The 1936 Olympics in Berlin will always be remembered for Jesse Owens’ four gold medal performance which was viewed as a triumphant defiance to Hitler and his ideology on race. Though he captured much of the media’s attention, Owen was not the only African-American to make waves at the games. In her latest documentary Olympic […]
June
07
CSFF 2017: Crossing The Line
posted by Jay
Danny Lee Harris, 1984: an American track and field athlete who ran the 400-meter hurdles and won silver medals at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was the guy who always finished behind Edwin Moses, a track and field phenom, known as the guy who never loses – and he never did; he had […]
June
07
CSFF 2017: Hillsborough
posted by Derek Jacobs
The worst sports disaster in the history of England occurred on April 15th, 1989 in Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield during a semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. During the match, overcrowding in a pen lead to an alarming number of deaths. Daniel Gordon’s documentary Hillsborough recounts the story of this disaster, its causes, and […]
June
06
CSFF 2017: Keepers of the Game
posted by Jay
High school funding for sports, and girls’ sports in particular, is on the decline, but fundraising isn’t the only issue for the members of the Salmon River High team. As the first all-Native girls’ lacrosse team in their section, they’ve got something to prove, and not just to their rivals, but to their own community […]
June
06
CSFF 2017: The Boy Who Learned to Fly
posted by Courtney Small
Usain Bolt’s athletic ability and undeniable charm has made him one of the most popular Olympic athletes in recent years. While he exudes confidence on the track, Limbert Fabian and Jake Wyatt’s animated short The Boy Who Learned to Fly shows that this was not always the case. Commissioned by Gatorade, working in conjunction with […]
June
05
Wonder Woman
posted by Courtney Small
One of the most stunning things about Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman is not its thrilling action, but its overall ambition. Rarely has a summer blockbuster been so in tune with the foibles of mankind while still being a thoroughly entertaining ride from start to finish. It is not everyday you come across a film that […]
June
04
Changing Reels Ep. 20 – Magic Mike XXL
posted by Courtney Small
What do male strippers and diversity in cinema have in common? It turns out a whole lot. This week we kick off the summer by taking a joyous road trip with the boys from Magic Mike XXL. In diving into Gregory Jacobs’ film, we touch on topics such as female empowerment, racial and gender depictions, […]
June
03
Murphy’s Law
posted by Courtney Small
Life can be summed up as a series of journeys. Each experience takes us down a new road that helps to shape who we are. However, sometimes we can get lost on once familiar paths and loose sight of ourselves in the process. This was the case for Megan Murphy who, after a recent breakup, […]
June
02
Interview: Director Steve James talks Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
posted by Derek Jacobs
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail tells the story of Abacus Federal Saving Bank and the Sung family that runs it. To date, the bank is still the only federal bank to be indicted for fraud in connection with the 2008 financial crisis. Therefore, the film is a tale of family, community, perseverance, and the unequal […]
June
02
Graduation
posted by Courtney Small
Part of parenting involves doing everything in your power to give your child the tools to succeed in life. This includes instilling a core set of values that that will help them to make the right choices when confronting tough moral decisions. As we see in Cristian Mungiu’s latest film, Graduation, just because one teaches […]
June
01
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
posted by Derek Jacobs
Thomas Sung owns and operates Abacus Federal Savings Bank in New York’s Chinatown. The bank, with his daughters Jill (President & CEO) and Vera (Director), serves a clientele composed primarily of local small-business owners of Chinese descent, many first-generation Americans or direct immigrants. Hence, Abacus is an important part of this community, as it gives […]
May
31
Talking Inside Out Film Festival on Frameline
posted by Courtney Small
A few days ago, I had the pleasure of appearing on the radio program Frameline to talk about a few of the titles playing the Inside Out Film Festival. Hosted by Barbara Goslawski, Frameline airs on Regent Radio, a local station in Toronto, most Thursday evenings from 6 PM to 7 PM. Below you can […]
May
30
City of Tiny Lights
posted by rmpixie
Gumshoes, mysterious women and broken hearts are the stuff of classic film noir. In City of Tiny Lights, a novel written and adapted for the screen by Patrick Neate, we get this with a modern and diverse twist. Tommy Akhtar (Riz Ahmed) is a private detective. He looks after his feisty but ailing father Farzah […]
May
28
Inside Out 2017: Picture This
posted by Courtney Small
Andrew Gurza and Stella Palikarova may be in wheelchairs, but they refuse to be confined. The brains behind Deliciously Disabled, a company designed to breakdown the traditional stereotypes of disability in pop culture, the pair gained international attention when they decided to throw the world’s first sex-positive party for people with disabilities. Though their intent […]
May
28
Inside Out 2017: I Like Girls
posted by Courtney Small
Diane Obomsawin’s delightful short film I Like Girls finds four women sharing their experiences around when they first discovered that, as the title suggests, they liked girls. Ranging from funny to sad to whimsical, and conveyed through colourful animation, the tales offer an intimate portrait of key moments in each woman’s life. Whether it is […]
May
26
Inside Out 2017: Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall
posted by Courtney Small
James Brown once carried the moniker of being the hardest working man in show business, however Katherine Fairfax Wright’s Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall makes a convincing case for Todrick Hall being the heir to that mantle. Driven by his passion to express himself creatively, and unafraid to tackle serious issues, Hall has become a […]
May
26
Inside Out 207: Hold Me Like Before (Abrazame Como Antes)
posted by Courtney Small
Verónica (Jimena Franco) and Greta (Natalia Porras) are transgendered sex workers and roommates living in Costa Rica. Spending their evenings working on street corners and hanging out in clubs, their peaceful existence is disturbed by the presence of Tato (Camilo Regueyra). Tato is a homeless teenager who they literally run into, when the car they […]
May
25
Inside Out 2017: The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
posted by Courtney Small
Listening to Armistead Maupin recount prominent moments in his life, it quickly becomes clear that he is a natural storyteller. Achieving fame for his celebrated column Tales of the City in the San Francisco Chronicle, Maupin has been a key documentarian of life in San Francisco and the changing face of America’s political climate for […]
May
25
Inside Out 2017: A Date for Mad Mary
posted by Derek Jacobs
Darren Thornton’s A Date for Mad Mary is a charming coming-of-age romance featuring incredible performances, unpredictable plot turns, and immense directorial skill. Thornton co-wrote the film with his brother Colin, based off of a play written by Yamine Akram that Darren also directed. A Date for Mad Mary appears to be your standard young adult […]
May
24
Inside Out 2017: Bad Girl
posted by Jay
Amy (Sara West) is a teenager, a “bad girl” who’s just returned home after some shadowy shenanigans to her adoptive parents who are willing to give her “one last chance.” They’re pretty sure she’s going to hate the new home they’ve bought in rural Australia and they’re right; she’s out the door and doing a […]
