Boost This Week

If you don't know what Boost is already check the bottom of this page for details. So, this week:










Boost Music:
the Pack A.D. - Making Gestures



Boost: TV and Film:
Bruce McDonald's Pontypool



Boost: Literature and Boost: Art are still growing fast but given that each has only a few hundred members right now I just sent out links to good resources: View on Canadian Art and the Quill and Quire blog.

Boost: New Media - is just barely getting started - nothing there yet.

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Boost is a collection of Facebook Groups designed to promote Canadian arts and media. Once a week a message goes out to each group promoting a particular artist, group or resource. The groups include Boost: Canadian Art, Boost: Canadian Film and Television, Boost: Canadian Literature, Boost: Canadian Music, Boost: Canadian New Media.

Bruce McDonald Hosts 'A Love Supreme' Fundraiser

Director Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo, the Tracy Fragments, Pontypool) is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow night (Wednesday, January 28) to raise funds for his new film "A Love Supreme".

The film is based on the novel by Kent Nussey:

"Toronto writer Kent Nussey has given his first novel the same name and structure as Coltrane's album. In the book, we find middle-aged musicologist Omar Snow living in a grubby flat near the trendy stretch of bars and bistros on Toronto's College Street. Omar's work-in-progress is an examination of three jazz composers -- Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, and Coltrane. The parts on Monk and Mingus proceed in conventional fashion, but when Omar reaches the section on Coltrane, he realizes his book is turning into something completely unconventional, an attempt, in Omar's words, "to find God in jazz music."

The film will be co-directed by Peter Lynch and produced by Alison Duke.

The fundraiser will be held at the Trane Studio, 964 Bathurst Street, in Toronto and will feature performances by the Rich Brown Trio, Imaan Faith, Infinite, Shaun Booth and jazz vocalist Saida-Baba-Talibah. There will also be previews of already shot footage from 'A Love Supreme.' Attendance costs $50, doors open at 8 p.m. For additional information call the Trane Studio 416.913.8197

Bruce Mcdonald Brings Zombies to TIFF 08: Pontypool

Bruce McDonald, director of such films as Hard Core Logo, Highway 61 and the Tracey Fragments has now made one of the scariest movies ever. At least he hopes it's scary, I haven't seen it - but the premiere is coming to the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is called Pontypool and is based on Tony Bugess's book Pontypool Changes Everything and the description, via IMDB reads something like

"The flick is set in a radio station in Pontypool where one day the morning team starts taking reports of extreme, bloody incidents of violence occurring in town. As the story unfolds, the radio staff soon realizes the violence that is ripping society apart is due to a virus being spread through the English language. That in turn poses a problem for a yappy radio jock and his staff holed up in the broadcast booth housed in the basement of the town's abandoned church as a slaughter rages beyond its walls."

If you watch the clip below Bruce talks about the film, as well as arts subsidies and tells you why and how Hard Core Logo will become a trilogy.

For Showtimes and further info on Pontypool visit http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/pontypool

Exlaim!TV Ep.42 - Bruce McDonald Talks About Pontypool and Arts Subsidies

Vacation, but first a few notes on Bruce McDonald and Grand Analog

I'm off on vacation for a few weeks folks. I'll have limited access to email , but won't have enough internet access to really post anything to publicbroadcasting.ca.

Once I'm back, I have a number of things in the works for publicbroadcasting.ca and otherwise.

I haven't had much time to post today but while I'm away you should check out the press release on Bruce McDonalds new film Pontypool (PDF Format) which will be premiering at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

While I'm away you should check out The Signal on CBC Radio 2. For the next few weeks Odario Wiliams of Grand Analog is filling in for a couple of weeks!

Also, if you have a spare moment, please take a slurpee to John O'Regan (of the D'Urbervilles) he's in hospital for surgery.

See you soon folks, e if you miss me.

RVT: Amanda Terf: Fukits

Just a little reminder that Eyes On Toronto is tonight, at the Gladstone Hotel with Bruce McDonald, Ron Sparks, and the Sunparlour Players: One of the regular features of Eyes On Toronto has been short video sketches from Amanda Terf. This is one of those sketches (please have your Claritin ready).

Bruce McDonald at Eyes on Toronto June 2

Legendary Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald, Director of such films as the Tracy Fragments, Hard Core Logo, Highway 61 and currently at work on a documentary about Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning will be at Eyes on Toronto this Monday, June 2nd at the Gladstone Hotel.

Also on stage that night will be the hilarious Ron Sparks and the Sun Parlour Players who are not as funny as Ron Sparks but have more rhythm.
If you can't be there live in person, and you really should be, you can watch it live at eyesontoronto.ca.

This is the second to last show before the Eyes on Toronto cast and crew take a summer hiatus, so if you've been saying to yourself "I really should go to one of these..." now would be a good time!

Bruce McDonald - Broken Social Scene Reunite

Bruce McDonald's film the Tracey Fragments was undoubtedly the best film of 2007, it didn't win Best Picture anywhere due to a taste defeceit amoung people who give awards, but it was by far the best film. Amoung the brilliant ascpects of the film is a score by Broken Social Scene.

Now, according to Exclaim Bruce McDonald is preparing a documentary on Broken Social Scene member Brendan Canning:

McDonald is now helming the doc designed to coincide with the release of the multi-instrumentalist's solo effort Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning, which is due for a late June release on Arts & Crafts. The Canadian filmmaker has been tailing Canning around recording material for the doc while the musician and band members tour overseas in Europe, Mexico and Asia.

Brendan Canning - Hit a Wall

Bruce McDonald Film Tracey Fragments goes Open Source

The Tracey Fragments Re-Fragmented: Bruce McDonald has released all of the raw footage, music and the script to the Tracey Fragments under a Creative Commons licence.

Think you're a good editor? Want to prove it? The folks at the Tracey Fragments have put all of the raw footage, all of the music (from Broken Social Scene) and the script online under a Creative Commons Share Alike licence. And they would like you to make video

Tracey Re-Fragmented makes available all of the footage from the shoot of the film for users to download and re-edit for their own related projects including music videos, new trailers or to re-edit the entire movie themselves.

The Creative Commons Licened Initiative also makes available the score of the movie by indie collective Broken Social Scene.

4 Seperate file groups, one from each week of shooting, are released including the Final Cut Project Files...

The re-editing initiative also has a competitive element with Bruce McDonald and his editors selecting the best from the projects from Canada to win an Apple Final Cut Pro prize pack the winning project will also appear in the bonus features on the DVD release of the Tracey Fragments.

Visit thetraceyfragments.com/ and click on Re-Fragmented to download the torrent files, script, and official rules.

More Chances to See the Tracey Fragments

If you haven't seen Bruce Mcdonald's film the Tracey Fragments yet, you're about to get another chance. The film, which stars Ellen Page and features a score by Broken Social Scene is easily my pick for the best film of 2007.

It won't actually win an Oscar, those are about Hollywood politics and box office receipts, not merit, talent or art. But in terms of the art of filmmaking and storytelling there wasn't a better film in 07.

UPCOMING SCREENING DATES:

London, ON, Hyland Cinema
January 4 - 10
http://www.hylandcinema.com/

Regina, SK - Regina Public Library
January 17-20
http://www.reginalibrary.ca/blogs/index.php?blog=9

Toronto, ON, TIFF Top 10 at the Cinemateque Ontario
January 29 & 30
http://www.cinemathequeontario.ca/calendar.aspx

Victoria, BC Victoria Film Festival
February 6
http://victoriafilmfestival.com/

Fernie, BC
February 11
http://www.filmcircuit.ca/default.asp

Fredericton, NB
February 18
http://www.filmcircuit.ca/default.asp

Vancouver, BC, TIFF Top 10 at the Pacific Cinemateque
February 21 & 22
http://www.cinematheque.bc.ca/

Kamloops, BC
February 27- March 2
http://www.filmcircuit.ca/default.asp

Winnipeg, MB – Cinemateque
February 29 - March 6
http://www.winnipegfilmgroup.com/index.aspx?FS=3&CF=7

Wolfville, NS
http://www.filmcircuit.ca/default.asp
March 9, 2008

The Tracey Fragments officially Opens November 2!

The confirmed dates and places for the official, non fest, opening of the Tracey Fragments.

Toronto - The Royal - Friday November 2nd

Vancouver - Tinseltown - Friday November 2nd

Montreal - theatre TBC - Friday November 2nd

It has also been announced that the award winning NFB short Madame Tutli-Putli will be attached to the Tracey Fragments for the opening.

Tracy Fragments Scores in Halifax: Public Premiere Tonight:

Just got word that the Tracy Fragments has won "Best Canadian Film" and the film's star Ellen Page has taken "Best Canadian Actress" at the Atlantic Film Festival ahead of tonight's public premiere in Halifax. Go here for more details on the The Tracy Fragments and where it's going after Halifax.

Tracey Fragments on Canada AM

Ellen Page and Bruce McDonald on Canada AM talking about The Tracey Fragments - there is also an excellent review of the film from the TIFF at Readjunk.com.



The Tracy Fragments is done in Toronto for Now but will be arriving shortly at

The Atlantic Film Festival

The Calgary International Film Festival

The Vancouver International Film Festival

Cinnefest Sudbury

Why You Should Join FWC!

With the TIFF on I've been doing some volunteer work, handing out info for the First Weekend Club (they also have just relaunched their site.

For those of you who don't know the First Weekend Club exists to build audiences for Canadian Film. In English Canada, Canadian Film currently gets 3% of screen time in movie theaters and generally underperform in terms of revenue. Some feel that this is because Canadian film isn't good, and doesn't connect with the audience. Personally, I don't think that anyone who has seen much recent Canadian film feels that way.

The problem is that people simply don't know about Canadian film. As I said, only 3% of cinema screen time is devoted to English Canadian film. There is also little or no money for marketing Canadian films. So it takes something of a perfect storm for a person to be able to see any of them. They have to somehow find out about the film, and then find a theater that is showing it at a time when they can go.

The First Weekend Club aims to fix the problem by enabling better communication between filmmakers, distributors and the audience.

Membership in FWC is free. As a member you will not only get information about upcoming Canadian films and where you might be able to see them, but invitations to special screenings, director's Q & A's and more. A full list of Membership benefits is available on the new site.

So, if you even think you might, sometimes like some Canadian films please consider signing up or grab a card like the one pictured above from a FWC volunteer (frequently found hanging about theaters during the TIFF) and join us for a special screening of Bruce McDonald's Hard Core Logo at the Drake September 27.

The Tracey Fragments: Cinematic Storytelling at its Best

Now that the Toronto International Film Festival is about to begin I can finally tell you why you have to see the Tracey Fragments. It is a daunting task. It is, by far, the best film I've seen this year. It is one of the best film's I've seen in the last decade and it is Bruce McDonald's finest work to date.

This will not be the film you are expecting, it will be what film was meant to be, with audio, video and narrative all bringing their unique gifts to create a single point of view. Each contributing not only to the story, but giving insight into the mind of the storyteller.

Prepare to be fifteen again. Not fifteen in a glossed over, romanticized way but fifteen at it's most disturbed, confused and insecure. Fifteen and dealing with events that hopefully very few fifteen year olds (or people of any age for that matter) will ever have to deal with. This is the world you will live in the Tracey Fragments.

Imagine that you are sitting on a bus. On that bus with you is an obviously deeply disturbed, 15 year old girl dressed only in a shower curtain. Over the course of the bus ride you hear her story. You get bursts of information, most of it seemingly incoherent and inconsistent at first. It is laced with fantasy and melodrama and, as the title of the film suggests it is fragmented.

The on screen imagery will be disturbing to most people at first, as images are layered over one another, join each other on screen, are repeated over and over. You have to let go of real life and let the images and sounds wash over you. This is film, and as it should in film, the images and sounds are what bring the story home and make it real and this, as I said, is a story told by a deeply disturbed 15 year old. The frantic, disjointed imagery is a reflection of that mind, sorting through events, separating fantasy from reality, digesting and allowing small bits of truth at a rate that it can deal with them.

As you ride along, listening attentively, the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle begin to fall into place, and the sad and horrifying truth is revealed. This is the magic of the Tracey Fragments. It is a spellbinding mystery, it is a horror film if you are a parent and ultimately it is drama and storytelling at it's highest and most honest level.

When the story ends you will be left in shock. Shock at what has happened to the girl and shock at the level of artistry with which the story has been told. Every element of this film, the script, the cinematography, the brilliant score by Broken Social scene, the editing, the acting, the locations etc., combine to form a single point of view and tell a story from the protagonists unique and authentic point of view.

If Hollywood has not completely forgotten about art and storytelling, if they have not replaced recognition of artistic achievement with concerns about box office receipts and Entertainment Tonight appearances then the Tracey Fragments must be considered for multiple Academy Awards - not just 'Best Foreign Film' but 'Best Picture', 'Best Adapted Screenplay', 'Best Director', 'Best Actress', 'Best Editing', and 'Best Original Score' at the very least.

Links:

T.I.F.F. Showtimes (Public 1 - Wednesday Sept 12 - 9.45pm Scotiabank 3, Public 2 - Friday Sept 14 - Cumberland 3, Press & Industry 1 - Tuesday Sept 11 - Varsity 5, Press & Industry 2 - Thursday Sept 13 - Varsity VIP 2

Playback Magazine: Outlaw Filmmaking at it's best

thetraceyfragments.com

Tracey Fragments on Wikipedia

Tracey Fragments (Novel) on Wikipedia

Tracey Fragments on imdb

Bruce McDonald on imdb

Ellen Page on imdb

Broken Social Scene

Tracey Fragments Facebook Group

Trailer on YouTube

Another Trailer on YouTube

Not in Toronto, Not a Problem:

Atlantic Film Festival (Halifax) http://www.atlanticfilm.com/aff/index.php

Calgary International Film Festival http://calgaryfilm.com/

Vancouver International Film Festival http://www.viff.org/home.html

Cinefest Sudbury http://www.cinefest.com/

More dates, including U.S. dates are coming soon, keep an eye on the website or join the Facebook group to stay up to date.

Tracy Fragments Screenings Announced

I've mentioned this film a few times already, but now you can actually go and see it. Bruce McDonald's film the Tracy Fragments (with a spectacular score by Broken Social Scene) will be making it's official North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. You will not be disappointed.

Public 1 - Wednesday Sept 12 - 9.45pm Scotiabank 3
Public 2 - Friday Sept 14 - Cumberland 3
Press & Industry 1 - Tuesday Sept 11 - Varsity 5
Press & Industry 2 - Thursday Sept 13 - Varsity VIP 2

Tickets are available now through the TIFF

See the new trailer at http://youtube.com/watch?v=I6s7FKdjBvk.

Tracey Fragments

I'm holding back until closer to the TIFF, where it will premiere and you'll have a chance to see it, to say more about this but don't miss the Tracey Fragments.

Read more at iMDb.