More Please: Mysteries of Lisbon (Nov. 14-17@TIFF Bell Lightbox)

Master director, Raul Ruiz must have been well-pleased that his last work, Mysteries of Lisbon, is such an inviting and engaging piece of cinema. Ruiz died this summer, but this 4 hour melodrama, along with his long list of film credits will endure. Ruiz is never in a hurry to tell this story (based on the novel by Camilo Castelo Branco) of a boy searching for his roots. Why is he called simply João, with no last name? Who are his parents? Are they alive? How did he end up in a convent school? We, the audience, wonder about these questions too as we are introduced to João, played by João Arrais, whose solemn brown eyes echo the void in his character's life. This young actor is an equal match to the actor, Adriano Luz, who plays the sympathetic Pardre Dinis, the keeper of many secrets. Also noteworthy is the performance of Ricardo Pereira who style is reminiscent of Errol Flynn, but with Pereira's own brand of unbridled sexuality.

More than a costume froth, Mysteries of Lisbon, is an intricately layered puzzle piece of a melodrama; just when you think you've begun to understand a central character, aspects of their nature and glimpses of their personal histories are revealed. With the legato pacing style, the smooth transition from one mystery to another, and actors that fit the period scenes this journey that takes us from Portugal, to Spain, France and Italy, seems much shorter than its actual running time of 274 minutes.

If I have one criticism, it is that I would have liked to have seen the entire 6-hour version that Ruiz completed, and which ran on Portuguese television. As good a job as is done condensing the film into a 4-hour version, you do get the feeling that there are stories that remain untold. So, like João this version leaves us with a bit of mystery. I'm not sure if a longer film version is available, but this 4-hour version is the one that played to positive crowds at TIFF 2010, and which the Lightbox is screening until November 17th. Yes, this version is worth seeing on a larger screen, I just wish that I could have viewed the remaining hours on a large screen as well.

SCREENING TIMES
TIFF Bell Lightbox
350 King West (corner of King and John streets)
Monday, Nov. 14, 6:15pm
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 12:00 noon, 6:15pm
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 12:00 noon, 6:15pm
Thursday, Nov. 17, 12:00 noon, 6:15pm

Get Tickets:
http://tiff.net/contact/gettickets
416.599.TIFF 1.888.599.8433

Lily Eng, Woman Warrior at Reel Asian Film Festival on Nov. 10th

LILY ENG: REEL ASIAN CANADIAN WOMAN WARRIOR
CANADIAN SPOTLIGHT THU NOV 10 6:30 PM INNIS TOWN HALL

donna g: Performance art is something that is often baffling to the public. How would you describe what you do to those who don’t have your artistic background and training?

Lily Eng: I am an experimental choreographer who uses the dynamics of martial arts to articulate movement in unique, emotive, and personal ways. At the core of my movement scope of practice is the desire to take my internal landscape and extract it externally.

donna g: You have training in more traditional dance forms such as classical and modern ballet. What drew you to this more experimental style of artistic expression? Did you have to “unlearn” traditional dance techniques? How the body moves in classical ballet is different from how it moves in modern ballet, let alone experimental dance, so how did you adapt to the new methods of movement?

Lily Eng: The common denominator that runs through my disciplined art/body-oriented forms is a strong disciplined foundation. I take everything (martial arts, modern dance, ballet …) I have learnt as my resource library of movement knowledge.

I have more upper body strength than say a ballet dancer because of my extensive kung fu training. The way I articulate my body in performance is very evident of how my muscles have developed to handle specific tasks of loading, and what it can and cannot handle.

For me, it was not a matter of unlearning dance techniques, but rather of encompassing and incorporating additional artistic and movement styles that presented themselves. My experimentation has allowed for advancement of a particular dance/movement personal style that is still highly relevant to me.

donna g: Growing up in Blind River, Ontario, did you ever dream that you would one day perform in such places as Sweden, Scotland, England and Italy? Or did that dream take form when you moved to Toronto at age 10?

Lily Eng: No, I didn’t know I would travel to such places when I was young, but I did know by 6-years of age, that I wanted to be a dancer. This was quite interesting because my small town and the surrounding areas did not even have a dance school. The travelling came about when I started dancing.

donna g: How supportive was your family/friends in regards to your career choice?

Lily Eng: I think they were rather surprised, as no one in our family came from a dance background or had dance training. However, my mother loved Chinese opera, so she had a very strong artistic slant. I got my love of the arts from her.

donna g: You formed Missing Associates with Peter Dudar in 1972. Where did the name come from and how was it different from other groups of that generation?

Lily Eng: Missing Associates is a tongue-in-cheek name and is a pun on my name. Peter Dudar and I are the constants of Missing Associates. Everyone else is missing until we ask him or her for his or her input.

Peter and I were able to explore creativity and the arts in ways that were quite innovative, and yet relevant to us. We were very multi-disciplinary in our approach and were rigorous in “pushing our own envelopes.”

There was a time when we used people who had no formal training to work with us so as to get to their “real and true” performance essence, albeit with their hesitant awkwardness, while being put on the spot in these speaking pieces that were unrehearsed and off-the-cuff conversations that enlightening and sometimes quite humorous.

A lot of my earlier works are endurance pieces. The audience can see me sweating, hear my laboured breathing; they can see I am getting tired. This runs contrary to what you would expect about “performance.” You are not supposed to see a sweaty brow because it is all effortless.

donna g: How was it, transitioning to solo performances?

Lily Eng: It wasn’t hard because I have always been very comfortable as a solo performer, and solo work has been my forte. However, this may change.

donna g: What inspired you to develop the piece, “But Women Did Come: 150 Years of Chinese Women to North America”? Was it a commissioned piece or something stemming from a more personal urge?

Lily Eng: "But Women Did Come: 150 Years of Chinese Women to North America" was a travelling pictorial show that ran concurrent with the American sister show, to promote the contribution of Chinese women in Canada. I was the opening performer for the show when it first came Toronto. My picture was included along with the other Chinese women in the show.

donna g: Congratulations on your work being highlighted in the festival’s “Lily Eng: Reel Asian Canadian Woman Warrior”. The dance/art world certainly knows your name, but how do you think your Kung Fu students will react to seeing your various performances on screen?

Lily Eng: They will love it and laugh when they see me sparring and kicking ass in several of the films.

Nov. 8 - 13 Toronto; Nov. 18-19 Richmond Hill
T: (416) 703 - 9333
E: info@reelasian.com W: http://reelasian.com/

FELA! YEH, YEH!

Do yourself a favour and get your ticket to FELA! Whether you line up 2 hours prior to showtime and get Rush tickets or whether you buy regular tickets, you will want to be in the house when Tony Award nominee, Sahr Ngaujah breaks it down as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. With the Canon Theatre stage transformed into The Shrine (one of Fela’s clubs), leave your “shy” at home, in your car, on the TTC, and most definitely at the door, because you are going to more than just a play, you are going to a Fela-bration! Don’t worry that you haven’t had time to Google who Fela is or what Afrobeat is. Music will great you as you take your seat, and dancing women, with a talent for muscle isolation and sonic sexiness will demand your attention and make you forget the 416, 905, 519 and get into the 419, a gyrating audience participation dance where your hips are a clock and you set the movement. The 419 is also a reference to the Nigerian penal code for fraud, so while FELA! entertains, it’s also includes the political and social struggles that Fela Kuti experienced in Nigeria.

Directed and choreographed by the legendary Bill T. Jones, who conceived the idea with Jim Lewis (book, additional lyrics) and Stephen Hendel (also a producer), FELA! is a mesmerizing, production full of movement, magic and, of course, music. Anyone attempting to even perform in the style of Fela Kuti has to be multi-talented, and triple threat (actor, dancer, singer), Sahr Ngaujah effortlessly embodies Fela’s charismatic and explosive spirit. Ngaujah knows when to swagger with music star sex appeal, when to transition to charming repartee with the audience, and when to command attention as a leader and political activist.

Melanie Marshall (Fumilayo Kuti) tears the roof off with her warm, rounded soprano in Trouble Sleep and Rain, while actress/singer, Paulette Ivory (Fela’s U.S.-born second wife, Sandra) fills the Canon Theatre with her rich tones of molasses and smoke in such songs as Upside Down and Water Get No Enemy.

Lending credibility to the Fela stage are a core of female dancers that flit around Ngaujah; sometimes as the dancers/singers that were an essential part of Fela’s concerts; sometimes as club clients; and sometimes as members of Fela’s compound, Kalakuta. It is a quite a feat that Ngaujah is able to hold our attention amidst these lissome, athletic women. To call them sexy would not even begin to do justice to what these talented performers are able to accomplish on stage. Live dynamite is the best description I can think of for what they do. As for the male dancers, their leaps, taps, and swirls demonstrate a prowess that demands both talent and stamina. Rounding out the stellar excellence that is FELA! are the musicians that bring the Fela Kuti endorphin-raising beats to life.

Like many attempts to depict the life of someone who is larger than life, the script for FELA! emphasizes some aspects of Fela Kuti’s like while omitting of downplaying others. The play takes us through Fela’s journeys to England and the United States, his attempts at political life, his brushes with the law, the forming of his compound and the development of his musical ability, which touched the lives of so many in his Nigerian homeland and abroad; however, it is not a complete biography, nor should it be. At 2 hours and 45 minutes, you get your money’s worth from FELA!, as well as an introduction or re-introduction to Fela’s music (which dominates the play) and life.

Thank you to Mirvish for bringing this Broadway and West End production to Toronto. Yeh, yeh!

FELA! runs until Nov. 6
Info: www.mirvish.com
416-872-1212

Go Ahead and ImagineNATIVE!

Sunday, October, 23rd is the last day to enjoy screenings and events at the 12th Annual ImagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival. Why not spend a lazy Sunday afternoon exploring some of the following artistic and diverse offerings (list courtesy of GAT PR and ImangineNative). For complete details visit: http://imaginenative.org/

All Regular Screenings at the TIFF Bell Lightbox are $7! FREE to Seniors, Students (with valid ID), and the Underemployed before 6pm everyday! Closing Night Screening & Party tickets are $12 (with discounts for Student, Seniors and Underemployed).

Film & Video Screenings:
Towards the Sun
Oct. 23, 12:00pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2

Three incredible works from the Far North! FeaturingQueen of the Quest, Guovssahasa nieda (Dancing Virgin), and Towards the Sun.

Co-presented by Arnait Video Productions

Broken Promises: Shorts Program II
FREE SCREENING
Oct. 23, 2:45pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

Spanning geography and time, these films collectively speak to the evolution of Indigenous experience and promises that have been made... and often broken.

Co-presented by Planet in Focus

Saving Grace
Directed by Merata Mita
New Zealand, 86 min, 2011
Oct. 23, 12:30pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

The final film from acclaimed filmmaker and activist Merata Mita, Saving Grace is her very personal response to the violence and abuse that has plagued generations. Powerful and candid, this film gives voice to the many fathers, brothers and husbands who are taking responsibility for past wrongs by working towards a future free from violence and oppression.

Co-presented by Native Child and Family Services of Toronto

Playing with:
Makings of a Kaitiaki
Directed by Sophie Johnson
New Zealand, 12 min, 2009

A Maori elder speaks candidly about her struggle to protect her homelands from becoming a sewage dumping ground.


Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos
Directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
Canada, 50 min, 2010
Oct 23, 2:15pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2

Inuit traditional face tattoos have been forbidden for a century, and almost forgotten. Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril uncovers the mystery and meaning behind this beautiful tradition as she endeavours to renew it with her own facial tattoos.

Playing with:
National Parks Project: Sirmilik
Directed by Zacharias Kunuk
Canada, 10 min, 2011

Commissioned as part of the National Parks Project, renowned director Zacharias Kunuk takes us on a breathtaking journey through the rugged Arctic landscape.

Sloth
Directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
Canada, 2 min, 2011

This delightfully satirical animation reveals the evolution of Inuit stereotypes from past to present.

Co-presented by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, National Parks Project

Every Emotion Costs
Directed by Darlene Naponse
Canada, 90 min, 2011
World Premiere
Oct. 23, 4:15pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

As teenagers, June and Quilla ran away from their northern Ontario reserve, leaving behind a mentally-ill mother and their youngest sister, Ella. Years later, June and Quilla - their relationship now strained - return to their First Nation upon news of their mother's death. While there, the three sisters must come to terms with feelings of abandonment, the harsh realities of abuse, and the nature of family. Starring Tantoo Cardinal, Nathaniel Arcand and Michelle St. John.

Playing with:
Totem Impact
Directed by Duke Redbird
Canada, 4 min, 2011

Duke Redbird makes history with imagineNATIVE's first ever 3-D film!

Music is the Medicine
Produced by Jody Hill
Canada, 53 min, 2011
Oct. 23, 4:30pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2

Over the past 20 years, blues-rock virtuoso Derek Miller has built a highly devoted fan base, received numerous awards and played with a long list of famous musicians, all the while struggling with addiction and personal loss. This revealing documentary follows the now reinvigorated and critically acclaimed artist as he strives to further elevate his already esteemed career. Get behind the scenes of a local legend!

Playing with:
Northern Haze: Living the Dream
Directed by Derek Aqqiaruq
Canada, 37 min, 2011

Rocking the North hard and heavy since 1977, Northern Haze: Living the Dream tells the riveting story of the first known Inuit rock band to sing in their Indigenous language.

Co-presented by NXNE, iNative Fest, Revolutions Per Minute

Closing Night Gala
Screening Presenter: Global Toronto
Wapos Bay: Long Goodbyes
Directed by Dennis Jackson
Canada, 74 min, 2011
Oct. 23, 7:00pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1

World Premiere

The colourful cast of Wapos Bay makes the jump to the big screen! But everything is not well in this idyllic northern community. After a lifetime of happy memories living in Wapos Bay, Talon and Raven discover their dad has accepted a job in the big city. Travel back to Wapos Bay in this charming film for the whole family based on the award-winning TV series.

Prizes. Prizes. Are you in?

That's me with Mamma Gógó director, Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. TIFF is one of many film festivals that I cover and bring to you via The More the Merrier, every Saturday at CIUT 89.5 FM.








Support The More the Merrier and you might win a prize from the show prize package or win one of CIUT 89.5 FM's daily draws during the Fall Fundraising Campaign. Donate now by clicking on this link: http://www.ciut.fm/index.php/about/membership/ or by calling 416-946-7800 or Toll Free at 1-888-204-8976. Or call in Saturday, October 22nd between 1:00pm - 2:oo pm to donate during the live broadcast on 89.5 FM or at www.ciut.fm. Be sure to mention The More the Merrier as the show you wish to support!

Thank you and good luck!


Donate to The More the Merrier on Saturday, October 22nd bewteen 1:00 - 2:00 and you will have a chance to win a Family or Dual Membership . Courtesy of TIFF Bell Lightbox. Prize valued at $150

Other prizes include:

A VIP Pass courtesy of the Ontario Science Centre. Includes entrance to the Ontario Science Centre and Leonardo Da Vinci's Workshop: The Exhibition.




A pair of tickets to Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Courtesy of an anymous donor.

It's Baaaack! Toronto After Dark Film Festival Returns to October!

October is so much better for Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TADFF) than August. While I loved going to a film festival in August, being scared chilly in the Bloor Cinema and coming out to a hot day, I think October is a better fit for the this festival of horror drama, comedies and other genre films.

With its brilliant colour, its red maples, so similar to blood; its blustery winds, so chilling down the spine, and Hollowe'en, October is the perfect month for the Toronto Zombie Walk, and for TADFF fans to snuggle down in the festival's new venue, the Toronto Underground Cinema--a perfect match, in my opinion.

I'm looking forward to WAR OF THE DEAD. How about you? Haven't decided? Check out all the movie trailers: http://www.youtube.com/TorontoAfterDark

See you after dark!

Film Schedule/Tickets: torontoafterdark.com

Poster and trailer courtesy of Toronto After Dark FilmFestival

The Canadian Festival of Spoken Word-Oct. 11 -15th

David Silverberg is the host of the monthly Toronto Poetry Slam held at the Drake Hotel. He is also this year's host of the The Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.

donna g: What styles of poetry/spoken word are represented in the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word?

David Silverberg: Every style of spoken word from dub poetry to prose poems to hiphop poetry. It's such a diverse festival and really shows Torontonians the breadth of spoken word in the country.

donna g: The CFSW launched last night at the Drake Hotel Underground. How was the turn out?

David Silverberg: It was a wonderful turnout! Around 180 packed into the Drake Hotel Underground and the audience was loving practically every delicious poem coming from the poets' mouths.

donna g: Last night you also had a Legends Showcase. Who were some of the talents that took to the stage, and how long did each person have to perform?

David Silverberg: Each of the poets had 15 minutes to display their talent. The Legends Showcase included Andrea Thompson, Eddy da original one, Lillian Allen, Sheri-D Wilson and RC Weslowski.

donna g: How many teams participated in the preliminary bouts last night, and where were they from?

David Silverberg: Last night 8 teams bouted, in two bouts altogether. They were:

First Bout-7:00 PM
A)1 Peterborough
B)2 Sherbrooke
C)3 Montrea – Slam Habs
D)4 London

Second Bout-9:00 PM
A)17 Edmonton
B)18 Kingston
C)19 Toronto – Up From The Roots
D)20 Saskatoon

donna g: How many judges are involved in the competition?

David Silverberg: Five judges are selected randomly from the audience.

donna g: How are the participants scored? I know there are rules to be followed, but are the teams rated on a score out of 10?

David Silverberg: Yes, scores are out of 10 and judges are told to rate each poem based on both performance and content.

donna g: When are the next bouts, and how many teams go on to the next round?

David Silverberg: The prelim bouts continue Wednesday and Thursday night. The top 8 teams from those bouts move on to Semi-Finals on Friday night at Royal Cinema.

donna g: When and where is the final slam event?

David Silverberg: The Finals is on Saturday, October, 15 at Metro United Church at 56 Queen St. E. $25 at the door, 8pm.

donna g: Who are some of the talented people taking the stage for Poets of Honor Showcaseon Saturday night?

David Silverberg: There is the awesome Robert Priest, known as Dr Poetry. And d'bi.young, one of the best dub poets in the world, in my opinion. A not-to-be-missed show!

donna g: Besides the slams, I understand that there are opportunities for poets/spoken word artists to develop their craft. What are some of the workshops being offered?

David Silverberg: There are workshops on crafting group pieces, led by Ottawa's The Recipe. A workshop on writing humour poems is led by David Clink and a Performance 101 event will feature Andrea Thompson and RC Weslowski offering advice to poets on how to hone their performance chops.TM

Canadian Festival of Spoken Word
October 11th-15th (Various Locations)

Keep track of team scores and get a schedule of CFSW day and evening events at www.cfsw.ca. For inquiries: info@torontopoetryslam.com

Toronto Poetry Slam
www.poetryslam.com

Photo of David Silverberg courtesy of Toronto Poetry Slam