access CINEMA'S 35mm venues are once again participating on the North of Hollywood Tour of New Canadian Cinema with films including ‘Falling Angels’ and ‘The Republic of Love’ featured in the line up.
Canadian film-makers rarely get the credit they deserve for continuing to produce polished and often provocative work on limited resources. The North Of Hollywood tour aims to showcase four features that would otherwise be overlooked by UK/Irish distributors.
This is a chance to see some of the newest and best films from Canada, a nation whose cinema is increasingly making its mark on the international film circuit through festivals, distribution and touring packages. Curated exclusively for UK and Irish audiences, the showcase brings together a group of four feature films that represent diverse cultures, interest groups and points of view.
FALLING ANGELS
There is turmoil behind the happy home and the manicured lawn. Falling Angels, based on Barbara Gowdy’s acclaimed novel, is a tale of familial breakdown through the lives of the Field sisters. Set in the sixties against the backdrop of free love, the Cold War, LSD and the dawn of feminism, the film is a sardonic look at what really goes on beneath the surface of suburban harmony, starring Miranda Richardson, acclaimed comedian Mark McKinney
(Kids in the Hall, The Saddest Music in the World) and stalwart Callum Keith.
Director; Scott Smith, Canada, 2003, 109 minutes.
LA PEAU BLANCHE (WHITE SKIN)
La Peau Blanche (White Skin), based on the novel by noted author Joël Champetier, is a fresh, genre-busting work that mixes elements of science fiction, romance and fantasy. Henri, a Haitian Québécois, and Thierry, his rural-born roommate, spend their spare time walking through the crowded streets of Montreal discussing race relations, philosophy and the merits of various writers. When Henri treats Thierry to a pair of hookers for his birthday, naughty cavorting soon turns to horror and the room-mates do all they can to put the incident behind them.
With allusions to the work of David Cronenberg (the film uses excerpts from Rabid) and such Roman Polanski creations as Rosemary’s Baby, director Daniel Roby’s situations, dialogue and characters portray a real world gone terrifyingly askew.
Director; Daniel Roby, Canada, 2004, 89 minutes, French with English subtitles.
SEVEN TIMES LUCKY
Bogart-like hero Harlan (Kevin Pollak, The Usual Suspects) is the last in a line of scammers, hustlers and black market bottom-feeders. He’s a bag man for Eddie (Babz Chula), one of Winnipeg’s most prominent fences, and he runs his own sketchy crew including punkish pickpocket Fiona (Liane Balaban) and Sonny (Jonas Chernick), a dimwit Harlan keeps around out of pity. Part thriller, part caper flick, Seven Times Lucky is reminiscent of such grungy seventies classics as Robert Benton’s The Late Show and Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye.
Director. Gary Yates, Canada 2004, 85 minutes.
THE REPUBLIC OF LOVE
Based on a novel by the late Carol Shields, The Republic of Love is an uplifting examination of what it takes to love. Tom Avery (Bruce Greenwood, The Sweet Hereafter), a charismatic late-night radio talk show host, has divorced three times before the age of 40; Fay (Emilia Fox) is his total opposite. When Fay’s parents’ marriage suddenly breaks down after four decades, however, her relationship is thrown into a tail-spin. Directed by Indian-born Canadian Deepa Mehta (Bollywood/Hollywood), The Republic of Love lends originality to the ‘opposites attract’ story– enriched by its Canadian setting, the film is accented by exquisite, inventive visuals and a score that fuses jazz and traditional Indian music.
Director. Deepa Mehta, Canada/UK, 2003, 95minutes.
access CINEMA / Tour of North of Hollywood (April 23- May 11, 2005)
Screenings:
April 23 / Waterfordfilmforall, Garter Lane Arts Centre / The Republic of Love
April 25/ Mermaid Arts Centre / Seven Times Lucky
April 27 / Cinemax, Bantry / Falling Angels
May 03 / Screen by the Sea, Greystones / Falling Angels
May 04 / St Michael's Theatre, New Ross / La Peau Blanche
May 08 / Galway Film Society, Town Hall Theatre, Galway / The Republic of Love
May 11 / Slaney Plaza, Enniscorthy / Falling Angels
