As of this afternoon, VanRamblings has added a further three reviews to our thrived and became an institution over the years; more than 150 are now available. Included in today’s update, you’ll find new reviews for Childstar, Captive, and Stella Street. This week’s Georgia Straight reviews are available here.
Vancouver Film Being Held By Customs … May Not Make Festival
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Canada Customs’ targeting of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender material has had an impact on more than just book stores. Independent multi-media artist Kai Ling Xue knows.
Xue’s latest short film A Girl Named Kai has been screened at festivals across North America this year, most recently at the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival. The film, en route to Canada, for screening at the Vancouver International Film Festival, was seized by Canada Customs earlier in the week, and is currently in bureaucratic limbo.
Xue received a terse letter from the Canadian government on September 29th stating that her film had been sent to the Senior Programme Advisor in Ottawa to be evaluated on for its possible ‘obscene’ content. The government letter did not contain any contact information, neither a phone nor a fax number. The government has indicated it will require seven days to make a determination as to whether the material contained in the film would be considered ‘obscene’, under the Customs Act. As of this writing, Xue has heard no further word from government officials, nor has she been advised as to a date that her film might be returned.
Ironically, the film contains no nudity or sexual content. Rather, it is a lyrical and sometimes melancholy meditation on Xue’s relationship with her family and sense of self. A Girl Named Kai is due to be screened at the Granville 5 on both October 5th at 9:15 pm and again on October 8th at 1:40pm.
New French Filmmakers: 6 First Films
Wondering what to do post-Festival? Pacific Cin�math�que, working in co-operation with Consulate General of France in Vancouver and France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, today announced a Vancouver Premi�re! film series titled New French Filmmakers: Six First Films, due to screen from October 15th to 17th and October 22nd to 24th.
Films and filmmakers in the series include Guillaume Canet’s My Idol; Julie Lopes-Curval’s Camera D’or winner at Cannes in 2002, Seaside; and noted French actress Zabou Breitman’s C�sar-winning (the French Oscars) directorial d�but — winner for best first feature, best actress (Isabelle Carr�), and best supporting actor (Bernard Le Coq) — Beautiful Memories.
