Blue Mountain film fest unites nature and movies

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This article was published 29/05/2022 (941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The inaugural Blue Mountain Film Festival, set in the heart of Ontario’s picturesque Blue Mountain Village, is set to take place from June 1–5.

The festival will showcase 25 international films with a spotlight on Canadian productions. There’s also a three-day industry event called Creative Forum featuring conversations with “Night Raiders” writer/director Danis Goulet and “Slash/Back” filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk, a hike with “Into the Forest” filmmaker Patricia Rozema and more.

“We love the idea of people getting together where they can have a cinematic experience, and then go outside and do fun activities with each other, and be fully immersed in nature. That’s the sort of Blue Mountain magic that we’re hoping is going to escalate this event, beyond a sort of typical festival,” executive and artistic director Helen du Toit said in an interview.

She explained that they wanted to make sure to profile as many female directors as possible, which they do, and many of the speakers on the Creative Forum also happen to be women.

Here are some of the 10 most anticipated films to watch out for at the festival.

Slash/Back

The opening film “Slash/Back” is written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk, who makes her feature film debut. The film follows a group of Inuit girls in a remote Arctic community who fight off an alien invasion while trying to make it to the coolest party in town.

Fire of Love

Closing night film “Fire of Love” by Sara Dosa is a Canadian-U.S. co-production. The documentary, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, follows French volcanologists and lovers Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died in a volcanic explosion doing the very thing that brought them together: unravelling the mysteries of our planet, while capturing the most explosive volcano imagery ever recorded.

Into the Weeds

“Into the Weeds” is a Canadian documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal. It tells the story of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, a former Bay Area groundskeeper who takes on a multinational agrochemical corporation after a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Carmen

“Carmen” is directed by Maltese-Canadian actor and director Valerie Buhagiar. It follows a 50-year-old woman (Natascha McElhone) who is liberated when her older brother, a priest, dies and she is no longer expected to devote her life to him and the church.

Gagarine

This is a French drama film directed by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh in their feature directorial debut. It follows 16-year-old Yuri (Alséni Bathily), who has lived all his life in Gagarine Towers, a vast red-brick housing project on the outskirts of Paris. When plans to demolish Gagarine Towers are leaked, Yuri embarks on a mission to save his home.

Last Film Show

Directed by Pan Nalin, this film follows Samay (Bhavin Rabari), a 9-year-old boy living with his family in a remote village in India. When he discovers film for the first time, he is mesmerized. Against his father’s wishes, he returns to the cinema day after day to watch more films, and even befriends the projectionist, who, in exchange for his lunch box, lets him watch movies for free.

A Tale of Love and Desire

This French film by Leyla Bouzid follows Ahmed (Sami Outalbali) a serious young man, who meets Farah, a young Tunisian girl and falls for her while discovering a collection of sensual and erotic Arab literature.

The Phantom of the Open

Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) is a former shipyard worker who naively entered — and was somehow admitted into — the British Open. This was in 1976 and his legendary round of 121 remains an all-time high score. Directed by Craig Roberts, the film also stars Sally Hawkins as Flitcroft’s wife Jean.

Official Competition

A billionaire entrepreneur (José Luis Goméz) hires a renowned filmmaker (Penélope Cruz) and a Hollywood hero (Antonio Banderas) to make the movie of the century in this comedy from Argentinian directing duo Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn.

Forest for the Trees

A Canadian documentary film by award-winning war photographer Rita Leistner, follows her journey as she goes back to her roots as a tree planter in the wilderness of British Columbia, offering an inside take on the experience of restoring the province’s forests.

Blue Mountain Film Festival runs June 1–5, more information at bluemtnfilmfest.ca