The Peak

Film : Time travel and yo-yos at New Cineworks

By Cameron Maitland

New Cineworks 2008 screened at the Pacific Cinémathèque on February 12.

Living in a city as tied to cinema as Vancouver, it’s easy to feel that half the stuff you see onscreen is good old local filmmaking. Yet it’s important to remember that the lion’s share of production in Vancouver is still big, foreign studios churning out non-local work with the aid of local talent. Local directors, writers, producers, and directors of photography still have to struggle to make a work solely of and by Vancouver, regardless of the apparent sea of opportunity surrounding them. Luckily, in the face of the American Goliath, Vancouver has a small but tenacious independent film scene and some of its best and brightest artists were present at the annual New Cineworks showcase on February 12.

Rather than showing a selection of films under a specific theme, the Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society annually showcases what it decides are the best pieces created by its multitudinous membership. Cineworks exists as Vancouver’s most established film co-operative, providing equipment, information, and facilities for independent filmmakers citywide. New Cineworks reflects the successes of this idea by bringing together such a diverse selection of short filmmaking, linked only by Vancouver and the aid and drive of the Cineworks society. The program consisted of a brisk 12 shorts and while every piece wasn’t created equal, even the shakier works had enough spirit in them to make them a success in the struggle for significant local filmmaking.

There were definitely films in every category that stood head and shoulders above the rest and deserve mention. The lone documentary, Jason Karman’s State of Yo, traced the life of local legend yo-yo and radio host Harvey Lowe to great effect. By allowing Lowe to tell his own story — with a few interjections from Vancouver celebrities — Karman lets Lowe’s charisma and depth create its own character study in the audience’s mind.

Awash, an experimental piece by Naoko Sasaki, managed to perfectly walk the line between visual excitement and purpose. Sasaki plays with “images of, within, and around water” through the inclusions of such strange things as quail eggs and yogourt. Though some may find it wanting for hard meaning, it undeniably evokes numerous, strange emotions in its compelling and uncanny visuals.

Finally, my — and I think it’s safe to say the audience’s — favourite film came in the form of Cineworks producer/DOP Amy Belling’s Hirsute. Following a script by UBC and Canadian Film Centre alum A.J. Bond, Hirsute tells the story of a scientist confronted by a smug, condescending, and time-travelling version of his future self. The film deftly evokes emotion in its darkly comedic premise and manages to explore a homoerotic aspect of time travel that has been previously overlooked.

New Cineworks was the kind of program that makes you feel good about the state of local filmmaking. It was an exhibition of numerous pieces dripping with determination and heart, as well as a coming out for the fresh faces of some new and serious talent. If nothing else, this year’s New Cineworks showcased the strength and co-operation that independent programs like Cineworks can create.