Tag: Vancouver International Film Festival

The National Film Board of Canada Animates Its Way From Ottawa to Vancouver

National Film Board of CanadaBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will soon be making a presence at two different celebrations across this country. New shorts will be playing at the Ottawa International Animation (OIAF, Sept 20-24, 2017) and afterward make their presence known at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF, Sept 28-Oct 13, 2017).

The variety that will be found is perfect! From dramas to virtual reality presentations (the Oscar-nominated Blind Vaysha got adapted to this new medium), this studio is embracing the new wave. In addition to Bear 71 (An interactive documentary which looks at the wildlife around Banff National Park), there’s also a retrospective from Theodore Ushev on pioneer Canadian animator, Ottawa’s own Evelyn Lambart, to be excited about.

Three titles of particular note are The Mountain of SGaana (which is also screening at Edmonton and Calgary Film festival), The Tesla World Light and Skin for Skin.
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Swimming to the Mainland for Studio Ghibli’s The Red Turtle

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By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

When I heard The Red Turtle, a collaborative work between Studio Ghibli, Wild Bunch (distributing) and Michaël Dudok de Wit, is making its rounds at special screenings, I knew I had to jump at the chance to see it as soon as it arrived in North America. Flying to Japan or Toronto was sadly out of the question due to budget, but as soon as I saw that it was playing at the 2016 Vancouver International Film Festival, I wanted to hop a ride on a whale to the mainland as soon as my schedule allowed. In the Pacific Northwest, orcas are representative to the region and I do not think one would kindly take to riding her back to English Bay / Vancouver Harbour just for this film. The same might be said for this film’s protagonist when considering his first encounters with the reptile, and he got off lucky!

With this movie, I find Hayao Miyazaki never fails to astound his fans in the talents he recognizes as masters of their craft. After he stated, “All I did was announce that I would be retiring and not making any more features,” in a report by LA Times, he would still be influential in the future of the company he helped co-found. His son Gorō is involved in other co-productions with various studios and Isao Takahata helped with the artistic development of this Dutch animator / director feature-length film debut.

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A NFB Spotlight at the 2016 Vancouver International Film Festival

it9e4l8l_400x400By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The National Film Board of Canada is coming to the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) with hometown premieres and three fantastic animated short-length movies which explore the human condition.

Ann Marie Fleming’s Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming is going to be the highlight. This feature animation is about the love of family, poetry and history. There’s a blend of Asian and Middle Eastern character designs in this product which offers great contrasts. When the heroine has over-protective Chinese grandparents concerned about her well-being, who is in the right? Will cultures clash? The style looks very colourful and wonderful, and a preview will hopefully be coming soon here at Otakunoculture.com

The voice talents in this film include Sandra Oh, Ellen Page, Don McKellar, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Nancy Kwan.

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