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Originally planned as a companion piece to an album of the same name, Violent evolved into a stand-alone project. After a five-month writing session that included Huculiak’s bandmate Cayne McKenzie, along with his Amazing Factory production company partners Joseph Schweers and Josh Huculiak, everybody headed over to Bergen, Norway for the self-financed shoot.
The Canadian Images Awards jury had this to say about the film: “Marked by strong performances, this ground-breaking and emotionally mature film has audacious ambitions and more than delivers. The story inhabits a very unusual space for contemporary cinema. A film about loneliness in an ordinary life, it had the jury rapt for the duration as its profound storytelling resonated throughout the film and long after.”
The Canadian Images jurors included John Cassini (Co-Artistic Director, Railtown Actors Studio), Peter Machen (Manager, Dublin International Film Festival, Film Columnist, Sunday Tribune), and Gaylene Preston (Director, Hope and Wire). The awards brought writer-director Andrew Huculiak a $10,000 development bursary and a $15,000 credit towards post production with Encore Vancouver. Click here to watch a trailer for Violent.
This year’s BC Spotlight Gala film and winner of theAudience Must See Awardwas Grant Baldwin’s documentary Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story. Attempting to live waste-free, filmmakers Grant Baldwin and Jen Rustemeyer subsist on discarded food for six months. The BC Spotlight Awards jury commented, “Canadians should be very proud, this year’s line-up of BC filmmakers was outstanding. From docs and narratives to emerging and established filmmakers, BC is a hot bed of talent in the Canadian film industry.”
BC Spotlight jurors included Joel Bakan (Co-creator, The Corporation), Cathy Chilco (Producer/Director, Sesame Street), and Bruce Sweeney (Director, Live Bait and The Dick Knost Show).
Other awards included the Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film, which was given to Geneviève Dulude-Decelles for her short, The Cut. The BC Emerging Filmmaker Award went to Ana Valine for Sitting on the Edge of Marlene.
The Vancouver International Film Festival continues until October 10. Click here for a link to VIFF and other October film festivals. |
