Possible Worlds: It's A Wrap!

Sydney's Canadian Film Festival is now over, though a selection of the films are now touring around the country. We're all suffering from Post-Festival Blues Syndrome and recovering quietly from the parties and hard work that went into this great event.


Our guest filmmakers Louise Archambault (Familia, Atomic Saké) and Michael Sparaga (Sidekick) have flown back to Canada, and out lovely Kino filmmakers have vanished into the wild (wearing koala ears no doubt). They keep sending us lovely emails saying how wicked a time they had in Sydney and thanking the locals for their heartfelt hospitality. Come back anytime!

Nick Jaffer was our lucky winner of the trip for two to the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, making us all very very jealous. On Closing Night we also announced the winner of the Audience Awards:

• Best Feature: Bon Cop Bad Cop by Erik Canuel;
• Best Short: Big Girl by Renuka Jeyapalan;
  
• Best Documentary: Midnight Movies, From the Margin to the Mainstream by Stuart Samuels;

Thanks to everyone who voted!



Personal highlights of the Fest:

• The huge crowds at the Opening Night Party, the lovely music by Dan and Luke and Alex, Louise Archambault's energetic Q&A (despite a long flight and severe jetlag);
• Michael Sparaga's animated post-screening discussion following the international premiere of Sidekick, Canada's first superhero movie;
• The fun, creative vibe at the massive block party in Surry Hills, following the screening of Next: A Primer on Urban Painting. The free party featured live painting demonstrations by artists from Australia and New Zealand, DJ's, a BBQ, free Kokanee beer and was open to everyone.
• Jaimie Leonarder's spirited into to Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream. The documentary ended up winning the Audience Award and it wasn't just nostalgia: there's a real appetite for cult films, midnight screenings and counter-culture cinema. Bring it on!
  
• The thrill of seeing the results of the Kino filmmaking experiment at Kino Kabaret on closing night. Congratulations to all the filmmakers, actors, technicians, singers, painters, musicians and extras who participated. [I've been assured no koalas or starfish were hurt during the making of these films]. We're hoping to launch a monthly Kino night very soon, so watch this space.

In the end the Festival welcomed over 1,400 film lovers to the Chauvel Cinema during the week. We didn't get a chance to meet each and every one of you but there will be other opportunities. And sooner than you might think!

Have you been spotted? See the pics from the fest here!