Special Screening
Canada, 2007, 95 min
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100% WOMAN
02/27/2008 - 13:30
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$6.00 child and $8.00 adult
Director: Karen Duthie | Canada | 2004 | 59 min
Recommended for grades 8 and up
Themes: Empathy, Social Justice, Acceptance, Competitive Sports, Gender
Canadian downhill mountain bike champion Michelle Dumaresq has been shaking up the world of sports. But it's not her riding talent that's sparked controversy and international media attention - it's the fact that for the first 20 years of her life Michelle was Michael.
This documentary is an adrenaline-fueled ride-along on Michelle's controversial foray into international women's competition. Combining verité scenes, interviews, home movies and dynamic footage of some of the best mountain bikers in the world, we follow Michelle from her first local race, to the World Championships where she makes history as the first transgendered athlete on a national team, to the glare of the media spotlight.
33-year old Michelle is witty, charming and confident as she faces active protest from the other racers - some of whom she once considered friends. While some of her opponents merely question her right to compete, others challenge her very identity as a woman. As Michelle struggles for acceptance - as an athlete and a woman - we're forced to ask questions ourselves, not just about fairness in sport, but also about the nature and definition of gender. Winner of the Edith Lando Peace Prize, Reel 2 Real 2005, for the film that "best conveys the values of empathy, non-violence, inclusion and respect."
Breakfast with Scot
02/24/2008 - 17:00
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$6.00 child and $8.00 adult
Director: Laurie Lynd
Canada, 2007, 95 min
Recommended for ages 12 and up
Ed and Sam's world and relationship turns upside down with the arrival of Ed’s nephew, an exceptionally flamboyant 11-year-old boy named Scot. Sam is a former professional hockey player who now works as a broadcaster at a major sports network. His colleagues have no clue about the true sexuality of the outwardly masculine sportscaster; the same can be said about his longtime partner Ed, a high profile hockey player with a reputation for roughness on the ice. Scot - whose mother has just died and whose irresponsible father is currently out of town- is an expert in the subjects of knitting and show tunes, but when it comes to the topic of sports he just can't be bothered. Sam knows well the terror of having to hide your sexuality from the masses, and, in order to save Scot from the torment of classmates - and perhaps prevent his own secret from being revealed- the knowing uncle does his best to straighten out the effeminate young man. Laurie Lynd’s funny and heartwarming story explores what it truly means to be a family, contrasting familial stereotypes with the realities of family life and showing how it feels to be a boy who doesn't quite fit into the role society has prepared for him. Noah Bernett steals the show as Scot, whose wide-eyed incomprehension of the ways of the world is both hilarious and deeply affecting.
Lynd is a writer and director based in Toronto. His television credits include episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation and Queer as Folk. His films include House (95), Virtual Mom (00), and I Was a Rat (01), which screened at Reel 2 Real.
www.caprifilms.com/breakfastwithscot/index.html
Preceded by short film No Bikini
Leaps and Bounds
02/24/2008 - 13:00
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$6.00 child and $8.00 adult
Director: Petter Naess
Sweden, 2006, 86 min
In Swedish with English subtitles.
Recommended ages: 11 and up
Fourteen-year-old Azad loves to do the high jump and Swedish gold medal-winning high jumper Kajsa Bergqvist is his hero. After surviving a bomb blast near his home, his parents arrange for him and his younger brother Tigris to travel from Iraq to Berlin. The two brothers end up in Sweden by mistake, when an unscrupulous man tricks them out of their connecting flight tickets. In order to blend in with the family that hides him, he has to pretend that he is nine-years-old. Feeling alone in a new country where he doesn't understand the language, he hopes to be reunited with his real parents and seeks the help of a hot dog vendor, a school friend, and Kajsa Bergqvist. When a friend at school introduces Azad to the high jump team at school, Ali astonishes everybody with his skills, but runs into the problem of how an illegal immigrant can join the team that will compete in Germany. Norwegian director Petter Næss (Elling, 2001) sensitively portrays the loss of homeland and family, and the rewards of new friendships and successes.
Presented with the assistance of the Embassy of Sweden.
Prededed by short film: I Met the Walrus
MUKHSIN
02/27/2008 - 11:30
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$6.00 child and $8.00 adult
Director: Yasmin Ahmad
Malaysia, 2006, 90 min
In Malay, English, and Mandarin with English subtitles.
Recommended for grades 7 and up
Themes: Family Dynamics, Coming of Age, First Love, Friendship, Diversity
Orked is a tomboy who has no trouble confronting bullies at her Chinese school, and likes dancing in the rain with her English-speaking mother. She would much rather attend a soccer match then play wedding with the other girls. When Mukhsin and his older brother come to stay in the village, after their mother leaves their abusive father, it is no surprise that he is instantly drawn to Orked and her free-spirited family. Orked and Mukhsin become inseparable, taking the audience with them on their journey around rural Malaysia in this gentle, witty story of the awkwardness of trying to turn friendship into love. In this semi-autobiographical story, Malaysian director Yasmin Ahmad returns to her favourite family, portrayed in earlier films, including Rabun (2003), Sepet (2005) and Gubra (2006). She says of Mukhsin, “I feel it's an interesting human condition to look at, because I myself have never been able to understand how, sometimes, something as beautiful as Love can threaten to end something else that's just as beautiful – Friendship.”
yasminthestoryteller.blogspot.com/2006/04/orked-and-mukhsin.html
No Bikini
02/24/2008 - 17:00
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$6.00 child and $8.00 adult
Director: Claudio Morgado Escanilla
Canada, 2007, 8 min
"I had a sex change once, when I was six or seven years old.” The opening line of No Bikini introduces us to a young girl who defies convention during her summer swim class. Filled with humour, this film is less about defining one’s gender than it is about discovering personal strength.
Screens before feature Breakfast with Scot
PAULA’S SECRET
02/26/2008 - 12:30
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$6.00 child and $8.00 adult
PAULAS GEHEIMNIS
Director: Gernot Krää
Germany, 2006, 100 min
In German with English subtitles.
Recommended for grades 6 and up.
Themes: Empathy, Problem Solving, Social Justice, Social and Economic Class
Rich girl Paula’s posh bathroom is her place to retreat and have romantic dreams about a beautiful, somewhat kitsch prince. Whenever she can, she escapes to her imaginary world, and all the fantasies and inner feelings she writes down in her diary are addressed to him. Going home from her last day at school, Paula has, as always, been followed by her classmate Tobi, who is secretly in love with her. He sees her being robbed by two young pickpockets. Although he does not really understand the full drama of losing a diary, he sees a chance to spend time with her, and offers help. Having no other choice, Paula accepts. The two complete opposites set up an exciting manhunt and, thanks to Tobi’s efforts, the diary is returned. In the meantime, they discover that the two thieves are Romanian children exploited by child traffickers. Paula and Tobi set out to rescue them.
Presented with the assistance of the Goethe-Institut Toronto.
PAULA’S SECRET
02/24/2008 - 15:00
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$6.00 child and $8.00 adult
PAULAS GEHEIMNIS
Director: Gernot Krää
Germany, 2006, 100 min
In German with English subtitles.
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Rich girl Paula’s posh bathroom is her place to retreat and have romantic dreams about a beautiful, somewhat kitsch prince. Whenever she can, she escapes to her imaginary world, and all the fantasies and inner feelings she writes down in her diary are addressed to him. Going home from her last day at school, Paula has, as always, been followed by her classmate Tobi, who is secretly in love with her. He sees her being robbed by two young pickpockets. Although he does not really understand the full drama of losing a diary, he sees a chance to spend time with her, and offers help. Having no other choice, Paula accepts. The two complete opposites set up an exciting manhunt and, thanks to Tobi’s efforts, the diary is returned. In the meantime, they discover that the two thieves are Romanian children exploited by child traffickers. Paula and Tobi set out to rescue them.
Presented with the assistance of the Goethe-Institut Toronto.
PelicanMan
02/23/2008 - 13:00
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$6.00 child and $8.00 adult
Pelikaanimies
Director: Lisa Helminen
Finland/Sweden, 2005, 86 min
In Finnish with English subtitles.
Recommended ages: 6 and up
Favourite children's performer Rick Scott will introduce this classic from Reel 2 Real's past ten years. PUMKIDS, his latest release with Pied Pumkin, won Best Children’s CD in the 2007 Canadian Folk Music Awards and Parents’ Choice and NAPPA Honors in the US.
The pelican that alights on the beach one summer afternoon is quite an extraordinary bird. He seems to be extremely interested in people, and, observing them attentively, he begins to edge closer and closer towards them. And then, the pelican makes a decision that will have drastic consequences: he decides to become human. Amazingly, the pelican’s transformation is so complete that nobody seems to notice whether he is a pelican or a human being. He even gets a job as a stagehand and finds himself an apartment. His landlady – who otherwise suffers from a bird allergy – doesn’t appear to notice a thing. However, 10-year-old Emil isn’t about to have the wool pulled over his eyes. He and his mother have recently moved into the same block of flats as the pelican. Emil realizes in a flash what’s up with the bird, but decides to keep it to himself; it’ll be their secret, just the pelican and him. Emil soon teaches his new friend how to read and, before long, the pelican discovers the delights of newspapers and books, poetry and science, love stories and philosophy. Emil, too, learns a great deal from the pelican and together they begin to explore the city. Then, one day, a girl named Elsa arrives on the scene. She is exactly the same age as Emil. At first, Emil is worried that Elsa could put an end to his friendship with the pelican, but he and the bird soon make friends with her. At the annual harvest thanksgiving party all the other neighbours are simply enchanted by the pelican’s charming ways. Then, Emil goes to visit his father in the country for a few days and the pelicanman is left at home alone. His bird-allergic landlady becomes suspicious and convinces the townspeople to capture the Pelican and place him in a zoo.
Critics have compared the film to everything from Felini's Amarcord to "the Finnish E.T." There is also a Chaplin-esque innocence and naiveté in Kari Ketonen's delightfully absurd portrayal of the Pelican who teaches us about our world as he experiences it for himself.
www.pelikaanimies.fi/pelicanman/en/pelicanmann.htm
Preceded by short film: Street Musique
Red Like the Sky
02/22/2008 - 18:30
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$8.00 child and $12.00 adult
Rosso Come Il Cielo
Director: Cristiano Bortone
Italy, 2005, 95 min
In Italian with English subtitles.
Recommended ages: 8 and up
Mirco is a bright 10-year-old who loves going to the movies. While playing with his father’s rifle, he accidentally shoots himself and loses his sight. The year is 1971, when blind people were considered handicapped. Thus, Mirco is forced to leave family and friends to attend a school for the blind in Genoa. Life at the strict school isn’t easy, but Mirco is feisty and determined. One day he finds an old reel-to-real tape recorder, and discovers that by cutting and splicing tape he can create fairy tales by recording and editing sounds. The religious authorities that run the boarding school forbid this activity, but Mirco refuses to give up, involves his classmates, and soon they rediscover they have dreams and capacities beyond those offered by their school. Red Like the Sky is a beautifully crafted film that shows us the importance of tolerance, self-respect, and creativity. It features blind actors in many of the roles, and is based on the true story of Mirco Mencacci, a blind man who is one of Italy’s top sound designers for film.
Special thanks to the Italian Cultural Institute of Vancouver.
Red Like the Sky
02/23/2008 - 19:00
Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street
$6.00 child and $8.00 adult
Rosso Come Il Cielo
Director: Cristiano Bortone
Italy, 2005, 95 min
In Italian with English subtitles.
Recommended ages: 8 and up
Mirco is a bright 10-year-old who loves going to the movies. While playing with his father’s rifle, he accidentally shoots himself and loses his sight. The year is 1971, when blind people were considered handicapped. Thus, Mirco is forced to leave family and friends to attend a school for the blind in Genoa. Life at the strict school isn’t easy, but Mirco is feisty and determined. One day he finds an old reel-to-real tape recorder, and discovers that by cutting and splicing tape he can create fairy tales by recording and editing sounds. The religious authorities that run the boarding school forbid this activity, but Mirco refuses to give up, involves his classmates, and soon they rediscover they have dreams and capacities beyond those offered by their school. Red Like the Sky is a beautifully crafted film that shows us the importance of tolerance, self-respect, and creativity. It features blind actors in many of the roles, and is based on the true story of Mirco Mencacci, a blind man who is one of Italy’s top sound designers for film.
Special thanks to the Italian Cultural Institute of Vancouver.