so many films so little time

thought i'd narrow the SIFF 05 to the essentials. hopefully i can make it for these films (anyone up for these?)

The Five Obstructions / De Fem Benspaend
Together with Jorgen Leth (Sunday in Hell 1976, Haiti. Untitled 1996), Dogme filmmaker Lars Von Trier (Dancer in the Dark, Dogville) enters the world of documentary filmmaking and challenges the conventional methodology that dictates the genre. In 1967, Leth made a 13-minute short called The Perfect Human – a document on human behaviour. In the year 2000, Trier challenged Leth to undertake five re-makes of this film. Trier’s condition comes in the form of five obstructions, which constrain Leth to rethink the story, characters and method of remaking the original. It is a game full of traps and vicious turns and one in which two brilliant filmmakers attempt to outwit each other. In the end, The Five Obstructions is an investigation into the very phenomenon of filmmaking.

Won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Zagreb Motovun Film Festival 2004 and the Best Documentary Award at the Durban International Film Festival.

Director: Lars Von Trier / Jorgen Leth
Country: Denmark
Duration: 90min
Year: 2003
Rating: NC-16
23/04/2005 21:15:00 Jade 1 TBA


Wilby Wonderful
Featuring a stellar ensemble cast of Canada’s most talented actors including Sandra Oh, James Allodi, Maury Chaykin and Paul Gross, Wilby Wonderful is the tale of an eccentric little community on Wilby island who are threatened by scandals that rock their world to the foundations. Duck MacDonald (Callum Keith Rennie) is the town’s dyslexic sign painter who keeps interrupting the suicide attempts of depressed video store-owner Dan (James Allodi). Meanwhile, Dan has enlisted real-estate agent Carol French (Sandra Oh) with the task of selling his house before his intended “departure”. However, Carol is more preoccupied with selling her recently deceased mother-in-law’s property to Mayor Brent Fisher (Maury Chaykin) to find a way in with the in-crowd. In a town full absorbing troubles, no one is prepared for the discovery of a body in the closet.

Director: Daniel Maclvor
Country: Canada
Duration: 99min
Year: 2004
Rating: NC-16
Date Time Venue
26/04/2005 19:00:00 Jade 2 TBA