On Wednesday April 15, I was given the privilege in participating in the Reel Canada film festival for the second year in a row. Last year I was able to see two great Canadian films Bollywood Hollywood and Fido. Though I greatly enjoyed both movies, I didn't really like having to watch the films in small halls with flimsy projectors.
This year was a little different because we were able to watch our movies at the Grande movie theatre. I believe this made the film festival feel more legitimate and it made it easier to see/ experience the films. I also thought it was great that we got to be with other students from other schools.
The movie that I watched in the morning was Water. Water was directed by Deepa Mehta and starred Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, and Sarala Kariyawasam. Released in 2005, it received 3 Genie Awards, and was even nominated for an Oscar for best Foreign Language Film. Though the film is critically acclaimed and very well respected, I have to admit that I was not a huge fan. I found the movie to be very slow with not much a happening in such a long period of time.
I could tell that this film was definitely not targeted towards teenagers.
One thing that I did enjoy about the movie, was the cinematography and use of colour. Every once and a while after a very dark part, I would be jolted by a pop of colour in a very bright and energetic scene. These rare, but beautiful scenes kept me somewhat interested throughout the film. After the film, the sound recorder, Slyvian Arseneault came in for a Q & A. He told us a little a bit about his experience shooting in Sri Lanka and working with Deepa. Even though the audience wasn't really enthralled by him, I found it really interesting to hear about the behind the scenes making of Water.
Here is the trailer for Water:
In the afternoon I saw the 2007 documentary Sharkwater. Sharkwater was starred, written, directed, produced, and edited by Rob Stewart. It has great critical acclaim and has been nominated for over a dozen awards around the world.
Sharkwater, was a complete change of pace from Water, but in a good way. It was filled with jolts, stunning visuals, and an interesting story. One of my favourite things about Sharkwater was that even though it was a documentary, it had many elements that you would find in a drama. In the movie there were police chases, flesh-eating diseases, and machine guns. While educating us about the dangers of shark-finning, we followed an interesting storyline was followed that kept us intrigued and entertained.
One thing that I found very distracting in Sharkwater was the narration.
The narration was done by Rob Stewart who sounded like an annoying beach bum. I found it very distracting listening to his voice and trying to take seriously what he was saying. I feel that as the director, Rob Stewart should have gotten someone else to do the voice-overs so that this wouldn't be an issue. After the film, Rob Stewart came and talked to us about the process of shooting Sharkwater. I found this to be extremely interesting since he had put so much of himself into the film. He talked more about the issues of shark-finning and also gave us some insight as to how he shot some of those beautiful underwater sequences. I think it is incredible that someone like Rob Stewart, with no film background, can make an amazing Canadian documentary that has made such an impact on the world. It is nice to know that even though his film has international acclaim, Rob still cares about the Canadian film industry.
Here is the trailer for Sharkwater:
Overall, the Reel Canada Film Festival was a complete success! Even though I found some movies were better than others, it is great being able to see some home-grown talent on the big screen. The day was really fun and I hope I can go again next year!
