August 21, 2009
Bookshorts’ films continue to make their way onto the festival circuit south of the border. We are very pleased that some of our early productions are continuing to work for their publishers and authors–i-Robot Poetry based on the book by Jason Christie (EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishers) is set to screen at Bucktown Arts Fest in Chicago August 29. Big thanks to Mike Phillips who is the curator of CIMM for being the first to bring BookShorts to Chicago and picking us up again this time around.
August 20, 2009
Every September, Thin Air 2009 (http://www.thinairwinnipeg.ca) welcomes writers from Canada and the international community for a week of readings, lectures, interviews, conversations, book launches and other events, for adults and chlidren, in English and French. Thin Air will also be the first literary festival of the season to present Moving Stories Films, a 90-minute curated program of short films celebrating the written word. The films have been selected by Festival Founder Judith Keenan and Programmer Paul Quarrington.
Keenan says, “We had an incredible experience at last’s years Festival – we met terrific people in both the film and literary community, presented workshops on adapting books for the screen, and screened to a full house. We’re very much looking forward to bringing a whole different line up of films to the enthusiastic Winnipeg audience. A big “thank you” to Charlene Diehl and her team for their vision and passion!”
Moving Stories Films, and its online portal MovingStoriesFilmFest.com is just one of the public initiatives of BookShorts Inc., the seminal producer and distributor of film, television and new media inspired by books. For more information, or to submit films for this and other screenings, visit www.MovingStoriesFilmFest.com .
February 17, 2009
We’ve got the word that PQ’s “Pavane” is scheduled for TV premiere on Bravo!FACT Presents, that’sthe national Bravo! Canada channel, Sunday February 22, at 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT, also airing on various ‘A’ stations — ‘A’ Victoria Saturday at 11:00pm local time; check local listings for other ‘A’ channel areas (Barrie, London, Ottawa, Windsor, and Wingham Ontario).
And in a stroke of like-minded programming, the first two films in Corey Lee’s kilter trilogy, The Perfection of the Moment and What You’re Ready For, will be airing on the same upcoming episode of Bravo!FACT Presents! Along with Pavane, Bravo!FACT Presents EP: 413 “Adaptations 2009” Corey Lee finds his inspiration in John Gould’s Giller-shortlisted anthology “Kilter” for his shorts “The Perfection of the Moment” which Quarrington programmed for the Moving Stories Film Festival, accompanied by Lee’s “What You’re Ready For.” The fourth film in the episode is a scene from playwright Michael Healey’s “Generous” which forms the basis for Daryl Cloran’s political satire “P.M.O.”
Episode 413 will be re-run at 8:00 pm ET/6:00 pm MT Friday February 27th on Bravo!. It will also air on ‘A’ in Victoria, BC on Saturday 28 February at 11:00 pm local time; and in Ontario on ‘A’ in Barrie, London, Windsor, and Wingham, and Ottawa on Saturday February 28th at 6:30 pm local time. All airdates are subject to change; please check your local listings.
October 17, 2008
By Heidi Wicks, Special to the Telegram …Amidst all the smack-talk of literature dying a slow death, new life is consistently injected into the literary world in more ways than one. One feature of this year’s St. John’s Women’s International Film Festival is a screening featuring the Toronto-based Moving Stories Film festival, a lineup of 15 diverse short films that are all inspired by the written word.
Some of the featured films include Newfoundland director Justin Simms’ “Night Work: A Sawchuk Poem,” based on Randall Maggs’ book; Irene Duma’s mockumentary “This Hour Has Seven Decades,” based on the Patrick Watson memoir; and Kate Jessop’s “When The Telescope Came.”
The first of its kind in the country, the screening will feature Judith Keenan (founder) and Paul Quarrington (curator, and whose short film “Pavane” is based on his book “The Ravine”), as well as the books that inspired the films.
Keenan has adapted over 16 short films from books, and Quarrington has a long list of credentials doing just that. The duo has been hosting master classes on adaptation at several of the festivals at which Moving Stories Films is also screening.
Quarrington states that, “movies are not as big as books. The general public, I think, has a vague and imaginary scale that measures narrative weight, and they seem to equate a book with a feature length film. But the movie is much, much smaller. My novel ‘Whale Music’ is a small book – two hundred and some odd pages – but even it was way too big for a feature film,” he says.
That novel became a film in 1994, winning Genie awards for Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Actor and Best Sound Editing. Quarrington’s screenplay was nominated as Best Adaptation from Another Medium.
“Perhaps the most important aspect of adaptation is for the filmmaker to identify which specific aspects of the printed material speak to him/her,” Quarrington considers. “By selecting those to which he or she connects emotionally and primally, the filmmaker is ensuring that the final product will be, at least in part, a personal expression.
“Sometimes the filmmaker is forced to highlight aspects where there is no personal connection, sometimes the filmmaker bends things to make them fit, tries to force a square peg into a round hole. The filmmaker must possess a very intimate and profound knowledge of the source material. There must be a very immediate and visceral connection. Otherwise, I assert, the project is doomed to failure.”
Keenan’s experience is also extensive, and shares many ties with the Women’s Film Festival. She credits her successes so far to the kindness, generosity, and experience she has gained from attending the festival year after year.
“My very, very first film was ambitious indeed,” she says. “‘What Casanova Told Me’ was based on the novel by Susan Swan, historical fiction adapted as a dramatic short in full period costume, period sets, authentic props, eight months to figure out the first script, two and a half days of shooting in multiple locations – whew! Noreen (Golfman, festival founder), Kelly (Davis, festival executive director) and the avid team at St. John’s Women’s Film Fest did take a flyer on me and programmed the film for the festival the same year we finished it (2004), then proceeded to invite me back with various films over the next five years.”
Keenan adds that not only did the reputation of the festival validate the genre of media she was attempting to (re)invent, but their curatorial smarts have brought amazing talent to a relatively intimate five-day event.
“They inspire everyone to ‘get busy’ with their well thought out programs of great films. No word of a lie, every single year I attend I have hired writers, directors, animators, co-production partners, and this year curated films for Moving Stories presentation from the connections made in St. John’s,” she says.
“One of the most valuable things the festival has given me is a network of colleagues that has allowed me to realize a vision, many visions actually, because I’ve made many films and a TV series since, which would have been impossible had I not been introduced to the talent by means of the festival. Francine Zuckerrman (director), Anna Petras (producer), Justin Simms (director-producer), Kate Jessop (UK director), Kelly Davis (festival producer), Chris Bonnell (NLFDC), Rachel Peters (director-animator), Noreen Golfman … Jean and the team at NIFCO, and esteemed professionals like Barbara Doran and Paul Pope whom I aspire to work with – all these and more from St. John’s Women’s Film Fest.”
Keenan shot a film called “The Fighter” here in St. John’s (co-produced locally by Newfound Films’ Anna Petras) – a film based on a novel by Craig Davidson.
“Anna was absolutely amazing to work with,” says Keenan. “She and I agreed to invite Mark Hesselink to work with us as director, Mona Zaidi as writer, and every other member of the cast and crew were Anna’s team in St. John’s. It could have been a disaster, dropping a director from ‘away’ into an intense, concentrated period of time. Anna was so graceful, and so professional, she made it a great experience for all involved. The author was very pleased with the film too.”
The filmmaker has also shot a film with Justin Simms (the aforementioned “Night Work,” eventually shot in the dead of winter in Beachy Cove after a delay due to a monster snow storm).
“Newfoundland is an amazing landscape populated by the most creative, resilient people I’ve found. I’ve visited the province in every season, once or twice a year since 2003, for fun and for business. I love the place,” Keenan says.
Moving Stories Films is a 90-minute curated program of short films. It screens at the Masonic Temple tonight at 5 p.m.
Figure: Director Justin Simms (above right) discusses a scene with an actor during the filming of “Night Work: A Sawchuk Poem,” a film based on Russell Maggs’ book.
Terry Sawchuk
© 2008 The Telegram (St. John’s). All rights reserved.
The Telegram (St. John’s)
Arts & Entertainment, Friday, October 17, 2008, p. B2
St. John’s Women’s international Film Festival
October 15, 2008
Q: At this year’s Wordfest you’re curating the Moving Stories film program which, looks at short films from around the world. Do you have a background in film? A: When I was in high school I really wanted to be a filmmaker. I even got into a prestigious program at one point . . . but my filming partner and I took the cameras to a party and shot everyone drinking beer. We got thrown out of the program for that, so that sort of felled my filming ambitions for a while. But I did actually go to the Canadian Film Centre here about 15 years ago for the director’s residence and I did make four short films. (My new one) Pavane is based on The Ravine. It’s about the brother relationship and it hints at an occurrence in The Ravine. I use animation to do the childhood stuff, which i think is kind of effective. I’m not if it makes it more creepy or less creepy, but I know it effects the creepiness level. Q: What inspired you to write your latest novel The Ravine? A: I taught creative writing for a long time and at one point I was a writer-in-residence at the Orillia Public Library here in Ontario. . . . Some women came (to the class) and it became clear to me they were in abusive relationships, but I noticed their stories either led up to the abuse and stopped or they began after the abuse had finished and (the stories) proceeded from there. I realized it was my job to get them to write about that middle part that made them uncomfortable. I later realized that about four or five years ago in my own life there was a certain amount of turmoil and I wasn’t following my own advice, so I chose to confront some issues I had. It was things based on an incident which happened to me and my brother and another boy when we were young. So the inspiration for The Ravine was writing about things that made me feel uncomfortable. Spotlight … Paul Quarrington appears at Wordfest events on Oct. 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19. wordfest.com Published: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 Read the whole interview at the Calgary Herald website
October 10, 2008
What better way to wake up on a Saturday morning than to the sound of Irene Duma being interviewed on CBC all across Newfoundland? Angela Antle, host of CBC Radio’s Weekend Arts Magazine in Newfoundland and Labrador will be talking to Duma about her filmmaking, writing and recent move to St. John’s! Duma’s film This Hour Has Seven Decades will be featured in the Moving Stories program at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival on October 17.
The CBC interview with Duma takes place tomorrow Saturday October 10 at 8:10am. Set your alarm, folks!
September 23, 2008
MOVING STORIES FILMS will be continuing its cross-Canada tour at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, The first of its kind in Canada, the screening will feature hosts Judith Keenan (Founder) and Director Irene Duma. The event takes place Friday October 17, 5pm at the Masonic Temple (6 Cathedral Street), followed by a reception. Books which inspired the films in the film program will be available for sale.
There are many immediate touch points between St. John’s and Toronto-based Moving Stories Films:
• Irene Duma, director of the mockumentary This Hour Has Seven Decades, based on the memoir by Patrick Watson that opens the screening program will be the special on-stage guest. “I had an absolutely wonderful time at the Atlantic premiere of This Hour,” says Duma, originally from Toronto. “I fell in love with Newfoundland, and now I’m living in St. John’s!”
• Also in the program is the film When The Telescope Came by Director Kate Jessop from Manchester, England. Kate attended St. John’s in 2007, and pitched her work to Keenan when they both attended St. John’s Women’s Film Fest last year. “I have met many directors through the excellent programming choices the St. John’s curatorial board have made over the years,” states founder / producer Judith Keenan. “They are an important source for introducing the work of artists that we go on to commission, employ and whose work we screen on an ongoing basis.”
• Keenan has worked with Newfound Films’ Producer Anna Petras on several productions over the past few years, and with director Justin Simms on the 2008 production Night Work: A Sawchuk Poem, included in this year’s Moving Stories Films program.
• Rachel Peters is another talented “find” from St. John’s ‘07 – her work animating the Festival’s opening intro, her pitch at the Face to Face session, and a charming stage show that includes fire-eating (yup, eating actual fire) put her on our radar and lead to a fruitful collaboration on Nagasaki Circus. Not only is it in the MSF program, we helped to secure funding through Bravo!FACT, where the film will be broadcast after its festival circuit. Rachel Peters in St. John’s October 11-18.
Moving Stories Films is a 90-minute curated program of short films celebrating the written word submitted by artists around the world. The films have been selected by Festival Founder Judith Keenan and Programmer Paul Quarrington in consultation with illustrious Film Advisors Robert Lantos, Sarah Polley, Nino Ricci, Gary Thomas and Anne Collins. From September to November 2008, Moving Stories will screen at public events hosted by film and literature festivals across North America. Hosts include St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, Ottawa International Writers Festival; Winnipeg International Writers Festival; WordFest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival; Vancouver International Writers Festival and Pages Books & Music (Toronto) “This Is Not A Reading Series.”
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For more information about the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival contact Kelly Davis at 709.754.3141 / kelly@womensfilmfestival.com
For more information about Moving Stories contact Anita Shuper at 647.407.9987 / anita@bookshorts.com
September 23, 2008
Here’s a slug this Quillblogger didn’t expect to see: “A short film by writer/director Paul Quarrington.”
But, according to Open Book Toronto, (and as reported by Quill & Quire Omni this past summer) the acclaimed author of the Governor General’s Award-winner Whale Music and this year’s Canada Reads champ King Leary has ventured behind the camera to shoot his first short feature, Pavane, based on his latest novel, The Ravine.
Read the entire Quillblog post here
September 22, 2008
First Stop, Winnipeg! Moving Stories Films makes its premiere on Sunday September 28th at THIN AIR Winnipeg International Writer’s Festival. Journalists, check out the Moving Stories Press Kit for photos, trailers, info about the films, filmmakers, books, authors and more! Check our tour schedule for the latest information on screenings and workshops dates as we tour the program across the country.
We’re thrilled to have special guests join us in Winnipeg! Randall Maggs, author of Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems (Brick Books) will be in attendance and a short film adaptation of his work will be featured in the program.
“This film does what you hope a dramatization will do,” says Moving Stories Films advisor and publisher Anne Collins, “expand into the unsaid bits of the poem to bring an even bigger experience to the viewer.”
Also in attendance at the Festival is author David Waltner-Toews, shose BookShorts film “Food, Sex, and Salmonella” is also in the film program line up.
Paul Quarrington, Susin Nielsen and Judith Keenan explore the process of adaptation in a Moving Stories Master Class on Saturday Sept 27.
The tour continues in St. John’s, Ottawa and Vancouver in October, and Toronto in November. Stay tuned for more news as the tour unfolds and keep visiting our website for details!
September 3, 2008
A huge congratulations to Director Justim Simms and his excellent filmmaking team! Night Work: A Sawchuk Poem will make its theatrical premiere at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax on September 17.
“I was attracted to the work because it’s rife with incredible powerful imagery right from the first page,” states Justin, the St. John’s-based Director, who took as inspiration the similarly-titled book NIGHT WORK: THE SAWCHUK POEMS (Brick Books) by long-time Corner Brook resident and poet RANDALL MAGGS. “For ten years, Randy immersed himself in the cult and culture of hockey in the early days of the sport, before they wore much equipment, before a goalie wore a mask. What kind of man puts himself in the path of a rubber missile travelling straight to his head at the velocity of a Bobby Hull shot? That’s what we explore in the film.”
Featuring DES WALSH as Gerald; PHIL CHURCHILL as young Randall; LOIS BROWN as the voice of reason. DAVID GRAY, original music; CHRIS DARLINGTON, Editor / Graphics; NIGEL MARKHAM, Director of Photography. A Production of Newfound Films and BookShorts Literacy Program.
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