Festival du court metrage helps

short films reach an audience

montreal: Give young directors an opportunity to work in the short film genre, showcase their productions on television, and then maybe, at some point in the future, the quality of feature-length movies produced in this country will improve a notch or two. Anyway, that’s the thesis of Bernard Boulad as he prepares to open the second edition of Festival international du court metrage de Montreal. This year’s short-film festival has a budget of $200,000 and runs from April 5-10 with a program of 145 films from 26 countries.

Boulad, director of the festival, says as many as 60 to 80 short films, defined here as 35 minutes or less, are produced annually in Quebec with much of the financing coming from sogic’s Jeunes Createurs program, the Canada Council and the National Film Board, which provides post-production help. Telefilm Canada may also invest, he says, if there’s a broadcast licence.

If producing a good short film is akin to writing a worthwhile short story, we can understand why Boulad says it’s a tough genre to master. But the real challenge for short film lies in reaching audiences. The main obstacle, he claims, is the broadcasters and their rigid program schedules.

Boulad says the festival is working towards the creation of low-cost, high-value short-film packages. Add a touch of imagination and the hope is that broadcasters will then come up with an appropriate showcase, even if it’s after mom and pop have retired for the evening.

Festival screenings include the best shorts from the Canadian Film Centre, namely John Fawcett’s Half Nelson, Sally Clark’s Ten Days to Abuse an Old Woman, Sugith Varughese’s Kumar & Mrs. Jones, Stephen L. Williams’ A Variation in the Key 2 Life, Annette Mangaard’s 94 Arcana Drive, Michka Saal’s Tragedia, Don McKellar’s Blue and Catherine Martin’s L’ombre.

Quebec shorts in competition this year include Fenis Langlois’ Ma Vie, Ann Arson’s Manege, Jacques Fournier’s The Rowboat Ride, Claude Iamonico’s Un froid lapin, Paul Thinel’s Second souffle, Francis Leclerc’s Le petit monde de Marie, Mario Bolduc’s Repas compris, Alain Desrochers Ave verum corpus, Nathalie Hurtubise’s Taxi!, Daniel Guilbault’s Etat de grace and Claude Demers’ Un nuit avec toi.

Event highlights include an April 8 workshop entitled ‘Is filmmaking teachable?’ followed on April 9 by a late-night, four-hour marathon session dubbed as a kind of off-the-wall b film retrospective of some of the genre’s more cynical, naughtier entries.

Also on tap is a selection of short films from established directors such as Eric Rohmer, Reiner Fassbinder, Hal Hartley, Gilles Carle, John N. Smith and the late Francis Mankiewicz.

All screenings take place at Maison de la Culture Frontenac. For additional information call (514) 285-4515.

Here’s Johnny!

the Alliance Communications/ CineVision science-fiction thriller Johnny Mnemonic is slated to shoot in Montreal for two weeks beginning April 25.

Director Robert Longo and crew will be filming exteriors of the Jacques Cartier Bridge, mainly at night. This portion of the shoot calls for a big order of f/x sequences, with three u.s. tv crews, including a crew from Entertainment Tonight, headed this way to report on the action, says Pierre Brousseau, Alliance Vivafilm vice-president. The scenes set in the bridge’s interior are presently being shot at the Millenium Studios in Toronto where an 80-foot-high replica has been constructed.

Fantome falters

it’s a no go for Fantome d’amerique, at least as far as director Francois Girard and distributor Alliance Vivafilm are concerned. Girard (Thirty-two Short Films About Glenn Gould) has decided not to direct the story, based on the Marcel Beaulieu screenplay about an everyday sort of guy who falls for the wrong kind of girl, a femme fatale ensnarled in the nasty business of international drug trafficking.

It’s tough news for Zone Productions producers Bruno Jobin and Barbara Schrier, who are out tens of thousands of dollars invested in the project’s development. If they can find the right replacement director, then the film might proceed. Otherwise, it looks like a very costly setback for the young producers.

As for Girard, he’ll be working on a new project with a new producer, no doubt someone in the Alliance orbit. Word has it the project will be based on one of the better known Gilles Maheu and Carbone 14 stageplays. Vivafilm will distribute.

Wimps need not apply

elite Productions, one of Montreal’s leading casting agencies, is heading up a continent-wide search for an actress to star as one of the three leads in the upcoming 22-hour Telescene lady cop series Sirens.

According to Elite partner Vera Miller, the chosen lady has to be ‘beautiful, tough but sexy, and obviously speak perfect English with American sensibilities and outlook.’ And she’ll have to have some kind of Quebec connection, a residence or current address, even if she’s moved.

The search is underway in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles.

‘We’ve already seen hundreds in only a few weeks,’ says Miller. The Sirens cast will also require a female supporting role, two ‘good looking male cops, a sweet straight guy and an sob womanizer type,’ says Miller.

Elite is currently prepping on Reunion, a cbs movie-of-the-week from executive producer Robert Halmi and RHI Entertainment, the same people who brought us last fall’s Ivana Trump mow For Love Alone.

Reunion will shoot in Montreal for five weeks beginning in early April. Marlo Thomas stars and the very gracious Lee Grant will direct.

‘It’s a very challenging project for us because some of the parts are for kids,’ says Miller. Again, Elite has cast a wide net in search of a five-year-old male, his twin sister and an older, eight-year-old sister.

Elite has done some great work of late, but Miller laments casting agents don’t receive the coverage they deserve, especially from the trade press.

For instance, she says, Rosina Bucci, Elite’s other partner along with Nadia Rona, gets the credit for the great casting job she did with kids in St. John’s, Nfld. on the John N. Smith miniseries The Boys of St. Vincent. Recent assignments for Miller et al include Highlander II: The Magician, Brainscan, Zelda, The Breakthrough, Myth of the Male Orgasm and Tales of the Wild.

Rona and Miller were in l.a. recently where they pitched Quebec-based acting talent to casting directors at cbs, nbc, abc, Walt Disney, Universal Pictures, Cannell, Hollywood Pictures and Columbia Pictures. The trip was a huge success, says Miller, culminating with a request by Universal that Elite regularly send along videotapes of new Canadian talent.