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“The CFF has expanded from three to four days, and this year’s lineup is a testament to the wealth of diversity present in the Canadian film industry,” said Euler. “We’re very proud to celebrate the talent that is present and emerging in our own backyard.”
The Canadian Film Fest’s main purpose is to showcase fresh voices in Canadian independent filmmaking to Torontonians. In addition to film screenings over the course of the four days, the CFF has an expanded Industry Series for filmmakers including a VFX Master Class with Alex Boothby (Fight Club, Black Swan) and Mike Sevigny (The Naked Saint), and industry panels including screenwriting and distribution.
The CFF has also partnered with the Harold Greenberg Fund to create the CFF’s Harold Greenberg Screenwriting Competition – a unique opportunity for Canadian screenwriters to win $10,000 in financial support for their written feature-length screenplays. The deadline for submissions is March 4, 2015.
Following is a list of the films scheduled for this year`s Canadian Film Festival:
Opening Night Film: The Cocksure Lads Movie. This hilarious musical comedy is about an English band on the cusp of stardom that arrives in Toronto for their first-ever North American tour only to break up ten minutes later. The film marks the directorial debut of Murray Foster (pictured), whose life was focused primarily on music before he decided to try his hand at film. Born in Toronto, Foster attended the UofT, obtaining an honours degree in English. While he was there, he formed Moxy Fruvous with three high school friends: Mike Ford (his future Cocksure Lads collaborator, now two-time Juno nominee), David Matheson (currently playing with Ron Sexsmith, among others) and Jian Ghomeshi. The cast of The Cocksure Lads Movie includes Alan Doyle, Lyndon Ogbourne, Luke Marty, Ed Hillier, Adam McNab, Chelsea Leaman, Peter Higginson, Sophia Fabili, Laura Vincent, Laura Trembley, Marc Hallworth, Brandon Sim James, John Fray, Willard Gillard.
Closing Night Film: Pretend We’re Kissing. In this film, a character named Benny needs to get out and stop over thinking everything. It’s holding him back from growing up and finding love. By chance, he meets and falls for Jordan, a somewhat dorky girl obsessed with the notion of fate and hell-bent on finding a magical kind of love, he realizes that he might be able to actually move forward in life…if he can only get out of his own way. Director: Matt Sadowski. Cast: Dov Tiefenbach, Tommie-Amber Pirie, Zoë Kravitz. (Toronto Premiere)
Other feature films include:
BARN WEDDING: Fashion blogger Emma is gearing up for her picturesque summer wedding to longtime boyfriend Colin, when she finds out they have to move the wedding up six months so Colin can take a new job out of town. With her best friend, Emma is determined to have her rustic “Pinterest” worthy wedding in the middle of winter. Director: Shaun Benson. Cast: Emily Coutts, Kelly McCormack, Brett Donahue, Shaun Benson, Kate Corbett, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Kaleb Alexander, Christopher Hayes. (World Premiere)
BEN’S AT HOME: Newly 30 and single Ben is heartbroken and cynical. He makes the unusual decision never to leave his house again, which reveals the struggles that follow the extent to which social media shapes our personal lives. Director: Mars Horodyski. Cast: Dan Abramovici, Jess Embro, Jim Annan, Inessa Frantowski, Craig Brown, David Reale, Rob Baker, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Emma Fleury, Ruth Goodwin, Sarah Booth. (Toronto Premiere)
LATE NIGHT DOUBLE FEATURE: During a late night taping of “Dr. Nasty’s Cavalcade of Horror”, bloody chaos takes place during the screening of two features (“Dinner for Monsters” and “Slit”). Samantha/Nurse Nasty is frustrated by how the show is being run by its womanizing director and its drunk and crazy host Dr. Nasty. “Dinner for Monsters” tells the story a down and out chef who is hired to cook a special meal for a rich and powerful couple for a midnight dinner party. In “Slit”, Brad has an underground freelance business of cutting people for relief and profit. Directors: Navin Ramaswaran, Zach Ramelan, Torin Langen. Cast: Jamie Elizabeth Sampson, Nick Smyth, Jeff Sinasac, Colin Price, Caleigh Le Grand, Sandra Da Costa, Brian Carleton. (Canadian Premiere)
NOCTURNE: This film has been described as an offbeat urban fairy tale about an insomniac who falls in love with a sleepwalker. Haunted by her past, and dogged by her present, Cindy can’t sleep, and sketches to relieve her growing anxiety. A fellow worker, Armen, constructs origami – but acts oddly. Lost in her own world, Cindy chooses to follow Armen through his, and slowly and improbably, their relationship blossoms. Director: Saul Pincus. Cast: Mary Krohnert, Knickoy Robinson, Ian Downie, Marcia Bennett. (Canadian Premiere)
RELATIVE HAPPINESS: Plus–sized and 30 years old, Lexie Ivy is a feisty Bed & Breakfast owner who desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. In small town Nova Scotia, that’s no easy task, especially when the most eligible bachelor is Joss, the rough handyman fixing her roof. But, after a series of hilarious mishaps and reality checks, Lexie opens her heart and eyes to see that love may be a lot closer than she thought. Director: Deanne Foley. Cast: Melissa Bergland, Aaron Poole, Johnathan Sousa, Susan Kent, Joel Hynes, Molly Dunsworth, Rob Wells. (Toronto Premiere)
SHOOTING THE MUSICAL (previously titled AFTER FILM SCHOOL) is a dark, comedic mockumentary about a group of young film school graduates attempting to create the most offensive film of all time: ‘High School Shooting the Musical’. Director: Joel Ashton McCarthy. Cast: Bruce Novakowski, Chris Walters, Rebecca Strom, Lisa Ovies, Rory W. Tucker, Casey Margolis, & Gigi Saul Guerrero. (Toronto Premiere)
For more information and a list of the short films on the 2015 schedule, click here to find a link to the Canadian Film Festival and other March film festivals listed on Northernnstars. |
