CineSiege 2014

Tuesday, October 21, 2014 — 7:00 pm
The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
506 Bloor St. West, Toronto

Admission: Free

HomeThe JuryNominees INominees IIAward Winners

Now in its 12th year, CineSiege presents a collection of short films – riveting fiction, cutting-edge alternative works and provocative documentaries – selected by leading lights of the Canadian film and media scene.

Screening one night only, this juried showcase features the best productions of 2013-2014 by  talented young undergraduate filmmakers in AMPD’s Department of Cinema and Media Arts.The films selected for screening were chosen from a shortlist of 29 nominees, culled from a total pool of 147 productions. cinesiege2014

The jury:

  • Phillip Barker, filmmaker, installation artist and designer for film and theatre
  • Meaghan Brander, manager of TIFF’s Film Circuit
  • visual artist and filmmaker Lynn Fernie, senior Canadian programmer for Hot Docs
  • Liam Lacey, film critic for The Globe and Mail
  • film director, screenwriter and actor Charles Officer

Jurors will be in attendance at CineSiege to introduce the winning films and explain why they were selected.

CineSiege is made possible through the generous support of Cine Space Film Studios

Phillip Barker
Phillip Barker
Phillip Barker is an installation artist, filmmaker and designer for film and theatre. His latest film, Malody, has won numerous international awards including the 2013 Centre Pompidou Award, Most Creative Film at the 42nd Festival Du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal, and Best Short Film at the 14th International Film Festival Bratislava, Slovakia. It was chosen as one of Canada’s Top Ten films by the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and is currently touring with the Best of Oberhausen International Short Film Festival. Barker’s single channel films and film-based installations have screened widely internationally, winning multiple awards, and were the subject of a retrospective presented by Cinematheque Ontario. As a production designer, Barker’s work has been featured in films by Mira Nair, Neil LaBute, Atom Egoyan and Brian DePalma.
Meaghan Brander
Meaghan Brander
Meaghan Brander is the manager of Film Circuit with the Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF’s outreach programming division devoted to promoting Canadian cinema across Canada. In this capacity she has programmed screenings of some of Canada’s best and most popular films at festivals and other venues across the country, as well as international locations as far-reaching as Australia and South America. Since joining TIFF in 2004, Brander has also traveled widely to international festivals to preview films and serve on both feature and short film juries.
Lynne Fernie
Lynne Fernie
Lynne Fernie is a visual artist and filmmaker who has worked in Toronto’s cultural communities for 30 years. She wrote and co-directed the award-winning documentaries Forbidden Love: the Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives, Fiction and Other Truths: A film about Jane Rule, and Apples and Oranges. She currently serves as senior Canadian programmer for Hot Docs International Canadian Documentary Festival. She has taught film and video production at York University, OCAD U and University of Toronto’s Hart House.
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey is one of Canada’s best-known critics. He has covered film and film festivals for The Globe and Mail since the mid-’90s. In addition to his influential and widely-read film reviews, he has written on television, theatre and music. He recently contributed to the books About Directing, a collection of writings about directing in the performing arts, edited by Anna Migliarisi and published in July 2014, and Led Zeppelin on Led Zeppelin: Interviews and Encounters, edited by Hank Bordowitz, slated for release in November 2014.
Charles Officer
Charles Officer
Charles Officer is an award-winning director, writer and actor. In 2009, he was named one of ’10 to Watch” by Playback magazine, Canada’s top industry publication. His works have screened at festivals worldwide, including the Toronto, Berlin and Vancouver International Film Festivals and MOMA in New York City. His debut feature film, Nurse. Fighter. Boy, received 10 Genie nominations and won awards at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival and Sarasota International Film Festival. Officer won an Emmy Award in 2012 for his debut feature documentary, Mighty Jerome, an NFB production that also picked up four Leo Awards in 2011. Most recently, Officer received a 2014 Canadian Screen Award for the documentary Stone Thrower: The Chuck Ealey Story and directed the hit TV series Rookie Blue. Upcoming projects include N.I.A., a political documentary set in Cuba, and the crime drama Torchbearer.

Nominees I – Externally juried 3rd & 4th year productions

Belly Up! Belly Up!
12:25 min.
Director : Maria Todorov-Topouzov
Producer : Maria Todorov-Topouzov, Aaron DiMaria, Grahame Hinton-Barber, Kevin Luttman, Abdul Malik and Peter Nielsen
Writer : Grahame Hinton-Barber
Cinematographer : Aaron DiMaria
Editor : Kevin Luttman
Sound : Peter NielsenA surreal adventure one night at a self-help tape label.
Coming Home Coming Home
6:55 min.
Director/Producer/Writer/Cinematographer : Max Vlassenko
Editor : Stephen Raglow-DeFranco
Sound : Zach Healey and Kieran SherryDeconstructing the experiences of adapting to a new place and dealing with a different culture from childhood into adulthood.
Election Day Election Day
11:50 min.
Director/Producer/Writer : Ryan Forneri
Cinematographer : Alec McKay
Editor : Rebecca LaFortune
Sound : Location: Kieran Sherry, Post: Kevin ShakAn examination of the causes and consequences of voter apathy in Canada.
Elpis Elpis
8:36 min.
Director : Akreta Saim
Producers : Akreta Saim and Lekeeya Kinghorn
Writer : Based on Letters by Ruby
Cinematographer : Lekeeya Kinghorn
Editor : Alec Bell
Sound : Ray GuirguessRuby is gone forever. What she has left behind is a ray of hope, her daughter, Elpis.
Florence and the Fish Florence and the Fish
12:38 min.
Director / Writer : Kristina Mileska
Producer : Kristina Mileska and Andy Kloske
Production Manager : Mathew Murray
Cinematographer : Andy Kloske
Editor : Eui Yong Zong
Sound : Rodrigo Michelangeli and Andy KloskeFlorence has an odd way of coping with death.
In Passing In Passing
4:35 min.
Director : Samantha Roddick
Cinematographer : Kristina MileskaA film about the fragility of human connections.
Inside the Whale Inside the Whale
11:35 min.
Director/Writer : Mathew Murray
Producers : Mathew Murray, Ashlee Mitchell and Dmitry Lopatin
Cinematographer : Dmitry Lopatin
Editors : Dmitry Lopatin, Kristina Mileska and Mathew Murray
Sound : Andy Kloske and Kristina MileskaIn order to grow, Benji must learn to embrace the lonely darkness of the whale, as well as himself.
Isabel’s Fever Isabel’s Fever
14:05 min.
Director : Guillermo de la Rosa
Production Managers : Kevin Luttman and Jonathan Elliott
Writer : Guillermo de la Rosa, based on “La Meningitis y su Sombra” by Horacio Quiroga
Cinematographer : Alec Bell
Editor : Andy Kloske
Sound : Location Sound: Peter Nielsen and Post Sound: Kristina MileskaAvilio’s love for Isabel is suddenly corresponded under unusual circumstances. Inspired by Horacio Quiroga’s short story “La Meningitis y su Sombra.”
Jungle Jungle
5:05 min.
Director, Producer, Writer, Editor, Sound : Nathanael Shelton-Richards
Cinematographer : Stephen Raglow-DeFrancoA look at class and race shared within space.
Leftover Leftover
18:40 min.
Director/Writer : Eui Yong Zong
Producer : Andy Kloske
Cinematographer : Rodrigo Michelangeli
Editor : Julian Papas
Sound : Kevin LuttmanLeftover is a story of a family trying to come to terms with the memory of their past.
Mannish Mannish
15:07 min.
Director/Producer : Gabrielle Bleyendaal
Writers : Eric Bleyendaal and Gabrielle Bleyendaal
Cinematographer : Jillian Dobson
Editor : Ryan Forneri
Sound : Kieran SherryMeet Peter, the boy who never grew up.
One Shot One Shot
7:00 min.
Director : Jillian Dobson
Producer : Marianne Pavlyak
Writer : Sennah Yee
Cinematographer : Kirill Melamed
Editor : Kieran Sherry
Sound : Benjamin SkinnerWhen tensions get high between siblings, Dillon has to take a stand against her brother. It’s all just a game right?
Ráfagas de Paz (A Hail of Peace) Ráfagas de Paz (A Hail of Peace)
5:15 min.
Director/Writer/Sound : Rodrigo Michelangeli
Producer : Jack Weisman
Cinematographer : Rodrigo Michelangeli and Jack Weisman
Editor : Jeff HamillThey preach peace but give us bullets.
Redemption Redemption
21:00 min.
Director/Producer/Cinematographer : Kirill Melamed
Editor : Kayla Wemp
Sound : Benjamin SkinnerA series of vignettes that explore the hardships and hopes of at-risk transitional school students and their teachers at Redemption Reintegration Services of Scarborough, Ontario.
Rhonda Rhonda
15:20 min.
Director : Ashlee Mitchell
Cinematographer : Kristina Mileska
Editors : Samantha Roddick and Ashlee Mitchell
Sound : Peter NielsenThrough pictures, film, and stories, a filmmaker puts together a portrait of the mother she never knew.
Seeing the Future Seeing the Future
14:00 min.
Director/Producer/Writer : Adrian Kieda
Cinematographer : Nora Marku
Editor : Lekeeya Kinghorn
Sound : Layan Besame
Music : Jake ButineauIn North America, eight out of ten people wear some sort of corrective lenses. That’s insane.
Shattered and Sundered Shattered and Sundered
16:52 min.
Director/Producer/Writer : Jeff Hamill
Cinematographer : Zach Healey
Editor : Alec McKay
Sound : Kieran SherryTwo Canadian soldiers, fighting in the trenches of France during the First World War, face the consequences of the decisions they must make to survive.
Shepherdess Shepherdess
16:45 min.
Director/Writer : Jill Lafaive
Producers : Jill Lefaive, Victoria Long, Spencer Hahn, Erin Buelow
Cinematographer : Victoria Long
Editor : Spencer Hahn
Sound : Erin BuelowMarie, a young shepherdess runs away from home after accidentally killing her sheepdog, and gets taken in by her gay uncle whose partner is dying.
Soft Lording Soft Lording
3:05 min.
Director/Producer/Writer/Editor/Sound : Alec Bell
Cinematographer : Emily Robertson and Alec BellUnder the sun – but once above all else.
Tempo Tempo
6:20 min.
Director/Producer/Writer/Cinematographer/Editor : Sara A. BrownLayering oil paints with live action footage, Tempo is an experiment within the visual music style, recognizing the musical elements and movement of silent cinema.
The Changing Place of Making The Changing Place of Making
16:00 min.
Director/Editor : Jack Weisman
Producers : Jack Weisman, Rodrigo Michelangeli and Gordie Rogers
Cinematographers : Jack Weisman and Rodrigo Michelangeli
Sound : Rex King Hon HoCreativity is not a chosen activity.
Welcome to Dresden Welcome to Dresden
15:07 min.
Director/Producer/Writer : Esery Mondesir
Cinematographer : Kirill Melamed and Lekeeya Kinghorn
Editor : Dylan Macvicar and Esery Mondesir
Sound : Dylan MacvicarWelcome to Dresden highlights the salient moments of a joint campaign by the National Unity Association and the Toronto Joint Labour Committee for Human Rights against racial discrimination in a small town in Ontario.
What Do We Do With Angela? What Do We Do With Angela?
17:13 min.
Director/Writer : Stephen Raglow-DeFranco
Producer : Spencer Hahn
Cinematographer : Max Vlassenko
Editor : Erin Buelow
Sound : Nathan AllenAlec’s quiet world is sharply interrupted when a surprising guest decides to stay in his apartment for an unspecified amount of time.

Nominees II – Internally juried 1st & 2nd year productions

‘Til It Kills You ‘Til It Kills You
9:57 min.
Director : Maria De Sanctis and Sonetta Duncan
Producers : Maria De Sanctis, Sonetta Duncan, Megan Berg and Nathan Street
Writer : Devon Bain
Cinematographer : Megan Berg
Editor : Nathan Street
Sound : Nathan Street, Music by Jake ButineauNothing will stop 72-year-old Gertie from swimming – not her doctor, and most certainly not her STD.
Cindy Cindy
5 min.
Director : Ted Sakowsky
Producer, Editor, Sound : Ted Sakowsky and Andrew Morel
Production Manager : Kirsty Fernandes
Writers : Andrew Morel, Freya Fernandes, Ted Sakowsky and Ed Sakowsky
Cinematographer : Andrew MorelAn elderly man realizes his sexual fantasy with an enchanting call girl.
Exigent Exigent
4:08 min.
Director / Writer / Cinematographer : Jordan Penny
Editor : Nicole Ng
Sound : Alanna Smithex·i·gent (ĕk′sə-jənt) 1. urgent; pressing 2. exacting; demanding
Genesis Genesis
4:46 min.
Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Editor, Sound : Aaron FauteuxThe story of the alien that sculpted the Earth and the accident that led to its infestation with humanity.
Mum Mum
8:08 min.
Director : Marileina Pearson
Producer / Writer : n/a
Cinematographer : Daria Savic
Editors : Marileina Pearson and Daria Savic
Sound : Daria SavicA documentary focusing on a family`s very personal confessions and understandings of the mental health of their career-driven mother.
No New Messages No New Messages
6:00 min.
Director : Nathan Riddell, Shady Hanna and Conner Emans
Writer : Nathan Riddell, Shady Hanna, Conner Emans, Christophe Vaugeois and Oliver Whitfield-Smith
Producer / Cinematographer / Editor : Nathan Riddell and Shady Hanna
Production Manager : Christophe Vaugeois
Sound : (Original Score By) Alex Thomas LaurieNo New Messages follows the rise and fall of the relationship between Hunter and Emma.

Award Winners

Outstanding First-Year Film
Cindy
Cindy
5 min.
Director : Ted Sakowsky
Producer, Editor, Sound : Ted Sakowsky and Andrew Morel
Production Manager : Kirsty Fernandes
Writers : Andrew Morel, Freya Fernandes, Ted Sakowsky and Ed Sakowsky
Cinematographer : Andrew Morel
Outstanding Second-Year Film
Mum
Mum
8:08 min.
Director : Marileina Pearson
Producer / Writer : n/a
Cinematographer : Daria Savic
Editors : Marileina Pearson and Daria Savic
Sound : Daria Savic
Best Fiction Film
Best Sound
Best Screenplay
Leftover
Leftover
18:40 min.
Director/Writer : Eui Yong Zong
Producer : Andy Kloske
Cinematographer : Rodrigo Michelangeli
Editor : Julian Papas
Sound : Kevin Luttman
Best Alternative Film
Best Cinematography – Alternative
Coming Home
Coming Home
6:55 min.
Director/Producer/Writer/Cinematographer : Max Vlassenko
Editor : Stephen Raglow-DeFranco
Sound : Zach Healey and Kieran Sherry
Best Documentary Film
Best Editing
Best Cinematography – Documentary
The Changing Place of Making
The Changing Place of Making
16:00 min.
Director/Editor : Jack Weisman
Producers : Jack Weisman, Rodrigo Michelangeli and Gordie Rogers
Cinematographers : Jack Weisman and Rodrigo Michelangeli
Sound : Rex King Hon Ho
Best Cinematography – Fiction
Honourable Mention – Best Editing
Honourable Mention – Best Fiction Film
Shepherdess
Shepherdess
16:45 min.
Director/Writer : Jill Lafaive
Producers : Jill Lefaive, Victoria Long, Spencer Hahn, Erin Buelow
Cinematographer : Victoria Long
Editor : Spencer Hahn
Sound : Erin Buelow
Honourable Mention – Best Alternative Film
In Passing
In Passing
4:35 min.
Director : Samantha Roddick
Cinematographer : Kristina Mileska
Honourable Mention – Best Fiction Film
Shattered and Sundered
Shattered and Sundered
16:52 min.
Director/Producer/Writer : Jeff Hamill
Cinematographer : Zach Healey
Editor : Alec McKay
Sound : Kieran Sherry
Honourable Mention – Best Documentary Film
Welcome to Dresden
Welcome to Dresden
15:07 min.
Director/Producer/Writer : Esery Mondesir
Cinematographer : Kirill Melamed and Lekeeya Kinghorn
Editor : Dylan Macvicar and Esery Mondesir
Sound : Dylan Macvicar