12:00pm National Parks Project

Dir. Various, Canada, 2011, 78 min

A selection of 8 films from the 13 short films produced in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Parks Canada. These are beautiful works that need to be experienced in a cinema. Directors include Keith Behrman, John Walker, Zacharias Kunuk, Scott Smith, Peter Lynch, and Louise Archambault.

4:15pm Before Tomorrow

Dir. Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu, Nunavut, 2008, 93 min

Set in a small Inuit community in the Nunavik region in the 1840s, Before Tomorrow (ALFF 09) features the naturalistic mysticism that typifies the Isuma Igloolik approach to movie- making. The film stars Madeline Ivalu as an Inuk elder isolated with her grandson (Paul Dylan Ivalu) after most of their community perishes from smallpox transmitted by strange traders. Before Tomorrow won Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. In Inuktitut with English subtitles.

5:00pm ALFF 2012 Opening Reception

Kick off the 10th Anniversary Available Light Film Festival with guests, a performance by The Dakhká Khwáan dancers and 2 gallery exhibit openings: Carl Beam video works in the Community Gallery and 3 Screens of Degrees North by Dan Sokolowski in the YAC Production Room. Catering by Mary El Kerr.

6:30pm People of a Feather (Opening Film)

Dir. Joel Heath (in attendance), British Columbia / Nunavut, 2011, 90 min

Featuring groundbreaking footage from seven winters in the Arctic, People of a Feather takes you through time into the world of Inuit on the Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay. Connecting past present and future is a unique cultural relationship with the eider duck. Eider down, the warmest feather in the world, allows both Inuit and bird to survive harsh Arctic winters. Recreations of traditional life are juxtaposed with modern life in Sanikiluaq, as both people and eiders face the challenges posed by changing sea ice and ocean currents disrupted by the massive hydroelectric dams powering eastern North America.

9:00pm Sisters&Brothers

Dir. Carl Bessai, British Columbia, 2011, 93 min

Carl Bessai’s third installment in his Vancouver-set improvised familial trilogy is a bracingly funny look into the lives of four sets of siblings. Brimming with affection, hostility and a healthy dose of guilt, it is a rich and gratifying journey through siblinghood’s love and dysfunction and features an impressive ensemble cast that includes Ben Ratner, Gabrielle Miller, Camille Sullivan, Gabrielle Rose, and Cory Monteith from Glee. Q&A with producer Emily Alden follows the screening.

12:00pm Rainforest: The Limit of Splendour

Dir. Richard Boyce, British Columbia, 2011, 52 min

Inspired by his relationship with Chief Adam Dick, a Kwaxkwaka’wakw elder, Richard Boyce embarks upon a cinematic journey contrasting the tree-farms that dominate the landscape surrounding his Vancouver Island home with an ancient rainforest on the Pacific Coast. A beautiful, meditative and thoughtful discourse that lets the viewer come to their own conclusions about the sustainability of BC’s logging industry and the management of old growth forests. All tickets $5

12:00pm Firehall Film Talk: The Whistleblower and Delmar and Marta

A free admission event at the Old Firehall at Main and First. See clips from the Whistleblower and hear the director, Larysa Kondracki, talk about making this Canada-Germany co-production. Senior interactive web producer, Jaybe Allanson, presents the web-based comedy project Delmer and Marta, which is an interactive web companion for the APTN television show ‘May Contain Nuts.’ 45 minutes.

4:30pm Eco-Pirate: The Paul Watson Story

Dir. Trish Dolman, British Columbia, 2011, 110 min

This feature documentary about a man on a mission to save the planet and its oceans is a riveting and sometimes unflattering portrait of one of the original members of Greenpeace. In many ways, Paul’s story here is really the telling of man’s determined slaughter of the world’s largest mammal, the whale. Q&A with producer Kevin Eastwood follows the screening.

6:45pm Take Shelter

Dir. Jeff Nichols, USA, 2011, 120 min

Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself. Assuming mental illness, he seeks medical help and counseling. However, fearing the worst, he starts building an elaborate and expensive storm shelter in their backyard. Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire), and Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life) may just net ‘best actor’ and ‘best actress’ nominations at the 2012 Academy Awards for their performances in this psychological thriller that’s already being hailed by critics as a modern American classic. Winner of the Critics Week Grand Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

9:00pm Doppelgänger Paul (or A Film About how Much I Hate Myself)

Dir. Dylan Akio Smith and Kris Elgstrand, British Columbia, 2011, 81 min

Slyly funny, and absurdist, Doppelganger Paul is a comedy about alienation, plagiarism and identity in an increasingly fragmented world.  Great Canadian micro-budget cinema that’s unlike anything you’ll see from Hollywood, except from Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)...Q&A with producer Oliver Linsley follows the screening.

12:00pm Welcome to Pine Point (live screening of interactive webdoc )

Dir. The Goggles, British Columbia, 2010, 30 min

THIS IS A FREE SCREENING EVENT AT THE OLD FIREHALL.

A multimedia portrait of the disappeared Canadian mining settlement of Pine Point, NWT by one of its former residents.

The town was built in the 1960s, but closed down with the mine when the stocks of zinc and lead ore ran out in the late 1980s: literally torn down and wiped off the map. It existed exactly long enough for one generation to live there. The documentary made by Michael Simons, who grew up in the vicinity of Pine Point, and Paul Shoebridge about this former town revolves around memories and the objects that keep these alive.

This live version of Welcome to Pine Point (on the NFB interactive website) will be presented by National Film Board of Canada interactive web producer, Jeremy Mendes.

12:30pm Firehall Film Talk: Soldier Brother

A free admission event at the Old Firehall at Main and First. NFB creative interactive producer, Jeremy Mendes, will present a ‘click through’ talk about the design and production of the interactive webdoc Soldier Brother. 30 minutes
Screening sponsor: Meadia Solutions

4:30pm To Make a Farm

Dir. Steve Suderman , Saskatchewan, 2011, 80 min

Three small scale organic farms. One Canadian growing season. Little room for bad weather, crop failure or pest destruction in the high-risk venture of farming. Here are people who’ve decided to put their money where their mouths are, turning their environmental idealism from theory into practice as they set out to establish their own local-supply food sources using sustainable means. This inspiring and vital documentary about feeding ourselves and the experience of small scale farming succinctly exposes our growing dilemma with industrial agriculture and global food distribution. Critical viewing for people whose food travels, unless it was locally grown, a minimum of 2400kms by truck.

6:30pm Family Portrait in Black and White

Dir. Julia Ivanova (in attendance), British Columbia, 2011, 99 min

Director Julia Ivanova introduces strong-willed Olga, a single woman raising 16 black orphans in a small Ukrainian town. Growing up in a country of blue-eyed blondes, these children must always be on guard against the world around them. Winner, Best Canadian Feature, Hot Docs 2011.In Russian, Ukrainian, Italian with English subtitles. Q&A with director to follow the screening.

9:00pm The Whistleblower

Dir. Larysa Kondracki (in attendance), Canada/Germany, 2010, 112 min

This raw and dizzying political thriller is based on the true story of a Nebraska police officer turned peacekeeper who uncovers a disturbing sex-trafficking underworld in Bosnia and its shocking connection to the UN. As Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz) feverishly works to expose the scandal, the UN does its utmost to keep her quiet. Directed by first time Canadian filmmaker Larysa Kondracki, the film also stars Academy Award winner Vanessa Redgrave, Monica Bellucci and Academy Award nominee David Strathairn. Q&A with director to follow the screening.

The Whistleblower is nominated for six Genies for 2011, including best actress for Rachel Weisz.
Winner of the Phillip Borsos Award at the 2010 Whistler Film Festival.

12:00pm Firehall Film Talks: Family Portrait in Black and White and Peace Out

A free admission lunchtime event at the Old Firehall at Main and First. Directors Julia Ivanova and Charles Wilkinson share clips from their respective documentary films and discuss the process behind making them. 45 minutes

12:00pm The Journals of Knud Rasmussen

Dir. Zacharias Kunuk, Nunavut, 2006, 112 min

From the creators of Atanarjuat comes the first film to visualize the Christianization of Indigenous people from their own perspective. Set in and around Igloolik and based on the journals of 1920s Danish ethnographer Knud Rasmussen, the film tells the story of the last great Inuit Shaman and his headstrong daughter as they try to resist the changes encroaching upon their family and culture and make the choice between Shamanism and Christianity. In Inuktitut with English subtitles.
Part of the ALFF anniversary presentation of The Fast Runner Trilogy - feature films by the Isuma Igloolik collective.

8:00pm The Grub-Stake Revisited

Dir. Bert Van Tuyle, USA, 1923, 68 min

Nell Shipman’s Klondike romance-adventure film is re-visioned with a New Music score performed by the Longest Night Ensemble and Shakespearean dialogue by a cast also performing live with the film. A forgotten work of independent cinema history by a Canadian iconoclast takes in a breath of life from the north country the film depicts. Music written by Whitehorse-based composer Daniel Janke. Script by Daniel Janke, Celia McBride and Eric Epstein. Performance directed by Daniel Janke.

9:44am Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner

Dir. Zacharias Kunuk, Nunavut, 2001, 161 min

Atanarjuat is Canada’s first feature-length fiction film written, produced, directed, and acted by Inuit and its success changed Canadian cinema and bust open the door for other aboriginal filmmakers. An exciting action thriller set in ancient Igloolik, the film unfolds as a life-threatening struggle between powerful natural and supernatural characters. This classic Canadian epic was the hit of the inaugural Available Light Film Festival in 2003. Come see the newly re-mastered version in the comfort of the Arts Centre theatre.

Skype Q&A with director, Zacharias Kunuk to follow the screening.

1:00pm Hole Story

Dir. Richard Desjardins/Robert Monderie, Quebec, 2011, 79 min

A provocative documentary exploring the history of mining in Canada, focusing on the mineral rich heart of the Canadian Shield in Northern Québec and Ontario. Directors Desjardins and Monderie tell a story of astronomical profits made with disregard for the environment and human health in this fast paced documentary about capital, labour, environment and national sovereignty.

2:30pm Darwin

Dir. Nick Brandestini, Switzerland, 2011, 80 min

A poetic, utterly compelling documentary film, Darwin explores an isolated community at the end of a weathered road in Death Valley, California. A fascinating cast of real-life characters living with their fellow outsiders tell the story of a uniquely American place and yet a place that is unique even within America.

Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 2011 Zurich Film Festival.

4:00pm Keyhole

Dir. Guy Maddin, Manitoba, 2011, 105 min

Guy Maddin’s latest opus delves into melodrama and family relationships surrounding a gangster and deadbeat father (Jason Patric), in his trademark black-and-white style. The kicker: the film is loosely based on Homer’s “Odyssey,” but transplants the action indoors to a domestic study of the emotionally complex importance of the characters’ home, and all the memories that haunt every nook and cranny of our childhood domiciles. Also starring Isabella Rossellini, Kevin McDonald and Udo Kier.

Winner of the Borsos Competition for best Canadian feature at the 2011 Whistler Film Festival.

6:15pm Peace Out + Energy Production and Use Panel Discussion

Dir. Charles Wilkinson (in attendance), British Columbia, 2011, 80 min

This special screening will be followed by a panel discussion on energy use with panelists: director Charles Wilkinson, wind energy engineering consultant JP Pinard, and Yukon Energy CEO David Morrison.

Peace Out asks and answers the question: are we ripping up our back yard for energy - or not? The film pits energy executives, Tar Sands reps, nuclear spokesmen against academics and activists in an intelligent debate that leaves the viewer to decide what to believe.

9:00pm Monsieur Lazhar

Dir. Philippe Falardeau , Quebec, 2011, 94 min

From the producers of the unforgettable Incendies (ALFF 2011), comes one of the most charming and gripping Québécois films of the last decade. Expanded from a one-character play by Evelyne de la Chenelière’s, set in a Montreal elementary school, this beautifully crafted character study speaks of loss and death, innocence and guilt, imposture and honesty, in an eloquent and complex, yet simple and fluid manner.

Winner of the City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.
A TIFF ‘Canada’s Top Ten’ film for 2011, and Canada’s official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards. Nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 2012 Academy Awards.

11:00pm The Upsetter: the Life and Music of Lee Scratch Perry

Dir. Ethan Higbee and Adam Bhala Lough, USA, 2008, 90 min

Guaranteed to please music-lovers, The Upsetter charts 70 years in the life of Lee “Scratch” Perry in his own words through an exclusive interview given to American filmmakers Ethan Higbee and Adam Bhala Lough in Switzerland in 2006. It is equally a documentation of 30 years of Jamaican music and culture as it is a study of one of the most creative and inspiring human beings of all time. Perry’s influence on popular music ranges from reggae to dub to hip hop and electronica music. Narrated by actor Benicio del Toro (The Usual Suspects, The Wolfman, Che, 21 Grams).

10:00am Pink Ribbons Inc.

Dir. Léa Pool, Quebec, 2011, 98 min

The devastating reality of breast cancer, which marketing experts have labeled a “dream cause,” has been hijacked by a shiny, pink story of success. Director Léa Pool delves into the poster child of corporate cause-related marketing campaigns in this award-winning documentary (Top 10 Films, TIFF 2011).

12:00pm Aakideh: The Art and Legacy of Carl Beam

Dir. Paul Eichhorn and Robert Waldeck, Ontario, 2010, 65 min

Carl Beam, one of Canada’s most influential and significant artists, earned a reputation for being fearless, visionary and ultimately, unforgettable. From his early years growing up on Manitoulin Island to his turbulent years spent at a residential school, this beautifully produced documentary explores how these early experiences not only impacted Beam’s life but also his art. Preceeded by Material, Daniel Cockburn, Ontario, 11 min. A selection from the National Parks Project, see page 21.

1:30pm Degrees North

Dir. Dan Sokolowski (in attendance), Yukon, 2011, 65 min

Beginning at Pelee Island (42 degrees north), and finishing at the Arctic Circle (66 degrees north), Degrees North is a journey of discovery, space, and time. Using light, colour and composition, Degrees North is an alchemistic blend of live action landscape photography, animation, and music.
WORLD PREMIERE.

3:00pm Smokin’ Fish

Dir. Cory Mann (in attendance) and Luke Griswold-Tergis, USA, 2011, 80 min

The unusual story of Cory Mann, a quirky Tlingit businessman, and the untold history of his people interweave with the process of preparing traditional food as Mann struggles to pay his bills, keep the IRS off his back, and keep his Juneau-based businesses afloat. A delightful film about discovering oneself, one’s culture and history, and existing in a modern North.  Q&A with co-director Cory Mann, and family members Sally and Valentino Burattin follows the screening. Travel for the three guests with this film was generously provided by Tle’Nax T’awei Group.

5:15pm Le Havre

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki, Finland/France/Germany, 2011, 93 min

A shoeshining bohemian befriends a young African refugee in this warmhearted portrait of the French harbour city. A political fairy tale that exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carné, Le Havre is a charming, deadpan delight.
Finland’s official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards.

7:00pm i am a good person/i am a bad person

Dir. Ingrid Veninger (in attendance), Ontario, 2011, 80 min

Following up last year’s charming film Modra, ALFF is pleased to present director Ingrid Veninger’s follow-up film, i am a good person/i am a bad person. When a mother and daughter tour film festivals in Europe and decide to part ways, they must confront life-changing choices alone, before returning home. Sincere and cinematic, and full of the exhilarating creativity characteristic of Veninger’s work, i am a good person/i am a bad person is about taking a good look at who you are, and where you want to go next. Q&A with director to follow the screening.

9:30pm Andrew Bird: Fever Year

Dir. Xan Aranda (in attendance), USA, 2011, 81 min

Acclaimed musician Andrew Bird’s rigorous touring year culminates in perpetual fever as he crosses the finish line on crutches from an onstage injury. A wonderful concert documentary exploring an undeniable creative force, the film featuring collaborators Martin Dosh, Annie Clark of St. Vincent, and others. Concert performances are intercut with moments spent getting to know the very private artist in his home, backstage and farmhouse studio in rural Illinois. If you’ve don’t know Bird’s music, this smart documentary is the perfect introduction. Q&A with director to follow the screening.

9:30am Wapos Bay: Long Goodbyes

Dir. Dennis Jackson, Saskatchewan, 2011, 74 min

The long running APTN clay-mation series signs off by making the jump to the big screen! But everything is not well in this idyllic northern community. After a lifetime of happy memories in Wapos Bay, Talon and Raven discover their dad has accepted a job in the big city. A feel-good film for all ages featuring the voice talents of Lorne Cardinal, Andrea Menard and Gordon Tootoosis. All tickets $5.

11:00am Happy People: A Year in the Taiga

Dir. Dmitry Vasyukov & Werner Herzog, Germany, 2011, 94 min

A portrait of the life of the people, particularly focusing on the trappers who live there, of the village Bakhtia at the river Yenisei in the Siberian Taiga - one of the largest ecosystems in Russia. The camera follows the protagonists in the village over a period of a year. The perpetually bemused Herzog provides the narration. His admiration for the locals’ capacity to enjoy a full life in this environment is only matched by his delight when discovering the complete absence of bureaucracy and other contemporary malaises.

1:00pm Position Among the Stars

Dir. Leonard Retel Helmrich, Netherlands/Indonesia, 2010, 110 min

Twelve years ago, Dutch filmmaker Retel Helmrich decided to visit Indonesia, the birthplace of his Dutch father and Indonesian mother, looking for inspiration. The trip ignited his fascination with the country and he started filming the Shamshudin family living in a Jakarta slum. Now comes the riveting third film in an engrossing trilogy - told in a cinema verité style reminiscent of Last Train Home (ALFF 2010), Helmrich will bring you closer to Indonesia than you will ever get on your own.

3:00pm My Perestroika

Dir. Robin Hessman, USA/UK/Russia, 2010, 88 min

My Perestroika follows five ordinary Russians living in extraordinary times — from their sheltered Soviet childhood, to the collapse of the Soviet Union during their teenage years, to the constantly shifting political landscape of post-Soviet Russia. Together, these childhood classmates paint a complex picture of the dreams and disillusionment of those raised behind the Iron Curtain.

5:00pm Into the Abyss

Dir. Werner Herzog, Germany/Canada, 2011, 107 min

In his fascinating exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas, master filmmaker Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Grizzly Man) probes the human psyche to explore why people kill—and why a state kills. As he’s so often done before, Herzog’s investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.

7:00pm Circumstance (Closing Film)

Dir. Maryam Keshavarz, France/USA/Iran, 2011, 106 min

A suspenseful tale of love and family upended by obsession and suspicion, Circumstance is also a provocative coming-of-age story where a young woman’s most electrifying passions can become the most dangerous of secrets. The Audience Award winner at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, writer-director Maryam Keshavarz’s debut feature boldly takes film-goers inside a modern Iran rarely witnessed by outsiders: an exhilarating, invisible realm of illicit parties where young hipsters risk arrest, and their futures, as they experiment with sex, drugs and defiance, all while trying to evade the authorities. In Farsi with English subtitles.