Last night YouNxt along with Ekran hosted a reception in honour of the Polish films at this year’s Hot Docs (the Canadian International Documentary Festival)
The event took place at the posh Kultura restaurant in downtown Toronto.
On hand was Warsaw based Director Pawel Kloc of the much talked about Phnom Penh Lullaby as well as Toronto based filmmakers Natalia Kantor and Rafal Sokolowski.
We’ve got our passes and our program guide and we’re ready to doc!
Hot Docs (the Canadian International Documentary Festival) kicks off tonight with POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold . This is the much talked about new film by director Morgan Spurlock (famous for his Oscar nominated Super Size Me doc in which he ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days)
There are nearly 200 documentaries from across the globe with topics as varied as Toronto’s diverse population.
It can be a little overwhelming trying to decide what to check out but that is also the fun part.
What makes festivals such as Hot Docs so great is that they are extremely social events. As you wait in line to pick up a program guide or to purchase tickets or grab a coffee, you naturally end up getting into a conversation about what’s on people’s “must see” radar.
Of course everyone has their opinions.
To make it a bit easier we’re including links to the TOP PICKS as selected by Toronto film writers:
Among the Hot Docs selection are 4 Polish films (2 features and 2 shorts) and we’re thrilled to say that both feature films have made the Toronto Star’s TOP 10 Festival picks. They are:
Synopsis: Hundreds of miles from the nearest town or tree, a smooth-faced young recruit arrives at his Arctic post. Here, etched somewhere into the endless white, is a border. The boy, Aleksey, joins five men, together charged with the absurd task of patrolling the invisible border for invisible enemies.
Through a crisp and unblinking lens, we watch as the gruff old soldiers, each a refugee from civilization in his own way, initiate the boy into their rigorous daily life. It’s a cold, hard routine, the discipline broken only by the occasional vodka and sad song.
Polish director Michal Marczak has assembled a formidable cast of characters in this breathtaking debut, both delicate and bold. At the Edge of Russia is a metaphorical portrait of a crumbled empire whose diligent men still busy themselves tracing meaning in the infinite white. Hot Docs
SCREENINGS:
Sat, April 30 – 6:30pm, Cumberland 2
Tue, May 3 – 1:15 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Fri, May 6 – 7pm, Cumberland 2
Synopsis: Among the many films that will spark discussion and debate in this year’s Festival is this intimate portrayal of the dysfunctional, sometimes disturbing, relationship between an alcoholic woman and her Israeli partner living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
She wants to get married and go to Israel, but he wants a new life, love and acceptance. Living on the margins, earning money by telling tourists’ fortunes, this fraught couple is also raising two young daughters. Drugs, crime and prostitution form the backdrop of their daily existence.
With his first feature, Polish director Pawel Kloc has chosen risky material and a potentially problematic approach. Yet the result is a gripping, formidable character drama with a climax as compelling and heartbreaking as any film this year, non-fiction or not. Hot Docs
SCREENINGS:
Mon, May 2 – 9:45pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
Wed, May 4 – 4pm, Cumberland 2
Sun, May 8 – 5:45pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 4
We’ll be running a contest for Hot Docs tickets so tune back for details.
CONGRATS to Basia Bulat for being selected as the supporting act for Arcade Fire’s first gig in Warsaw!
The concert will take place on Friday, June 24th at Torwar Arena in Warsaw. Tickets can be purchased on Arcade Fire’s website .
Arcade Fire stunned the music world a few months ago when they beat all odds to win Album of the Year at the 53rd GRAMMY Awards.
Basia was recently nominated for a Juno Award in the “Best New Artist” category. Previously she was nominated for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize – Canada’s equivalent of the highly regarded UK Mercury Music Prize.
Basia’s Polish-Canadian roots make her the perfect fit to accompany Montreal based Arcade Fire in Poland. And it should be one trully magical night.
Arcade Fire is known for their high energy concerts and Basia’s passion for music will offer the perfect accent.
Here is what you can expect…
Also, check out this amazing version of “Wake Up” from the Glastonbury festival…
On Friday, April 29th you are invited to attend a very special event…
It’s not the Royal wedding but something equally as exciting…
YouNxt and the Canada-Poland Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their 2nd social event at Fregata Nightclub in Mississauga – Forever Fridays at Fregata (these will continue monthly on every last Friday of the month).
In recent months we’ve received several requests asking us to host more social events so as to give people the opportunity to not only meet other young, ambitious professionals but at the same time, have a good time.
So, join us at Fregata for some drinks, good food and lively conversation and help us raise a toast to the happy newlywed couple (you know who you are).
Arrive for 7pm so as not to pay a cover and receive one drink ticket as well as hors d’œuvres.
When: Friday, April 29th at 7pm
Where: Fregata Nightclub in Mississauga, 1900 Dundas St. East
Dress Code: Casual Chic
Price: FREE (if arrive by 7pm)
Visit our Facebook page for additional information.
Polish bands L.Stadt and Pustki,which are currently in Toronto to participate in Canadian Music Week, will play a just announced concert TONIGHT (Friday, March 11 @ 9PM) at the Bellwood Bar & Grill (756 Queen Street West).
The concert is free. There is no wrist band required or cover charge.
Pustki photo by Antek Opolski
This is your one and only chance to see these two Polish bands play together before they depart for Austin, Texas to take part in the famed South by South West music festival.
Chopin, accompanied by a companion, arrives at a modern-day prison to perform a concert. This is how the story begins.
A new comic book about Chopin has been produced by Kultura Gniewu (a comic book publisher) for the Polish Embassy in Berlin with support from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the Year of Chopin celebrations that officially ended in February.
Chopin: New Romantic is a 148-page graphic novel which consists of eight stories created by a collaboration of eleven Polish and German artists who wrote variations on Chopin’s life. Some of these stories focus exclusively on Chopin while others use him as a gateway to showcase Poland’s pop culture.
Issued in both Polish and German, this innovative idea of setting romantic and mellow Chopin in contemporary pop-culture was supposed to promote the famous Polish composer among young Germans. However, turmoil erupted when it was discovered that the supposedly innocent book for teenagers included some nasty vulgarities.
The author of the controversial segment, Krzysztof Ostrowski, explained that this particular story takes place in prison, hence the inappropriate language, but MSZ (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) ordered all copies of the book to be destroyed.
In protest, Kultura Gniewu and comic book enthusiasts across Europe quickly created a Facebook page titled: “Ochronić nakład “Chopin New Romantic” (Protect the edition of Chopin: New Romantic). Thus far it has over 2,500 fans. And within days, copies of the infamous comic book showed up on Allegro, the Polish eBay.
The latest word is that MSZ decided it will not shred the book; however, the Polish emblem will be removed and the book will be distributed only to Polish and German cultural institutions and not public schools.
Do you agree with their decision?
I’m a book fanatic myself and the idea of burning 2,000 books truly gives me shivers.
Izabela Stabinska
Izabela is Toronto based fashion designer who studied fashion in California. After receiving the Best Graduation Collection award, she traveled all over Europe where she collaborated on art projects, fashion shows and photo shoots. In Toronto, she is freelancing in fashion design and production. Currently, she is working with a local enterpreneur on a specialized sportswear line and is developing her first Canadian collection.
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