Maverick Filmmakers Tell Their Tales

Eight celebrated international filmmakers, each with films in this year's Festival, will be given a platform to discuss how they have shaped their individual careers in candid, no-holds-barred public interviews. While working in different countries and film forms, each of these film artists have successfully bucked the trend to play it safe and commercial and continue to make challenging films with a maverick attitude.

Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai, whose Kippur is screening in the Contemporary World Cinema section, kicks off the series. Other featured directors include celebrated auteurs Clara Law (Hong Kong, The Goddess of 1967, Autumn Moon and Floating Life), Agnes Varda (France, Les Glaneurs et La Glaneuse, Sans Toit Ni Loi and Les Cent Et Une Nuits), Guy Maddin (Canada, Tales From The Gimli Hospital, Careful), and Marleen Gorris (Holland/UK, The Luzhin Defence, Oscar winner Antonia's Line). Joel Schumacher, whose resume includes two films from the Batman series, discusses his return to personal filmmaking with his newest film Tigerland, a taut character study of men at war. Documentary filmmakers are represented by Barbara Kopple (double Oscar winner for Harlan County USA and American Dream), in Toronto with her newest film My Generation, which revisits and contrasts the three Woodstock Music Festivals. Finally, documentarian Raoul Peck (Lumumba), brings to minddiscussing his career as a maker of incendiary documentaries.

More than 200 filmmakers gathered Saturday at the discussion sponored by the Ontario Film Development Commission, the Digital Film Group and Filmfestivals.com, called " The Digital Path : Can you go the Distance?" Among the panelists were Filmfestivals.com CEO Malo Girod de L'Ain, filmmakers Blaine Thurier (Low Self Esteem Girl, sreening here), Lisa Hayes (Lez be Friends) ans producer Nick Depencier (The Uncles, also screening here). Moderating the event was the effervescent Kathleen McInnis, VP of FilmFestivals.com and former programmer for the Seattle International Film Festival. The event was held outside the festival venues so that people could access the information without having to pay for a festival pass.

Although expected to last for an hour, there were too many questions to squeeze into such a tight timeframe, so the entire panel stayed an extra hour. The filmmakers each brought clips from their films and one panelist brought a reel with 8-10 different digital and film videos blown up to 35 mm so that people could see the comparison between the processes. There were many questions about technology and filmmaking, including the ability of festivals to accept digital films. Girod de L'Ain noted that festivals are starting to screen digital films (despite their exhorbitant costs), and that Toronto is a leader in this.

Goddess Goes Global

Hong Kong director Clara Law's new film, The Goddess of 1967 has been a hot ticket for international distributors since its debut two weeks ago in the Competition Section of the Venice Film Festival. Sales agent Fortissimo Film Sales announced here that the film has been sold to France (Ocean Films), Benelux (Cinemien), Spain (Cinecompany), Italy (Fandango), Portugal (Atalanta Films) and Mexico (Gemini). A deal for Canada and US is expected to be announced shortly. Fortissimo, with offices in the Netherlands and Hong Kong, has specialized in the international distribution of films from the Far East. In Toronto, Fortissimo is also representing Fleeing By Night by Hsu Li-kong and Chi Yin, Bangkok Dangerous by Oxide and Danny Pang and The Iron Ladies by Yongyouth Thonkonthun.

Sandy Mandelberger and Kathleen McInnis