Episodes
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Rez Dahya, Director of "Boxcutter," discusses his film's mission to redefine hip-hop films by exploring diverse stories beyond stereotypes.
The movie follows an aspiring artist recovering his stolen laptop ahead of a life-changing meeting with a top music producer. Dahya emphasizes artistic integrity and the importance of creating authentic, community-driven art. He highlights the film's vibrant visuals, capturing Toronto's summer atmosphere despite budget constraints. The film's pacing and movement reflect its quest narrative. Dahya also touches on the casting process, noting the strong chemistry between leads Ashton and Zoe. The film serves as a love letter to Toronto's rich hip-hop culture.
To learn more visit:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
Mike Downie and Jake Gold are elated to share the story of Tragically Hip, focusing on their history, legacy, and the importance of telling their full story.
Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal is a project that began in 2020, with Prime in LA providing significant financial support and creative freedom. The documentary spans four episodes, each capturing different stages of the band's journey, including their rise, challenges, and the impact of Gord's illness and death. Mike and Jake emphasized the importance of honesty and accuracy, leveraging extensive archival footage and personal connections.
The documentary aims to connect with fans, both old and new, and to highlight the band's unique Canadian identity and legacy.
To learn more visit:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
Missing episodes?
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Arianna Martinez presents Do I Know You From Somewhere? as her first feature film!
In this episode, Arianna discusses the emotional journey of releasing this film, that she co-wrote with her husband, which blends genres inspired by Korean cinema. The film explores non-linear storytelling, blending timelines to examine life choices and their consequences. The production emphasized a family-oriented approach, with shorter eight-hour shooting days to balance work and family life. The film's visual storytelling uses colour contrasts and personal touches, such as a handcrafted object dear to Arianna's son. Arianna hopes her film will inspire audiences to make choices that align with their true selves, rather than regretting missed opportunities.
Do I Know You From Somewhere? follows a committed couple as they find their lives slipping away as their history becomes unwritten.
To learn more visit:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
Taylor Olson, a Canadian Screen Award & ACTRA Award nominee, joins us this episode to chat about making films in Atlantic Canada!
Taylor sits down with our host, Rhys Waters, to chat about the boundaries and potential of filmmaking in Atlantic Canada, highlighting the tight-knit community, resource availability, and need for balance between competition and collaboration. Taylor describes the current state of Nova Scotia's film industry, emphasizing growth, tax incentives, and mentorship opportunities. He talks about the significance of the Atlantic International Film Festival, showcasing local talent and fostering a sense of community.
Taylor has acted in numerous feature films such as Black Cop, Hopeless Romantic (Outstanding Performance - Atlantic Film Festival 2018), Halloween Party, Dawn Her Dad & the Tractor, and his own feature film directorial debut Bone Cage - for which he won Best Actor at a number of film festivals, as well as his first ACTRA award. Olson won his second ACTRA Award for appearing in the feature film Bystanders, which he co-wrote alongside partner Koumbie. He has appeared in re-occurring roles on TV series such as Sex & Violence, Diggstown, Pure, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, King & Pawn, and as Larry in the new Trailer Park Boy's: Jail series.For television, Olson has directed for two seasons of This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC, three seasons of the documentary series Disrupt for AMI, and screened their AR series Alone Together at festivals such as the Reykjavik International Film Festival and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. As a creator, Olson released his first two short-form comedy series King & Pawn and 2GETHER 4EVER for Bell Fibe TV1. King & Pawn shot its third season in a 6 x 22 minute format for the Trailer Park Boys streaming service Swearnet.
Taylor is the recipient of the 2020 Arts Nova Scotia Emerging Artist Award.
To learn more visit:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
Nick Sexton, Director and Writer has produced a love letter to St. John's Newfoundland, with his feature film, Skeet.
In this episode, Nik sits down with our host Rhys Waters to discuss his 6 years of production, as well as what it was like capturing themes of rehabilitation, fatherhood, immigration and drug use. Nik emphasizes the importance of collaboration, authenticity, and dedication to bringing a story to life. Nik chats more in-depth about the significance of conducting thorough research and consultation with real-life refugees to ensure authenticity. Other themes discussed include racism, love in the context of poverty, addiction, and the need for empathy and understanding in addressing the ongoing opioid crisis.
Skeet is a film that follows the main protagonist Billy Skinner after being released from prison. Billy returns to his low-income neighbourhood feeling like the area has changed dramatically, and what was once a predominantly white neighbourhood is now mostly occupied by refugee families.
To learn more visit:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
The Atlantic International Film Festival is taking off for 2024!
In this episode, we sit down with Martha Cooley as she shares her perspectives on programming, local and international films, and the importance of showcasing local talent.
Martha discusses the challenges of curating a program with over 900 films submitted each year while highlighting the festival's value in attracting industry excitement.
Martha mentions some upcoming film premieres in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, along with the timeliness and sensitivity of recent Halifax film productions.
To learn more visit:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
The Atlantic Film Festival is back for 2024!
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On this episode we discuss a quirky, detective comedy romance from PEI.
Who's Yer Father? follows a small-town private investigator, played by Chris Locke, as he investigates the sale of black market lobster in Prince Edward Island. Along the way he gets help from an eccentric convenience store owner, played by Susan Kent, who has her own agenda.
I was joined by the writer and director Jeremy Larter.Jeremy is an actor, film director and screenwriter from Prince Edward Island. He is most noted for his 2018 film Pogey Beach, which won the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Feature Film at the 19th Canadian Comedy Awards in 2019. Larter also received nominations for Best Direction in a Feature Film and Best Writing in a Feature Film. Larter had a number of roles as an actor, most notably in the 2012 film S.I.N. Theory, before creating and starring in the web series Just Passing Through in 2013. Pogey Beach, his theatrical feature debut, expanded on the in-universe story of a fictional television show watched by the main characters in Just Passing Through.
The 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival is just around the corner, and with it comes a new line-up of films across a fresh collection of streams. This podcast showcases the voices of filmmakers whose work will feature in the 2023 program, going deep behind the vision and motivation for each film.Find out More:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/
Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
On this episode we explore a film that the creators describe as a ‘warm hug’.
This heartfelt documentary celebrates the life and work of Ernie Coombs, the iconic Canadian children’s television personality who encouraged generations of kids to be their best selves. The children's entertainer who created and starred in the long-running Canadian television series Mr. Dressup, documenting his career and its impact on Canadian culture and entertainment.
We interviewed the movie's producer, Mark Bishop.
Mark Bishop is co-founder and executive producer at Canada's leading production company, marblemedia. Over the last 20 years Mark, and his business partner Matthew Hornburg, have diversified marblemedia’s content slate into becoming one of the country's leading and most highly respected independent production, distribution, and digital media companies. In addition to their impressive slate of scripted and unscripted programming, marblemedia also runs its own successful YouTube channel, marbleKids, and owns Distribution360, a global distributor overseeing a robust catalogue of premium television content from around the world.
The 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival is just around the corner, and with it comes a new line-up of films across a fresh collection of streams. This podcast showcases the voices of filmmakers whose work will feature in the 2023 program, going deep behind the vision and motivation for each film.
Find out More:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/
Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
On this episode we explore a film that is a haunting love letter to dying way of life. Sweetland is the story of an endangered Newfoundland community and the struggles of one man determined to resist its extinction. Faced with community pressure and offered substantial money, he wants to live out the rest of his life in his home.
We interviewed writer and director, Christian Sparkes.
Christian Sparkes is an award winning writer and director hailing from Newfoundland, Canada. He has directed numerous episodes of television and his films have screened at the world's top festivals including TIFF, Fantastic Fest and Busan. An alumnus of the prestigious Canadian Film Centre in Toronto, Christian's debut feature Cast No Shadow was nominated for four Canadian Screen Awards including Best Picture. His sophomore feature Hammer starring Will Patton and Mark O'Brien debuted in 2020 and received widespread acclaim from Roger Ebert and The Hollywood Reporter, amongst others. His third and fourth feature films, Sweetland and The King Tide, are set to be released in 2023, the latter of which was selected for TIFF's prestigious Platform Program.
The 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival is just around the corner, and with it comes a new line-up of films across a fresh collection of streams. This podcast showcases the voices of filmmakers whose work will feature in the 2023 program, going deep behind the vision and motivation for each film.Find out More:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/
Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
In this episode we explore a film that mashes up the textures of Indian cinema with a Canadian coming-of-age picture. The Queen Of My Dreams is a comedy-drama that explores the casm between desires and expectations. Set Against the backdrop of a shared obsession with Bollywood fantasy. Mariam, a Pakistani Muslim woman, and her Canadian-born daughter Azra come of age in two different eras.
I was joined by writer and director Fawzia Mirza.
Fawzia is a Canadian film and TV actress, writer, producer, and director. Her work includes web series Kam Kardashian and Brown Girl Problems, and the 2017 film Signature Move. Mizra came out as a Muslim lesbian in 2016, and describes herself as "a lesbian, Muslim, Pakistani, actor, activist, writer, producer, lawyer and creature of passion". Her first short film, also titled The Queen of My Dreams was inspired from feelings as a young girl. Fawzia Mirza fell under the spell of Bollywood heroines and their promise of love and feminine perfection. As an adult, she looks back and re-imagines the epic romance in the classic film Aradhana, in a queer light. In 2020, her feature screenplay adaptation of The Queen of My Dreams was accepted into the Toronto International Film Festival Writers Studio and Filmmaker Lab, under the working title Me, My Mom & Sharmila. The film was shot in 2022, under the working title Me, My Mom & Sharmila. It was adapted from Mirza's theatrical stage play of the same name.
The 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival is just around the corner, and with it comes a new line-up of films across a fresh collection of streams. This podcast showcases the voices of filmmakers whose work will feature in the 2023 program, going deep behind the vision and motivation for each film.
Find out More:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/
Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
With Love and a Major Organ is set in an alternate world where hearts are made of objects and suppressing emotions is self-care, a lonely woman rips out her own heart for the man she loves, only to discover that he has run away with it. Whimsical, quirky, and wildly original, With Love and a Major Organ pushes on the ever-stranger phenomenon of physical human interaction in the age of technology. Why is it that we are ever more connected and yet we have never felt more alone?
I was joined by writer Julia Lederer, Director Kim Albright producer Madeleine Davis and lead, Anna Maguire.Julia Lederer is an internationally-acclaimed writer, Julia's plays have been produced across North America and in Europe, and her films have been selections at major festivals, including TIFF, Palm Springs, and SXSW. Kim Albright is a Canadian/British/Filipina writer/director. She began her career in the UK, directing short films, music videos, and commercials and is an alumna of the Canadian Film Centre Director's Lab (2018). Madeleine Davis is a Canadian writer and producer based between Canada and the UK, where she is currently completing a Masters in Creative Writing at Cambridge University. She has a decade of experience in narrative and commercial filmmaking. Anna Maguire is a British/Canadian writer, director and actress. As an actress, Anna recently performed in Kim Nguyen’s The Hummingbird Project alongside Salma Hayek, Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard and can be seen in the upcoming film Violation by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli.
The 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival is just around the corner, and with it comes a new line-up of films across a fresh collection of streams. This podcast showcases the voices of filmmakers whose work will feature in the 2023 program, going deep behind the vision and motivation for each film.
Find out More:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/
Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
In this episode we talk to Ian Harnarine, the writer and director of Doubles. The story of a Trinidadian street vendor must travel to Toronto and decide if he will help save his estranged father from dying.
Ian was born in Toronto, Canada and is the son of immigrants from Trinidad & Tobago. He attended York University earning a Bachelor’s degree in Physics & Astronomy and a Master’s degree in Nuclear Physics from the University of Illinois and an MFA from NYU’s Graduate Film School. Harnarine’s film “Doubles With Slight Pepper” (Executive Produced by Spike Lee), won the Best Short Film Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Canadian Academy Award. “Caroni”, about a West Indian domestic worker in New York, premiered at TIFF and continues to screen at festivals worldwide. Harnarine has made dozens of films for Sesame Street, one of which garnered an Emmy nomination. “Party Done”, Harnarine’s feature documentary about controversial crime reporter Ian Alleyne, played theatrically in the Caribbean. “Doubles”, a feature film, is currently in post-production while Harnarine writes an adaptation of David Chariandy’s novel “Soucouyant”. Harnarine was selected by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film, profiled in the New York Times and named one of Playback Magazine’s Ten to Watch.
The 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival is just around the corner, and with it comes a new line-up of films across a fresh collection of streams. This podcast showcases the voices of filmmakers whose work will feature in the 2023 program, going deep behind the vision and motivation for each film.
Find out More:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/ -
The 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival is just around the corner, and with it comes a new line-up of films across a fresh collection of streams. This podcast showcases the voices of filmmakers whose work will feature in the 2023 program, going deep behind the vision and motivation for each film.
Find out More:
https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/Produced by Podstarter
https://www.podstarter.io/
