folks may have tuned in to view David J. Fernandes‘ Creepy Bits that debuted early in the month on VOD. But now, it’s more accessible on specific specialty networks! There’s no news yet for worldwide release, but in the meantime, for Canadians, they have early access.

It’s a wonderful series for those who want simple frights in a bite-size format. This Canadian series offers a contemporary take on some classic tropes, and will leave viewers in awe.

After the debut “Baby Face,” episode from season one, what makes this program special is that sets up the tension quite fast for the bogeyman style surprise! These shorts live up to its name for effectively creating that sense of unease, even as the last frames play out. Sometimes, the finale is not for the better, but is far, far worse, and leaves the aftermath for each viewer’s imagination to figure out.

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Richard J. Bosner’s Devotee is One Fright Debuting at the 2024 Hollyshorts Film Festival!

It’s safe to safe filmmaker Richard J. Bosner’s Devotee plays with a lot of ideas and also warn why cults are dangerous!

The Devotee Movie Poster — **Making it’s debut on Friday, August 9th at 10pm PT at the TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, CA**

Playing at 2024 Hollyshorts Film Festival
Runs From Aug 8 to 18, 2024

After watching enough horror films and reading pieces of Lovecraftian-style literature, when the protagonist is at odds with a cult, really bad things can happen. To understand just why some people are easily turned is examined In Richard J Bosner’s short film, titled Devotee. Unlike simpler (or based on reality products like Michelle Remembers [review link] which looks at the effect a cult can have upon a victim) works that hints at secret agendas going on, what’s presented here is from the point of view of a boy who discovers his mom is not all there.

I fear for him, but also want to know what he’ll do next! Everything that’s presented is executed with precision to draw viewers into the situation, and scare too! And to get some answers to what’s going on, I communicated with this director:

For those who aren’t familiar with your work, can I please have an introduction?

I grew up in upstate New York, immersed in the world of theatre as both my parents were actors and directors. Many of my fondest childhood memories are spending weekends at set construction or watching rehearsals in progress. I soon discovered my love for filmmaking and have never looked back.

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Taking A Quick Look at Fantasia’s Short Film Selection, 2024 Edition

What’s offered here is a brief taste of Fantasia’s Short Film programs. There’s 17 different collections that’s still continuing to play. They may well appear at your local film festival next!

Fantasia Film Festival 2024 - Fantasia's Short Film As Montreal’s most beloved genre film festival enters its last week of celebrating an eclectic range of genre cinema, Fantasia’s short film celebration will have me keeping an eye out on these up-and-coming talents! Although I didn’t view everything in this category, what I saw so far is a great way to see what may get dreamed up to become feature length works in the future!

These filmmakers have come up with some fairly cool concepts. The following reviews do not make up a top five list, but are a sampler of what is there. I’m thankful to those who provided me with a screener, and I wish them all the best.

The True Shape of a Daisy

George MacDonald‘s narrative, “The Day Boy and the Night Girl,” provides the foundation for the cinematic The True Shape of a Daisy, and I’m fairly sure no one has ever compiled this tale into a book. This short story is available online.

What’s presented is a faithful adaptation, where we meet a witch named Watho, who would shape Photogen and Nycteris’ environments. True to their namesakes, one would live in perpetual daylight and the other at night. They don’t get to meet until later, and in this anime, they don’t live in enormous rooms. Instead, they are from a world of contrasts. The girl is from a beautiful forest, and the boy lived most of his life in a dark dungeon.

As an anime by Naoki Arata, I hope what she produced is more than just a tease, but an examination of how opposites can get along.

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How Little Lucha and the Big Deal Faces Their Future is Hilarious!

Just what can we expect from Little Lucha and the Big Deal is that they have a lot of unload as they examine their lives in the world of sports entertainment.

LA SHORTS INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL 2024
July 25, 2024 @ 5:30pm

Little Lucha and the Big Deal has an amazing Canadian connection, and the song used is quite apt. Gordon Lightfoot‘s “If You Could Read My Mind” hits home to explain why one female wrestler doesn’t believe she’s on top of her game. This cover by Phoenix & The Dream still hits home regarding why this protagonist, known as The Big Deal (Scarlet Moreno), doesn’t feel on top of her game anymore.

In the world of wrestling, especially in Lucha Libre, the theatrics are important. Some wear masks to hide who they are, and others don’t. Sometimes what isn’t visible (especially when a disguise is used) is the emotional toll these athletes face; and what’s explored in this short film that also considers the problems wrestling has. Sometimes there’s gender politics, and who is allowed to have top billing in a show. Big Deal has a lot to grieve about. And to dump her feeling on her partner, Little Lutcha (Josh Stifter) makes for some hilarious dramatic moments.

When this tale is set in the early 80s, I’m reminded of those “back when I was young” segments on NBC’s comedy series, Young Rock. We get to view wrestling as it was intended and learn about why these people continue to fight for the entertainment of others. With this presentation, I feel very meditative about why I love those past talents like The Big Show, Hulk Hogan and Sgt Slaughter.

I enjoyed that era because wrestling was on a small stage and had fewer theatrics. As this sport turned into more of a soap opera and had to be larger than life, some people continue to watch and others stop.Moreno and Stifter want to honour what we recognise from the vintage era and I feel what they brought to life by writing and directing this work too says everything about their love for this sports entertainment medium–and that’s to pump out the adrenaline!

4 Stars out of 5