,
4 0 + s cre e n ings , mul Timedia and Live M usic performances
Directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
Opening Night Gala Sunday, February 5th | 6:45pm
Produced in Association with Super Channel
Available on Super Channel and Super Channel On Demand Call your television provider to subscribe or visit superchannel.ca to find out more.
An evening of music, media art and live animation. Exploring ideas of north. From a northern perspective.
New North Collective Pat Braden Carmen Braden Diyet Graeme Peters
Robert Van Lieshout Jan de Vroede Aiden Cartwright Lia Fabre-Dimsdale
Monday, Feb 6
Barbara Hinton Jay Bulckaert
Yukon Arts Centre, 7:30 pm
All tickets: $25 (includes Box Office Surcharge) Available online: yukontickets.com, in person at Arts Underground and Yukon Arts Centre Box Office 867-667-8574
4
5
Welcome Welcome to the 15th annual Available Light Film Festival! The ALFF 2017 opening gala film is the award-winning documentary Angry Inuk, with the film’s co-producers: NFB, Unikkaat Studios and EyeSteelFilm, in attendance, including director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril from Iqaluit! There are 40+ screenings, multimedia and live music performances at ALFF 2017. Special events and exhibitions at ALFF will include 30 performing and visual artists from NWT, Yukon, Manitoba and Greenland. Huge thanks to Yukon Arts Fund for supporting ALFF special events. Screenings and ALFF Industry events will include 30 filmmakers and industry delegates from across Canada… and LA. We couldn’t do this without the generous support of our festival partners Yukon Energy and Best Western Gold Rush Inn or the sponsors and funders who provide Yukon Film Society with travel support: Yukon Media Development, Lotteries Yukon, Air North, Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund and Super Channel. Thank you to Media Development at Economic Development, Yukon Government, for partnering with to YFS to present the adjacent ALFF Industry conference (20 events over 7 days). The Yukon Film Society is excited to be hosting Canadian feature filmmaking icons in attendance at Available Light: Sandra Oh, Ann Marie Fleming, John Walker, Daniel Cross and Daniel MacIvor, as well as many other hugely talented filmmakers and media producers in attendance (see the full list on page 41). It’s also a big honour for Available Light to host the Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada, Mr. Claude Joli-Coeur. The NFB remains a vital cultural institution in Canada as you’ll see in the 10 new and classic NFB films at ALFF 2017. Please join me in thanking all the artists, filmmakers and industry delegates for sharing their work, art, knowledge, enthusiasm and experience at ALFF and ALFF Industry. Please also thank the incredible hard-working volunteers and staff, and all the sponsors, funders and community organizations who have contributed to make Available Light 2017 possible. Gunalchîsh, mahsi cho, merci, gracias, nakurmiik, salamat and thank you, o audience member, for coming to Available Light and making this a very special community event every Yukon winter. Andrew Connors Festival Director, Available Light Film Festival
7
Audience Choice Awards Rate every eligible film you see from 1 to 10. Ballots are in the Yukon Arts Centre Lobby. You pick the winner of the Audience Choice Awards! The results of this balloting will determine the awards for Best Canadian Documentary and Best Canadian Feature Film. Winners will be announced before the closing film on Sunday, Feb 12. Sponsored by Super Channel.
FICTION The Sun at Midnight Window Horses Maliglutit (Searchers) Two Lovers and a Bear Maudie Before the Streets (Avant les rues) Kiss and Cry Weirdos
DOCUMENTARY Angry Inuk Québec My Country Mon Pays Gulîstan: Land of Roses Limit is the Sky The Apology I am the Blues Black Code To the Ends of the Earth RiverBlue Aim for the Roses
Festival Team Festival Director
Andrew Connors Festival Producer
Tara McCarthy
Andrew Seymour
Social Media
YFS Arts Administrator and Sponsorships
Lead Projectionist
Karen Baltgailis
George Maratos Marty O’Brien
Artistic Associate
Projectionists
Graphic Design and Marketing
Events Technical Director
Erin Corbett
Guiniveve Lalena ALFF Industry Producer
Vivian Belik
Industry Assistant
Moriah MacMillan ALFF Industry Guest Host
Kirby Hammond 8
Volunteer & Transportation Coordinator
David Curtis Marty O’Brien Adam Pope
Festival Trailer Production
Vivian Belik Meagan Dueling Moriah MacMillan Alanna Warner Music by Gregory McLaughlin
Festival Photography
Grant Douglas Photography Video Production, Tech and Documentation
Jessica Hall Craig Carpenter Chris Rodgers
ALFF Production Assistants
Bran Ram Dar Mustafa
Hospitality Team Leader
Hannah Zimmering YFS Membership Team Leaders
Scott Williams Selena Boothroyd
Festival Information
ALFF TICKETS & PASSES Individual Screening Tickets: $15/$13 YFS Members/seniors/youth under 16 Individual Tickets on select daytime screenings: $12/$10 YFS Members/seniors/youth under 16 ALFF Five Film Pass: $55 ALFF Ten Film Pass: $100 Special Presentations
John K. Samson & the Winter Wheat: $35 Sinister Oculus: $22 New North Collective: $25 Available Light Cabaret: $12
WHERE TO BUY FESTIVAL TICKETS AND PASSES Online: yukontickets.com Yukon Arts Centre Box Office: (867) 667-8574, Mon to Fri, 10am to 3pm. Arts Underground: 305 Main Street, Lower Level, Hougen’s Centre At the door: Box Office opens one hour before screenings, and is open between films. Purchase your tickets in advance to avoid the line-up.
ALFF INDUSTRY TICKETS & PASSES ALFF Industry Passes: $150/$125 YFS Production Members Individual ALFF Industry Workshop Tickets: $25/$20 YFS Production Members ALFF Industry Passes are available in person at YFS (212 Lambert St above Uniglobe Travel) or by phone (867) 393-3456, at the door (cash and credit) and online at alff.ca. Registration gives you access to all ALFF Industry events: panels, workshops, master classes, networking events and receptions. Pre-register for individual workshops by contacting vivian.belik@gmail.com. Payment accepted: cash and credit card.
VENUES Yukon Arts Centre, 300 College Drive Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, 1171 Front Street Old Fire Hall (ALFF Industry), 1105 Front Street
GENERAL FESTIVAL INFO Passes do not guarantee a seat, you must redeem for individual tickets. All seating is General Admission. No food or drink allowed in the Yukon Arts Centre theatre, unless in authorized YAC lid cups. Please turn off cell phones. No recording devices allowed. 9
Congratulations to the Yukon Film Society on the 15th anniversary of the Available Light Film Festival! Year after year, we have seen the festival flourish and expand its content, reputation and audiences. It has grown into a significant cultural event on Yukon’s arts calendar. The Available Light Film Festival presents a feast of enjoyable, compelling and challenging content from Canada and beyond. In the spotlight are fictional and documentary films that explore the captivating stories of First Nations and the North. On behalf of the Government of Yukon, I am pleased to welcome you to the festival. We are proud to support the society and the festival through the Department of Tourism and Culture’s Arts Operating Fund and the Arts Fund. Thank you to the staff, the board and the many volunteers who together create this impressive event. Best wishes for another successful festival.
Jeanie Dendys Minister of Tourism and Culture
On behalf of Whitehorse City Council, I would like to congratulate and thank the Yukon Film Society and all of the organizers and volunteers for this year’s festival. The City is proud to support this event through the Festivals and Special Events Fund. We are very excited that our contribution is helping to foster community engagement with new forms of media art, build community partnerships, and reach an even wider audience this year. We wish everyone a wonderful festival and hope all will enjoy the extraordinary selection of Northern, Canadian and international cinema, as well as the media art and live music performances. Sincerely, Mayor Dan Curtis City of Whitehorse
The Government of Yukon recognizes the growing contribution the film and sound industries make to Yukon’s culture and economy. The Available Light Film Festival is now in its fifteenth year, and the Yukon Media Development Unit is pleased to be involved with this year’s event. On behalf of the Government of Yukon, we thank event organizers and volunteers for once again bringing the festival to Yukoners. We applaud your efforts and wish you all a successful festival.
Minister Ranj Pillai
Several decades ago, our country’s filmmakers dreamed of offering Canadians more stories based on Canadian experiences. In 1967, the development of an original model for funding films in Canada led to the creation of Telefilm Canada. 2017 marks our 50th anniversary! What a great opportunity this gives us to celebrate 50 years of talent—to honour those who helped build this industry, including our partners the Available Light Film Festival. The films from the first decade have become classics, among them: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Ted Kotcheff; Goin’ Down the Road by Don Shebib; Réjeanne Padovani by Denys Arcand; and La Vie rêvée by Mireille Dansereau. And looking to the next 50 years, the future is bright for Canadian cinema with a diverse generation of emerging talent who create works for screens of all sizes. Play it forward… Incredible staff and volunteers, such as the team behind the Available Light Film Festival, make it possible for homegrown productions to be accessible from coast to coast. Their passion ensures that Canadian directors, actors, screenwriters, producers and craftspeople are recognized for their achievements. Accomplishments that included, in 2015-2016, 83 selections at foreign festivals and 37 international prizes! And, of course, thank you to you the audience—you drive the success of Canada’s cinema. Thank you for watching Canadian movies for the last five decades, for talking about them, for sharing them—for allowing them to live and breathe. On behalf of Telefilm, I wish you all a wonderful festival full of discovery and delight.
Michel Roy Chair of the Board, Telefilm Canada 11
213 Range Road, Whitehorse, YT
1•888•407•7681 12
www.drivingforce.ca
Friday Fe b 3
JOHN K. SAMSON & THE WINTER WHEAT
Satu rday Fe b 4
CUT-OFF
FESTIVAL KICK-OFF CONCERT
2pm CUT-OFF
8pm John K. Samson & the Winter Wheat with special guest Rob Dickson
OLD FIRE HALL FREE SCREENING
YUKON ARTS CENTRE SPECIAL EVENT TICKETS: $35 EVENT SPONSORS: HEADLESS OWL RECORDS, AIR NORTH, GOLD RUSH INN
One of Canada’s finest lyricists singer/ songwriter/poet John K. Samson returns to the Yukon with his band (Christine Fellows, Jason Tait, Greg Smith) to kick off the Available Light Film Festival 2017! This special evening will cap off a Pacific Northwest tour in support of Samson’s new record Winter Wheat and include songs from his excellent 2012 solo LP Provincial and a handful of gems from The Weakerthans catalogue. “Cherished Canadian rock band the Weakerthans may be no more, but frontman and songwriter John K. Samson has since delivered two solo albums laced with an equally (if not more) satisfying, folk-leaning sound.” ~Sarah Murphy, Exclaim.ca Opening guest, Rob Dickson is a songwriter based in Whitehorse. His beautiful songs emerge through an autobiographical lens where Dickson reveals himself with a sound that is both raw and modest. Accompanied by Micah Smith and Adrian Burrill.
DIR. MATT GALLAGHER, 2016, ON, 44 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: CKRW THE RUSH
The driving idea behind this film, told mostly through the voices of young people in the community, comes from one of the main subjects: Stewart Redsky from Shoal Lake 40, an isolated First Nations reserve on the Ontario-Manitoba border. Redsky is a parent, former chief, and a residential school survivor. When visitors come to his community, he says they need to “see and feel” the struggles there to understand what it looks like to be forcibly disconnected from the rest of Canada. The only outsider in the documentary is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In an historic visit, he spent the day in Shoal Lake 40, exclusively for this VICE project, accompanied by Sarain Carson-Fox, host of the upcoming VICELAND/APTN series Rise. Over the course of his day, he did what the community had wanted—to ‘see and feel’ daily life. This free screening follows the ALFF Industry keynote address by Vice Media Director of Development, John Turner.
13
Satu rday Fe b 4
SINISTER OCULUS
SINISTER OCULUS
SPECIAL PRESENTATION 8pm Sinister Oculus Live Cinema Performance KWANLIN DÜN CULTURAL CENTRE TICKETS $22 (INCLUDES ENTRY TO THE DEAD NORTH SELECTIONS SCREENING) EVENT SPONSOR: ALEXCO ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC.
Not quite a concert, not quite a film, Sinister Oculus combines music, poetry and film to take audiences on a multi-sensory and surreal exploration of the human condition. Collaborative, creative and intense, the group draws inspiration from the landscapes, people and unique experiences of life in Canada’s North. The Yellowknife-based collective includes: Jay Bulckaert (filmmaker, live video design), Paul Cressman (bass, vocals), Dana Sipos (vocals, mandolin), Travis Mercredi (sound design, guitar), Mark Rendell (violin), Emily Smits (drums, percussion) and special guest Jordy Walker (keyboards, electronics). 14
9:30pm Selections from the Dead North Film Festival 2016, NT/YT, 72 MIN
UIRI by John Main, Cast Iron by Brett Elliot, Helios by aRTLeSS Collective, Hag by Pat Kane, Akoo by Amos Scott, Everybody Knows Me by Reuben Ward, Killer Workout by Michelle Swallow, Refresh by Mason Mantla. Preceeded by the Yukon 48 short film Sundown by James Healey. Dead North Film Festival is a short genre film festival that takes place each winter in Yellowknife, Canada. deadnorth.ca
Sunday Fe b 5
THE SUN AT MIDNIGHT
POUR LA SUITE DU MONDE
11am The Sun at Midnight DIR. KIRSTEN CARTHEW, 2016, NT, 93 MIN
1:15pm Pour la suite du monde (Of Whales, the Moon and Men)
SCREENING SPONSOR: CHINOOK BOOKKEEPING SERVICES
DIR. MICHEL BRAULT/PIERRE PERRAULT, 1963, QC, 100 MIN
The first Telefilm-funded feature film produced in the Northwest Territories is set in the mountains and Fort MacPherson. The Sun At Midnight tells the story of an unusual friendship between a hunter (Duane Howard, The Revenant) obsessed with finding a missing caribou herd and a teenage rebel (Devery Jacobs, Rhymes for Young Ghouls). In the wake of her mother’s death, city kid Lia is sent to spend the summer with her Gwich’in grandmother. Desperate to return to city life she sets out into the wilderness hoping to reach the nearest town. Totally lost, she is discovered by Alfred, a hunter who reluctantly takes her under his wing.
SCREENING SPONSOR: ASSOCIATION FRANCO-YUKONNAISE
Director Kirsten Carthew in attendance.
Considered a milestone work in the history of Direct Cinema, this work of ethno-fiction was the first Canadian film to ever screen at the Cannes Film festival and was hugely influential to the generation of filmmakers that includes ALFF 2017 guests Daniel Cross and John Walker. The film follows residents of Île aux Coudres, an island in the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, as they agree to re-enact their traditional beluga whale hunt for the filmmakers, one last time. In French with English subtitles. Introduction by filmmaker John Walker (Québec My Country Mon Pays) and NFB/ ONF Chairperson, Claude Joli-Coeur.
15
Sunday Fe b 5
WINDOW HORSES
ANGRY INUK
3:30pm Window Horses
ALFF 2017 OPENING GALA FILM
DIR. ANN MARIE FLEMING, 2016, BC, 85 MIN
6:45pm Angry Inuk
SCREENING SPONSORS: DIRECTOR’S GUILD OF CANADA BC DISTRICT COUNCIL, THE CLAIM CAFE & FOOD CO.
DIR. ALETHEA ARNAQUQ-BARIL, 2016, NU, 92 MIN
Ann Marie Fleming’s Window Horses is a beautifully animated story of a young girl’s journey toward self-discovery. Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet, is invited to perform at a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran, but she’d rather be in Paris. Once in Iran, she finds herself in the company of poets and Persians, all who tell her stories that force her to confront her past; the Iranian father she assumed abandoned her and the nature of poetry itself. The superb voice cast includes Don McKellar, Sandra Oh and Ellen Page. In English, Farsi and Mandarin with English subtitles. Director Ann Marie Fleming and producer/ star Sandra Oh in attendance. Selected one of ‘Canada’s Top Ten’ feature films for 2016.
SCREENING SPONSORS: TELEFILM CANADA, CANADA MEDIA FUND, NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s documentary challenges the southern world to reconsider its preconceived notions of the commercial seal hunt. By following the lives of Inuit hunters and artisans, she illustrates the quiet anger and frustration of a people whose lives are made exponentially harder by the uninformed legislation and dogma of governments and activists that many of them will never meet. In Inuktitut and English with English subtitles. Audience Award winner at the Hot Docs Festival 2016 in Toronto. Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, and executive producer Daniel Cross in attendance. Guest travel supported by Arts Fund, Super Channel, Yukon Media Development.
16
Opening remarks by Mr. Claude Joli-Coeur, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the NFB, Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of Canada Media Fund and a representative of the department of Economic Development, Yukon Government.
Monday Fe b 6
PICTURES DON’T LIE
SHIFT
UNDERDOG
PUTUPARRI AND THE RAINMAKERS
12pm Yukon Documentary Films: Pictures Don’t Lie/Underdog/Shift
Shift
KWANLIN DÜN CULTURAL CENTRE
Meet a group of aboriginal youth who, over the past 10 years, have constructed 100 kilometers of biking trails on Montana Mountain in an effort to make their community a world-class mountain biking destination. Audience Choice winner, Banff Mountain Film Festival 2016.
SCREENING SPONSOR: NORTHWESTEL COMMUNITY TELEVISION
Directors in attendance: Lulu Keating, Vivian Belik, Naomi Mark and Kelly Milner Pictures Don’t Lie WORLD PREMIERE DIR. LULU KEATING, 2016, YT, 20 MIN
Through his own words, illuminated with family photographs, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in elder JJ Van Bibber tells the story of his life during a century in the Yukon Territory. Underdog DIR. NAOMI MARK/VIVIAN BELIK, 2016, YT, 10 MIN
A Japanese-Yukoner prepares for a 1,000 mile dogsled race to fulfill her mother’s dying wish.
DIR. KELLY MILNER, 2016, YT, 28 MIN
2pm Putuparri and the Rainmakers KWANLIN DÜN CULTURAL CENTRE DIR. NICOLE MA, 2015, AU, 97 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: KWANLIN DÜN CULTURAL CENTRE
Putuparri and the Rainmakers takes audiences on a rare and emotional journey to meet the traditional rainmakers of Australia’s Great Sandy Desert who have fought a twenty-year battle to win back their traditional homeland. This powerful documentary has been 20 years in the making. 17
Monday Fe b 6
ARCTIC SECRETS: YUKON WILD
NEW NORTH COLLECTIVE
5pm Arctic Secrets: Yukon Wild
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
KWANLIN DÜN CULTURAL CENTRE
7:30pm New North Collective Live Music and Media Art
WORLD PREMIERE DIR. ALLAN CODE, 2017, YT/ON, 48 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: NORTHWESTEL COMMUNITY TELEVISION
This episode from the second season of the Yukon-produced nature documentary series that explores little known corners of the Arctic region takes viewers on a stunningly photographed trip into the Coast Mountains to reveal the lives of keystone species sockeye and chum salmon, grizzly bear and bald eagles during the fall spawning season. We learn about other species too: pikas, dall sheep, moose, trumpeter swans and silver foxes as they prepare for the imminent arrival of the Yukon’s tough winter. Director Allan Code and cinematographer Michael Code in attendance. Preceded by: In Our Nature DIR. BRETT ELLIOT, 2016, YT, 4 MIN
Diyet music video.
18
YUKON ARTS CENTRE TICKETS $25 EVENT SPONSORS: YUKON ARTS FUND, SKOOKUM JIM FRIENDSHIP CENTRE, TLE’ NAX T’AWEI GROUP
New North Collective is an ensemble of six performing artists: singer/songwriter Diyet (YT), guitarist/songwriter Graeme Peters (YT), bassist and storyteller Pat Braden (NT), composer and sound designer Carman Braden(NT), Robert Van Lieshout (YT) and Jan de Vroede (GL). Each of the members of the ensemble bring a diversity of styles and experience to the collective. New music, folk, traditional, jazz and rock inform what the New North Collective creates. Together, they explore their ideas of north – from the land to the people; from the traditional to the contemporary. Songs by the collective will be accompanied by projections of media artists: Aiden Cartwright (Yellowknife), Jay Bulckaert (aRTLeSS Collective, Yellowknife) Lia Fabre-Dimsdale and Barbara Hinton (Splintered Craft, Whitehorse). The collaboration of music, live animation and cinema will be a unique Whitehorse performance only at ALFF!
Tuesday Fe b 7
LIMIT IS THE SKY
GULÎSTAN: LAND OF ROSES
LIMIT IS THE SKY
GULÎSTAN: LAND OF ROSES
12pm Limit is the Sky
2pm Gulîstan: Land of Roses
DIR. JULIA IVANOVA, 2016, AB/BC, 107 MIN
DIR. ZAYNÊ AKYOL, 2016, QC/DE, 86 MIN
SCREENING SPONSOR: JACKLEG FILMS
In the mountains and deserts of Kurdistan, female PKK guerillas are fighting ISIS (the Islamic State). In this startling, intimate and immersive documentary, these revolutionary women invite us into their daily lives, speak frankly about their ideals and share reflections on their world. In Kurdish with English subtitles.
From acclaimed filmmaker Julia Ivanova (Family Portrait in Black and White, ALFF 2012), comes an unflinching portrait of six young Canadians, including refugees from the Middle East and Africa: a diverse, ambitious lot driven by the seductive lure of big cash in Fort McMurray. Shot over several years, Limit Is the Sky follows the hopeful young workers as they do their best to join the ranks of the highly paid oilfield labourers who have made ‘Fort Mac’ a boomtown. But what happens when the boom goes bust and a wildfire known as ‘the beast’ comes to call?
Best New Talent from Québec/Canada Award: Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) 2016. Preceded by: Monty DIR. LEE CARRUTHERS, 2016, YT, 3 MIN
Director Julia Ivanova in attendance.
19
Tuesday Fe b 7
QUÉBEC MY COUNTRY MON PAYS
LA LA LAND
5:30pm Québec My Country Mon Pays
8pm La La Land
DIR. JOHN WALKER, 2016, NS, 89 MIN
DIR. DAMIEN CHAZELLE, 2016, US 128 MIN
SCREENING SPONSOR: MIDNIGHT SUN COFFEE ROASTERS
SCREENING SPONSOR: SEQUOIA KITCHENS & DESIGN
A cinematic love-letter to Québec by master filmmaker, John Walker. In French and English with English subtitles
La La Land tells the story of Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams.
“Walker grew up an Anglophone in Montréal in the years surrounding Québec’s Quiet Revolution. He witnessed first-hand the upheaval that transformed the political and cultural landscape. In those years, more than 500,000 English-speaking Québecers left the province, many of them—including Walker—finding their way to Toronto. After decades as a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker, Walker decides to turn his lens on his own story and dig into the heart of the social revolution that shaped his identity. His immediate and extended family express their conflicted feelings about their place in modern Québec. Others, from a police officer who diffused FLQ bombs to director Denys Arcand, contemplate the issues that drive Québec’s desire for sovereignty. ~Alexander Rogalski, Hot Docs Film Festival. Director John Walker in attendance.
20
Winner of 7 Golden Globe Awards. Preceded by: Hot Nuts DIR. BELIK/MACMILLAN/DOYON/DEULING/ GILRAY/ALDERSON, 2016, YT, 2 MIN
8:30pm Available Light Cabaret: Soda Pony OLD FIRE HALL TICKETS: $12 CO-PRESENTED WITH JAZZ YUKON AND MUSIC YUKON
Whitehorse’s synth-beat lo-fi friendship duo Soda Pony (Aiden Tentrees and Patrick Hamilton) perform one set of their staccato-ed original songs and one set that’s a live score to a secret film. Their live score performance to The Thing from Another World at the Atlin Arts and Music Festival was truly memorable.
Wednesday Fe b 8
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... MR. LEONARD COHEN
THE APOLOGY
12pm Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen
2pm The Apology
DIR. DONALD BRITTAIN/DON OWEN, 1965, QC, 44 MIN
SCREENING SPONSOR: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, YUKON CHAPTER
SCREENING SPONSOR: YUKON NEWS
This moving documentary follows the personal journeys of three former ‘comfort women’ who were among the 200,000 girls and young women kidnapped and forced into military sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Some 70 years after their imprisonment in so-called ‘comfort stations,’ the three ‘grandmothers’ – Grandma Gil, Grandma Cao, and Grandma Adela– face their twilight years in fading health. After decades of living in silence and shame about their past, they know that time is running out to give a first-hand account of the truth and ensure that this horrific chapter of history is not forgotten. Whether they are seeking a formal apology from the Japanese government or summoning the courage to finally share their secret with loved ones, their resolve moves them forward as they seize this last chance to set future generations on a course for reconciliation, healing and justice. In Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Japanese, English with English subtitles.
This National Film Board of Canada retrospective screening is a tribute to Leonard Cohen and the film’s director, Don Owen, who both passed away in 2016. The Canuck cousin to D.A. Pennebaker’s Dylan doc Don’t Look Back, is a portrait of a young virtuoso meandering the lime light in Montreal university halls, coffee shops and his own bathtub. Preceded by: Joe DIR. BRETT ELLIOT, 2016 YT, 5 MIN
Old Cabin music video. I’m Your Man DIR. ROSLYN SCHWARTZ, 1996, QC, 5 MIN
Set to the Leonard Cohen song of the same name, this irreverent animated film plays on the conventions and clichés of romance.
DIR. TIFFANY HSIUNG, 2016, QC, 106 MIN
The second most popular audience choice film at Hot Docs Film Festival 2016.
21
Wednesday Fe b 8
I AM THE BLUES
MALIGLUTIT (SEARCHERS)
5:30pm I am the Blues
8:15pm Maliglutit (Searchers)
DIR. DANIEL CROSS, 2015, QC, 106 MIN
DIR. ZACHARIAS KUNUK/NATAR UNGALAQ, 2016, NU, 94 MIN
SCREENING SPONSOR: THE LAMBERT DOCUMENTARY FILM FRATERNITY
A powerful fly-on-the-wall journey through the swamps, juke joints and moonshinesoaked BBQs of the American South to visit the last original blues devils, many in their 80s and still working. A favourite at 2016 Hot Docs, I Am The Blues takes audiences into the world of the African American blues legends including; Bobby Rush, Barbara Lynn, Henry Gray, Carol Fran, Lazy Lester, Bilbo Walker, RL Boyce, Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes, Lil’ Buck Sinegal and LC Ulmer. Capturing the distinctive landscapes and romantic spirit of the American South with an expert lens, director Daniel Cross follows the Mississippi River past Graceland, Muscle Shoals, and into the beating heart of the blues. Director Daniel Cross in attendance. “Spiritually rich.” ~POV Magazine Preceded by: On the Western Plains DIR. BRETT ELLIOT, 2016, YT, 3 MIN
Ryan McNally music video.
22
SCREENING SPONSOR: MUKTUK ADVENTURES LTD
The filmmakers behind the iconic film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner return with this stunning must-be-seen-on-a-cinema screen Arctic epic inspired by the classic John Ford western of the same name, about a vengeful husband who sets off in pursuit of the violent men who kidnapped his wife and destroyed his home during the winter of 1914. Another knock out epic created in the village of Igloolik. In Inuktitut with English subtitles. Selected one of ‘Canada’s Top Ten’ feature films for 2016. Preceded by: Vampire Love Song DIR. JESSICA HALL, 2016, YT, 4 MIN
Kim Beggs music video. 8:30pm Available Light Cabaret: Jennihouse OLD FIRE HALL TICKETS: $12 CO-PRESENTED WITH JAZZ YUKON AND MUSIC YUKON
Jennihouse is a collaboration between Scott Maynard and Sam Gallagher, Whitehorse musicians who invent spontaneous soundscapes. Sam plays lap steel with effects and a loop station. Scott plays keyboards and guitar, piano and sometimes drums.
Thursday Fe b 9
BLACK CODE
TWO LOVERS AND A BEAR
12pm Black Code
2pm Two Lovers and a Bear
DIR. NICHOLAS DE PENCIER, 2016, ON, 86 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: YUKON HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Toronto-based documentary filmmaker and cinematographer Nicholas de Pencier (Al Purdy Was Here, Watermark) examines the complex global impact that the Internet and social media has had on matters of free speech, privacy and activism. On the one hand, it has exponentially increased governments’ abilities to spy on their citizens, and allowed businesses to do the same; on the other, the fact that the web is largely unpoliced has made it a godsend for protest movements, allowing them a channel to counteract government and corporate propaganda. In English, Portuguese, Arabic and Tibetan with English subtitles. “Remarkably, not many organizations have seriously considered the social and political ramifications of the web. One of the few that has is The Citizen Lab spearheaded by Ron Deibert at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, whose work has ranged from assessments of the data released by Edward Snowden to uncovering Chinese hackers who had spied not only on other governments but on Chinese citizens, most notably Tibetans who had privately criticized the government.” ~Steve Gravestock, TIFF
DIR. KIM NGUYEN, 2016, QC, 96 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: PACESETTERS PETROLEUM LTD
Montreal-born director Kim Nguyen’s first fiction film following his Oscar-nominated Rebelle is a hypnotic romance about two star-crossed lovers (Tatiana Maslany and Dane DeHaan). Near the North Pole, in a modern Nunavut town of 200 souls, -50°C weather is the norm and the roads lead to nowhere. With the remote Great White as the eerie and visually stunning backdrop, Lucy and Roman, two young tormented souls, fall in love. While Roman struggles with his own failures, ghosts from Lucy’s past are coming back, and she feels the need to run away. Together, the lovers head out into the snow, and must face obstacles from nature, spirit animals and their inner demons. Preceded by: Come This Far DIR. BRETT ELLIOT, 2016, YUKON, 3 MIN
Speed Control music video.
23
Thursday Fe b 9
MAUDIE
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
6pm Maudie
8:30pm Manchester by the Sea
DIR. AISLING WALSH, 2016, NL/IE, 115 MIN
DIR. KENNETH LONERGAN, 2016, US, 137 MIN
SCREENING SPONSOR: WAYNE TUCK & KAREN WALKER
SCREENING SPONSOR: KOBAYASHI + ZEDDA ARCHITECTS LTD
The life of legendary Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis is painted in exquisite detail in this impeccably written, exquisitely acted, incredibly affecting biopic. At the beating heart of Aisling Walsh’s film is English actor Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky, Made in Dagenham), who not only captures the contorted physicality of this self-taught painter, who contended with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but also exudes the creative spirit raging within her.
The latest film from award-winning writer and director Lonergan, tells the story of a solitary Boston janitor whose life is transformed when he returns to his hometown to take care of his teenage nephew. The story of the Chandlers, a working-class family living in a Massachusetts fishing village for generations, Manchester by the Sea is a deeply poignant, unexpectedly funny exploration of the power of familial love, community, sacrifice and hope.
The film’s backdrop is the rugged beauty of 1930s Nova Scotia. Its primary setting is unspeakably intimate: the comically tiny one-room house that Maud shares with misanthropic fish peddler Everett Lewis, played by Ethan Hawke, initially as his housekeeper but soon as his wife. Undaunted by his curmudgeonly nature, she’s inspired by the natural splendour to take up a paint brush. Winner of the People’s Choice Award, Vancouver International Film Festival 2016.
24
“Its initial enigma seems to need no explanation; yet, once deciphered, the film does not falter but moves only deeper into the emotional territory it charts.” Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail Preceded by: Proof of Our Years DIR. BRETT ELLIOT, 2016, YUKON, 4 MIN
Rob Dickson music video.
friday Fe b 1 0
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
AVANT LES RUES (BEFORE THE STREETS)
12pm To the Ends of the Earth
2pm Avant les rues (Before the Streets)
DIR. DAVID LAVALLEE, 2016, BC, 80 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: TOTAL NORTH COMMUNICATIONS LTD.
The rise of extreme energy, the end of economic growth, the people caught in the middle. To the Ends of the Earth is a feature documentary about the state of our energy system today, and the people we meet in Nunavut, Fort Nelson, Alberta and Utah are uniquely positioned to watch this global crossroads unfold. There are arguably many films about energy and climate change out there, however this documentary brings some specific food for thought and poses solutions that command our attention. Narrated by Emma Thompson. In English, Inuktitut and French with English subtitles. “Wonderfully in touch with this historical moment.” ~Mark Achbar, co-director of The Corporation
DIR. CHLOÉ LERICHE, 2016, QC, 95 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: HOOTALINQUA MOTION PICTURES INC./MAX FRASER
Young Shawnouk kills a man during a robbery and flees into the forest. Returning to his village he tries to redeem himself using traditional cleansing rituals. This riveting drama is the first feature shot in the Cree dialect of Atikamekw and features a cast of non-professional actors living and working in the villages in the Lanaudière region where the film was shot. In Atikamekw and French with English subtitles. Winner of the Philip Borsos Best Canadian Feature Film at Whistler Film Festival 2016. “Amplified by raw performances, breathtaking camerawork, and quiet observation, Before the Streets offers insight into the realities of contemporary Indigenous life.” ~Brigid Tierney, TIFF
25
FESTIVAL VENUES
YAC Yukon Arts Centre, 300 College Drive Gallery Yukon Arts Centre Gallery Studio Yukon Arts Centre Studio Theatre (left at the bar, through double doors) KDCC Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, 1171 Front Street OFH ALFF Industry Events at the Old Fire Hall, 1105 Front Street TIME
FRIDAY, FEB 3
VENUE
PAGE
8pm
John K. Samson & the Winter Wheat with guest Rob Dickson
YAC
13
SATURDAY, FEB 4
1-2pm
Keynote Address: John Turner, Vice Media
OFH
38
2pm
CUT-OFF: Viceland Doc
OFH
13
4-5:30pm
ALFF Pitch Event
OFH
38
8pm
Sinister Oculus Live Cinema Performance
KDCC
14
9:30pm
Dead North Film Festival selections
KDCC
14
OFH
38
OFH
40
SUNDAY, FEB 5
9:30-11am
Spotlight on the National Film Board of Canada
11:15am-12:45pm Acting Master Class with Sandra Oh 11am
The Sun at Midnight
YAC
15
1:15pm
Pour la suite du monde
YAC
15
3:30pm
Window Horses
YAC
16
5:30pm
Opening Gala Reception
YAC
16
6:45pm
Opening Gala Film: Angry Inuk
YAC
16
MONDAY, FEB 6
Noon
Yukon Documentaries: Pictures Don’t Lie / Underdog / Shift
KDCC
17
2pm
Putuparri and the Rainmakers
KDCC
17
5pm
Arctic Secrets: Yukon Wild
KDCC
18
7:30pm
New North Collective
YAC
18
TUESDAY, FEB 7
12-2:00pm
Virtual Reality workshop
OFH
39
Noon
Limit is the Sky
YAC
19
2pm
Gulîstan: The Land of Roses
YAC
19
4-6pm
ALFF Creative Spotlight: CBC Radio in the Old Fire Hall
OFH
38
5:30pm
Québec My Country Mon Pays
YAC
20
8pm
La La Land
YAC
20
8:30pm
Available Light Cabaret: Soda Pony
OFH
20
S chedule of Events TIME
WEDNESDAY, FEB 8
VENUE
PAGE
9:30-11:30am
Producing Documentary Master Class with Daniel Cross
OFH
40
12-2pm
Interactive Media working session: Film and IT sectors
OFH
39
Noon
Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr Leonard Cohen
YAC
21
2pm
The Apology
YAC
21
4-6pm
ALFF Creative Spotlight: CBC Radio in the Old Fire Hall
OFH
39
5:30pm
I am the Blues
YAC
22
8:15pm
Maliglutit (Searchers)
YAC
22
8:30pm
Available Light Cabaret: Jennihouse
OFH
22
THURSDAY, FEB 9
10am
School Show: Bluefin
YAC
Noon
Black Code
YAC
23
2pm
Two Lovers and a Bear
YAC
23
5pm
Veronica Verkley Artist Talk
Gallery
42
6pm
Maudie
YAC
24
8:30pm
Manchester by the Sea
YAC
24
FRIDAY, FEB 10
Noon
To the Ends of the Earth
YAC
25
2pm
Before the Streets
YAC
25
5pm
Bluefin + Hand.Line.Cod
YAC
28
7pm
Toni Erdmann
YAC
28
10pm
Gimme Danger
YAC
28
SATURDAY, FEB 11
10am
Long Way North (Free Screening)
YAC
29
12pm
River Blue
YAC
29
3pm
Kiss and Cry
YAC
30
4pm
Michel Gignac and Monique Romeiko Artist Talks
Gallery
42
5pm
Weirdos
YAC
30
8pm
American Honey
YAC
31
SUNDAY, FEB 12
10am-12pm
Screenwriting Master Class with Daniel MacIvor
Studio
40
10:30am
My Life as a Zucchini (Free Screening)
YAC
31
12pm
Freightened: The Real Price of Shipping
YAC
32
2pm
Moonlight
YAC
32
4:30pm
Aim for the Roses
YAC
33
7:30pm
I, Daniel Blake
YAC
33
friday Fe b 1 0
BLUEFIN
TONI ERDMANN
5pm Bluefin + Hand.Line.Cod.
7pm Toni Erdmann
WESTERN CANADA PREMIERE DIR. JOHN HOPKINS, 2016, PE, 53 MIN
DIR. MAREN ADE, 2016, DE, 162 MIN
SCREENING SPONSOR: ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS INC.
Local fishermen swear tuna are so starving and abundant now that they will literally eat out of people’s hands like pets. But something is not right. One thing is certain: this sudden and incredible abundance of tuna off their shores flies in the face of scientific assessments claiming endangered stocks are down by 90 percent. With stunning cinematography, Hopkins documents this mystery and brings the issues into sharp focus. Winner Best Atlantic Filmmaker, Lunenburg Doc Fest 2016. Screens with Hand.Line.Cod. DIR. JUSTIN SIMMS, 2016, NL, 12 MIN
On the rugged coast of Fogo Island, cod fishermen have returned to a catching method that dates back to the 1600s. This lovely and pithy documentary shows us how traditional practices can be reinvented as forward-thinking, sustainable solutions.
28
SCREENING SPONSOR: CADENCE CYCLE
Practical joker and retired art teacher Winifred travels from his home in a German suburb to the nouveau-riche hustle of Bucharest and disguises himself as flashy Toni Erdmann to get his corporate-ladderclimbing-daughter, Ines’ attention. The father-daughter challenge reaches absurd proportions in this almost unbearably intense comedy that was one of the most talked-about film at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Unforgettable. In German and Romanian with English subtitles. 10pm Gimme Danger DIR. JIM JARMUSCH, 2016, US, 108 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: GREEN SCREEN PRINTING
Indie film darling Jim Jarmusch brings the story of the legendary Detroit band, The Stooges to the screen. Emerging from Ann Arbor amidst a countercultural revolution, The Stooges’ powerful and aggressive style of rock-n-roll blew a crater in the musical landscape of the late 1960s. Assaulting audiences with a blend of rock, blues, R&B, and free jazz, the band planted the seeds for what would be called punk and alternative rock in the decades that followed. Iggy Pop, of course, holds the centre of this hilarious, chaotic centrifuge.
Satu rday Fe b 1 1
LONG WAY NORTH
RIVERBLUE
10am Long Way North
12pm RiverBlue
FREE SCREENING
DIR. ROGER WILLIAMS/DAVID MCILVRIDE, BC, 83 MIN
DIR. RÉMI CHAYÉ, 2015, FR/DK, 81 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: DRIVING FORCE
From the award-winning creative minds that brought us Ernest & Celestine, Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells comes Long Way North, a stunning animated film about one girl’s epic quest to reach the North Pole to discover the fate of her grandfather, a renowned scientist and Arctic explorer who has yet to return from his latest expedition. Winner of the Audience Award at Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
SCREENING SPONSOR: ZERO WASTE YUKON
Following international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, RiverBlue spans the globe (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Australia) to expose one of the world’s most polluting industries; fashion – in particular, the production of cheap blue jeans. This eye-opening doc brings awareness to the destruction of some of the world’s most vital rivers through the manufacturing of our clothing, but also acts as a demand for significant change in the textile industry from the top fashion brands who can make a difference and shows us the alternative processes that are being employed by environment-conscious denim manufacturers. A must-see documentary for everyone who buys new clothes. Producer, Lisa Mazzotta in attendance.
29
Satu rday Fe b 1 1
KISS AND CRY
WEIRDOS
3pm Kiss and Cry
5pm Weirdos
DIR. SEAN CISTERNA, 2016, ON, 95 MIN
DIR. BRUCE MCDONALD, 2016, NS/ON, 85 MIN
SCREENING SPONSOR: ORDISH & ORDISH CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
A smartly directed and inspiring pop drama based on the story of Carley Allison, a promising 18-year-old Ontario figure skater and singer who made medical history last year in her fight against a rare 1 in 3.5 billion type of sarcoma. Featuring Degrassi: The Next Generation alumni Sarah Fisher as Carley and Luke Bilyk as her caring boyfriend John. “Kiss and Cry uses the ongoing technique of breaking the fourth wall, as actress Fisher continually turns to the camera, and the audience, to provide insights into the events and her character’s emotions... For the most part, the strategy achieves its intended effect and creates a connection between viewer and protagonist, placing us inside Carley’s psyche” ~The Arts Guild
SCREENING SPONSOR: MOLOTOV & BRICKS TATTOO
Nova Scotia. 1976. It’s the weekend of the American Bicentennial and 15-year-old bored and restless, Kit, is running away from home to the bright lights of Sydney with his girlfriend, Alice, in a journey that will reveal some hard truths. This Daniel MacIvor penned and Bruce McDonald directed sweet slice of subversive Maritimes experience is rendered in beautiful black and white and includes performances by newcomers Dylan Authors, Julia Sarah Stone and stars Allan Hawco, Cathy Jones and Molly Parker. Check out the ultimate 1970s Canadiana pop soundtrack! Nominated for 6 Canadian Screen Awards. Screenwriter Daniel MacIvor in attendance. Preceded by: Walter Chell: A Canadian Heritage Minute DIR. STAFFEN/SUSIN/STRATIS/TIEFENBACH, 2016, YT, 2 MIN
30
Satu rday Fe b 1 1
Sunday Fe b 1 2
AMERICAN HONEY
MA VIE DE COURGETTE
8pm American Honey
10:30am Ma vie de Courgette (My Life as a Zucchini)
DIR. ANDREA ARNOLD, 2016, US/UK, 162 MIN SCREENING SPONSOR: WAYFARER OYSTER BAR
FREE SCREENING
A teenage girl with nothing to lose joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love as she crisscrosses the US Midwest with a band of misfits in this On the Road for a new generation.
SCREENING SPONSOR: ASSOCIATION FRANCO-YUKONNAISE
Jury Prize winner, Cannes Film Festival 2016. “American Honey will make you feel dirty. Not because it features several scenes of barely clothed young people grinding up against each other (though they are designed to arouse, successfully) but because director Andrea Arnold is so fascinated with the sheer amount of grime, filth and decay that, in her vision at least, constitute the American South. It’s bold, captivating cinema, with a soundtrack that threatens to never leave your head.” Barry Hertz, The Globe and Mail Preceded by: Mama’s Getting into Grandpa’s Ganja
DIR. CLAUDE BARRAS, FR/CH, 2016, 70 MIN
After his mother’s sudden death, Zucchini is befriended by a police officer, Raymond, who accompanies him to his new foster home, filled with other orphans his age. At first he struggles to find his place in this, at times, strange and hostile environment. But with Raymond’s help and his newfound friends, Zucchini eventually learns to trust and love, as he searches for a new family of his own. Brought to life through striking character designs and expressive stopmotion animation, the story soars with laughter, sorrow, and joy, and stands as a testament to the resilience of the human heart. In French with English subtitles. Nominated for 2017 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. “Sustains a tone that acknowledges that life is a blend of good news and bad but that kindness and compassion can cut through a great deal of soul-crushing adversity.” ~Lisa Nesselson, Screen International
DIR. JESSICA HALL, 2016, YT, 4 MIN
Nicole Edwards music video.
31
Sunday Fe b 1 2
FREIGHTENED: THE REAL PRICE OF SHIPPING
MOONLIGHT
FREIGHTENED: THE REAL PRICE OF SHIPPING
MOONLIGHT
12pm Freightened: The Real Price of Shipping
2pm Moonlight
DIR. DENIS DELESTRAC, 2016, ES/FR, 90 MIN
SCREENING SPONSOR: WHITEHORSE MOTORS
SCREENING SPONSOR: YUKON CONSERVATION SOCIETY
Ninety percent of the goods we consume in the West are manufactured in far-off lands and brought to us by ship. This shocking documentary reveals in an audacious investigation, the mechanics and perils of cargo shipping; an all-but-visible industry that relentlessly supplies 7 billion humans and holds the key to our economy, our environment and the very model of our civilization. In French, Spanish and English with English subtitles.
DIR. BARRY JENKINS, 2016, US, 111 MIN
At once a vital portrait of contemporary African American life and an intensely personal and poetic meditation on identity, family, friendship, and love, Moonlight is a groundbreaking piece of cinema that reverberates with deep compassion and universal truths. Anchored by extraordinary performances from a tremendous ensemble cast, Jenkins’s staggering, singular vision is profoundly moving in its portrayal of the moments, people and unknowable forces that shape our lives and make us who we are. Winner of the Golden Globe award for Best Dramatic Film. Nominated for 7 2016 Academy Awards.
32
Sunday Fe b 1 2
AIM FOR THE ROSES
I, DANIEL BLAKE
AIM FOR THE ROSES
I, DANIEL BLAKE
4:30pm Aim for the Roses
7:30pm I, Daniel Blake
DIR. JOHN BOLTON, 2016, BC, 102 MIN
DIR. KEN LOACH, 2016, UK/FR/BE, 100 MIN
SCREENING SPONSOR: WHAT’S UP YUKON
SCREENING SPONSOR: GREGORY MCLAUGHLIN
In 1976, Canadian stuntman Ken Carter declared his intention to jump a mile over the St. Lawrence Seaway in a rocket powered car. In 2008, Canadian musician Mark Haney declared his intention to pay tribute to Ken Carter in the form of a concept album for solo double bass. In 2011, Canadian filmmaker John Bolton declared his intention to make a ‘musical docudrama’ about both men. The Globe and Mail called it “audacious”, DOXA called it “glorious” and POV Magazine called it “the wildest, craziest, smartest doc in years.”
British master Ken Loach (Bread and Roses, The Angels’ Share) won his second Palme d’Or at Cannes with this emotionally shattering critique of inequality in Britain’s welfare system. Widowed and childless, Daniel Blake (Dave Johns, a stand-up comic giving the performance of a lifetime) is a 59-year-old carpenter in Newcastle who has suffered a heart attack and is living on benefits provided by the state—until, that is, British social services cuts off his benefit allowance.
Director, John Bolton and producer, Naomi Mark, in attendance.
Nominated for 4 BAFTA Film Awards.
Preceded by: Tales of the Psychopomp
DIR. TECLA/SARAH, 2016, YT, 2 MIN
Preceded by: Bait Politico
DIR. DAVID CURTIS, 2016, YT, 3 MIN
33
SUNDAY MAR 26
e
We’r
12 yoeldars Free Weekly Entertainment Magazine
The Fun Experts
Pick up a new issue every Wednesday!
34
whatsupyukon.com
Proud To Sponsor Available Light Film Festival
A place for people who love dogs
35
PROUD SUPPORTERS OF
AVAILABLE LIGHT FILM FESTIVAL 2017 Klondike Business Solutions Whitehorse Beverages
WHITEHORSE, YT
WHITEHORSE, YT
YUKON’S DISTRIBUTOR OF COCA-COLA PRODUCTS
General Waste Management Kamloops Office Systems
WHITEHORSE, YT
KAMLOOPS, BC
Yukon Water Services
WHITEHORSE, YT
Sunset Septic Services
WHITEHORSE, YT
867-456-4202
36
Hollins Industries
100 MILE HOUSE, BC
Yellowknife Beverages
YELLOWKNIFE, NWT
NWT’S DISTRIBUTOR OF COCA-COLA PRODUCTS
Horst Precision Machine
KAMLOOPS BC
Okanagan Office Systems
KELOWNA, BC
Prince Albert Beverages
NORTHERN SASK. & NORTHERN
MANITOBA’S DISTRIBUTOR OF COCA-COLA PRODUCTS
www.ttlp.com
The 8th annual ALFF Industry is full of panels, workshops, master classes and networking events for Yukon creators. Highlights of ALFF Industry include sessions on financing + broadcast, digital media + storytelling, virtual reality, screenwriting, as well as one-on-one meetings with visiting industry delegates, mixers and the ALFF Pitch Event! Featuring a keynote address by John Turner, Director of Development at VICE Media Canada and a special presentation by Claude Joli-Coeur, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada. Full info on events and guests at alff.ca/workshops. Registration info on page 9.
37
SPECIAL EVENTS & WORKSHOPS – FREE ADMISSION The following special events are open to the public. All events are at the Old Fire Hall unless otherwise noted. ALFF Industry Keynote Address with John Turner, Vice Media Saturday, Feb 4, 1pm to 3pm
VICE Director of Development John Turner will present an introduction to the media projects at multi-platform broadcaster, VICE Media. From one-offs to series such as CUT-OFF, Payday, Abandoned, Gaycation, DSOL, Cyberwar and the just launched at Sundance series Rise. This session will include the screening of a VICELAND documentary CUT-OFF (page 13) at 2pm. ALFF Pitch Event Saturday, Feb 4, 4pm to 5:30pm
Co-presented with Screen Production Yukon Association (SPYA) and sponsored by BravoFACT and Department of Economic Development, Yukon Media Development. Yukon filmmakers will pitch their short film projects to guest panelists in front of a live audience, vying for $20,000 in production support prizes: one for factual and one for scripted. Spotlight on the National Film Board of Canada Sunday Feb 5, 9:30am to 10:45am
This session provides national and regional overviews of projects and priorities of the NFB. Presented by Mr. Claude Joli-Coeur, Chairperson of NFB/ONF; Shirley Vercruysse, Executive Producer of BC and Yukon Studio; and Rob McLaughlin, Executive Producer of NFB English digital studio. ALFF Creative Spotlight: CBC Radio in the Old Fire Hall Tuesday, Feb 7, 4pm to 6pm
Live music performances and conversations with filmmakers and media creators hosted by Dave White in a live broadcast of CBC Yukon’s Airplay. Musical guest: Soda Pony 38
Interactive Media working session: Film and IT sectors Wednesday, Feb 8, 12pm to 2pm
It’s a digital world, and the future of content distribution is online. This session is for local media producers, tech companies and designers to get to know each other, and see how they can work together. Co-presented with Screen Production Yukon Association (SPYA). ALFF Creative Spotlight: CBC Radio in the Old Fire Hall Wednesday, Feb 8, 4pm to 6pm
Live music performances and conversations with filmmakers and media creators hosted by Dave White in a live broadcast of CBC Yukon’s Airplay. Musical guest: Jennihouse. SPECIAL EVENTS & WORKSHOPS – TICKET ADMISSION Pre-registration recommended as space is limited. Contact vivian.belik@gmail.com to register. Individual ALFF Industry Workshop Tickets: $25/$20 YFS Production Members.
Free for ALFF Industry pass-holders. An Introduction to Virtual Reality Tuesday, Feb 7, 12pm to 2pm
How can media creators incorporate virtual reality into their projects? This workshop and demo will start people from scratch. With Jayden Soroka and guest TBA. 39
Masterclasses
MASTER CLASSES Pre-register for these workshops: 393-3456 or vivian.belik@gmail.com Acting Master Class with Sandra Oh Sunday, Feb 5, 11:15am to 12:45pm
Sandra Oh, the Vancouver-born and raised actor of the long-running series Grey’s Anatomy and such films as Sideways, Under the Tuscan Sun and Tammy, talks about starting out in the industry and her career in Los Angeles. Documentary Production Master Class with Daniel Cross Wednesday, Feb 8, 9:30am to 11:30am
Daniel Cross, director of I am the Blues, brings years of experience as a producer working in independent Canadian documentary. The Montreal creator largely focuses on social justice themes in his documentaries and heads up one of the most acclaimed documentary houses in Canada, EyeSteelFilm. Screenwriting Master Class with Daniel MacIvor Sunday, Feb 12, 10am to 12pm | Yukon Arts Centre Studio Theatre
Daniel MacIvor is largely known as an award-winning playwright but he is also a major force in the Canadian film industry. He has won accolades for his acting, writing, producing and directing for such films as Marion Bridge, Past Perfect, Trigger, Whole New Thing and Wilby Wonderful. This session explores his process of writing for the screen and how he made the leap from writing for the stage to writing for the screen.
40
Festival Guests Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
Corinna Ghaznavi
Vivian Belik
Michel Gignac
John Bolton
Kevin Hannam
ANGRY INUK
SECOND NATURE: FERAL
UNDERDOG
MAKE STRANGE
Chris McNutt
NORTHWESTEL COMMUNITY TELEVISION
Kelly Milner SHIFT
YUKON MEDIA DEVELOPMENT
Sandra Oh
DEAD NORTH FILM FESTIVAL SINISTER OCULUS
John Hopkins
Raj Panikkar
Kirsten Carthew
Julia Ivanova
Allan Code
Claude Joli-Coeur
AIM FOR THE ROSES
Jay Bulkaert
SUN AT MIDNIGHT ARCTIC SECRETS: YUKON WILD
Michael Code
ARCTIC SECRETS: YUKON WILD
Chilton Crane
VANARTS: VANCOUVER INSTITUTE OF MEDIA ARTS
Valerie Creighton
CANADA MEDIA FUND
Daniel Cross
ANGRY INUK I AM THE BLUES
Max Fraser
HOOTALINQUA MOTION PICTURES
Ann Marie Fleming WINDOW HORSES
BLUEFIN
LIMIT IS THE SKY
WINDOW HORSES FIFTH GROUND ENTERTAINMENT
Monique Romeiko
LOVE LETTER – DUET
NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA
Pablo Saravanja
Lulu Keating
Dan Sokolowski
PICTURES DON’T LIE
Tania Koenig APTN
DEAD NORTH FILM FESTIVAL DAWSON CITY INT’L SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
John Turner
Neil MacDonald
VICE STUDIO CANADA
Daniel MacIvor
NFB BC & YUKON STUDIO
Naomi Mark
SECOND NATURE: FERAL
WHITE HOLE PRODUCTIONS WEIRDOS
UNDERDOG AIM FOR THE ROSES
Lisa Mazzotta RIVERBLUE
Rob McLaughlin
Shirley Vercruysse Veronica Verkley John Walker
QUÉBEC MY COUNTRY MON PAYS
Dorothy Woodend DOXA
NFB DIGITAL STUDIO
Want to watch past selections from the Available Light Film Festival?
Available Light Collection. 365 days a year.
iTunes.com/ALFF 41
Media Art
Second Nature: FERAL Veronica Verkley DECEMBER 8, 2016 – FEBRUARY 25, 2017 YUKON ARTS CENTRE GALLERY PRESENTED WITH THE YUKON ARTS CENTRE GALLERY
An abandoned, post-apocalyptic house deteriorates as time, nature and the elements take over, nearly destroy, but ultimately transform the house. Delivered as a time-lapse seemingly shot over several years, with the ruin and decay animated by hand: the house gradually collapses into darkness then resurfaces into light as nature triumphs as a creative force. Out of destruction emerges a transformative beauty: the house becomes uninhabitable to some, but in its decay, comes refuge and possibility for others. Artist Talk Thursday, Feb 9, 5pm
Veronica Verkley and writer Dr. Corrina Ghaznavi will be hosting an artist talk and catalogue release for the exhibition on Thursday, February 9, 5pm in the Yukon Arts Centre Gallery.
42
Media Art
Make Strange Michel Gignac FEBRUARY 5 TO 27 YUKON ARTS CENTRE COMMUNITY GALLERY PRESENTED WITH THE YUKON ARTS CENTRE GALLERY
Make Strange is a theatrical installation that catches viewers in the crossfire of confrontation. Be witness to a repeating dialogue of action, a silent scene that teeters between slapstick and the sinister. Through kinetic electronics and projection, the installation explores notions of mistrust, privacy and ownership. michelgignac.ca LOVE LETTER - DUET Monique Romeiko FEBRUARY 4 TO 12 YUKON ARTS CENTRE LOBBY
LOVE LETTER – DUET is a series of captivating DUETs with dancers and non-artists alike, overlaid with excerpts from collected LOVE LETTERs. Like something out of an anthropologist’s dream, contemporary dance artist Monique Romeiko has amassed a treasury of LOVE LETTERs in a dizzying variety of forms. Faced with artifacts in every medium, from the earnest and deeply personal hand-written note to the unscripted, courageously immediate text message, she explores, through dance and video, the mysteries of love connections. Artist Talk
Saturday, Feb 11, 4pm
An artist talk with artists Michel Gignac and Monique Romeiko will be hosted on Saturday, February 11, 4pm in the Yukon Arts Centre lobby. Project support for ALFF 2017 Media Art Exhibitions: Yukon Arts Fund
43
S U I T E 2 0 1 A , 1 7 0 T I TA N I U M WAY WHITEHORSE, YUKON PHONE: 867-668-6484
44
thank you Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, Zone Festival, Mongrel Media, Telefilm Canada, Soda Pictures, John Walker Productions, FunFilm, Inspired Images, Polar Star Films, Journeymen Pictures, White Pine Pictures, Anyes Fabre-Dimsdale, Dead North Film Festival, VICE Media, National Film Board of Canada, Canada Media Fund, eOne Films, Films We Like, Elevation Pictures, Vtape, Chris Emery, Duncan Sinclair, Craig Carpenter, Kim Winnicky, Andrew Stratis, Iris Merritt, Dylan Soo, Christopher Griffiths, Josh Jansen, Al Cushing, Matt Poushinsky, Kevin Hannam, Naomi Mark, Patrick Matheson, Allan Code, Becky Moffat, Henry Connors, Stéphane Thibeault, Kenia Davis, Jeanine Myhre The staff and volunteers at the Yukon Arts Centre, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre and Old Fire Hall. YFS Board of Directors: Jessica Hall, Noel Sinclair, Shaunagh Stikeman, Moriah MacMillan, Leo Lane, Anyes Limonta-Dimsdale, Aileen Horler All the festival volunteers, sponsors, supporters, guests and audiences over the last 15 years.
DIGITAL CINEMA PROJECTOR CAMPAIGN DONORS AUTEURS – David Neufeld & Joy Waters, Mary Martin, Ron & Kip Veale CINEPHILES – Kim Tanner PATRON OF THE ARTS – Chris Ross, Karen Walker & Wayne Tuck, Duncan Sinclair,
Richard Zier-Vogel, Hootalinqua Motion Pictures Inc., Kelly-Anne Malcomson & Catherine Wood, Crystal Beaudry
MOVIE NUT – Gord Bradshaw, Liz Hanson, Leona Ash, Janet Moodie, Marguerite & Donald
Roberts, Walt Liley, Theresa Earle, David Whiteside & Peter Lepson, Heather Alton, David Hamilton, Rian Buchanan, Nick Brandestini, Dave Roddick, Hugh Copeland, Moriah MacMillan, William Chisholm, Sandy Silver, Zoë Toupin, Noel Sinclair
FILM LOVER – Robyn Banks, Lois Rudd, Marten Berkman, Lee Carruthers, Suzanne Crocker,
Roderick Jacob, Daniel Sokolowski, Sidney Maddison, Tara Fallat, Debra Susin, Samantha Darling, Aileen Horler, Neil Copestake, Jeffrey Marynowski, Judith Forrest, Bernice Broder FRIENDS OF YFS – John Walker, Nesta Leduc, Leilah Cross, Logan Florkiewicz, Melinda
Neil, Brett Elliot, Katherine Johnston, Jason Phillips, Leslie Hanson, Mary Ann Annable, Janet Klippert, Elaine Iceton PUBLIC AND FOUNDATION FUNDERS
45
WE ARE MORE GREEN THAN EVER Phone: 867.668.4733 info@asprinting.ca 204 Strickland Street, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2J8
* because the environment matters
ALFF & ALFF INDUSTRY PRESENTING PARTNERS
YFS ANNUAL SUPPORT
PREMIER SPONSORS
MAJOR SPONSORS
FESTIVAL SPONSORS
SCREENING SPONSORS
Jackleg Films
THE LAMBERT DOCUMENTARY FILM FRATERNITY
GREGORY MCLAUGHLIN
WAYNE TUCK & KAREN WALKER
47
Our Northern skies are alive with light. But that's nothing compared to the life below. From spectacular scenery to a friendly and creative people, there’s never a dull moment in our home territory. We admire the dedication and talent of all of those who pursue a life less ordinary, as well as everyone who helps to make it possible. Air North, Yukon’s Airline is proud to support the Available Light Film Festival—as well as other events, cultural performances, arts, and sports across the Yukon.
49
Making light available AT THE AVAILABLE LIGHT FILM FESTIVAL
1-800-554-4471 4051-4th Ave
1-800-661-0539 411 Main St
YOU WILL ALWAYS GET THE
RED CARPET TREATMENT AT OUR HOTELS yukonhotels.com
52