2012 September

2012 AFI Fest – Screenings of NAIROBI HALF LIFE

Join Blackhouse for a free screening of NAIROBI HALF LIFE

Click to Reserve Tickets:

 http://afifest.afi.com/sections/NAIROBI-HALF-LIFE#

Description:

Despite his parents’ wishes, Mwas leaves his small village and embarks on a journey to Kenya’s capital in order to pursue a career in acting. Naïve and filled with hope, he quickly learns why the city is nicknamed “Nairobbery.” A few innocent mistakes land him in jail, which eventually leads Mwas to connect with a gang. Although he learns how to survive in the dangerous and sprawling urban center, Mwas is torn between his new lifestyle of theft and violence and his dream of becoming an actor. Rising talent Joseph Wairimu delivers a strong performance as a charming and compelling character that never forsakes his dreams. Emerging from the One Fine Day Film Workshop, a German-Kenyan collaboration, director Tosh Gitonga’s debut feature film is Kenya’s second-ever official submission for the Oscar®. —Dilcia Barrera

North American Premiere

Director Bio:

David Tosh Gitonga was born in the small town of Nanyuki in East Kenya. He worked on several productions as an assistant director, including GARDEN OF EDEN and FIRST GRADER and was selected to direct NAIROBI HALF LIFE, his first feature film, under the supervision of Tom Tykwer.

Additional Screening:

11/7/12 at 4:15 PM – Chinese 3

2012 Toronto International Film Festival Black Film List

The 2012 Toronto International Film Festival will present over 24 short and feature-length films with black directors, content and/or cast (D,S,C).  This number includes nine films with black directors, three of whom are Canadian. Plus there are four additional films with black cast members you are sure to recognize. The films are described below along with screening times and locations.

North American Premieres

Bad 25(D,S,C) – Documentary Feature

Directed By: Spike Lee

For those who remember the time, the 1980s were the Age of MJ. With its string of irresistible number one hits and landmark videos, the 1982 album Thriller cemented the formidably talented Michael Jackson’s status as the King of Pop. But it was Jackson’s 1987 follow-up Bad that shifted his image and style toward something tougher, leaner, and more mature. A revolutionary turning point for the musician, Bad was a sensation in its own right, yielding a number of timeless megahits as well as the memorable video for its title cut, directed by none other than Martin Scorsese. Appropriately, this new documentary celebrating the album’s silver anniversary is helmed by another New York–based cinematic visionary: Spike Lee.

 

Showtimes:

Sat, Sept 15  9:00pm

Ryerson Theatre

 

Sun, Sept 16 12:00 pm

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

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The Paper Boy (D,C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Lee Daniels

Jailhouse sex, life-saving golden showers, brutal bondage and all kinds of inventive nastiness — it’s remarkable to see what Lee Daniels can convince his A-list actors to do. Following on the monster success of the Academy Award®–winning Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire, Daniels has upped the ante with this fiery, deliciously campy chunk of Southern-fried Gothic.

                                      

Showtimes:

Fri, Sept 14 6:00pm

Visa Screening Room (Elign)

 

Sat, Spet 15 6:00pm

Ryerson Theater 

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International Premiere

 

Middle of Nowhere (D,S,C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Ava DuVenay

Writer-director Ava DuVernay received the Best Director prize at Sundance this year for this, her elegant and emotionally complex second feature, which revolves around a pressing and troubling question: How does a woman not lose herself when everything around her is falling away?

 

Showtimes:

Wed, Sept 12 8:45pm

Scotiabank 1

 

Thur, Sept 13 6:00pm

Scotiabank 2

 

Sat, Sept 15 9:15am

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 7

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Festival Gala Presentation

 

Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (S,C)  – Documentary Feature

Directed By: Shola Lynch  

Few American lives encapsulate the tumult and triumph of the civil rights movement as much as that of author, educator and radical activist Angela Davis. Her wide range of admirers extends to include Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. A professor at UCLA, an open member of the Communist Party and an associate of the Black Panthers, Davis possessed an incendiary cocktail of attributes that made her the establishment’s worst nightmare: not only was she educated, fiercely intelligent and fearlessly outspoken, she was also a socialist, an African-American and a woman. It’s an understatement to say that not everyone in the U.S. was ready for Angela Davis — and some in fact did their utmost to put her behind bars forever. Free Angela & All Political Prisoners is the gripping story of how Davis became an international icon of social revolution and progressive politics.

 

Showtimes:

Sun, Sept 9 1:30pm

Roy Thomson Hall

 

Mon, Sept 10 3:00pm

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

 

Sat, Sept 15 12:00pm

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

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Short Cuts Canada

 

CanoeJacked (C) – Narrative Short

Directed By: Jonathan Williams

In this hilariously Canadianized take on the prison-break flick, two escaped convicts flee through the woods while being chased by a policeman. Luckily, they happen upon a canoe by the side of the river — but its nudist owner is far from eager to give it up. With bullets flying after them, the trio has no choice but to form an unusual alliance.

 

Showtimes:

Thur, Sept 13 6:15

TIFF Bell Lightbox 2

 

Fri, Sept 14 9:30am

TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

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100 Musicians (D,S,C) – Narrative Short

Directed By: Charles Officer

City politics enters the bedroom as a couple quarrels over what they believe they heard on the radio. Is the mayor planning to hire 100 musicians, or is it 100 policemen? Charles Officer confronts our civic cynicism and optimism in this concisely constructed drama that is a timely reflection of Toronto’s current state of affairs.

 

Showtimes:

Mon, Sept 10   6:45pm

TIFF Bell Lightbox 4

 

Tues, Sept 11 12:15 pm

TIFF Lightbox 4  

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Crackin’ Down Hard (S,C) – Narrative Short

Directed By: Mike Clattenburg

Pimpin’ ain’t easy. Nowhere is this more true than in the middle of the desert, where a young man out to hike and meditate in solitude is confronted with a proposition that might just be too hard to resist. Trailer Park Boys creator Mike Clattenburg’s irreverent sense of humour is showcased in this cautionary and ludicrously funny tale about succumbing to primal urges and the power of suggestion.

 

Showtimes:

Mon, Sept 10 6:45pm

TIFF Bell Lightbox 4

 

 

Tues, Sept 11 12:15pm

TIFF Bell Lightbox 4

 

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With Jeff (D,S,C) – Narrative Short

Directed By: Marie-éve Juste

Haitian-Canadian Montreal teenager Nydia spends her days in a monotonous routine: cleaning the house, going to class, reading books of poetry. Wanting to shake up her life, she accepts a motorbike ride from her exciting, mysterious classmate Jeff, and finally discovers the thrill of spontaneity.

 

Showtimes:

Mon, Sept 10 6:45pm

TIFF Bell Lightbox 4

 

Tues, Sept 11 12:15pm

TIFF Bell Lightbox 4  

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Contemporary World Cinema

 

Home Again (D,S,C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Sudz Sutherland    

Between 1999 and 2001, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States passed legislation which mandated that any foreign-born person convicted of a criminal offense could be deported to their country of origin. This led to the expulsion and deportation of many who had left those countries virtually in infancy, and had no knowledge of the nations they were being sent back to. The blowback from this policy is the subject of Sudz Sutherland’s gutsy drama Home Again.

 

Showtimes:

Wed, Sept 12 5:30pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 7

 

Fri, Sept 14 5:00pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 7

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Kinshasa Kids (S,C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Marc-Henri Wajnberg

Following on the heels of the hit documentary Benda Bilili, Marc-Henri Wajnberg’s Kinshasa Kids finds another hot band in the Congolese capital, but with two key differences. First, this is a fiction film, though it captures the spirit and texture of Kinshasa as well as any doc. Second, the story here begins from a premise all too common in many parts of Africa: the persecution of children branded as witches.

 

Showtimes:

Thur, Sept 6 7:15pm

TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

 

Fri, Sept 7 3:00pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 9

 

Sun, Sept 16 6:00pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 3

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Paradise: Love (S, C) – Narrative/Documentary Feature

Directed By: Ulrich Seidl

Austria’s perennial provocateur Ulrich Seidl has long shuttled back and forth between documentary and fiction, unconcerned with the conventional divisions between them. Though Paradise: Love, the first installment of a planned trilogy (to be followed by Paradise: Faith and Paradise: Hope) falls on the fiction side of the fence, Seidl’s scenario has a powerful non-fictional resonance as it explores the politically charged issue of sex tourism in the sun-kissed “paradise” of Kenya, where young hustlers will say yes to just about anything if the price is right.

 

Showtimes:

Fri, Sept 7 3:00pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 6

 

Sat, Sept 8 9:15am

Isabel Bader Theater

 

Sun, Sept 16 9:30am

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 7

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The Great Kilapy (D,S,C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Zézé Gamboa

In the Angolan language of Kimbundu, kilapy means scheme, fraud, or swindle, and accordingly, The Great Kilapy tells the story of a crooked but irresistible bon vivant who, on the eve of Angolan independence in 1975, pulls off a massive swindle at the expense of the Portuguese colonial administration. Inspired by a real figure, director Zézé Gamboa’s decade-spanning historical drama is a refreshing take on the national liberation story, and turns its conventions upside down with elegance and humour.

 

Showtimes:

Fri, Sept 7 3:15pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 2

 

Sat, Sep 8 12:15pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 10

 

Fri, Sept 14 8:15pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 6

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Three Kids (D,S,C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Jonas D’Adesky

The 2010 Haitian earthquake devastated the country’s capital and sent shockwaves around the world. The outpouring of grief and compassion was global, but few from outside the country have seen post-earthquake Haiti in as clear a light as Jonas D’Adesky in his debut film Twa timoun.

 

Showtimes:

Fri, Sept 7 5:45pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 3

 

Sat, Sept 8 12:45pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 3

 

Sat, Sept 15 9:00am

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 2

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Virgin Magarida (S,C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Licínio Azevedo

In 1999, veteran documentarian Licínio Azevedo made The Last Prostitute, a documentary on the “re-education camps” established by the Mozambican government shortly after the country won its independence after five hundred years of Portuguese colonial rule. The purpose of these camps was to develop the proper “revolutionary spirit” in the hearts and minds of women of ill-repute (that is, sex workers) through a harsh program of ideological indoctrination. The astonishing testimonies that Azevedo collected haunted him for years, and led directly to the script for Virgin Margarida(co-authored with Jacques Akchoti).

 

Showtimes:

Sun, Sept 9 3:30pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 9

 

Tues, Sept 11 8:30pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 8

 

Sun, Sept 16 12:00pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 10

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Rebelle (S,C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Kim Nguyen

Winner of the Best Actress prize at the Berlin Film Festival, Rebelle is an extraordinary portrait of survival. Director Kim Nguyen spent ten years bringing this story to the screen, basing his script on the stories of actual child soldiers and shooting entirely on location in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are introduced to fourteen-year-old Komona (Rachel Mwanza) as she recounts the past two years of her life to her unborn child.

 

Showtimes:

Fri, Sept 14 9:00pm

Visa Screening Room (Elgin)

 

Sat, Sept 15 3:00pm

TIFF Bell Lightbox 2

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Venus & Serena (S,C) – Documentary Feature

Directed By: Alex Gibney

Ever since Venus and Serena Williams started playing in tennis tournaments, they’ve provoked strong reactions­, from awe and admiration to suspicion and resentment. They’ve been winning championships for over a decade, pushing the limits of longevity in such a demanding sport. How long can they last? In Venus and Serena, we gain unprecedented access into their lives during the most intimidating year of their careers. Over the course of 2011, Venus grappled with an energy-sapping autoimmune disease while Serena battled back from a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Neither Venus nor Serena let their adversities hold them back. They draw their greatest strength from each other.

 

Showtimes:

Tues, Sept 11 6:00pm

Ryerson Theater

 

Wed, Sept 12 2:30pm

Visa Screening Room (Elgin)

 

Sat, Sept 15 9:00am

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema                                                                                                                        

 ————————                                                                                                           

  

Tiff Docs

 

The Central Park Five (S,C) – Documentary Feature

Directed By: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon

In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers from New York City were arrested and charged for brutally attacking and raping a white female jogger in Central Park. News media swarmed the case, calling it “the crime of the century.” Journalists popularized the term “wilding” to describe a gang activity of randomly assaulting victims. Politicians, pundits and the public rushed to a judgment that carried a barely veiled undertone of racial and class prejudice. Convicted of the crime, the five teenagers spent between five to thirteen years in prison until, in 2002, the shocking news broke: they were innocent. Another man confessed to the crime, with DNA evidence to support his claim.

 

Showtimes:

Sun, Sept 9 11:45am

TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

 

Thur, Sept 13 9:30pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 7

 

Sat, Sept 15 9:15am

TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

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How to Make Money Selling Drugs (S, C) – Documentary Feature

Directed By: Matthew Cooke

Stylishly shot and cheekily framed as a subversive educational film, How to Make Money Selling Drugs takes a satirical look at a serious subject. Blending authentic reportage with pop culture references and a video game — like progression from level to level, the film illustrates step-by-step how to create a drug empire, from dealing on the corner to running a major cartel. Slyly, director Matthew Cooke builds a powerful case that drug policy needs rethinking, as current laws foster a violent criminal underworld reminiscent of the Prohibition era.

 

Showtimes:

Fri, Sept 7 9:30pm

Scotiabank 1

 

Sun, Sept 9 9:30am

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 7

 

Sun, Sept 16 9:30pm

Scotiabank 1

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Iceberg Slim: A Portrait of a Pimp (S, C) – Documentary Feature

Directed By: Jorge Hinojosa

When Iceberg Slim published Pimp: The Story of My Life in 1969, he launched a potent and unusual literary career, influencing an audience that ranged from artists to street hustlers. The book dazzled with raw language that evoked a life experience different from the worlds of black writers such as James Baldwin or Ralph Ellison. Pimp sold nearly two million copies and was distributed internationally in translation. Slim’s output continued with bestsellers Trick Baby(made into a film), Mama Black Widow (taking on the taboo topic of black homosexuality), and a collection of essaysThe Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim. Yet when Slim died in 1992, much remained unknown about his life and what aspects of his writing were facts versus fiction.

 

Showtimes:

Sat, Sept 8 6:00pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 7

 

Sun, Sept 9 9:00am

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

 

Sun, Sept 16 4:00pm

Scotiabank 1

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Reincarnated (S,C) – Documentary Feature

Directed By: Andrew Capper

The scene opens, appropriately, in a cloud of smoke. Processions of Rastafari sing Niyabinghi chants around a roaring bonfire. Amidst the crowd is hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg (née Doggy Dogg), who intones in voiceover: “They want me to rap, but I don’t wanna rap. I’ve been on the top ever since I’ve been in. I got rap songs that will never die. What else can I do in the rap world?” Thus Calvin Broadus, Jr., the artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg, is rechristened Berhane (“The Light”) and adopts the majestic new music-world moniker “Snoop Lion.” In this close-up documentary by Vice Magazine global editor and director Andy Capper, we follow Snoop on his month-long pilgrimage to Jamaica as he embarks on “a journey of reincarnation of self” that is equal parts career reinvention and spiritual reawakening.

 

Showtimes:

Fri, Sept 7 6:45pm

TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

 

Sat, Sept 8 9:00am

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

 

Sunday, Sept 16 6:45pm

Scotiabank 1

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The Secret Disco Revolution (S,C)  – Documentary Feature

Directed By: Jamie Kastner

The Secret Disco Revolution provides a comprehensive overview of disco from its early days at The Loft in NYC to its conquest of radio, its international impact, the fierce backlash against it, and its enduring legacy. It also shuttles nimbly between kitsch and critical analysis, offering intriguing glimpses into the disparity that exists between practitioners and theorists, and between lived experience and cultural artifact. The result is a meticulously researched documentary that is both cheekily fun and intellectually absorbing.

 

Showtimes:

Sat, Sept 8 9:45pm

Scotiabank 3

 

Thur, Sept 13 3:00pm

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

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The Walls of Dakar  (D,S,C) – Documentary Feature

Directed By: Abdoul Aziz Cissé

Dakar is renowned for its prolific art scene and rich visual culture. This year, Senegal witnessed an unprecedented peaceful uprising that was sparked by an emerging generation of artists and journalists rallying in its capital. Senegalese filmmaker Abdoul Aziz Cissé and Wagane Guèye The Walls of Dakar chronicles the city’s recent — and already redacted — history, celebrating the everyday heroes who reinstated democracy in their country.

 

Showtimes: 

Mon, Sept 10 10:00pm

Jackman Hall (AGO)

 

Wed, Sept 12 4:00pm

Jackman Hall (AGO)

 

Fri, Sept 14 10:00pm

Jackman Hall (AGO)

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The We and the I (S,C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Michael Gondry

Teeming with rollicking charm and poignant drama, The We and the I sees Michel Gondry apply his unique style to a group of teenagers on their last day of school, as they ride a New York City bus the length of the Bronx to a summer of possibility and potential danger.

 

Showtimes:

Fri, Sept 7 6:45pm

Scotiabank 1

 

Sat, Sept 8 11:45am

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas

 

Sat, Sept 15 3:00pm

Scotiabank 1

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9.79 (S,C) – Documentary Feature

Directed By:  Daniel Gordon

In the history of the Olympics, there’s never been a controversy quite like what ensued following the men’s 100-metre race at Seoul in 1988. The match pitted fierce competitors Ben Johnson (Canada) and Carl Lewis (USA) against each other. Lewis was known as a savvy careerist who became an American hero at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Johnson was his chief rival, considered an underdog due to his recovery from a pulled hamstring. In the time of 9.79 seconds, Johnson edged out in front of Lewis to win the Seoul sprint. Instantly, he became a hero across Canada. But that wasn’t the end. Two days later, in a reversal of fortune, the Olympic Committee announced that Johnson had failed a drug test. He lost his medal to Lewis in disgrace.

 

Showtimes:

Sat, Sept 8th 12:00pm

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

 

Sun, Sept 9th 7:00pm

Scotiabank 4

 

Sat, Sept 15 6:15pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 7

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Notable Black Cast

 

 

Disconnect (C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Henry Alex Rubin

Just how dangerous is the internet? Beyond the tabloid scare stories, what does it mean to live more and more of our life online? Few films have offered much insight outside of science fiction, but Disconnect explores the all-too-real dangers of how we live now.  Cast includes Paula Patton.

 

Showtimes: 

Tues, Sept 11 7:00pm

Princess of Wales

 

Wed, Sept 12 12:00pm

Ryerson Theater

 

Sun, Sept 16 9:15am

Scotiabank 3

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Silver Linings Playbook (C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: David O. Russell

From the eccentric imagination of writer-director David O. Russell comes this comedy about coming back from losing it all. Based on Matthew Quick’s novel, Silver Linings Playbook is an audaciously funny examination of one man’s recovery from a personal and professional meltdown, with the help of parents, football, literature and an attractively strange neighbour. Cast includes Chris Tucker.

 

Showtimes: 

Sat, Sept 8 6:30pm

Roy Thomson Hall

 

Sun, Sept 9 11:00am

Visa Screening Room (Elgin)

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Smashed (C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: James Ponsoldt

When we first meet functioning alcoholic Kate Hannah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), she’s already close to rock bottom. She takes a shot of whiskey to brace herself for a day of teaching first grade. When she vomits at school, a student asks if she’s pregnant. Desperate to disguise her hangover, she lies and says she is. It’s a deception that could cost her career, but also save her life. Cast Includes Octavia Spencer.

 

Showtimes:

Wed, Sept 12 6:00pm

Ryerson Theater

 

Thur, Sept 13 5:00pm

Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 7

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Special Presentation

 

Cloud Atlas (C) – Narrative Feature

Directed By: Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, and Andy Wachowski

David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas was a landmark literary event of the past decade, a globe-spanning, time-tripping puzzle-novel, whose cavalier unruliness belied its intricate design. It was one of those books that instantly elicited the adjective “unfilmable” — but to visionary filmmakers Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) and Andy and Lana Wachowski (The Matrix), that was less caution than challenge. Spanning continents and millennia and borne aloft on the talents of a top-shelf cast — including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving and Jim Broadbent — this collaboration on Cloud Atlastransforms Mitchell’s dazzling novel into a mind-bending, genre-hopping cinematic experience. No movie this year more deserves the label “epic.” Cast includes Halle Berry.

 

Showtimes: 

Sat, Sept 8 6:00pm

Princess of Wales

 

Sun, Sept 9 11:30am

Winter Garden Theater

 

Sat, Sept 15 11:00am

Visa Screening Room (Elgin)

 

 

Festival Brunch & International Sales Panel #TIFF12

Panel:
Expanding the traditional understandings of how black cinema plays and sells in international markets from the perspective of professionals and filmmakers successfully distributing lack content around the world.

Panelist Bios:

NIKKOLE DENSON-RANDOLPH is Vice President, Specialty & Alternative Content
AMC Theatres. Denson-Randolph joined AMC Theatres in August 2009 after accumulating more than a decade of business development experience in the entertainment arena. In her current position, Denson-Randolph oversees the strategic development and implementation of AMC’s specialty programming efforts and initiatives in addition to alternative content programming and expansion. One of her most recent endeavors includes the launch of AMC independent, a program designed to provide AMC Theatres’ guests with diverse, creative, on-screen storytelling from around the world as well as socially and culturally relevant stories that represent their very own interests.

She served as the Director of Business Development for the Starbucks Coffee Company from August 2004 until February 2009, where she fielded, developed, and negotiated music, film and book offerings for Starbucks Entertainment. Key initiatives included the inaugural book development arrangement between Starbucks Entertainment and Hyperion Books for the distribution of Mitch Albom’s bestseller For One More Day in Starbucks locations across the country, and a partnership with Lionsgate, in which Starbucks was involved with marketing and promotion of “Akeelah and The Bee.”

Prior to her work at Starbucks Entertainment, Denson-Randolph served as President of Magic Johnson Entertainment and President of Magic Hallway Pictures, where she was instrumental in building the corporate infrastructure and promoting the Magic brand to unparalleled heights. During her tenure, she was responsible for negotiating several multimillion dollar revenue generating alliances such as, the 24-Hour Fitness Partnership, The “Original Coors” and Coors “21 Means 21” campaigns. As a result of Denson’s accomplishments at MJE, Mr. Johnson entrusted her with the responsibility of rebuilding and revitalizing MJE’s entertainment division. In less than two years at the helm, she turned Magic Johnson Entertainment into a serious Hollywood player.

Her accomplishments include overseeing MJE’s production and development relationship with the successful Fox Searchlight release, BROWN SUGAR; orchestrating a production pact with Jersey Films on the feature KEEP IT COOL; spearheading the Showtime documentary, CROSSOVER, with Penny Marshall; making the successful transition to producer on HAIR SHOW; co-producing and developing the MTV reality series WHO’S GOT GAME; brokering a four-picture partnership with RKO Pictures; and creating a development slate of film and television products that have solidified MJE as a player within the entertainment industry. Denson-Randolph’s savvy, creative management efforts spawned an internal surge straight to the divisions’ bottom line, which grew more than 100 percent from its initial capital investment. Most recently, she led the exhibitor negotiations and AMC-exclusive release of the Kevin Hart stand-up comedy film “Kevin Hart: Laugh At My Pain”. The film’s success and its theatrically-exclusive distribution model were noted by major industry publications as one of the independent film success stories of 2011. During her tenure at AMC, she has been a featured panelist at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Variety Film Marketing Summit and other notable industry events.

Denson-Randolph earned her bachelor’s from the University of California at Davis. In 1995, she obtained a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from The University of San Francisco, and has been a member of the California State Bar since 1996. She and her husband, John, currently live in
Los Angeles, California.

AMAL ELWARDI is Senior Vice President of Acquisitions of IM Global. Ms. ElWardi assisted CEO Stuart Ford in managing the international division at First Look Studios prior to IM Global’s inception. For IM Global she currently evaluates script submissions and finished films for sales agency acquisitions as well as assists in creating international film sales forecasts, monthly and market sales reports and outlines deal memos for worldwide deals.

ElWardi has attended all major theatrical markets and festivals worldwide, coordinating company presence, organizing distribution of materials to international clients and press and providing marketing and promotional support. As a part of IM Global’s team, she has assisted in bank loan closings with financial institutions in order to facilitate gap financing of feature films. Prior to First Look International, ElWardi assisted the C.E.O. of FilmBank Capital in conducting research for financial structuring and valuation analyses for single picture and film slate financing with Castle Rock Entertainment and Warner Brothers Studios.

MARY HILL is a film acquisitions and marketing person by day and an aspiring publicist by night. Mary received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2007 from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, Louisiana. Following graduation, she freelanced at major film festivals (Cannes, Venice, and TIFF) promoting such nominated and awarded films as, Rachel Getting Married, Precious, Bright Star, and Outside the Law for the top UK publicity agency, Premier PR. She currently acquires and markets independent horror and thriller films for the foreign and domestic sales and distribution company, Imagination Worldwide. She also promotes upcoming talent and projects in California and Texas.

ELIZABETH POWELL is Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at IM Global. Prior to IM Global, Powell was vice president of business and legal affairs at a leading independent film sales company, where she was the lead attorney responsible for negotiating and documenting agreements with producers, financiers, distributors and financial institutions. In addition, Powell attended theatrical markets and festivals worldwide, including the Marché du Film in Cannes, Toronto International Film Festival and the American Film Market, to provide immediate legal drafting, negotiation and support to the sales team.

Powell began her career assisting a business affairs agent at William Morris Agency and served as a law clerk at the Screen Actors Guild. Powell is a member of the California Bar. She received a J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, CA and a B.A. in Communications with concentrations in Television and Film Production from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Powell currently serves on the Legal Committee for the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) and Co-chairs the Entertainment Law Committee of the Langston Bar Association.

SUDZ SUTHERLAND (Writer/Director) works on both sides of the fence as a freelance writer and director for Dramas and Documentaries. Home Again, Sudz’ sophomore feature film, is the follow up to his multiple award winning and Genie nominated debut feature film Love, Sex and Eating the Bones. He is currently developing two other feature films, Colourblind and Operation Red Dog.

Sudz recently directed “The Phantoms” for Dream Street Pictures in 2011 airing in Fall 2012 and co-created his first television series, “She’s The Mayor” with Jennifer Holness and Min Sook Lee.

Previous to this, Sudz was involved with the feature film Toronto Stories, an anthology in conjunction with three other directors and was invited to TIFF for September 2008. On the TV side, he also completed the dramatic miniseries “Guns” for CBC based on four families caught up in illegal gun trafficking. Starring Colm Feore and Elisha Cuthbert “Guns” won five Gemini Awards including Best Writing and Directing.

Sudz also wrote and directed the triple Gemini award-winning (Best Direction, Best Supporting actress, Best Television Movie) “Doomstown,” an MOW for CTV/Sarrazin-Couture.

Sudz’ episodic television directing work includes “Heartland” and “Wild Roses” for CBC, the pilot and second episode of “Da Kink in my Hair” for Global, “Degrassi: The Next Generation” for CTV, “The Famous Jett Jackson” for Disney, “Drop the Beat” for CBC, “Skin Deep III” for Life Network, “Tell It Like It Is” for W Network, “Brand New Life” for NFB/YTV and “Canadian Geographic for Kids” for TVO.

Sudz’s powerful half-hour dramatic debut, My Father’s Hands screened at The Toronto International Film Festival. It went on to win prizes in Canada at the 2000 Yorkton Film Festival (four awards including best drama, script, direction and best actor), and internationally, including the $20,000 HBO Short Film Award at the Acapulco Black Film festival. The film was also nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Short. In addition, Sudz co-directed the National Film Board’s documentary film, Speakers for the Dead.

Canadian Production Workshop #TIFF2012

Ins and Outs of Shooting in Canada

Exploring the incredible advantages of filming in Canada, advancing production goals and transforming the landscape for black Canadian crew.

 

Panelist Bios:

Karyn Edwards is EVP, Business and Legal Affairs. Edwards joined Brightlight Pictures as Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs in July 2002.  She advises on a complete range of film industry, business and corporate issues and in conjunction with her work at Brightlight, represents Canadian, American and German producers.  Karyn obtained her Bachelor of Laws from University of British Columbia in 1999.  Karyn is an incumbent to the B.C. CFTPA Branch Council and served as a Director of Women in Film & Video Vancouver from 2003-2005.  She is a member of the CFTPA Industrial Relations Committee and actively  a member of the legal film community.

Her recent feature film and television credits include: In the Name of the King – a Dungeon Siege Tale, Saved, American Venus, White Noise, White Noise: The Light, Postal, BloodRayne: Deliverance, Seed, About a Girl, Passengers, They Wait and The Guard (formerly Search & Rescue).

 

Jennifer Holness is a writer and producer with numerous award-winning films and television programs to her credit.  Her latest feature film project, Home Again, is Sudz Sutherland’s sophomore feature that is in post-production and slated for a 2013 wide release.  Also in development with Telefilm are two comedy features, Operation Red Dog: Bayou of Pigs and Colour Blind.

Jennifer is also producing a new feature documentary called The Numbers Game, which looks into the world of math education as well as her first iOS app The Music Biz scheduled to be released in 2012.

On the TV side, Jennifer co-created the thirteen-part half-hour comedy series She’s The Mayor currently airing on VisionTV.  She’s The Mayor tells the story of sixty-something political neophyte, Iris Peters, who unexpectedly becomes the Mayor of a crumbling steel city.

Her two-part miniseries, Guns which stars Elisha Cuthbert and Colm Feore aired on CBC in September 2009, and won five of nine Gemini nominations including best writing and directing.  Jen’s documentary Badge of Pride – about gay cops with award-winning filmmaker Min Sook Lee, aired on CBC’s The Passionate Eye and PBS.  Jen has also produced the environmental documentary Brick by Brick with Genie award-winning filmmaker Catherine Annau which aired on OMNI TV & won the Heritage Toronto Award for Excellence.

Jennifer is currently co-writing the pilot Trust, a one-hour drama series for CBC about a family law practice. She has also developed the thirteen-part mini-series Common Law for CTV along with a one-hour documentary, The Sexpat.

Her feature film, Love, Sex & Eating The Bones won 9 festival awards internationally including the City TV prize for Best First Feature at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival.  The Film was voted one of the Top Ten Films of 2003 and won the Blockbuster Audience Award for Best Feature at the American Black Film Festival in Miami. Love, Sex & Eating the Bones was released theatrically in Canada in March 2004. The film also received 3 Genie nominations – Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for the 2004 Genie Awards.

Jennifer’s other documentary films include: Dolores: The Art of Art Modeling and on/black/stage/women, for BRAVO; Yin Yin/Jade Love, which aired on TVO won the award for Best Canadian Film at the 2003 ReelWorld Film Festival and Speakers for the Dead, which she co-directed for the National Film Board that won Best Documentary at the 2000 Reel Black Film Awards and aired on VisionTV and CBC Rough Cuts. In 2001, She line-produced the six-part documentary series Skin Deep II, which won a Gemini for Best Lifestyle Series.  She also directed 2 episodes of the series, one of which won the 2002 BFVN award for Best New Documentary.

Also of note is her short film My Father’s Hands which premiered at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival, won the HBO Award for Best Short Film airing on that network, it was also nominated for a 2000 Gemini Award for best Short Film and won four awards at Yorkton for Best Drama, Best Script, Best Director and Best Actor (Ardon Bess).

Jennifer is a 1999 Producer’s Lab graduate at the Canadian Film Centre where she produced the quirky dark comedy Chez Amore.

On her down time Jennifer chases after her three delightful girls.

 

Charles Officer studied visual art Cambridge in the United Kingdom and communication design at the Ontario College of Art & Design. Charles worked as a graphic designer and creative director before attending the Neighbourhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York City. His training continued at the Canadian Film Centre where Charles completed the Directors Lab in 2002. Since then, Charles has appeared in film, television and stage productions, notably starring in the Soulpepper production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun.

Officer’s debut short film, When Morning Comes premiered at the 2000 Toronto Int’l Film Festival to wide acclaim. His second film, Short Hymn_Silent War received a Special Jury Citation at TIFF 02’ and a Genie nomination in 2004. In 2005, Charles helmed the video clip Strugglin’ by international recording giant K’Naan. Developed and directed the television pilot Hotel Babylon, then followed up with a short documentary commissioned by Canadian reggae, punk band Bedouin Soundclash entitled, In The Year of Our Lord. 2007 found Charles focusingon episodic television directing two episodes of the hit comedy series, Da Kink In My Hair for Global Television.

His screenplay, Nurse.Fighter.Boy was selected to participate in the ‘Sparkling Tales’ Writers Lab moderated by acclaimed producer Fred Roos at the 57th Berlinale Film Festival. The lyrical love story about a young boy’s faith in magic premiered at TIFF 08’ and was picked up by international sales agent Rezo Films. Nurse.Fighter.Boy was theatrically released in 2009 by Mongrel Media across Canada, and in the U.S. with New York distributor Film Movement in 2010. Nurse.Fighter.Boy garnered 10 Genie nominations (Canadian Oscar), where Charles was recognized for his achievement in direction and original screenplay at the 30th Awards.

Named “10 to Watch” by Playback magazine in 2009, Charles was also the recipient of the Ontario Premier’s Emerging Artist Award that same year. His first feature documentary Mighty Jerome: The Greatest Comeback in Track & Field History was fully financed and produced by the NFB. The film was theatrically released across Canada in 2011, won four Leo Awards and nominated for an Emmy Award in 2012. He completed Fuelled By Passion, The Return of the Jets, a one-hour documentary produced by the CBC about the Winnipeg Jets return to the National Hockey League for the 2011-12 season. Currently, Charles is working on a one-hour documentary “The Stone Thrower” commission by CTV celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the CFL (Canadian Football League).

His film features the story of Chuck Ealey, an undefeated African-American Quarterback who went undrafted in the NFL in the 70s, but found an opportunity to play the game he loved in Canada. Recipient of a Special Jury Mention for the 2012 Don Haig Award, Charles is moving back to fiction for his third feature film, a contemporary noir entitled, Torchbearer slated for production in 2013.

 

Elizabeth Powell is Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at IM Global.  Prior to IM Global, Powell was vice president of business and legal affairs at a leading independent film sales company, where she was the lead attorney responsible for negotiating and documenting agreements with producers, financiers, distributors and financial institutions. In addition, Powell attended theatrical markets and festivals worldwide, including the Marché du Film in Cannes, Toronto International Film Festival and the American Film Market, to provide immediate legal drafting, negotiation and support to the sales team.

Powell began her career assisting a business affairs agent at William Morris Agency and served as a law clerk at the Screen Actors Guild.  Powell is a member of the California Bar.  She received a J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, CA and a B.A. in Communications with concentrations in Television and Film Production from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Powell currently serves on the Legal Committee for the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) and Co-chairs the Entertainment Law Committee of the Langston Bar Association.