#ciff2014

[ambermarshalldaily]

"Yes, that’s Marshall, who usually plays Heartland’s earnest horse-whispering hero Amy Fleming, switching gears to play Nicole, a scrappy, machine gun-toting medic."

(Calgary Herald)

[ambermarshalldaily]

"Mutant World just happens to have well-rounded female characters that kick a lot of ass, and no one in front of or behind the camera seems to think that’s particularly noteworthy."

(Beatroute)

[allielee03]

Buga-what?

This was another one of my least favorite films at CIFF; I was confused at several parts about what was going on, and I felt like everything was dramatized because there was nothing serious filmed. They all talked about all of the chaos that was going to happen and was happening, but we never saw any of it. I felt like we were watching a boy trying to get famous in a crazy town who isn’t even that good at magic, and a crazy old man who attached himself to this boy so he can get famous as well. I really don’t even understand why the old man was included in the film; yes, he was funny, but he brought nothing to the story other than to make us laugh at times and just make us utterly confused about what he is saying and doing the rest of the time. The storyline was jumpy as well. I guess I would have liked to see some more truth and other sides to the story, because I felt like most of it was made up or dramatized for the film. A as I said, we never saw anything on film that the people were discussing even though the filmers were there when it was all happening. 

[allielee03]

We need more of India’s artists, not less!

            Tomorrow we Disappear is a heart-touching film following the lives of some incredible street performers in Kathputli, India, the very last colony of India’s traditional artists. The filmmaker revealed the political controversy in Kathputli that is causing the street performers to no longer be able to do the things that they love: magic, puppet shows, acrobatics, etc. This film did an incredible job at tugging on your heart strings, because the identities of these people are completely being erased, and I could not imagine that happening to me. I liked how the filmmaker made you gain a liking for each character first by showing the audience their incredible talents, and then giving you glimpses of their personalities. Then, when the problem was presented, you had more sympathy for the characters, because you felt like you knew them and connected with them. If he had just followed the story of the problem they are facing in the beginning, it would not have been as effective. 

[allielee03]

I finally know who General Tso is!

The Search for General Tso was a very interesting, creative, and informative film. It was never dull or boring, and it didn’t just tell you where General Tso chicken came from, but it took you on a journey to figure this out; that was what I liked the most about the film. We were brought around the world, saw the different cultures and histories, and saw the histories of how these cultures were brought into our own. The filmmaker did a very good job at relaying this information; I think if it weren’t presented in the way he presented it, the film could have been simply informative, but not interesting. I think his idea to find the origin of this favorite American dish was ingenious, and is great knowledge for Americans to know!

[allielee03]

Culture Shock

The Iron Ministry did a very good job at immersing you into the ways of the Chinese railway. The blackout at the beginning of the film was an awesome way to set the mood of the film, and it was a little suspenseful because the entire theatre was dark and you were just waiting for something to happen

I think the filmmaker’s other techniques were good in some ways, but not in others. For instance, the way he just filmed most of the time without talking to people and always had the background train noises be all that you heard made you feel like you were there on the train, but got a little boring at times. However, when he was talking to people, it kind of broke the “feel” of the film; you no longer felt like you were there on the train because it is apparent that there is someone behind the camera, but it also held your interest a little more.

I also liked how the filmmaker got up close and personal; he was invading the space of the other people on the train, but they didn’t even care. It just shows how everyone on the train is so packed in together that they no longer have a personal space, and you have to learn to be okay with that if you want to be on the train.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIQTx67YGpU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM9kBxF6im8#t=13

Finally, the fact that there was no storyline made you a bit lost at times, but kept a sort of air of mystery and left you wanting more information. For example, I kept wondering, why do people have carcasses on a train? And why are there so many people on this train, isn't that a fire hazard? There are people sleeping on the floors, why do they allow this?

  Overall, the film was a bit slow, which made it seem longer than it was, but it was a big eye opener and really immersed you into their culture.

[allielee03]

Ocean view off of Mount Battie at Camden HIlls Campsite!

[allielee03]

Okay, maybe my childhood wasn't that bad...

Waiting for August had an incredible storyline, and I think the filmmaker did a great job at revealing the life of lower class Romanians. I loved how the filmmaker just followed the children and let their story play out naturally instead of including herself by interacting with them; it gave the film a much more realistic feel. I think she included the perfect amount of emotion, and included enough about their lives to give us the perfect snapshot without being too invasive and detailed. I also liked how she stepped back and filmed from a distance when the children were interacting with their friends and other people outside of the home; it helped with the realistic and unobtrusive feel. Finally, the fact that the film was personal and close to home for her made it feel much more important to me; she was indirectly telling us a story about things she saw or experienced in her life, and wanted to share this with the world, which was sweet. It made me appreciate how hard those mothers work and the things that they give up just to give their children better lives. This made me appreciate the life I had as a child, because even though I consider my childhood pretty rough, my dad didn't have to give up so much to give my brother and I the lives we had. At least he was always around when we needed him, and we could be kids instead of raising ourselves. 

Photo: A little bit of music before Waiting for August