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Interview: Lauren Grant on her directorial debut short film “Things We Feel But Do Not Say” | Awesome Friday!
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Lauren Grant is a prolific producer of Canadian film and television, having worked on the series Killjoys as well as the films Riot Girls, Sugar Daddy and The Retreat just in the last two years. This year she also makes her debut as a director with her original short film Things We Feel But Do Not Say, which premiered as part of the…
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2021 Vancouver International Film Festival Favourite Films | ForReel
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The Vancouver International Film Festival came to a close on Oct 11, but before it all ended, Thomas gathered friends Taylor Baker from Drink In The Movies and Mathew Simpson with Awesome Friday for a wrap up discussion – in person! In this chat, hosted at the Vancouver Playhouse, Thomas, Taylor, and Matt talk…
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Interview: Danis Goulet on her film “Night Raiders” | Awesome Friday!
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Matthew: How was the production process? I understand you had Taika Waititi on board as an executive producer and a number of Canadian talents as well. How did that all come together? Danis Goulet: It was amazing. The cast is so incredible to work with. We were a Canada-New Zealand co-production, so we had…
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2021 Vancouver International Film Festival Preview (#167) | Contra Zoom
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On this show we are previewing the 40th edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival. It is the largest film festival in Western Canada and gets plenty of prestige films from around the world. Joining the show is Matthew Simpson, who is one half of the Awesome Friday Movie Podcast. We each picked five films (and…
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VIFF 2020: Festival Favourites | ForReel
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The Vancouver International Film Festival has come to a close, so I hopped on Zoom to talk with two friends and fellow film festival attendees, Matthew Simpson from Awesome Friday and Leanne Mclaren from 103.5 QMFM. We discuss our top 3 favorite films each of them saw during the festival, as well as some…
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VIFF 2020 Interview: Curtis Woloschuk, VIFF Associate Director of Programming, on the changes and challenges of hosting a festival during a pandemic | Awesome Friday!
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There’s no denying that 2020 has been an abnormal year for film, and film festivals are by no means exempt from that. I sat down with Curtis Woloschuk, associate director if programming for the Vancouver International Film Festival, to talk about this years festival moving online and other challenges of hosting a festival during…
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VIFF 2020 Interview: Cheryl Foggo on her film ‘John Ware Reclaimed’ | Awesome Friday!
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ohn Ware Reclaimed is a look at one of the least told types of stories in Canada, that of black history. John Ware himself is a locally famous figure and telling his story has been a lifelong interest of Canadian historian and writer Cheryl Foggo, who wrote and directed the film. I have already watched and…
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VIFF 2020: ‘John Ware Reclaimed’ looks to change the conversation about the famous black cowboy | Awesome Friday!
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For Foggo, John Ware has been a lifelong concern. She started a research file in the early days of her career as a writer and, in 2012, wrote a play titled John Ware Reimagined –songs from which are staged throughout this film– about his life and times. She admits that she knows she is…
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VIFF 2020: ‘Jumbo’ is a sweet film about love and acceptance | Awesome Friday!
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On its face, Jumbo is about a young woman who falls in love with a carnival ride. No, not “oh hey, I love that ride.” She develops a deep emotional and sexual attachment to the ride. Yes, that’s a bit weird, but that is just the surface of the story. At its heart, Jumbo is about…
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VIFF 2020: ‘The Magnitude of All Things’ looks at climate change through the lens of personal loss | Awesome Friday!
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Of all the stories presented, one common thread is money. Unfortunately, those who do the damage are more concerned with money than with the people affected. Again, this is not new information. Living through late-stage capitalism has made none of this surprising, only disappointing. Many stories in The Magnitude of All Things are as much about…
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VIFF 2020: ‘Inconvenient Indian’ Is a Powerful Look at the Past, and Present, of Indigenous Life in Canada | Awesome Friday!
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What makes Inconvenient Indian powerful is that it doesn’t let us get away with this. After a long section of various indigenous efforts to reclaim culture and foster some hope, the film also draws a straight line from our collective past to our present ignorance. It directly shows the police violently arresting Wetʼsuwetʼen people in BC…
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VIFF 2020 Interview: Clark Backo on her starring role in “Happy Place” | Awesome Friday!
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Clark Backo is a star on the rise. Known for her roles in Letterkennyand Supernatural, she makes the jump to lead actor in Happy Place, the new adaption of Pamela Sinha’s play. I spoke with Clark on Zoom about her experiences making Happy Place. Full Interview at Awesome Friday: https://awesomefriday.ca/2020/09/viff-interview-clark-backo-on-starring-role-in-happy-place/
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VIFF 2020 Interview: Director Helen Shaver on her film “Happy Place” | Awesome Friday!
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Helen Shaver is kind of a big deal. This year alone, she has directed episodes of Westworld, Snowpiercer, and Lovecraft Country. She is a veteran of prestige TV and directed a made-for-TV movie in 1999 that won an Emmy. Her new film Happy Place, streaming as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival, is her first feature film. I…
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VIFF 2020: ‘Happy Place’ Is a Powerful Story About Living With Trauma | Awesome Friday!
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Backo is captivating here, and she works through Samira’s pain by gradually connecting with her fellow patients at the clinic. Her performance runs the gamut of human emotion and requires her to go to some very vulnerable places, and she does so with aplomb. The rest of the ensemble is good, with Canadian icons…
