Toronto's Pendance Film Festival: My Experience

 

This Friday I attended Toronto’s Pendance film festival at the Imagine Cinemas Carleton. The festival has a fantastic atmosphere, a curated selection of a variety of genres, and great people. Talented Toronto filmmakers were in attendance, and it was very accessible and easy to chat with them about their films. If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, this is the place to be!

Pendance is an independent film festival that provides a platform to Canadian filmmakers and talent. The first presentation was 'Emerging Talents' to a sold out crowd. A few of the films were student projects from schools like Toronto Metropolitan University and Sheridan amongst others. It was inspiring to see so many young people creating such unique and clever stories about love, loss, and family. The Q&A at the end was really strong and allowed the audience to learn more about each filmmaker's individual filmmaking experience. These were fantastic, my favourites were Reverend Mother, Rainbow Beach, Bus, and When They Look I'm Gone.

Reverend Mother was absolutely hilarious. It was also shot on film which is a fun medium to play with for emerging talent. In the Q and A, the director spoke about the challenges and love of shooting on film. They were able to spend lots of time connecting with the actors in rehearsals since they can't do many takes on film. There was a lot of care put into the project and that translates on screen. It was a very funny take on religion and the contradictions of the church. 

Rainbow beach was beautifully shot and had a really compelling plot. It was interesting to hear about the challenges and uniqueness of shooting on a public beach. During the Q & A, the director spoke about how they went through over 200 applications per each role which just sounds crazy.

When they look I’m gone was probably my favourite of the festival. The film focuses on the bond between brothers while enduring drug and alcohol abuse. The two actors who play brothers have fantastic chemistry and are really the best of the festival and make this short film what it is. 

Bus was really funny and the actors were fantastic. They incorporated a lot of physical comedy and effects that you wouldn't always expect for student projects. The lead actors again were great in these roles and bringing these characters to life. I also enjoyed the incorporation of the city of Toronto through the TTC bus. 

Then it was time for the feature film of the night - Stampila in its Canadian premiere. Followed by a Q & A with writer and director, David Larson. The journey to make this film was inspiring. Against all odds, they filmed in Moldova and worked through threats to their actors/crew. Larson previously lived in a country that was ex-Soviet Union and was familiar with the way these countries work, which was a unique take. He took on the role as both writer and director as the previous director was threatened and left the project. What I really liked about the film was how the heroes were all strong women. It was interesting to hear about the creative process of an independent film like this, how meaningful this project was to him, and the impact he hopes it will have on the world. 

You can check out more films like this at the Pendance Film Festival!

Click here for the full schedule and more information on the event.