Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Hannah Pearl Utt
Starring: Caitlin Reilly | Chelsea Peretti | Heather Elizabeth Morris | Manny Jacinto | Megan Stalter
Michael says: “PIFFs opening night film was a crowd-pleaser; a zany comedy starring Next Wave Award winner, Megan Statler. A fun festival opener to be sure, and fortunately, a film that proved to be better than it seemed on paper,
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Director: Michael Dimmitt
Brett says: “There are a few approaches one can take toward a documentary, and this project from Michael Dimmitt falls into that category of telling a story that its small target audience mostly already knows or is largely familiar with.
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Ángeles Cruz
Starring: Alexander Gadiel Mendoza Sanchéz | Danae Ahuja Aparicio | Myriam Bravo
Chris says: “A big draw of TIFF for me is an opportunity to see films from remote corners of the world that might not otherwise be available or on my radar. Sometimes they’re excellent and occasionally they’re atrocious, but this
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Kei Chika-ura
Starring: Hideko Hara | Mirai Moriyama | Tatsuya Fuji | Yoko Maki
Chris says: “Shot by Yutaka Yamazaki, who has served as cinematographer on Hirokazu Kore-eda films from AFTER LIFE to AFTER THE STORM, this second feature from director Kei Chika-ura is often Kore-eda Lite, although what’s missing is the supple touch
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ali Kalthami
Starring: Abo Salu | Hajar Alshammari | Mohamad Aldokhei | Mohammed Altawyan | Morouj
Michael says: “After making a dozen or more short films, writer/director Ali Kalthami has made his first feature film, where desperation meets opportunity, embodied by a man who spends long hours in his car, delivering a variety of products after
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Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Meredith Hama-Brown
Starring: Ally Maki | Luke Roberts | Nyha Huang Breitkreuz | Remy Marthaller | Sarah Gadon
Michael says: “Still reeling from her mother’s death, and finding herself in a stagnant marriage, Judith, a Japanese-Canadian woman takes her family to a couples’ therapy retreat. There her two daughters explore the Pacific coast while their parents work on
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Christopher Wilcha
Chris says: “Chris Wilcha, who worked as a producer on the TV version of THIS AMERICAN LIFE has numerous unfinished projects scattered throughout his career. This documentary, ostensibly about the still-hanging-on, small-town New Jersey record store he worked in as
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Dominic Savage
Starring: Elliot Page | Hillary Baack | Janet Porter | Peter Outerbridge | Wendy Crewson
Chris says: “When Elliot Page announced his transition, I was curious as to how this might change his acting career; his first major film role since then does suggest a new phase, returning to the small-scale, nuanced indie dramas that showcased his
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Rating: 2 cats
Director: Sophie Dupuis
Starring: Anne-Marie Cadieux | Félix Maritaud | Marc-André Leclair | Theodore Pellerin | Vlad Alexis
Chris says: “Simon (Théodore Pellerin), a talented young performer in Montreal’s close-knit drag community is immediately smitten by Oliver (Félix Maritaud), a fellow drag queen freshly transplanted from France. They pursue a whirlwind romance while also collaborating together onstage, although their
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ninna Pálmadóttir
Starring: Anna Gunndís Guðmundsdóttir | Hermann Samúelsson | Jóel Sæmundsson | Jóhann Jónsson | Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson
Michael says: “It’s not an international film festival without a moody, introspective Icelandic film, and Pálmadóttir’s debut feature, SOLITUDE fits the bill beautiful, but as is often the case, such as in 2019’s riveting tale of grief, A WHITE, WHITE DAY,
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