Nagasaki Circus Trailer a hint of Rachel Peters

Nagasaki Circus

Supported by BravoFACT, National Film Board Animation Studio, BookShorts Inc.

Now on tour with Moving Stories Films 2008

Guest Blog from Director Rachel Peters, Nagasaki Circus

“Loves it!” Newfoundland and Beyond

My [now annual] excursion to St. John’s NFLD was, as usual, a lovely time. I’ve found that in every trip to The Rock I seem to get tricked into being educated, in some way or another. This year at the St. John’s Int. Women’s Film Festival was no exception. From Irish sailors stopping in to port, to films about Holy Heart High School, to dark comedies about Newfoundland life — everything seems to be crammed full of culture. Everything also seems to be uphill and against the rain.

I ate cod tongue.

I have yet to be screeched in.

I spent Oct. 11th and 12th with seven junior high students, creating animation flipbooks and claymation shorts for the festival-sponsored workshop, “2D in 2Days”. I was truly impressed by the quality and understanding of animation these guys achieved in only two days and it excited me to try the workshop again. I had planned it all out two years ago, but this was my first time seeing it through to fruition.

The morning of Sunday, Oct 12th was spent in the CBC radio studio, with Angel Antle, on the Weekend Arts Magazine, talking of workshops, festivals, films (specifically mine, “Nagasaki Circus”) and fire eating.

Then, a little break and on to the festival! I actually got rather distracted during most of the festival and missed a great deal of the films and workshops I had wanted to attend. I ended up starting a flipbook of my own, having been inspired by my kids from the previous week, and I hid away for most of the week.

“Nagasaki Circus” screened on the 17th with the Moving Stories Film Festival, within the St. John’s Festival — A festival within a festival. Like an onion. Or a parfait.

Luckily, I missed my flight home because I was too busy dancing atop of Signal Hill with filmmaker, Irene Duma, so I was able to attend the closing ceremonies and the after party where I was able to meet people I had hidden from all week and shove some helium balloons down my shirt. See? It all works out.
I then garnered a solid three hours of sleep, woke up while the others were still wrapping up the party, and I caught my next flight off that precious stone.

watch Post Festival Depression, chalked full of festival inside jokes!

Here’s what you should expect next:

The Moving Stories Film Festival is trucking onward to screen at the Ottawa Writer’s Festival where many-a-masterclass will occur.

I will be on the panel of one of these masterclasses, “Animating Books: From Page to Screen”

Come to the screening Wednesday, October 22, 7:00 PM, at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street Tickets, passes and info: 613.562.1243.
The brilliantly written and puppeted “Nagasaki Circus” will be screened, along with many others, including Paul Quarrington’s “Pavane” which is a short adaptation of (or alternate angle to) his latest Giller long-listed novel, “The Ravine.”

The “Animating Books: From Page to Screen” masterclass with Rachel Peters and Gary Thomas, Hosted by Chris Robinson, and Presented with the Ottawa Animation Festival will be held Thursday, October 23, 6:00 PM.

For more information about the Writers’ Festival and all of its events, visit: www.writersfestival.org

I’ve got MY bus ticket. Do you?

Into the ravine with Mr. do it all

by Drew Anderson … Quarrington brings his expansive skills to WordFest … Just to drive the point home that he can do everything, Quarrington is premiering a short film, Pavane, based on The Ravine at WordFest. Perhaps reflecting the schizophrenic writing style of the book, Quarrington worked on both projects at the same time. “In writing The Ravine, I wrote about half the book and then left off to write a screenplay, or a different take. It’s not actually a version of the novel, it’s kind of another approach. So I guess I wanted to explore other storylines and slightly different characters. And then went back to the novel,” he says.

The short film mixes animation and live action, separating the lives of the adult characters from the animated youth and the terrors of the ravine. It is set largely in Birds of a Feather, a piano bar that makes appearances in the novel as the place where Phil’s younger brother Jay tickles the ivories. “In going back and forth, I thought, well, it might be effective to tell the children’s story in animation, because it sort of, I don’t know, lends a patina of innocence that either makes the creepy stuff all the more creepier or maybe makes the creepy stuff a little easier to take,” explains Quarrington. He also did it to spare audiences the suspension of disbelief that is often required to match a child actor with his adult counterpart.

It’s a long way from his initial foray into filmmaking. “When I was in Grade 13… I got accepted to this film sort of camp in the summer, where they gave us all sorts of equipment and encouraged us to make films. But my friend and I took the camera to a party and filmed ourselves drinking beer, and then goodly sent in the stuff to get developed. So I got thrown out of that and my career as a filmmaker was in jeopardy for many years.”

If a novel and a movie isn’t enough to impress, Quarrington will also be playing with his band, Porkbelly Futures, at The Banff Centre. Show off.

Published October 16, 2008  

Read it in the original at FFWD Magazine

A moving (and funny) story … Ottawa Citizen

By James MacGowan … Paul Quarrington presents a short film version of The Ravine at Writers Festival….

Busy man, that Paul Quarrington. Right now, he’s multi-tasking: he’s got his ear to his cellphone and his eyes searching for a place to park and chat. He’s in Toronto, so this is harder than fitting a camel through the eye of a needle.

“I’m going to go up here and just pull over,” he says, finally. “That way I can give you the full weight of my concentration.” He’s being funny. He’s always being funny. He’s a damn funny guy and his latest book, The Ravine, is a damn funny book and a thumping good read. … he has done some movie work. Which is why he’s coming to Ottawa, as part of the BookShorts Moving Stories Film Festival. For the first time, Quarrington not only wrote a script for a film, he directed it as well. It’s called Pavane, and it’s based upon The Ravine. Now, it’s only five minutes and 28 seconds long, so he hasn’t completely ventured into the land of Spielberg and Kubrick, but it was a nice beginning. (You can see a trailer of the short at movingstoriesfilmfest.com/media/pavane).

“It wasn’t technically my debut,” he counters, when I ask how it felt to be behind the camera for the first time. “I’ve actually made three short films. Indeed, I attended the Canadian Film Centre as a director resident 16 years ago. And yes, I would like to direct the full-length version. While I don’t think I can really direct a film, I don’t think anyone else can either.” (I’m not sure what that means, but never mind. It’s Quarrington, after all.)

Odd thing about the writing of The Ravine. Halfway through, he stopped. Something was pulling at him and that something was a screenplay. So he wrote the screenplay for the novel that was not yet finished. When that was done, he finished the novel. He then also decided to do a short-film version, which is how Pavane was born.

“We are in the business of making short films inspired by books,” agrees Judith Keenan, executive director of the Moving Stories Film Festival. “The films are crafted from an artistic perspective just like any short film would be — each has a narrative arc, a beginning, middle and ending, and gives every viewer a satisfying experience. The original screenplay for each film is adapted from a book because that’s our niche, we love to introduce new readers to the work of both our authors and our filmmakers.

“There are those that agree that our little guys stand on their own — CBC is on board to broadcast Pavane, A Life’s Passion; Bravo continues to support the films (What Casanova Told Me, Pavane, Nagasaki Circus), as does the National Film Board (Nagasaki Circus, and others just now in development stage).”

Pavane, A Life’s Passion and Nagasaki Circus will be shown Wednesday, along with This Hour Has Seven Decades, JPOD, The Gargoyle and nine others, all based on written word sources (short stories, poems). Then, on Thursday, Quarrington will be conducting a workshop with Keenan on the difficulties of adapting a novel for the screen.

“The big problem,” he says, “is that movies are a lot smaller than people think they are. A relatively small book like Whale Music can’t fit comfortably into a movie — you have to pick and choose.”

Quarrington says adapting his own work, such as Whale Music, is easier, because he has no qualms about cutting things. When he’s adapting someone else’s work, he becomes “fiercely protective of their work because it’s theirs. Myself, because I’m closer to me, I can say, ‘Get over yourself, Paul’.”

When he was working with director Richard Lewis on Whale Music, for instance, there were quite a few times where Lewis wanted to add a scene from the book, but Quarrington wouldn’t allow it. “Well, it’s in the book,” Lewis would say. “Who cares?” Quarrington would respond.

This Thursday, you’ll learn how to be just as self-flagellating. From the master, no less.

Paul Quarrington will appear at the Ottawa International Writers Festival on Wednesday at 7 p.m and Thursday at 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

- – -

James Macgowan’s blog, Cover to Cover, is a perfect destination to read what’s happening in the world of books

Read it all here at the Ottawa Citizen

James MacGowan, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Sunday, October 19, 2008

Books breathe life into film series – St. John’s Telegram

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

Five questions for Quarrington with Calgary Herald

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

Moving Stories in the News

Splashed across papers and on the air waves, news of Moving Stories is making its way across the country! Check out the article in SWERVE, Calgary Herald’s Friday magazine featuring the upcoming Moving Stories program at WordFest October 15; and the program screens again in Banff on October 19.

More print coming up:  The Telegram, St. John’s (Oct 14); FFWD Magazine, Calgary (Oct 16) ; Ottawa Citizen (Oct 17) .

 

CBC Radio Newfoundland and Labrador, Weekend Arts Magazine Saturday October 11 @ 8:10am Eastern time.

Irene Duma on CBC Weekend Arts Magazine

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!

ME SEXY at THIN AIR 2008

Paul Quarrington talks to Drew Hayden Taylor, award-winning author, playwright and comedian. At the risk of dating himself, Taylor reveals that his first writing credit was for the Beachcombers! Who knew? At THIN AIR, Hayden reads from Me Sexy (the sequel to Me Funny), a collection of stories written by some of Canada’s most esteemed First Nations writers. First funny, then sexy…we can’t wait to see what’s next for Taylor.

Scenes from the Set

By Ken Tsui
Director of Soucouyant

What a terrific shoot we had. With so much to do in such a short period of time, the cast and crew really came together to do an amazing job!  Here are a few stills from our work on set, including me & the camera crew, “Adele” getting her makeup done, and a poignant portrait of the family.