A LIFE IN DIRTY MOVIES
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In the world of softcore porn, only three directors ever received any serious critical attention: Russ Meyer, Radley Metzger and Joe Sarno. This Swedish documentary visits the 88 year-old Joe Sarno and his devoted wife (and regular star in his movies) Peggy Steffens in their cluttered apartment in New York, as he keeps trying to mount new projects in the style which he helped popularize in the late 60s (a Bergamanesque focus on the guilty sexual pleasures of women), while his wife tries to shelter him from the reality of their desperate financial straits. An unexpected, and tender love story emerges in between clips from his classic hits such as Inga and Confessions of a Young American Wife, and a truly memorable excerpt from Laura’s Toys.
Editors: Dino Harambasic, Eric Bäfving and Steen Johannessen
AFTER THE BALL
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A Cinderella fairy tale story set in the world of high fashion design this is a glossy, entertaining fantasy about Kate, a talented designer who can’t seem to keep a job, even in the high fashion firm founded by her father, but largely run by her venal stepmother and her two flighty daughters. Co-written by Jason Sherman and Kate Melville. Ms. Melville won the Borsos Award in 2012 for PICTURE DAY. Director Sean Garrity had two previous Borsos entries, MY AWKWARD SEXUAL ADVENTURE and BLOOD PRESSURE, presented in the same year.
Editor: Erin Deck
BACKCOUNTRY
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Based on a true story, this is a particularly horrifying movie to present at Whistler, as it involves a couple of campers who were viciously attacked by a black bear during a mountain-area excursion. Where the actual event occurred in Quebec, the bulk of the movie was shot in Ontario, but the bear attack footage was shot in Squamish, where Canada’s best trained black bear resides. This is a film that is gaining major traction on the international horror genre film festival circuit. It owes a lot to Jaws, but on a more intimate, authentically Canadian scale.
Editor: Dev Singh
BACKWARD CLASS
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Winner of the Audience Award at this year’s Hot Docs Fest, this first feature will have you sitting up and cheering by its moving climax, as it examines the first graduating class of a special private school for promising low-caste children in India. After thirteen years of living away from their impoverished families, they are nervously preparing to write national ISC high school graduation exams in competition with all the other students in India. If few or none of them pass, where will that leave them, and how will it reflect on the future of the financially challenged private institution?
Editors: Greg Ng and Aynsley Baldwin
BAD CITY
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Following up on last year’s very successful film noir genre homage NO CLUE, local favourite Carl Bessai returns with his craziest genre send-up yet: a cross between blaxploitation films from the 70s and what film intellectuals like to call “canucksploitation” from the era. An evil guy named Kincaid has introduced a funky new party drug into Bad City and has murdered the mayor, on his road to taking over the entire town. But Detective Franky New Guinea and his partner, the truly unruly Detective Reverend Grizzly Night-Bear righteously stand in the way. Can you dig it? Right on! Dig out your best 70's wig and get ready to party, in this funny film parody.
Editor: Sabrina Pitre
BANG BANG BABY
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BANG BANG BABY is a musical about Stepphy (Levy), who lives in the sleepy 1960′s town of Lonely Arms with her alcoholic father (Stormare). Stepphy’s dream of escaping to a better life on the stage and screen seems to be coming true when rock star Bobby Shore’s (Chatwin) car breaks down in Lonely Arms. But Fabian, the town creep, tells her that the local chemical factory is leaking dangerous purple fumes that can cause human mutations. Stepphy becomes obsessed with hiding these dark secrets from Bobby.
Editor: Matt Lyon
I PUT A HIT ON YOU
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What a fun premise for a digital age movie. A jilted girlfriend drunkenly goes to her social media sites and offers her engagement ring as a reward to anyone who offs her boyfriend. In the sober light of the next morning’s hangover she is horrified to learn that someone is intending to take her up on the offer. Seriously! Premiered at the Slamdance Festival
Editor: Jonathan Eagan
MINA.MINERVA
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When a petty argument nearly pushes seventy-year-old identical twin sisters Mina and Minerva to fisticuffs, decades of unaired baggage threatens to implode their already strained relationship. MINA.MINERVA is a lively journey through the tumultuous relationship of two very feisty twins.
Editor: Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux
MOUNTAIN MEN
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An engrossing mix of sibling comedy and survival thriller, Mountain Men tells the story of two estranged brothers who travel to a remote family cabin in the mountains in order to evict a reported squatter. When an unexpected fire leaves them abandoned and exposed to the wintry Rocky Mountain elements, they must bury their unresolved resentments if they are to have any hope of making it back to civilization. This is a perfect Whistler movie.
Editor: Adam Locke-Norton
PRETEND WE'RE KISSING
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In a wonderful tale of nerdy love, Dov Tiefenbach plays a very neurotic and insecure 20-something who falls for a rather offbeat young lady named Jordan. She seems to be willing to give him a chance, if only he can get out of his own head, and overcome his self-doubts. His sarcastic agoraphobic hippie roommate, amusingly played by Zoe Kravitz, does not help him. The scene of first-time lovemaking between the would-be couple is a classic. Reminiscent of early Woody Allen in its humour, this is ultimately a touching romantic comedy that gives hope to all of us who are not self-assured or drop dead gorgeous.
Editor: Jorge Weisz
THE COCKSURE LADS MOVIE
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A musical comedy, which looks at the break-up of a British boys band whose tour lands them in Toronto. This is the first film from Murray Foster, formerly of Moxy Fruvous and Great Big Sea, who wrote many of the original songs from the film. The music is infectiously authentic, and may remind audiences of some of the British pop musicals from the 60s. THE COCKSURE LADS MOVIE is a joyful celebration of a specific type of pop music, but one that is not without its thoughtful moments.
Editor: Luke Sargent
THE FUTURE PERFECT
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Somewhere between past and present, a time traveller defies his orders and compromises a future he cannot un-learn. Last year’s winner of the MPPIA Short Film Pitch Award, this sci-fi drama tests one man's sense of duty and questions his moral boundries.
Editor: Jamie Alain
WE WERE WOLVES
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Set in an island cottage in the Kawarthas that belonged to their recently deceased father, two brothers try to resolve some long-simmering resentments. They both are keeping secrets from each other, but a diet of liquor and beer allows many of the issues to bubble up. Plot twists abound as an attractive neighbour shows up, and sexual sibling rivalry is added to the toxic mix. Official selection of TIFF.
Editor: Jonathan Eagan
WHAT AN IDIOT
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When a hot new boss at work makes it clear that she is wary of straight men trying to date her, but much more comfortable making friends with gay men, our smitten hero decides to hide his true predilections. There is real chemistry between the two leads, a real life Vancouver couple, making for a very amusing romantic comedy.
Editor: Aaron M. May
