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The Biz Interview: Dorothy Woodend from DOXA

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In anticipation of the DOXA 2012 Documentary Film Festival, we spoke with Dorothy Woodend, the Director of Programming for DOXA. Having also worked with other festivals like the Vancouver International Film Festival and been a film critic for The Tyee since 2004, Dorothy spoke to us about this year’s festival and the current state of the documentary genre.

How did you first become involved with DOXA?

I first became involved with DOXA first as a film critic. I had followed the festival for a number of years, and thought their programming was really interesting. When I was working at the Vancouver International Film Festival, I called Kris Anderson (DOXA’s founder) and asked her if she needed anyone to screen the films, and she said, “Sure!” I was on the screening committee for the festival for a number of years, before joining the Board of Directors. I chaired the programming committee for two years, and, when Kris decided to step down from her position as Director of Programming, she suggested that I apply for the position.

What can DOXA fans and those who are new to the festival expect from this year’s program?

Every year at DOXA, we try something new, this level of curiosity I think it is really what differentiates DOXA from other film events in the city. Partly, I think this level of innovation stems directly out of the experimentation and creativity that documentary practice is enjoying at the moment. You see it very clearly when you’re screening films from all over the world. Some of my favourite films this year were the ones that set out to deliberately to question what documentary can do. Nowhere was this more explicit than in the festival’s opening film Bear 71, which plays with the form, not just in a narrative sense, but by expanding the very idea of how audiences can interact with a film. The use of different platforms of presentation, be it online, in a cinema, or an installation, allows people to see the story from a variety of perspectives. For a programmer this is a very exciting time. One of the things that I’m most thrilled about this year is the sheer diversity in documentary, whether it’s a film like Gary Tarn’s The Prophet, which takes inspiration from the famous poem from Kahlil Gibran, or Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, Jesse Vile’s film about a guitar prodigy who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and like the title says, didn’t die. There are so many exceptional films this year that it’s truly an embarrassment of riches.

What does DOXA represent for the film community and what makes it different from other film festivals?

One of the things that I have always really deeply valued and loved about DOXA from the very beginning is its sense of openness. Because we’re not limited to any one demographic or specific community, everyone is a potential audience member. I think it’s this coming together of many different groups of people that gives the festival its special flavour. Even as the options for seeing films continues to develop and proliferate at a blistering pace (i.e., the emergence of Video On Demand, online programming and web-based media) what endures in the midst of this evolution is the idea that film festivals are a means for a community to come together. DOXA’s intent is ultimately to foster a greater sense of active engagement with film as a collective event and experience and to promote the sociality of cinema.

For the film community, DOXA is a much more intimate affair than a lot of the larger festivals, where it’s easy to get lost occasionally. Because we’re an audience-driven festival (filmmakers aren’t necessarily here to make deals), they’re free to really interact with audiences, their fellow filmmakers, watch films, have conversations, etc. I’ve actually heard from a lot of filmmakers that DOXA is one of the most enjoyable festivals they’ve been to.

How do you feel that documentaries as a genre have evolved since DOXA originally started?

When DOXA launched in 2000, its mandate was to educate the public in the art of documentary. More than a decade later, I think that intent has arguably been fulfilled. In the previous 12 years, basically since the advent of the festival, there has been a veritable explosion of filmmaking, partly this is explained by the means of production becoming available to many more people. Cameras, editing software, etc. are affordable and accessible. Suddenly everyone has the means to make a film. I think this type of democratization has really benefited documentary in that you get to see stories that you would never have previously had access to. Films like Tahrir – Liberation Square, which is very much on—the-ground filmmaking that has the power to really put you directly in the midst of history in the making. There is a real immediacy to some of the films. I think documentary has come to occupy the place that used to be taken up by mainstream journalism. As traditional media has failed, or fallen away, documentary has rushed in to fill the void. You see it very clearly in a film like The Reluctant Revolutionary that was made in Yemen by British filmmaker Sean McAllister. When every other mainstream journalist had left the country, Sean kept filming and ended up being able to tell a story that no one else had access to. The commitment that documentary filmmakers have to the stories they’re telling is something that just blows me away every year. Whether they’re risking their lives, or, in the case of Fredrik Gertten (Big Boys Gone Bananas!*) taking on one of the world’s largest corporations.

What can you share about the selection process that goes into the films chosen to screen at DOXA?

DOXA has great screening and programming committees, who watch all the submissions that come through our open call that goes out in October. We also invite a lot of films to the festival. This year, I also attended IDFA (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam), the world’s largest documentary festival that takes place in November in Amsterdam. It’s a bit of a wild scene, a true gathering of the tribes. The one thing that has changed in the way that you see films, is the emergence of online screening rooms. IDFA pioneered this idea with DOCS for Sale, which is a service that allows programmers to watch more than 500 films online. A number of different sites are now offering similar access (i.e., Festival Scope, Cinando, etc.). It’s terrific, in that it allows you to see so many more films, instantly. But it can be a little overwhelming occasionally, in that there are so many films to watch that sometimes you don’t leave your house for days on end.

Why do you think documentaries have had such a lasting impact on the film world?

Documentaries have a lasting impact simply because they’re dealing with reality, in all its myriad complexities. It’s easy to watch a narrative film, walk out of the theatre, and have it instantly leave your head. The thing I find most fascinating about documentary film is that it really has the power to galvanize action and engagement, to change the way people think and behave in the long term.

The ability of documentary film to deeply examine ideas and issues is only one small aspect of what the genre currently encompasses. A number of recent articles have cited the ability of films such as End of the Line, Waiting for Superman, An Inconvenient Truth to act as a catalyst for social change, fundamentally altering people’s behaviour. (Joe Berlinger’s film triptych Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, arguably made a significant difference in saving three men from the death penalty.) Given the potential impact that documentary film has had, we feel a great deal of responsibility at DOXA to seek out the very best in contemporary nonfiction cinema, but also to carefully define the our own curatorial vision.

What elements do you think are critical to create an effective documentary film?

The thing that it is most critical is the same as it’s always been, commitment, passion, and for lack of a better word, authenticity. You see a lot of films when you’re screening submissions that are issue-driven, but are lacking a really deep engagement with their subject. There’s a lot of parachuting in from outside to make films about problems around the world. This is not to take away from the very pressing issues themselves, but an issue does not a film make. There still needs to be a level of artfulness, since ultimately that is what films are, an art form. This is no less true for documentary, than it is in narrative cinema.

What advice would you offer to new documentary filmmakers?

“Write what you know,” is always the adage that they give to new writers, but in the case of documentary filmmakers, I would tweak it slightly and say make a film about the thing that means the most to you.


The 2012 Doxa Documentary Film Festival runs from May 4th to May 13th, 2012.

Please visit DoxaFestival.ca for more information.


Posted on April 24, 2012.
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The Biz Interview: Ron Reed - Director of "Doubt: A Parable"

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In Vancouver’s theatre community, Ron Reed is best-known as the Founder of Pacific Theatre. When he’s not working behind the scenes as the Artistic Director, Ron is often a contributing to productions as an actor and writer. On Pacific Theatre’s newest production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable, Ron is handling directing duties. He spoke with us in advance of the play’s opening to share some insights into the process.



What inspired you to take on this production?


When I read this script, long before I ever had the chance to see it, I knew it was pure, absolute essential Pacific Theatre material. John Patrick Shanley wrote it for us. He didn’t know that at the time, but he did.


I also knew it was one of the great scripts I had ever read. The subtleties, the economy, the complete mastery of the ebb and flow of our sympathies and understanding, the revelations about character and event, the carefully managed perceptions and misperceptions. Absolute mastery. In service of an important, powerful, utterly human story that simply had to be told. On our stage. By our artists.


It was just as clear to me that Erla Faye Forsyth had to play Sister Aloysius, one of the great original creations in all the literature for the stage. That Erla is precisely the actress to bring an audience the elusive and intricate balances embodied in this most complex and misunderstandable – and perhaps misunderstanding – of human beings. We need to dread her, but we need to love her – and it’s darn hard to find an actress who embodies both. Effortlessly. And we’ve got her. Think of the starch of Erla’s Miss Daisy, combined with the winsome charisma of her clown character in Lucia Frangione’s Holy Mo, and you’ve got a pretty amazing, and distinctive, Sister A.


Can you briefly walk us through your creative process for this production, from the early stages all the way to opening?


No bells and whistles, no extras, no clutter. Design-wise, to match the lean economy of the script with a spare, elegant, impassioned production. Clear, uncluttered attention on actors and text: truthful, direct, un-performed; characters absolutely connected to one another, dancing, boxing, interrogating.


Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?


Writing In Restaurants by David Mamet. For a vision of the necessity of live theatre. I have a great deal of difficulty with what Mamet says elsewhere about the practice of acting, but find his manifestos about the power of embodied storytelling endlessly invigorating.


Backwards And Forwards by David Ball. There is no better, clearer book about the irreducible mechanism of storytelling than this. Obviously essential for playwrights and dramaturgs, but equally so for actors and especially directors.


Story by Robert McKee. There is no more thorough, detailed book about the complexities of storytelling than this. There are important differences between telling stage stories and screen stories, of course – language predominates in theatre, image in film – but truly, nearly all the rest of it applies. (Well, except all that stuff about genre: marketing-driven Hollywood has niched its product in a way we theatre types can mostly disregard. Consider it “helpful problem-solving tips” rather than gospel.)


Playwrights John Patrick Shanley, Lanford Wilson, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Helen Edmundson, Bill Shakespeare.


What were the biggest challenges for you as a director in developing this production and how did you deal with them?


My job as director: keep the audience in doubt. Achieve every reversal in audience sympathy and judgment that Shanley wrote into this intricate, confounding story. It’s so easy to let the audience settle too easily into one perception or another – which is not the playwright’s intention. Quite the opposite.


What can you share about any future projects that are in development?


Once Doubt opens, I get back in my Artistic Director chair and polish up details on Pacific Theatre’s 2012-13 season, which we announce March 15. Then I’m up on my feet again, acting: I rejoin the cast of The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot at The Cultch in April, playing Butch Honeywell. After that, the thing I’m most excited about — I’m back in front of the keyboard again as playwright in May / June / July to start work on my first new script in a decade! My last three projects – A Bright Particular Star, You Still Can’t and Refuge Of Lies – were all about completing or reshaping earlier scripts I’d set aside. Since then, the fields had to lay fallow for a few years, due to the demands of running a theatre company. But now, three projects all think their time has come (in order of increasing difficulty): a stage adaptation of a film, a stage adaptation of a non-fiction book, and an original play about the waning friendship between two of my favourite literary figures. I’m borderline giddy to be getting back to writing – which I’d begun to thing might not ever happen again. Whew.


Doubt: A Parable opens at PacificTheatre.org on March 2nd, 2012. You can also check out Ron’s blogs: Soul Food Vancouver, Sould Food Movies, and Oblations.

Posted on March 1, 2012.
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The Biz Interview: Joel Heath - Director of "People of a Feather"

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Noted Canadian ecologist Joel Heath spent five years developing his new documentary, People of a Feather. The winner for Best Environmental Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival and Best BC Film from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, People of a Feather opens on March 2nd in Vancouver. Joel spoke to us about the film’s road to completion and what he learned from the Inuit people during the making of the documentary.









Can you walk us through your creative process for the production from the early stages all the way to the theatrical release?


It was definitely an evolving creative process, but the key was to make something that wasn’t talking heads, that was something that people who don’t normally watch documentaries would want to watch so we weren’t ‘preaching to the choir’. I had worked on Planet Earth, which is a great series, but I knew I wanted to avoid that style and let the images speak more for themselves. I was particularly interested in the traditional recreations given that Flaherty, the grandfather of documentary had got his start on the same islands as a geologist and explorer 100 years earlier. His footage from the islands was destroyed, and he ended up making Nanook of the North somewhere else.


People are still hunting eiders for food throughout the year, but there weren’t really many people left in town that knew how to make traditional eider skin clothing and we wanted to try and capture that part of their oral history while we still could! I also wanted to tell the story of the eider, show them diving under the sea ice, where this all started, and use the story of the eider to connect the past and present.


For the modern sequences, I had always had a camera before we every planned to make a film, so people were very comfortable and I just wanted to try and capture things as they happen in a way that wasn’t impeded by a big film crew. Let the scenes create themselves, adapt when circumstances change and focus on capturing the genuine moments. And try and capture the connection between different types of Inuit ingenuity – be it interacting with the environment, building a qamotiq (sled) monster garage style, or making a hip-hop video!


Simeonie, the lead character was talking his son Daniel winter hunting for the first time, and so that provided the core of the modern storyline, and takes us back out of life in town and onto the sea ice.


Of course many other creative processes began with editing, music and the rest of post-production!


What was the most important discovery that you made about the Inuit people during the making of the film?


Learning about how hydroelectric dams can influence sea ice ecosystems was pretty important! More generally is is about learning another way of knowing and experiencing the world. I had received my PhD, but as they often reminded me, I was still kindergarten in Inuit knowledge. Using a harpoon, understanding sea ice, fixing a skidoo, and a more holistic way of thinking about the environment. I think I’m maybe grade 5 now someone told me! Still a long ways to go, but not bad for a white guy.


What advice would you give to aspiring documentary filmmakers?


If you believe in the project enough to make it happen, it’s worth making. Meeting other filmmakers has been great. Of course no one making documentary is in it for the money, just really great passionate people and anyone can do it!


Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you during your journey as a filmmaker?


Quite a while ago, I hadn’t been reading much fiction, but after seeing the movie Contact, I ready the amazing book by Carl Sagan on a recommendation from a friend. It was the only piece of fiction he wrote, a scientist writing science fiction. Then I read a bunch of his stuff. He was a major inspiration for me philospically as well as for finding simple ways to communicate complex ideas.


Are there any upcoming projects that you’re working on that you’d like to mention?


We have some other film projects in the works too. I’m particularly interested in producing an animated short about our hydrological cycle and energy solutions that can work with the seasons instead of against them. We created a charitable society to use proceeds from the film to try and address the issues. We are accomplishing this, for example, through providing meaningful employment to Inuit communities using their traditional skills to monitor sea ice ecosystems and understand the problem better. You can find out more about the activities of the society and how you can get involved at www.arcticeider.com


People of a Feather opens in select theatres on March 2nd, 2012. Please visit peopleofafeather.com for more information on the film and screening locations.

Posted on March 1, 2012.
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The Biz Interview: Kyle Rideout for The Great Divorce

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Being both an actor and an artist fuels Kyle Rideout’s passion for directing. He recently co-wrote and directed the short film, Wait for Rain (NSI Drama Prize, Bravo!FACT and NFB awards) and Hop the Twig (five Leo nominations), which is playing at festivals worldwide. Recently Kyle formed the film company Motion 58 Entertainment with Josh Epstein and has two features in development. His current project is on stage as the director of The Great Divorce, the newest production at Pacific Theatre. Kyle spoke to us about The Great Divorce and how is acting history prepared him for the challenge of bringing the production to life.

What inspired you to take on a production of The Great Divorce?

I am a big fan of Lewis, read lots of his books and when Ron (Reed) asked me if I would be interested to direct The Great Divorce I didn’t hesitate. I love the challenges and the imagination of tackling a script and story such as Lewis’.

Can you walk us through the creative process for this production, from casting to opening night?

Right from the beginning I was looking at ways of challenging Pacific Theatre’s space, and so the design in this show I feel is very unique and something new. The set designer, Lauchlin Johnston, has really expanded the space and taken a new approach to lighting the actors. The costumes by Florence Barret, are astonishingly rich and beautiful and we played with the ideas of these characters being from different eras. One of the great things about Pacific Theatre is the actors get to rehearse on the stage from day one. From there we’ve been exploring how these characters who have come from hell are still real people with real problems.

How did your acting background and experience help you with directing actors for The Great Divorce?

Immensely. Being an actor I know the challenges that some of this play creates for them and then, hopefully, I’m able to translate that into useful notes for them.

Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

Well obviously I have kept going back to C.S. Lewis’ novel The Great Divorce to a better insight into the world and story of this play. Then after that, would be The Screwtape Letters, another fantastical book, with similar concepts of Heaven and Hell.

You have directed theatre productions and films. What are the biggest challenges for you as a director when dealing with each medium and how does your approach change?

With film, the challenge is gathering all the real life choices involved in a scene, from the props, the set, the colour, the lights, everything needs to be working towards the same goal of telling the story, and I work very closely with the design team, so that is a big challenge. With theatre, it’s the opposite, and the challenge for me, is to come up with only a few specific choices that suggest the world of the story and it’s about igniting the imagination in the audience.

What can you share about any future projects that are in development on stage or on film?

I am looking forward to seeing my first short film, Hop the Twig, play at Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto at the end of this month. My second short film, Wait for Rain, which I created with Josh Epstein, will be submitted to festivals worldwide in the next several weeks. Our production company, Motion 58 Entertainment, has two features in development and will begin filming one of them at the end of this year. I am also excited to be returning to the stage for my fifth season at Bard on the Beach in Henry VI: War of the Roses and Richard III.

The Great Divorce is now on at Pacific Theatre. Our thanks to Kyle Rideout for speaking with us.

Posted on May 19, 2011.
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The Biz Interview: Josh Neumann of StayFitAnywhere for The Spring Superhero Workout

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Good fitness habits are essential for everyone, especially entertainment industry professionals. Just ask Eli Roth (Hostel, Inglourious Basterds), who is on the record for saying that Directors Guild of America members have an average life expectancy of 57 years.

Josh Neumann of StayFitAnywhere is a local fitness expert who has trained actors for Tron: Legacy, Hellcats, and Little Mosque on the Prairie to name a few. Inspired by the fitness regime of actor Chris Hemsworth during his preparation for playing the title character in Thor, Josh created The StayFitAnywhere Spring Superhero Workout – designed to give anyone a fitness boost that could shape them up for the summertime and get them excited about a workout they can do at home.

We spoke to Josh about the StayFitAnywhere Spring Superhero Workout and what Vancouver entertainment professionals can do to keep fit.

What motivated you to create this movie-inspired workout?

I saw some still shots of Chris Hemsworth and he transformed himself to have a body that accurately represented the Norse God from the comic books. Thor is able to use his body and his Hammer to defend Asgard and I thought it would be great to create a workout that anyone he could do using their body and a single dumbbell, just like Thor would do with his hammer.

How does your workout compare to the training that Chris Hemsworth did for his role?

I had a chance to speak with Chris Hemsworth’s trainer, Duffy Gaver, and he confirmed that Chris’ training consisted of hard work, consistent effort, and good nutrition. The same is true for this workout, if you do it consistently while giving your best effort you will start to transform your body,

On the set, actors need to work for long hours repeat the same motions over several takes. What are some easy tips for them to improve energy levels and maintain concentration, balance, and flexibility?

It starts with nutrition, actors need to make sure they are fuelling their body with quality food. Just like a car you need fuel to move, eat whole unprocessed foods often. After taking care of food the next step is making sure you are able to move as efficient as possible so there are no energy leaks, which will cost you energy. Practice excellent posture as much as possible by squeezing your bum cheeks together, bracing your midsection, and sucking your shoulder blades back and down.

Nutrition is a big part of physical fitness. When film and TV industry professionals approach the catering table, what foods should they absolutely avoid and what are some essentials that they should make a habit of having regularly?

Avoid anything that your ancestors couldn’t have eaten 1000 years ago. Now that will leave you with vegetables, fruits, meat, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Of course you are going to be able to have a treat once in a while just don’t make treats your go to meal, instead go for fruits like blueberries!

What about beverages?
Water! Drink lots of it. Green tea is great, coffee isn’t too bad just don’t rely on it.

Many entertainment industry professionals travel frequently from city to city, based on the project they’re working on. Are there some basic exercises they can do in hotel rooms or on-set to stay healthy?

With a heavy travel schedule I would recommend picking up a travelroller and doing some self massage, check out our blog post for some specific methods for staying limber and mobile. Once you get mobile it is time to get strong and you can simply do squats, pushups, and lunges.

How often during any given week should they make a point of exercising and for how long?

Time is a factor for most everyone today and actors are no exception. In an ideal world 30mins everyday would be great but 3-4 days a week 30-45mins each.

Motivation is key for actors, writers, and directors in the creative process. What are some ways that they can get and stay motivated about their health?

Record your training sessions: what you did and how you felt after each session. Get a training partner so that you have someone to push you and someone to push yourself. If neither of these work hire a trainer who’s only job is to make sure you get your training done!

You have trained actors for TV and film productions in the Lower Mainland. What is your training approach?

You only have one body so you better know how to use it. There is no need for fancy machines and all sorts of supplements, humans survived and thrived for millions of years without these things. I focus on teaching people how to move their bodies in the most efficient ways possible and when you move your body well anything is possible.

Where can we find out more information about StayFitAnywhere and the Spring Superhero Workout?

Visit stayfitanywhere.com/springsuperhero and get quick health and fitness tips by following us on Twitter at @stayfitanywhere.

Thor is now playing in theatres. Our thanks to Josh for speaking with us.

Posted on May 2, 2011.
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