Film North - News

West Wind: The Vision of Tom Thomson. Premiered at the 2011 Film North Festival Closes the Reel Alternatives Doc Fest at the Algonquin Theatre, Feb 24-25.

Thought we would give a shout out to our arts partner Reel Alternatives Huntsville as they present their annual film festival this Friday Feb 24 and Saturday Feb 25, with all screenings at the Algonquin Theatre.

Friday night the compelling film The Way will be screened, featuring Martin Sheen as a conflicted father who undertakes the walk along the famed Camino de Santiago in memory of his recently deceased son. In recent years a number of Huntsville residents have completed portions of the walk. The late Oliver Schroer, one of Canada's finest violinists, not only completed the walk but also recorded a number of compositions in churches and convents along the way. Preceding the screening of the film Oliver's sister, Huntsville resident Martina Schroer, will read excerpts from his journal accompanied by pieces from this recording. Saturday, starting at noon, there are three exceptional biographies to be seen. First up is BUCK, the original horse whisperer, who came from an abusive childhood to develop his phenomenally successful approach to horses. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life. BUCK is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds, and appeals to more than horse lovers.

Following at 2pm is A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt, a snappy portrait of charismatic 'enfant terrible' chef Paul Liebrandt and his controversial, avant-garde creations - such as eel with violets and chocolate. Get ready for bitchy kitchen antics, tension with former Times critic Frank Bruni, and plenty of food porn to salivate over. An exceptional talent Liebrandt was described by one food critic as " a pianist who has managed to find a couple of dozen extra keys."

At 4pm we have Senna, is a riveting look at Brazilian Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, one of boldest and most exciting race car champions of all time.Comprised entirely of newsreel clips, Formula One archives (much of it never before seen), home videos, and even in-car camera recordings, the film is ambitiously constructed, deeply compelling and not just for car race fans.

Closing the Festival at 7pm on Saturday night is West Wind: The Vision of Tom Thomson. Premiered at the 2011 Film North Festival the film asks the question, "What is it about Thomson's life, art and death that haunt us still; that draw thousands of people each year to his cairn in Canoe Lake, and propel his little oil sketches to the stratosphere of the Canadian art market?"

Following the film there will be an opportunity to direct questions to one of the key contributors to the film. Tickets are $15 for the Friday and Saturday night films and $8 ($10 at the door) for the Saturday afternoon films. Festival Passes for all films are only $40. (see coupon below) Tickets are available at the Algonquin Theatre box office, by calling 705-789-4975 or www.algonquintheatre.ca