Winnipeg Film Group Cinematheque Screenings

August 28th - 30th, September 2nd-3rd.

Thursday, August 17th & Friday, August 18th

A mad rush to get to the airport. Why is it no matter how long in advance you start packing, it is always a last-minute dash to the finish line? Feed the cat and after being gripped by a last-minute nightmare panic that I've locked the car keys in the house, set out for the airport.

Hamilton has a small, old airport. Like many buildings in Hamilton, the retro vibe fills you with nostalgia. On the plane, I am sitting beside a man who flies around the country analyzing how businesses function and finding ways to improve them. He says the number one obstacle is politics. I privately wonder how he'd do on a film set. I read David Denby's new reviews of Inglorious Basterds and Julia and Julia. Decide to see Julia first.

Back in Winnipeg - hometown and hunting ground of one of my favourite filmmakers - Guy Maddin. A rare visionary, he proves what Chaplin, Bunuel and Lynch have already told us, that art can be both profound and hysterically funny. Dave Barber, the head of the Winnipeg Film Group Cinematheque, picks me up from the airport - what a nice guy. We drop off my bags at the artist suite they've arranged for me at the MAWA. What a phenomenally beautiful place. Designed by artists, it's a loft filled with original art - and only $60 a night.

Straight on to the University of Manitoba for the late night film talk radio show "Ultrasonic Film." We arrive and meet James Borsa, the interviewer. He has discovered my alter ego as an actor and wants to talk about my experiences on Saw IV and P2 a bit - I figure this is college radio, so it's probably not a terrible idea. On air, after insightful and interesting reviews of Inglorious Basterds (which made me want to see it again) and the Time Traveller's Wife, they begin interviewing me about ONLY. They actually love the film and make great comments about it. Radio I find to be personally terrifying. I like to speak slowly and take my time. Whenever I pause, I can feel the other people in the room tensing up - dead air is a big faux pas. I resist the considerable temptation to swear violently on air. Back to the hotel. Pass out.

Up at 6:30 am for the City TV Breakfast Television interview at 7:30. I am feeling the jetlag. I love Breakfast Television. It's the last refuge of live television - a circus atmosphere that makes you want to eat lots of bacon and coffee. While waiting, I meet Richard Sigurdson, Dean of Arts at U. of Man. - yet another Pegger who rubs shoulders with Maddin, who as it turns out, teaches at the University. Should be watching these Man. film graduates for the next batch of geniuses. Richard hands me his card and vaguely invites me to come and speak. We'll see if that happens. The interviewer Jenna really likes the film and the interview just zips along - it's short and sweet and hungry and fun. I go have breakfast at the Pancake House. I read the review by Liz Braun in the Sun, which was pulled from the National office, and I still don't get it. She clearly likes the film and recommends it, calls it charming - but for some alien reason only rates it 2 1/2 stars. There is something small and grey and alumninum-tasting in my waffles and I briefly imagine dying in Winnipeg. I should get some sleep.

Back to the suite for a much-needed nap. I wake, do some blogging and screenwriting and businessy crap and head out to the theater to meet Dave for dinner. We have curry at a local pub and talk about the new Ang Lee Woodstock film and other films about music. I lament the passing of Radiohead's tour and album days and remember my teen years following the Grateful Dead down the west coast. Didn't we all try and find the sixties sometime in our lives? Dave talks about Guy's involvement in the Cinematheque and it slowly dawns on me that everyone here knows Maddin except for me. Will I meet him? I read the Uptown article on ONLY. Nice, but the guy misquoted me all over the place. Myxomitosis. Dave says that there was a mention that morning on CBC radio. CBC is always good.

Back to the theater. The room fills up halfway, 17 strong. Dave says that's a good house for him - things are not what they used to be. Still, not a bad start - I've certainly experienced worse than 17. I intro the film. Funny how people always perk up the moment they hear that ONLY has been received so well in other countries. I guess this is only natural, but why is it so hard for us to recognize our own? Maddin's practically revered as a genius outside of Canada, but in Winnipeg, he's just another wacky artist.

A few audience members saw the Sun article - another couple saw the Uptown write up, but most everyone else heard about the film ONLINE through various sources. Wow! Internet is so much more important than it used to be. What an interesting development. I encourage everyone to tell their friends. They look like they will.

Thursday.  April 23.

Early, early flight.  My cell phone alarm doesn't go off.

Note to self:  Always use the wake up call as a back up.  It doesn't cost you anything and you're an idiot not use a free fail safe.  Luckily, i'm not far from the airport - and make it with time to spare.  

It's a short hour long flight to Calgary - a three hour wait - and then a short flight to Kelowna.  I'm really tired.  I try to sleep at the airport in Calgary, but won't commit to actually lying down, so I end up being one of those guys whose neck is lolling around on his head - lurching this way and that.  Probably snoring, too.  I get on the plane and we fly.

Coming in to Kelowna in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, I ask myself why I'm not making films here:

The first person to meet me when I get off the plane is Charles Officer!  It's nice to see a face you know.  I feel immediately at home.  We jabber for awhile as I wait for my luggage and hitch a ride with the head programmer's Dad.  I get this priceless pic of him and Charles in the car:

 

Don't you love this picture?  

I learn that we are in mysterious territory.  This is where the legendary Ogopogo monster has been repeatedly sighted - Lake Okanagan.  I'm freaking out.  I've read about this thing for years - now here I am - potentially in its midst.

Unfortunately, there's no time - we have to get to the hotel.

Later, Charles and I grab some fresh BC sushi and then meander through the bookstore.  I find the next in the History series, called How The Irish Saved Civilization.  Impressive title.

Now a soiree at a place called the Grape - where we kibbutz with other filmmakers, volunteers and interested filmgoers.  Then it's Charles' and Ingrid's film - Nurse Fighter Boy.  Cool.  I haven't seen this for a little while and am looking forward to it.  

It's awesome.  So poetically realized - this is a lovely film.  Charles has a phenomenal eye.

The audience is inspired - the room is glowing.  A bunch of us head over to a pub and yammer on all night about film - one of my guiltiest pleasures.  Gotta get home and get to bed for our

early morning panel.  

April 21st.  Tuesday.

Early start.  Meditate, grab a coffee and walk over to the Magic FM building.  Live press is always nervewracking as hell - will I remember to say everything?  will I talk too much?  will I have a flop sweat and forget to say anything?  But it never comes off badly.  Interviewers are experts at moving things along, keeping things upbeat.  There's no time to fuck up.

While I'm waiting to go in for the int., I nonchalantly pick up the Star Phoenix to see if Cam got us a little blurb - HOLY SHIT - Front PAGE of the ARTS SECTION - Full FEATURE ARTICLE WITH 2 HUGE color pictures of the KIDS and Me and Ingrid!!!  Wow!!  Cam!  Thank you!!  An awesome article, practically shaming the audience into coming - talking about how I've been there doing Q & A's for days.   Awesome!  I wonder if it will help?

The radio spot is great.  Short and sweet and hitting all the right info.  The interviewer's daughter is a rabid SAW fan, so he gets a picture taken with me.  His on-air cohort, Shannon, tells me the world can be divided into dingbats and asshats.  An asshat is someone with their head so far up their ass that it's a hat.  That's funny.

Back to the hotel.  Gotta pack, check out, leave my bag at the front desk, then walk up to the CTV interview and back down to get a ride to my next hotel.  All goes well until I go to pay my bill...

AND REALIZE THAT MY CREDIT CARD IS MISSING!  FUUUUUCCCKKK!  Bad timing...

They run the charges based on the imprint and I try not to freak out - tell myself that it has to be somewhere.  In the meantime, i have to clear my head of paranoia and get to this interview in a calm frame of mind.  

I get there, refusing to think about credit cards.  Sit down in the green room.  There is a TV show on.  I find it distracting and turn it off.  Collect my thoughts.  Rehearse the one-line synopsis - think about the other points to hit - mainly show times, location - how this may be the ONLY chance to see the film, Q & A's, etc, etc.

Jeff comes to get me.  I'm treated now to the inner machinations of Live television.  This is a news/weather/entertainment program - about 15 minutes long - with Jeff and his partner as anchors.  Now they are reading the news - now he's doing the weather - everything is counted in like in the old days on TV.  It's cool.  I reflect that all television used to be like this.  It's scary and fun.  

After the weather spot, Jeff comes over to the 'lounge' area and we sit together for the interview.  They start by playing some of the trailer - we are counted in and start talking - it's great.  I say lots of good stuff to get people out.  I hope it works.

I walk back to the hotel tearing my hair out for a lost credit card.  Get there.  Cannot find it.

Ransack the room.  The maids ransack the room.  Look through jackets, jeans, papers, books.

Nowhere.  I convince the hotel to give me keys to a room where I can spread all my shit out

and really look.  They reluctantly agree.  

I spread my whole pack job out on the floor of a room.  After 45 minutes of looking and relooking, I finally locate the card caught in a jumble of papers inside a folder.  A folder.

Uuurrrggghhh.

Oh well.  Now it's on to the next hotel - a divy place called Heritage Inn.  Nice people, but I feel

like I'm walking into a Twilight Zone with this decor.  A strange disinfectant smell in my room.

Time to eat and then head off to the screening.  Cab is the only way out of here.

At the broadway.  Yes!  20 people!  Then 25, 30, 38, 40.  In the end, we have a screening with

45 people in it!!!  Media works!!!  A great screening - a responsive audience - a long and amazing Q & A afterwards.

I walk around for awhile before taking a bus back to the hotel.  This is a wonderful last night to 

this week of screenings.  I now understand firsthand the value of publicity and media.

Sayonara.

April 20th.  Monday.

Spoke with Mike Sands at Magic FM!   Yes to an interview - they're trying to set something up for tomorrow.   Fingers crossed.

Left another message for Cam Fuller.

Checked in with Jeff Rogstad - he's going to try and make something on air for CTV happen for tomorrow, too.  

Sent email to Kirby at the Broadway theater to do an  e-blast to his theater email database. Fingers crossed.

Yes!  Cam calls up and leaves a message.  I call back and we do a twenty minute interview on the phone.  He says he's going to try his best to get a little something in the paper for us. Anything would help...

Kirby emails back.  He sent out my e-blast.  Wicked!

Woo-hoo!  Jeff calls back.  CTV interview is on for tomorrow at noon.  Gotta get trailer magic to them tonight.

Left another message for Christine at Toronto District School Board - did she get the DVD? 

Did she watch it?

We need help with the SCHOOLS.

On the hunt for DVDs so I can copy the trailer and get it to CTV.  See the main street of Saskatoon while I'm at it.  Bingo - shopper's drug mart.  A starbucks coffee while the DVD burns.  Magic Presto.  Modern tech.

Walk over to CTV - everything's so close - and drop that off.  Check out a used book store.  I'm looking for Thomas Cahill's earlier volumes of the Hinges of History series - amazing books. Can't find one, so I settle for 2 Retro Love and Rockets graphic comix for Rosario back home.

Arrive back at the hotel with a confirmation from Mike Sands.  Magic FM Interview tomorrow at 9 am!

2 interviews and a newspaper spot.  Not bad for a day's work.

The screening is low attendance again.  5 people.  What's interesting, though, is that they were all referred by someone who came to one of the other screenings.  Personal word of mouth is 

the ultimate adverstising.  We should email all of our friends directly for Toronto.

Tomorrow's gonna be nuts - in the middle of all these interviews, I have to change hotels.

All before noon.

April 18th & 19th - Saturday & Sunday

Forgot to mention that after our opening screening, I stick around to meet Jeff Rogstad, who is part of an improv group playing that night called the Saskatoon Soaps.  We meet and he immediately apologizes, confirms his promise to help on Monday.  That was worth it.  I stick around to watch the show.  About 100 people show up for this, it must be good.

In the morning, I fire off emails to Laura Repo, her friend her is Sask, and Andrea Minaard, a singer-actress we keep bumping into at festivals.  Hopefully, all 3 will blast again.  

I spend the day at the Mendel Art Museum. 

Onto our 2nd screening.  Saturday night.  Should be good.  I arrive well in advance.  Willy Wonka is playing.  The real Willy Wonka with Gene Wilder.  I can't resist and slip in.  What a pleasure to see 100 twenty-somethings enjoying the hell out of this low-fi, bad special effects, dated, retro movie.  They love it.  That's cool.  Gene Wilder is transcendent.  I love him.  One of the funniest line deliveries in the history of movies is from The Producers - when Zero Mostel falls on top of Gene Wilder and Wilder weakly protests "Ahh...fell on my keys."

After the show, Luke, Kirby's assistant extraordinaire and cinephile in residence, warns me that traditionally, Saturday is not a great night.  He is borne out, because a total of 3 people show up.  Wow.  A lump in my throat.  I imagine other filmmakers in this position and wonder if they would bother with an intro.  Who knows?  For myself, I don't care.  3 people are here - I wanna talk to them.  I go up and begin by making a little joke about the size of the crowd.  This loosens things up.  "Quality, not quantity."    

After the screening, I go up for Q & A.  They loved it and have lots of questions.  After a little while, I start to feel like who gives a fuck if it's only three people.  I'd rather have these 3 than 100 lukewarm people without comments or questions.  I am inspired and tell them I'm taking their picture because they are my favourite audience - the most dedicated.  

After, despite my brave face, I feel a little deflated.  I decide to stick around for the 11:30 showing of Night Of The Living Dead.  Can't explain why, but tell myself something about how as a filmmaker, i should at least be aware of this movie 'classic' and just do it.  

This was cool.  It was an event.  It made me think about what going to the theater is.  It's a live event. Somewhere along the way we've lost that, and what's great about these old rep theaters, is that they're trying to keep that spirit alive.  The guy who put this Zombie flick together had prizes at the beginning.   Then, someone was picked from the audience to smash this huge GONG, which announced the beginning of the evening.  Then, we were treated to a half an hour of old horror trailers and midnight cartoons, which were fucking hilarious.  People loved

it.  Then, A Night Of The Living Dead starts, which immediately startles me by it's 'indy' feel. Handheld shots, black and white, there was something raw and real about it, even though it often descended into campiness.  In fact, as it goes on, it begins to get quite hysterically ridiculous, which is great - cause everyone's laughing.

I get picked up.

It's freezing and I can't walk home, so John the projectionist gives me a ride home. Nice guy.

Next day I send emails and leave phone messages for all our press people in Saskatoon, and approach Luke about getting their emailing list for the Broadway.  I've got my work cut out for me on Monday.  Jeff Rogstad and CTV, Cam Fuller and Star Phoenix, Mike Sands and Magic FM, Kirby and the list.  The Shaw piece goes on air tomorrow, so that should help.  Gotta push, push, push...

Sunday there were 8 people - everyone loves it.  Stayed afterwards and watched Lost Song, winner of the TIFF award for Best Canadian Feature.  I thought it was quite brilliant, but found the ending difficult.  

Until tomorrow.

April 17th.  Friday.

Called Curtis from Shaw TV to confirm my interview at noon. 

Called and left message for Christine - our Toronto District School Board contact to see if she received the DVD of Only that Ingrid couriered to her.  If she approves of ONLY, it would be a great boost to get the word out to the Toronto schools.  Fingers crossed.

Updated twitter.  Aston Kutcher beat CNN to 1,000,000 followers, and now Oprah's on the bandwagon.

Searched for more Saskatoon event blogs.  

Ingrid sent a message to let Pazhe (our connection at the Reservation) know that tonight would be the only night the kids would be doing the Q & A.  I sent her an email and a facebook shout out.

Left another message for Curtis and Jeff Rogstad at CTV and headed over to the Broadway theater for the interview.   What a great lineup they have for the month - playing Lost Song along with Only.  truly committed to showing Canadian film to their audience.  How do they do it?  

Curtis arrives and we do a nice interview outside in front of the poster.  Curtis is very lively and I really push the film, talk directly to the camera - tell people to come out - the Hard Sell.  Then he lets me do some shout outs to the anchors - like "Thanks, Anne.  And coming up on Shaw A & E, Only, the quintessential Canadian Film!"  We finish and we're all happy.  But Curtis says this won't go out until Monday.  Sucks!

Head upstairs and hang out with Kirby to talk about the Broadway.  It's a tougher go for them than I thought.  His average audience is 17 people - which is dismaying.  They have a couple of live music acts every month to compensate for the cash they're losing in film and also some genre nights, Bollywood and Midnight Madness type stuff, but 17 a night!  And they only

get a $20,000 operating grant every year.  But still, he's committed.  Maybe more of our film money should go towards theaters like this, the Royal, etc. that are devoted to showing Canadian film!!! So we all have somewhere to exhibit!   

Still, my expectations for tonight come away a bit lower than they were before.  I check in with the projectionist to make sure the DVD is playing properly. It looks good.

Note to self. Check in with Okanagan to see if Charles and I are still doing a panel. 

Note to self. Did Cam give us anything in the end from the Star Phoenix?   Must check in with Ingrid H. on that.  

Note to self.  Stop saying Note to self.

Still no Jeff Rogstad.  Kirby's can't find him, either.  He said he called Jeff as well.  We resolve to keep trying him.  

I head back to the hotel for some lunch, more blogging and emails.   Finallly, Jeff calls!  Couldn't do interview today, but will do a shout out on the 6 o'clock show tonight to bring people in for the weekend.  He will also try to fit in an interview on Monday or Tuesday.  Thanks, Jeff!

I write, read, workout.  

Head back to the theater.  When I first walk in, my heart leaps into my throat.  There are 3 people in the audience.  Gulp.

I wait.  We all wait.  By 7:10 pm, there are 20 people in the seats.  Well, at least we beat the average.  I do the intro.  Try to make it really intimate.  Talk about how proud we are to open this film in our homeland after everywhere it's been.  Talk about the Milan Cineteca.  Set the stage.

The film is great, but so different on DVD.  Saskatooners are not laughers tonight.  At the end of the screening, though, everyone is still there.  People are very moved by what they've seen. They want to know if we will have distribution.  I tell 'em we still don't have a Canadian broadcast sale, but we're working on it.  Someone compares it to Kiarostami - says it's an incredibly important Canadian film.

After the screening, I chat with the Kiarostami woman.  Turns out she's related to Laura Repo, but didn't know anything about the film playing here.  Anyway, this woman wants to help us now.  Gives me her email and says she's going to pass it on to everyone she knows.  Help comes in the strangest ways.

Lots more work to do tomorrow.

April 16th.  Thursday.

3 am - Awake and driving for my 6 am flight.  Engine light coming on.  Hope the car makes it.

Flight is good.  Watched an amazing doc about Stanley Kubrick on the plane.  He had hundreds and hundreds of large, archive boxes throughout his estate, documenting all of the research for his films. The doc maker spends 6 years combing through them!  Kubrick was an astonishing perfectionist. Amazing stories.  Also reading Mysteries of the Middle Ages by Thomas Cahill.  Francis of Asissi; another Perfectioninst.

9:10 am  -  Landed in Winnipeg.  2 hour stopover.  Tired.  Back on a plane for 1 hour trip to Saskatoon.  I've never been.  

11:30 am -  Landed in Saskatoon.   People look calm, gentle here.  Down to earth. Start prepping my calendar today.  I love small airports - simple and easy - got my bag in 5 minutes.   Called the Parktown Hotel - waiting for a pickup.   I've got 3 days reserved but gotta find a couch to crash the last 3.

Holly, the hotel shuttle bug, picks me up - and says she can give me a ride or two for stuff today.  Great. That's a huge help.   

Met Michelle, a nurse from Toronto at the hotel - on her way out.  She wants to see ONLY in Toronto - and I had my postcards on me.  Doing grassroots reachout for Toronto from Sask.

1 pm - Unpack, settle.  Study my calendar and list of things to be done today.

Called Kirby.  He's all set for posters.  Says he's got lots and already put them up all over the place. Offers me a free ticket for the Arrogant Worms!  Yay!

Contact Joy Adams Bauer - our connection in Saskatoon Public schools - turns out she's just around the corner.  Perfect.  They could use as many as 44 posters - but I was only able to fit 50 in my tube.  I pull 25 for her.  Still need some to sell at the screenings and some for Okanagan.

2 pm - Holly takes me over to drop off the posters for Joy.  She's not there, but a friendly assistant takes them to pass on to Joy.  Back to the hotel.

2:30 pm  -  Lunch.  Simple. Pass some postcards to the waitress, receptionist, concierge.

Christine Jackson's asst. finally called back with address for DVD.  Emailed Ingrid to send out.

4 pm - Meditated and had a short nap.

6:30 pm  -  Head over to the Broadway theater for the Worms show!

The Broadway Theater looks great - nostalgic!  It's big.  Lots of people can fit in here.  400.  Hope we get 'em out.  Awesome.  First night lists director in attendance, but not the other nights.  MUST remember to tell the audience that I will be here for the other screenings - so send your friends!  Another night is reserved for FILM GROUP - that sounds good, must ask Kirby what that is.   

MUST remember to check the projection and levels tomorrow after my interview.

Arrogant Worms are selling a table of CDs and DVDs.  

The Worms are amazing - funny as hell!  The Saskatoon audience is vocal - raucous.  A good crowd.

I'm tired.  Head back to the hotel to work out my schedule for tomorrow and write this update!

STAY TUNED...