ReelWorld Film Festival celebrates 13th years of work with movies from All 17 Countries

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reelworldFeb2618 world premieres.? Eight North American premieres. Nine Canadian premieres. 14 Toronto premieres. Over the course of five days, ReelWorld Film Festival 2013 offers more than 85 films and videos hailing from 17 countries, with more than 66 per cent of them by Canadian artists from Aboriginal, Asian Black, Latino, Middle Eastern, South Asian or another racially diverse background.

The Festival?s selection of dramas, documentaries, shorts and music videos boasts an eclectic collection for film enthusiasts. Activities are presented at Famous Players Canada Square Cinemas (2190 Yonge Street) from April 10 to 14, 2013.

?From?Contract, our opening night film from Ghana, to our closing night dramatic feature?Aayna Ka Bayna?from India, we have films that will prompt people to laugh, to inspire others and to reflect.? This year we have searched across Canada and around the globe to offer a lineup that showcases diversity in non-stereotypical ways. We are presenting 85 films and videos, with 66 per cent of them by Canadian artists,? said Actress Tonya Lee Williams, Founder and Executive Director of ReelWorld Film Festival.

I think audiences will enjoy what our programmers have curated for our 13th?year.?Special thanks to TD Bank Group, NBC Universal, Telefilm Canada, OMDC and all our funders and sponsors for partnering with us to offer this year?s festival,? added Williams.

Special presentations and galas include:

Opening night film?Contract?(d: Shirley Frimpong-Manso, 125mins, 2012. Ghana) is a romantic comedy featuring a rich entrepreneur who wants to become a father without dealing with ?mama drama?. Gala presented by TD Bank Group. Screens April 10 at?7pm. Pre-reception at?5pm. North American premiere.

Closing night film?Aayna Ka Bayna?(d: Samit Kakkad, 94 mins, 2012. India) is about nine juvenile delinquents in a detention centre run by a tyrant warden. They?dance for passion, for hope and for their dreams to come true.?Screens April 14 at?5pm. Pre-reception at?4pm.?North American premiere.

ReelSpeak?features a?candid discussion?(The Actor?s Studio?? style) with Actress and Producer?Tangi Miller?(Felicity)followed by a screening of?Christopher Nolen?s?The Good Life,?a film that gives us a more realistic view of the ?perfect couple?. ReelSpeak is presented on April 11. Pre-reception at 6pm. ReelSpeak at 7:30pm. Screening at 9:30pm.? ReelSpeak is sponsored by NBC Universal.

The ReelWorld Music Video Night?is presented on April 12?at 9pm (pre-reception at 7:30pm)?by TD Bank Group and features 24 of the best music videos and a one-on-one conversation with award-winning music video artist Davin Black.

 

Families are invited to our?Free Family Screening?of?Shayamal Uncle: Turn Off the Lights?and?Calcutta Taxi, presented by Shaw Media on April 13?at 1pm.?Shayamal Uncle: Turn Off the Lights, by director Suman Ghosh, follows a family patriarch as he fights the bureaucracy of India to have his street lights turned off during daylight hours.? (65 mins, 2012, India,North American premiere).Calcutta Taxi?unravels the story of three lives that coincide and affect each other, each one having lost and found some things in this chance encounter of life. (d: Vikram Dasgupta, 20 mins, 2012, Canada/India).

In addition to our special presentations, ReelWorld will showcase 19 features and 38 shorts from?Canada, Australia, Chile, Egypt, France, Ghana, India, Iran, Mongolia, Nigeria, The Phillipines, Russia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Uganda, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Schedule, screening times, synopses and the online box office are available at the rebuilt and redesigned reelworld.ca by clicking on the films page and choosing schedule. Events/screenings are listed in chronological order.?? (Note to editors: film synopses included in appendix)

Tickets may be purchased online at reelworld.ca (click on films, then choose schedule then scroll down the list to find your event), in person at the ReelWorld Film Festival offices (438 Parliament, Suite 300, Toronto, ON) or by phone at 416.598.7933.

ReelWorld Film Festival also offers professional development opportunities for emerging and establishing filmmakers through our Industry Panels, our OMDC Networking Brunch and our Face2Face mentorship session (preceded by a ReelPrep coaching session).

The 13th?ReelWorld Film Festival offers world-class cinema ? dramas, documentaries, shorts and music videos – along with professional development opportunities for filmmakers and individuals interested in expanding their careers in Canada?s film and television industry.?Launched in 2001 by Actress Tonya Lee Williams, ReelWorld Film Festival celebrates and promotes racial and cultural diversity both in front of and behind the camera. In addition to the five-day festival, ReelWorld hosts theIndie Film Lounge?in September. Key sponsors include: TD Bank, Telefilm Canada, Ontario Trillium Foundation, NBC Universal, Global Toronto, Wired Messenger,?Pierre Laurent, DJ Woods, City Television and Cineplex Entertainment.

 

Source:?ReelWorld Film Festival

ReelWorld Film Festival Celebrates 13th?Year with 85 Films and Videos from 17 Countries
Festival screens world-class cinema in Toronto from April 10 to 14, 2013

Appendix ? Feature Films:

In addition to the special presentations of?Contract,?Aaya Ka Bayna,?The Good Life?and?Shyamal Uncle Turns Off the Lights, ReelWorld Film Festival 2013 presents 19 features:

A Decent Arrangement?(d:?Sarovar Banka,?comedy/drama, 97?mins, 2011,?U.S.A.)?follows Indian-American Ashok Khosla as he arrives in India intent on following cultural traditions to find a suitable wife through an arranged marriage. Screens April 12 at 6pm. North American premiere.

AKP: Job 27?(d: Michael L. Suan, drama, 114 mins, 2012, Canada) is a silent noir film telling the tale of a Japanese hit man searching everywhere for the love of his life. Screens April 13 at 8:30pm. Canadian premiere.

Cairo 678?brings the reality of women?s issues to the forefront, showing the widespread and undisguised sexual harassment in Egypt. (d: Mohamed Diab, drama, 100 mins, 2010, Egypt,?Toronto premiere). ?Screens April 13 at?5:30pm.?Cairo 678?is co-presented by the Global Film Initiative and is part of the Global Lens 2013 Film Series. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org.

Croker Island Exodus?(d: Steven McGregor,?documentary,?66 mins, 2011, Australia) is the story of how 95 Aboriginal children and missionaries travelled 5,000 miles by foot, boat, canoe, truck and train over 44 days in 1942, while the Japanese bombed northern Australia. Screens April 13 at6pm.?North American premiere.

Echoes?(d: Sun-Kyung Yi, documentary, 56 mins, 2012, Canada) looks at the emotional toll on mothers and their children as a result of controversial child birth policies in China. Screens April 12 at 4pm.

Elza?(Le Bonheur D’Elza)?(d:?Mariette Monpierre, drama, 78 mins, 2011, France)?is the story of a young woman in search of the father she?s never known.?Screens April 11 at?5pm. Toronto premiere.

Fondi ?91: An Indian teenager goes to Italy for a soccer tournament. He falls in love, and witnesses a horrible crime.?(d: Dev Khanna, drama, 81 mins, 2012, Canada). Screens April 13 at 6pm. World premiere.

Goodness in Rwanda: The internationally-acclaimed theatre production “Goodness” (from Toronto-based company Volcano Theatre) performs their play in Rwanda.?(d:?Gord Rand?and John Westheuser, documentary, 75 mins, 2013, Canada/Rwanda). Screens April 13 at 4pm. World premiere.

Hoodrush?is a musical thriller detailing the travails of two brothers closely bonded by their love for music; but deeply separated by their means for success.?(d:?Dimeji Ajibola, musical?drama, 145 mins, Nigeria). Screens April 13 at 8:30pm. North American premiere.

La Playa D.C.?by director Juan Andr?s Arango?screens April 11 at?7pm. It is the story of a young black teenager trying to survive on the streets of Colombia.?La Playa D.C.?was originally presented at the Cannes Film Festival.?(90 mins, 2012, Canada/Colombia).

Lost Lagoon:?A Korean girl starts to learn English in Canada. Her journey leads her through a path of megalomaniac school administrators, crazy boyfriends, new friendships and old sibling rivalries. (d: Rob Leickner, comedy/drama, 96 mins, Canada).?Screens April 12 at 6:30pm. Toronto premiere.

Made in Canada?offers an insider?s look at Canada?s film and television industry as an emerging filmmaker (Scott Boyd) struggles to figure out how he can make a success of filmmaking. (d: Scott Boyd,?documentary,?48 mins and 50 secs, 2011, Canada) Screens April 12 at?2:30pm, panel discussion follows.?World premiere.

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ReelWorld Film Festival Celebrates 13th?Year with 85 Films and Videos from 17 Countries
Festival screens world-class cinema in Toronto from April 10 to 14, 2013

Appendix ? Feature Films (cont?d):

Modest Reception (Paziraie Sadeh)?follows Leila and Kaveh as they travel from Tehran through the countryside trying to give bags of money to “needy” people who aren?t readily accepting their generosity. (d: Mani Haghighi, comedy/drama, 100 mins, 2012, Iran). Screens April 13 at 3pm. Toronto premiere.?A Modest Reception?is co-presented by the Global Film Initiative and is part of the Global Lens 2013 Film Series. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org.

Mongolian Bling?jumps into the thriving music scene in Mongolia’s capital city and shows how a handful of artists are using hip hop to try and salvage their country’s flailing democracy. (d: Benj Binks, documentary, 90 mins, Mongolia). Screens April 12 at 4:30pm. Canadian premiere.

My Last Round?(Mi ?ltimo Round):?In the south of Chile, a love story is born between successful boxer Octavio and Hugo. Moving to the Capital, they expect to fulfill their dreams and live their love, until Hugo meets Jennifer and Octavio makes a new attempt at what he does best: boxing. It could be his way out, or his very last round. (d:?Julio Jorquera, drama, 60 mins, 2010, Chile). Screens April 13 at 8:30pm. Toronto premiere.

Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings?(Zombadings 1: Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington)?(d: Jade Castro,?comedy,?96 mins, 2011, Phillipines) is a comedic and fun journey where Remington sashays into an adventure that will unravel a mystery of murders, spirits, curses, and gay zombies roaming the streets. Screens April 12 at?9:30pm.?Canadian premiere.

Sam?s Story?(Samiga Kathawa): Siriratne (Sam) is the eldest of two children born to a poor family in a remote village in Sri Lanka. Sam has different abilities, and his innocence and dreams keep him going.?(d: Priyankara Vittanachchi, drama, 2011,?Sri Lanka).?Screens Thursday, April 11 at 4:30pm. Toronto premiere.

Sunset Stories?introduces?May, a high-strung and overly meticulous nurse, who returns to Los Angeles to retrieve bone marrow for a transplant. Soon after her trip begins, her world turns upside down when she runs into her ex-boyfriend, and subsequently loses the cooler containing the bone marrow. The two set off through the streets of L.A. to find it.?(d: Ernesto Foronda?and?Silas Howard,?drama,?87 mins, 2012, U.S.A). Screens April 13 at?4pm.?Toronto premiere.

Windows of Hope: When the thin line between love and hate gets blurred for Alinda (Nyakake Harriet) and Nyanzi (Akwehaire Steven), their child Barugahara (Itwara Anthony) feels the pain. He is rejected, unloved, uncared for and robbed of his inheritance. Barugahara courageously faces life, only keeping hope alive. (d: Evelyn Cindy Magara,?drama,?136 mins, 2010, Uganda). Screens April 12 at?9pm.?North American premiere.

ReelWorld Film Festival presents 38 shorts:

The ACTRA and ACTRA Toronto special screening of ACTRA Toronto YEAA Shorts?features the world premieres of eight short films directed by working actors who are members of ACTRA Toronto?s Young Emerging Actors Assembly. Actor/filmmakers include: Carrie Adelstein, Alfredo Salvatore Arcilesi, Gavin Michael Booth, Sam Coyle, Spencer Idenouye, Joel Keller, Andre Rehal, and Nathalie Younglai.?Screens April 14 at 1:30pm. World premieres.

ALIVE?(d: RT! drama. 23 mins. Canada. World Premiere)?is a fusion of film, music, and dance, telling the story of a small-town dancer dreaming of performing on a bigger stage. Screens with?The Orisha Suite, April 12 at 6:30pm.

Behind the Curtain?(d:Jullian Ablaza, documentary, 2011, Canada) is a behind-the-scenes look at the modern day circus. Toronto premiere. Screens April 12 with?Echoes.

ReelWorld Film Festival Celebrates 13th?Year with 85 Films and Videos from 17 Countries
Festival screens world-class cinema in Toronto from April 10 to 14, 2013

Appendix ? Short Films (cont?d):

Calcutta Taxi?is set in the grimy backdrop of a city going through a political crisis. It unravels the story of three lives that coincide and affect each other, each one having lost and found some things in this chance encounter of life. (d: Vikram Dasgupta, 20 mins, 2012, Canada/India).Toronto premiere. Screens April 13 at 1:30pm.

Call Her Temilola For Short?(D: Avionne Akanbi, animation, 10 mins, Canada) shares the story of the Jenkins family who deals with the unpredictable and rather humorous predicament of having people constantly mispronounce their different sounding names. World premiere. Screens on April 12 at 9pm with?Windows of Hope.

Doggoned?(d: Arshad Khan, drama, 15 mins, 2012, Canada): Maria is living her dream in Montreal. When her work permit is denied she finds a creative way to make ends meet. Toronto premiere. Screens April 13 at 6pm with?Croker Island Exodus.

Eneme?is a short drama by director?Chris Abell and featuring Actor Adsson Morales.?After the recent death of his son, ?Boyd? is deciding between his own life and death.?(d: Chris Abell, drama, 16 mins, 2013, Canada).?World premiere.?Screens April 12 at?4pm with?Echoes?and?Behind the Curtain.

Little Mao?tells the life story of Mao Tse-Tug through 12-year-old Bobby Tung and his baseball team. (d: Allan Tong, drama, 6 mins, 2012, Canada)?Screens April 13 at 4pm with?Goodness in Rwanda.

The Hipster and the Cat?(d: Anthony McLean, drama, 7 mins, Canada) focuses on a bachelor who wins a chance of love when he finds a beautiful girl?s lost cat (World premiere). Screens April 12 at 6:30pm with?Lost Lagoon.

Modern Romance: The Affair?(d:Omii Thompson, drama, 2011, Canada) is a noir film showing a man confronted by the object of his desires. Screens April 13 at 6pm with?Fondi’91. Toronto premiere.

The Orisha Suite, by filmmaker Nicole Brooks, is a Black Opera that pays homage to the Orishas, and celebrates the rich cultural legacies of the Caribbean. Canadian premiere. (opera, 34 mins, 2012, Canada). Screens with?ALIVE?on April 12 at 6:30pm.

This is My Family?shares the story of polygamy through the eyes of two brothers living in Kampala, Uganda. (North American premiere) (d: Frederick Kigozi, drama, 23 mins, Uganda).? Screens April 11 at 5pm with?Elza.

On April 11, shorts program 1 screens at 4:30pm and shorts program 2 screens at 7pm.

Shorts Program 1 presents😕2: A Short Film?by Director Kegan Sant;?1937? by Filmmaker Svetozar Golovlev (Russian Federation);?Baby Half Lieby Director Kimberly Miller-Pryce (Toronto premiere);?Daadi?by Director David Andrew Stoler (U.S.A.), Canadian premiere;?Nicoleta?by Filmmaker Sona Liza Kenterman (U.K);?Mom?by Filmmaker Ryan Singh (World premiere); and?Reiko’s Hina Dolls?by Director Komaki Matsui (U.S.A.).

Shorts Program 2 presents😕CEO?by Director Jennifer Liao (Toronto premiere),?Howard?by Filmmaker Carolyn Wong,?In Between Life?by Filmmaker Sharon Lewis (Canadian premiere),?NGUTU?by Filmmakers Felipe Del Olmo and Daniel Valledor (Senegal) (Canadian premiere),?Nico’s Sampaguita?by Director Aaron Woolfolk (U.S.A/Philippines) (Canadian premiere),??MacPherson?by Director Martine Chartrand,?Opposites Attackby Filmmaker Richard B. Pierre,?Shawn?by Director Mark Zanin (World premiere), and?Welcome Yankee?by Director Benoit Desjardins (Toronto premiere).

(Note: shorts are Canadian unless stated otherwise

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