Chinook Film Group

Winter 2008 Series January 3, 2008

Our Winter Series will start off with Across The Universe on Jan. 16 at 7:00 at the Cochrane Movie House. Tickets are 10.00 and available at Java Jamboree or Video Box Office. It’s just a little boy meets girl in the ’60′s but it’s entirely set to all your favorite Beatles music. The song list from the Soundtrack says it all:

Girl
Hold Me Tight
All My Loving
I Want To Hold Your Hand
With A Little Help From My Friends
It Won’t Be Long
I’ve Just Seen A Face
Let It Be
Come Together
If I Fell
Dear Prudence
Flying The Secret Machines
Blue Jay Way
I Am The Walrus
Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite
Because
Something
Oh! Darling
Strawberry Fields Forever
Revolution
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Across The Universe
Helter Skelter
Happiness Is A Warm Gun Joe
Black Bird
Hey Jude
Don’t Let Me Down
All You Need Is Love

All but a few of the songs are sung by the actors at the time of shooting so there’s virtually no dubbing or lip syncing. You see what you get. Good cameos by Bono, Salma Hayek, Eddie Izzard and Joe Cocker. Lots of other Beatle references and the characters are all named accordingly- Lucy, Jude, Prudence, etc.

C’mon out for a great evening. And maybe a surprise to follow??

Calgary Cinematheque October 4, 2007

‘The Calgary Cinematheque Society is a non-profit organization that promotes the appreciation of the moving image. Our goal is to program curated screenings that present films within an artistic and cultural context. These series will be constructed around thematic links or feature the work of an individual director.’

from: Calgary Cinematheque Objectives Page. Select the link in the blogrolls for more info on the society and their upcomings events.

Moondance Alexander gets Honourable Mention from CIFF October 3, 2007

The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) presented by American Express is pleased to announce the recipients of the juried and audience awards for the 2007 edition of the Festival. The Festival officially closed on Sunday, September 30, 2007.The recipients of the following juried awards were announced at the Avenue Magazine Closing Gala on Saturday, September 29, 2007:

• The Citytv Award for Best Canadian Feature was awarded to Clément Virgo for his sixth feature POOR BOY’S GAME. Featuring Danny Glover, Rossif Sutherland, Tonya Lee Williams and Flex Alexander, POOR BOY’S GAME is an exploration of the futility of vengeance and the potency of forgiveness in a story about race and class through the sport of boxing.

• The inaugural Movie Central Best International Feature Film was presented to NEVER ON A SUNDAY / MORIRSE EN DOMINGO by Mexican filmmaker Daniel Gruener. A black comedy based on actual events in screenwriter Antonio Armonia’s life, NEVER ON A SUNDAY exposes the day-to-day corruption that is rampant in Mexico City through bizarre and hilarious situations.

• The National Film Board Best Documentary was presented to DRIVEN BY DREAMS / À FORCE DE RÊVES by filmmaker Serge Giguère. DRIVEN BY DREAMS provides a snapshot of a handful of individuals aged 72 through 94 in rural Quebec; ordinary individuals who because of their energy have done extraordinary things.

• The Movieola Best Short Film was presented to MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI by Canadian filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI is a stunning, stop-motion animated film that takes the viewer on an exhilarating existential journey with Madame Tutli-Putli who boards the night train, weighed down with all her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past.

• CIFF’s Best International Documentary was awarded to OUT OF TIME / AUS DER ZEIT by Austrian director Harald Friedl. The film examines the passing of time and the impact of “big box” retail on small and specialized mom-and-pop shops in Vienna as they struggle to stay open.

The following juried awards were announced at special presentations during the Festival:

• The Joe Media Alberta Centennial Award (ACA) celebrating the best new Alberta short film was presented to Cam Christensen for I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE. Christensen’s 6-minute short features animation set to the musical talents of Kris Demeanor. The ACAs were awarded at a special screening presentation on Sunday, September 23, 2007 at the Uptown Stage and Screen.

• The inaugural Youth by Youth Cinema (YYC) Filmmaking Competition award was presented to Andrew Gillingham for his short narrative film MR. POSTMAN and to Cheyanne Saddleback, Charise Bates, James Morgan and Ranjene Mazumdar for the short documentary, THE UPRISING. The YYC awards were presented at a special screening presentation on Saturday, September 22, 2007 at The Plaza.

The recipient of the American Express People’s Choice Award was made official Tuesday after online voting at www.calgaryfilm.com closed at 11:59pm (MST) on Monday, October 1, 2007. ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Calgary filmmaker Mike McKeown is the winner of the inaugural American Express People’s Choice Award. ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, a verité style documentary, follows the story of the Walker brothers and the evolution of Rock Paper Scissors into a legitimate sport of skill and strategy, worthy of training and competition.

An honorable mention was made to filmmaker Michael Damian for MOONDANCE ALEXANDER for Best Family Feature Film. Filmed in the velvet-green pastures, and big blue-sky foothills of Okotoks and High River, Alberta, MOONDANCE ALEXANDER is a classic, uplifting tale of a teenaged girl and the horse she loves.

Polley’s film big winner at Director’s Guild Awards September 30, 2007

Last Updated: Saturday, September 29, 2007 | 11:36 PM ET

CBC News

Sarah Polley’s poignant Away From Her was the big winner at the 2007 Directors Guild of Canada Awards on Saturday.

The film was honoured as best picture, and Polley was named best director; her husband, David Wharnsby, won the prize for best picture editing.

The critically acclaimed movie chronicles the intrusion of Alzheimer’s disease into the lives of an aging couple, played by Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie.

Donated DVD’s Feb. 2007 February 5, 2007

Check the new selections soon to be catalogued and on the shelf at the Cochrane Public Library.  Just click on the ‘Donated Materials” tab above.

Champagne & Chocolate Reception following Snow Cake January 22, 2007

Here are some photos of the Film Group enjoying the chocolate fountain and a glass of bubbly at the reception at Java Jamboree following the Mar. 17 screening of Snow Cake at the Cochrane Movie House.

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Snow Cake in Cochrane Jan. 17, 2007 January 19, 2007

The wonderful film Snow Cake which stars Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman and Carrie Ann Moss will open the Chinook Film Group’s Winter 2007 Series. This film, shot on location in Wawa, Ont. and (featuring the largest Canadian goose in the world), focuses on one man’s journey interrupted by necessity and more importantly, a sense of obligation.

Alan Rykman’s portrayal of the man searching for a connection to his past finds an even more compelling connection to his present when circumstances place him in a challenging relationship with a highly functioning autistic woman played by Sigourney Weaver. Carrie Ann Moss the neighbour and voice of ‘the way things are’ helps him to come to terms with more than just his present situation. And in the end he continues on, a changed man.

Screening will be followed by our New Year’s Champagne and Chocolate reception.