Drift Scrivener’s Motorcycle Gang gets old skool at BEC
June 16, 2008
A guy’s gotta do what he’s gotta do to get in the picture — 8 bikers, a Harley ride across the exhibit floor, a sense of humour, and a trade show full of people willing to be “convinced.”
Check out www.movingstoriesfilmfest.com to see if it worked.
Moving Stories Preview: First Films Screen at BEC08
June 15, 2008
June 15, 2008 (Toronto, ON)…BookShorts, the seminal producer/distributor of film, video and TV programs based on books, will officially kick-off Moving Stories – a festival of short films celebrating the written word – with a special preview screening Sunday, June 15th at 2:00 pm, in the BookShorts Lounge at BookExpo Canada (MTCC, 225 Front Street West, Toronto). The preview will be hosted by Festival Founder Judith Keenan and Programmer Paul Quarrington. Authors and Directors whose work is represented in the program, as well as presenters from host venues across the country will also be in attendance. The screening include two films announced specifically in time for BookExpo: an animated short by British filmmaker Kate Jessop When the Telescope Came based on a poem by Diana Syder, as well as A Life’s Passion, based on the novel Renaldo and the biography of its author James McCreath.
The final line-up of films, up to 12 in total to make a 90-minute screening event, will be selected by Festival Programmer Paul Quarrington in consultation with a prestigious panel of Film Advisors including film producer Robert Lantos; award-winning filmmaker Sarah Polley; author Nino Ricci; top literary publisher Anne Collins, and director / animator Gary Thomas. “As a writer, filmmaker, even as musician, I’ve experienced first-hand how artistic expression needs to adapt to its medium, yet retain the spirit of an artist’s original work. In screening the films submitted for Moving Stories, from places as distant as Milan, Lancaster, the Czech Republic, the USA, and all over Canada, I was amazed at the vast range of cinematic interpretation people bring to the written word. Whole film groups exist now that are expressly devoted to interpreting books on film, Kate Jessop being one of them.” Quarrington has been a champion of BookShorts’ initiatives since the company’s launch, and his just-released novel The Ravine provided the ideal opportunity to write and direct his own film treatment. The resulting short film, Pavane, will be included in the final festival line-up, lending this genre of short-film-making another mentor and a boost in visibility to authors, music artists and filmmakers.
Festival Advisor Robert Lantos, a long-time collaborator of Quarrington’s, has a marked commitment to the literary world in his films: “Many of the features I’ve produced – Joshua Then and Now, Whale Music, Being Julia, Fugitive Pieces, Black Robe and The Sweet Hereafter, to name just a few – are based on novels. Each adaptation brought its own individual challenges and rewards. I find the whole process endlessly fascinating.”
Festival Founder Judith Keenan explains why she feels the program is well-timed: “First and foremost, Moving Stories is about bringing more readers to more books. When we turn a reluctant reader into a bibliophile, bring an avid reader the delight of discovering new talent, we’ve accomplished our highest aspiration. Second, BookShorts’ objective in curating the screening program from international artists is to set a standard of excellence, for those interested in making shorts of this nature, and to set and audience expectations of what is possible. And third, reading is an entertainment; it needs to be positioned just as seductively as film, TV, and video games. We may be in danger of losing a generation of readers simply by omitting that form of outreach to the very place they spend most of their time — in front of screens. All together, Moving Stories intends to amplify the natural affinities between film and literature, creating a real and virtual forum that allows audiences to appreciate the art of story through more than one media.”
The program will tour nationally to prestigious literary and film festivals across North America from September to December 2008. Confirmed 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 Toronto First Canadian Place.
The final Moving Stories program line up will be announced July 30, 2008. The deadline for film entries is July 10. Authors, spoken word artists, music artists and filmmakers are encouraged to submit their films for consideration. Film submission guidelines, and information for producers interested in hosting Moving Stories, are available now at www.movingstoriesfilmfest.com.
P.S. A special thanks to Bruce Pirrie and Rachel Peters for creating DRIFT SCRIVENER, and to the fab posse of GHOST WRITERS MOTORCYCLE BOOK CLUB for bringing his gang to life for a day!
Publishers try new promotional tricks at BEC
June 13, 2008
Quill & Quire OMNI
Trying to stand out on BookExpo Canada’s crowded convention floor is a challenge many of the annual trade show’s exhibitors face, but it’s one that can lead to some unconventional marketing strategies. This year’s event, running Sunday and Monday, features a number of ambitious promotional campaigns – including a film-festival teaser, a unique prize giveaway, and a racy flesh-and-blood mascot – all vying for attention.
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Another BEC event that’s hardly by-the-book is a preview of the Moving Stories Film Festival, a program of book-inspired short films that will tour Canadian literary festivals this fall. Run by BookShorts founder Judith Keenan and curated by Canada Reads-winning author Paul Quarrington, the screening on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the BookShorts Lounge will feature an animated short by English filmmaker Kate Jessop (based on a poem by Diana Syder) as well as
a more conventional BookShorts-produced film commissioned by self-published author James McCreath, who will be promoting his soccer-themed “novel of hope,” Renaldo, at BEC.
Quarrington – who wrote and directed a short film based on his novel The Ravine, which he says may be included in the final festival lineup – views the promotion as an expression of the commonality between literature and film. “I think the novel’s much more flexible and agile as a storytelling mechanism, but movies are so popular, and especially with some of the new media, access to them is going to be so pervasive that it’s good for the two to co-operate.”
Keenan hopes the promotion will spur a “flurry” of new entries before the festival’s July 10 submissions deadline (the final 90-minute lineup will be announced on July 30) and attract potential screening partners from across North America. So far, the fest is slated to play at six literary festivals in Canada (including fests in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Ottawa); one U.S. retailer, Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona, has also signed on to host the program. “Ultimately, we’d like to get the booksellers on board and create community screening programs associated with their own outreach,” Keenan says, adding that she hopes to grab the attention of event planners at Indigo Books & Music at BEC.
For more information about Moving Stories Film Fest at BEC — watch this column on Sunday June 15!
Extended Deadline for Film Submissions July 10
June 12, 2008
The interest in Moving Stories has rachetted up with the pending preview event in Toronto this coming weekend — so we want to remind filmmakers, authors and music artists that the Extended Deadline for Film Entries is JULY 10. Submit via MovingStoriesFilmFest.com or by WithoutaBox.com – keep ‘em coming!
BookShorts Preview of RENALDO by James McCreath
June 6, 2008
BookShorts Preview of RENALDO by James McCreath
RENALDO reveals the story of James McCreath, a businessman who overcame the relentless hand of fate by translating true life into an epic novel of historical fiction, Renaldo. Reluctant prodigy from a family fortune amassed through generations; honour-bound to fulfill duties to those whose dedication kills; thwarted in love by cruel irony; persevering by his hope, passion and faith — the film focuses on some of the intense personal events of McCreath’s own life, while using animation to imagine the parallel fictional narrative. McCreath has made his novel timely and universal through its setting in Buenos Aires 1889 to Argentina in the 1970’s, a time rife with terrorism and military dictatorship while simultaneously hosting one of the most spectacular sporting events in history, the FIFA World Cup.
Judith Keenan
June 6, 2008
Judith Keenan’s 20-year career in Canada and the United States has been focused on business development in the culture and entertainment sector. She is currently Executive Director and Founder of BookShorts Inc. and its sister company BookShorts Literacy Program. She produced her first book-inspired video in 1994 in New York City for best-selling Canadian author Douglas Cooper, and has not looked back since. Her production credits number more than 100 news features, 16 short films, an 8-episode national television series and much more. Visit BookShorts at http://www.bookshorts.com
Emily Carr Call for Submissions now closed - Thank you!
June 1, 2008
Thank you to all the wonderfully talented and pro-active students and alum of Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design who were respondants our “Make a Film On Our Dime” competition. Our organizing team at BookShorts and Vancouver International Writers Festival have now closed the call for submissions, and will soon post more information here on the site. In the meantime, stay tuned for the Moving Stories Film Preview announcements to be made at BookExpo Canada, 2pm Sunday June 15.
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