In January I shot a documentary that I have been thinking about for a while. It weaves Gandhian philosophy with First Nations history with contemporary urban textiles spinning and weaving all into a compelling story.
I am immersed in the post production process and I am happy to say that I am deeply inspired by this project and that it is truly a labour of love. It’s amazing how passion for your work makes it not like work at all, transcendence of the mundane. I can’t wait to share this project this Spring.
I was successful in slowing down over the winter holidays and I feel that I caught up on sleep and family bonding. Immediately after my two weeks off I was spun right back into my frenetic schedule by commencing production on a short film that I was Assistant Director for. The production was tightly scheduled with many locations so it was a demanding role and I found that I had boundless energy to dedicate to the production. I have another shoot coming up and am in pre-production for my upcoming documentary trailer as Vancouver is enveloped in snow.
pulling focus
Setting the intention for downtime was the kindest thing I could have done for myself and my family not to mention the productions I am working on. It was shocking that I found myself feeling anti-social at times and in need of complete relaxation and quietude. And the personal reward was delicious and insightful dreams that allowed me to connect to my subconscious and re-evaluate my trajectory. I enjoyed that deep and profound communication with myself which revealed new insights and inspiration.
Last winter I was in India enjoying slowness for 6 weeks. I didn’t have that luxury this year though I am grateful for the two weeks with family and friends. I see a bright year ahead with big changes. Wishing you the ability to actualize your dreams and infinite bliss, there is no time like the present.
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I have watched many movies in the past month and Lars Von Trier’s “Melancholia” stood out on many levels. After Von Trier’s antics at Cannes this year I was curious to see his new film. I admire his originality and how he covers complex human issues. In his beautifully shot intro he gives the ending away so that there is no suspense and you are forced to delve into the captivating story. I would go so far as to say that this film is mindgasmic. At the very least you will enjoy Kirsten Dunst’s performance.
This past week I passed by a lululemon store and noticed their reusable shopping bag had the quote “Who is John Galt?” printed onto the side. This brought back a flood of memories about the source of that question and its impression that it has had on my life. Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is a one of two novels she wrote that had a part in shaping who I am now. It is no surprise to discover that Chip Wilson has inducted the novel to his staff’s reading library. After re-awaking my memories of ‘Atlas Shrugged’ yesterday I discovered that one of the most impressionable novels from my teenage years had been made into a feature film. It totally slid in under the radar for me. Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’ Part 1 is now in theaters and will be made into a trilogy.
I read ‘Atlas Shrugged’ when I was 19 and one of they key concepts from the novel that absorbed into my matrix was when ‘Atlas’ is found carrying the world upon his shoulders what should he do? The novel suggests the only sensible thing for Atlas to do is to shrug the weighted world off of his shoulders. This teaching has been useful through out my life as I am a person that practices compassionate action and often find myself in situations where I give more than I receive and end up depleted. Some times the best way to be of help or expression of compassion is to not ‘help’ at all. When the demands of others don’t meet what you know to be right or in line with your path to carry forth with these demands will take away from your responsibilities, to shrug these demands off from your obligations may be the only sensible thing to do. Another key concept I absorbed from her novels was to remain objective in conflict. I don’t find Ayn Rand’s philosophy to be absolute and infact I disagree with certain ideals though these concepts I find to be of value.
Though the novel was written in 1957 the film was set in 2016 and relevant to our times. I would recommend the film if you don’t have the time to read the novel, it is enjoyable even if you are not a fan of Ayn Rand. Part one introduces the mystery of John Galt but if you want to know who exactly he is you will have to wait for the rest of the trilogy or give ‘Atlas Shrugged’ a read, the mystery surrounding this character is a fun exploration.
The Vancouver Film Festival is coming to an end. The festival was on while I was in production with an episodic series so I didn’t get the chance to see most of the films I wanted to see. I did however get a chance to check out a few documentaries.
Thinking about some of the things that go on in China sometimes makes my head spin. ‘Waking the Green Tiger’ tracks the rise of the green movement in China and gave me great hope showing the power of documentary activism. I loved this one.
I find it ironic that my last post was referencing Bjork’s ‘Crystalline’ then the next film I watched was Werner Hertzog’s ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’. In this theatrically released 3D documentary we are taken into the pristine Chauvet cave in France and explore the earliest and most well preserved cave drawings dating back 30,000 years. In this cinematic journey into the cave we see a sparkling layer of calcite crystals covering the cave’s inner surfaces and as I watched the film, enjoying the ambient soundtrack scored by Ernst Reijseger, I couldn’t help but feel the symmetry between the content of the film and the content from my last post.
I enjoy Hertzog’s storytelling and the subject is beautiful. When I was in high school I read the ‘Clan of the Cave Bear’ series by Jean Auel which I found magical and inspiring. The drawings in Chauvet are from the same period that the book is set in which helped evoke my imagination. There was a shot that was especially impressive that I couldn’t figure out how it was taken; it followed a river then went under a naturally formed arch then immediately turned around and went back. It couldn’t have been taken by helicopter because the helicopter wouldn’t have made it through the arch. They reveal how they cleverly did the shot at the end. There is an epilogue to the film which I found pertinent to the times we live in focusing on the environmental effects from the Nuclear Power plants that are situated in the vicinity of the Caves.
The images in this film are striking and as they were filmed in 3D it really brought the images to life. You could experience details of amazingly skilled drawings that would have been lost on a flat screen. There was a drawing of a bison with 8 legs and it looked like it was running. Hertzog claims that it was a proto-cinema which indeed it did feel like; the inspiration and expression found in this cave blew me away. I feel like this was the birth place of art and film history.
If you watch this film and let yourself go it is somewhat magical and giving that the topic of her track ‘Crystalline’ I think Bjork would get a lot out of watching it too. Another irony is that I have had several dreams through out the years in which I was connected to a community that lived in caves. We all had an area in the cave in which we displayed our art or shared our skill, my area of the cave was beside Bjork’s. That was one of my forgotten dreams. I find this amusing as my last blog post ‘Crystalline Clarity’ was spontaneous and I posted it without giving it too much thought. And then I watched ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’ and felt an awakening into my subconscious on many levels.
As we are graced with 15 hours of daylight this time of year in the Pacific North West, festival season is in full swing. Vancouver is a city that harbors whimsical summer fun and I am feeling ever so grateful to live here. Happy 125th birthday Vancouver. I am riding the high from being surrounded by inspiring music, films, and people in a city that you can swim in the ocean and climb a mountain, hike pristine forests, and eat amazing organic food all in the same day.
One of the films that impressed me the most this month was Mike Mill’s ‘Beginners’. Ewan McGregor and Mélanie Laurent rocked the screen in a well told story with enough subtle humor to have kept me giggling throughout the film while striking enough of an emotional cord, a necessary element for me to give a film praise. Sweet story, sweet film making. I especially was impressed that the dogs thoughts were subtitled. I really loved this film.
‘Submarine’ by Richard Ayoade is a coming of age film humorously presented with depth, whit and enough of a twist that I loved as well.
Wishing you summer bliss and creative fulfillment.
This year during Summer Solstice I was immersed in a week of filming short films. That week was a culmination of projects and busyness that climaxed with the production of the short film that I wrote and directed. I am editing it now, can’t wait to show it to you, it was a lot of fun to produce. I had to rely on my inner light and a lot of matcha to get through that intense week that started at the end of another intense and busy week. ‘Bend‘ starring Cassandra Sanders, Micky Overman, and Jennie Graham.
My favorite film from the past month was Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris‘. I am amazed at his ability to express the truth that ‘life is suffering’ with such humor. Owen Wilson and Woody Allen are a great combination. Check it out, in all of it’s absurdity that only Allen could pull off so coherently.
I have to give an honorable mention to Terrence Malick’s new film ‘Tree of Life‘ that was produced and starred in by Brad Pitt. This film is more of an experimental piece rather than your typical Hollywood flick with a focus on exploring our inner world delving into spiritual exploration again covering topics from the 4 Noble Truths that ‘life is suffering’ and ‘the origin of suffering is attachment’. I am not sure this one will do so well at the box office though I think it deserves recognition.
My schedule is a little less busy for the next week or two, only slightly so. In my spare moments you will find me skating in the sun or on a yoga mat recalibrating my frequencies to calm focused bliss.
This month I watched a movie that I thought was remarkable. Incendies was written and directed by Montreal based Denis Villeneuve. The story is cleverly structured as well as original and the cinematography is stunning. I highly recommend this film which I saw at the now permanently closed Hollywood theatre in Kitsilano. The film opens with a Radiohead’s “You and Who’s Army” and beautiful cinematography which instantly drew me in.
Another film worthy of mention is Iñárritu’s Biutiful. I liked the narrative of his film Babel and was not disappointed by this work that successfully represented the metaphysical as well as social underdogs, this film has depth. The photography of this film was beautiful which helps to guide you into the emotional world of the actors. It was mostly shot hand held and motivated by what the actor was focusing on with a filmic look to the shots. Lighting was unique and also enhanced the mood of this film. After watching the Director’s commentary I loved it even more, many of the actors in the film were not professional and benefited from the opportunity. I am convinced that Javier Bardem is an actor with great skill, I was relieved to see him in a role other than the creepy serial killer he portrayed in No Country for Old men.
I also have to mention Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay which is an intense film that portrays the realities of street children living in Bombay. She took actual street children under her wing and housed and trained them to act in the film. Most of the children in this films lives were improved from the experience. The first time I watched it was in a group screening and most people found it such an intense film though perhaps as I was just in Bombay and read Shantaram while I was there I was prepared for what would be seen. Regardless, this film was very well done with all of the elements that make a great film, decades before Slumdog Millionaire.
Let me know if you have seen any great independent films or if you have seen these films please share what your impressions were.
During the past few weeks my life has had a poetic commentary, coming from within. Each day, highlights where I feel flow and connection, words spontaneously cluster together and flow through my mind contrasting my usually vividly visual thought forms. I have a collection of poetic blog postings with a photo I have taken around the same time that the spontaneous poetry dances across my consciousness, and perhaps one day I will even post them. For now, they are stored behind the interfaces… I’m feeling shy.
As my expressions shift towards the poetic, I have been watching more movies than I usually do. Notably this week was Almodóvar’s ‘Broken Embraces’ or ‘Los Abrazos Rotos’. I missed it at the VIFF as I just couldn’t manage to see everything that I wanted to. Pedro Almodóvar consistently delivers finely woven films that explore the passions that drive us to cross ‘the line’. This film was well worth the wait.
The story brilliantly weaves a vibrant tapestry from past to present, from character to character, from beginning to end! The film is beautiful with scenes cleverly composed, brilliant colour, and stylized after the 50′s film noir genre. Penelope Cruz has proven to be a very reliable actress, like Johnny Depp, you can just count on her. The cherry on top was Cat Power gracing the effective soundtrack. So, without me giving the rich story line away, go check it out if you haven’t already.
Spring is richly established here in the Pacific North West. Passions thicken, with any luck you will be able to satiate your desires without breaking your heart.
