TORONTO, March 19, 2004: Canadian director Wiebke von Carolsfeld will be the featured guest on March 25 at The Independents, a monthly series of screenings and discussions on independent Canadian cinema presented by York University’s Department of Film & Video.
Von Carolsfeld will present and discuss her award-winning first feature film Marion Bridge. Set in post-industrial Cape Breton, this is a poignant, gritty, and at times humorous drama about three sisters torn apart by family secrets. Struggling to overcome her self-destructive behaviour, the youngest sister, Agnes, returns home determined to confront the past in a community determined to avoid it. Her quest sets in motion a chain of events that allows the sisters to re-connect with the world and one another.
Marion Bridge marked its international premier at the Tiger Competition in Rotterdam in 2002 and continues to play at festivals worldwide. It opened across Canada and the United States in April 2003, earning kudos from fellow filmmakers and critics alike.
"Marion Bridge is one of the most confident and clearly directed first features to be made in Canada. Every element of this impressive production is completely integrated and beautifully performed." - Atom Egoyan
"A small, exquisitely acted Canadian film . . . (Marion Bridge) uncovers a complexity and depth of feeling rarely glimpsed in a family drama . . . truthful and quietly compelling." - Stephen Holden, New York Times
Marion Bridge won the City TV Award for Best Canadian First Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival (2002) and was nominated by the Director’s Guild for outstanding Achievement in Direction. As well, it won Best First Feature at the Sudbury Film Festival and Best Screenplay Award at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax.
Von Carolsfeld was born in Germany and studied at the University of Cologne. She has worked as an editor for several leading Canadian filmmakers and launched her directing career with two short films, From Morning On I Waited Yesterday (1998) and Spiral Bound (2000).
York University professor, screenwriter and director Amnon Buchbinder will host and moderate the discussion following the screening of Marion Bridge. A former programmer for the Vancouver and Toronto film festivals, Buchbinder's short films have been screened at festivals worldwide, including Cannes, Edinburgh, Toronto and Los Angeles, and broadcast on the CBC, Movie Network and other outlets. His first feature, The Fishing Trip, premiered to critical acclaim at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival, followed by national theatrical release.
When: Thursday, March 25 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Room 1355, Vanier College, York University, 4700 Keele St.
Admission: Free
For more information about the screening, call 416-736-5149 ext. 22174. To learn more about Marion Bridge, go to www.topten.ca/2002/content/05.html
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Media Contact:
Mary-Lou Schagena
Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts
York University
416-736-2100 ext. 20421
schagena@yorku.ca
