TORONTO, September 22, 2006 -- A juried selection of cutting-edge productions fresh from York University’s Film Department will be screened October 11 at the Royal Cinema in CineSiege, the department’s annual showcase of outstanding student films.
The jurors for this fifth annual event are five distinguished Canadian film and media people: Salah Bachir, president of Cineplex Media; Maclean’s long-time entertainment writer and film critic Brian Johnson; and award-winning filmmakers Midi Onodera, Gail Singer and Clement Virgo.
CineSiege will feature riveting dramas, provocative documentaries and genre-defying experimental works selected from a shortlist of 23 productions. Jurors will be on hand to introduce their picks, explain why they were chosen for the screening, and award certificates of merit.
Winning a coveted spot on the CineSiege program is the result of a rigorous selection process. All 172 films produced at York last year, by students from first through fourth year, were reviewed in-house and then pared down to the 23 nominees for jury consideration.
The Jurors:
Bachir is president of Cineplex Media, a division of Cineplex Entertainment LP. The company oversees the advertising at Cineplex Odeon, Famous Players and Galaxy Cinemas, and publishes the in-theatre magazines Famous, Famous Québec and Famous Kids. Bachir served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Film Centre for nine years.
Johnson began his career as a movie critic in 1986 for Maclean’s magazine. His writing credits include the Montreal Gazette, The Globe and Mail, Saturday Night, Toronto Life, Chatelaine, Flare and Rolling Stone. A frequent guest on radio and television, he co-hosted CBC Newsworld’s "On the Arts" for three seasons. Johnson covered the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for two decades, and in 2002 he published a history of the festival, titled Brave Films, Wild Nights: 25 Years of Festival Fever. His directorial debut, the short film Tell Me Everything, premiered at TIFF this year.
Onodera is an internationally recognized director, producer and screenwriter. Over the course of her 20-year career, her films have been screened at many prestigious museums and festivals, among them the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh; the International Festival of Documentary and Short Films in Bilbao, Spain; and the international film festivals of Rotterdam, Berlin and Toronto. Currently, Onodera is pursuing her interest in low-tech “toy camera” technology interfacing with high tech interactive elements.
Singer is an award-winning filmmaker and writer whose works have been presented worldwide at festivals, in cinemas and on television. Her credits include some two dozen films on a wide range of topics and in various genres, including feature-length fiction and documentary, television and IMAX productions. She has directed films in the UK, South America, Japan, Russia, Thailand, South Africa, Nepal and Israel as well as Toronto, where she taught at York University for nine years.
Virgo’s first feature film, Rude, received its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to play at festivals around the world. His second, Love Come Down, took top prize at numerous festivals, including New York City’s Urbanworld Fest, Acapulco, Jamerican, and the British Black Filmmakers Festival. His third feature, Lie With Me, premiered at TIFF in 2005, followed by screenings at the international film festivals in Pusan, Korea, Berlin and Sydney. His short films for the big and small screen have likewise won acclaim; Save My Lost Nigga’ Soul was awarded Best Film at the Toronto, Fespaco and Chicago film festivals. More recently, Virgo directed several productions for the HBO & Showtime TV network, including the dramas The Wire, Soul Food and The L Word.
CineSiege offers an excellent opportunity to talent-scout up-and-coming filmmakers who dare to challenge the status quo. The event has helped to launch numerous young film artists whose CineSiege entries have gone on to screen at TIFF and many other local, national and international festivals. Such success stories include The School (2003) by Matthew Miller and Ezra Krybus, Hugh Gibson’s Hogtown Blues (2004) and Tess Girard’s Benediction (2005).
“CineSiege has grown into one of the most anticipated events of our season,” said York film department Chair Barbara Evans. “Our program is full of gifted filmmakers, and we are very proud to bring their works to the public in this forum.”
CineSiege is made possible through the generous support of Cinespace Film Studios. The event runs one night only, Wed. Oct. 11 starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Royal Cinema, 608 College St. Admission is $5 at the door. For more information, visit www.yorku.ca/finearts/cinesiege or call 416-736-2100 ext. 22172.
York University’s film department is recognized nationally as a leading centre for professional education in the field. It offers hands-on studio training in all aspects of production, screenwriting and directing, combined with studies in film history, theory and criticism. Distinguished alumni include the principals of Rhombus Media (The Red Violin, Thirty-Two Short Films about Glenn Gould); special effects editor Tim Eaton (Twister, Men in Black, The Terminator); cinematographers Paul Sarossy (Head in the Clouds, Ararat; The Sweet Hereafter) and Mark Irwin (Scanners, There’s Something About Mary); producer Bonnie Palef (Marvin’s Room, Moonstruck); screenwriter Robert Cooper (Stargate, Blown Away); visual effects creator John Gajdecki (Brain Candy, The Outer Limits, Friday the 13th); story editor Guy Mullaly (Highlander, Street Legal); and directors Karen Shopsowitz (Canada’s War in Colour, My Father’s Camera) and Bronwen Hughes (Stander, Kids in the Hall).
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Note: Full list of CineSIEGE nominees and clip reel available for preview.
Media Contact:
Mary-Lou Schagena, Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts, York University
416.736.2100 ext. 20421 | schagena@yorku.ca
