Your handy one-stop-shop for film news, interviews, articles, and videos from the week that was.
With less than four weeks left until we can close the book on the chaos of 2020, critics and tastemakers are trying to instil some sense of order by upholding the tradition of sharing “best of the year” lists.
Frederick Wiseman’s City Hall has topped Cahiers du Cinéma’s eagerly awaited list. (We’ll take the opportunity to remind readers that the film is still available on VIFF Connect for a few more days.) Meanwhile, IndieWire has compiled their “25 Best Breakthrough Performances of 2020“. And while John Waters’ favourites include work by the familiar likes of Sorkin, McQueen and Almodovar, he’s of the belief that it’s Tyler Cornack who’s responsible for the year’s finest film.
With the Palm Springs International Film festival on hiatus for 2021, the next festival season will effectively commence when Sundance kicks off on January 28 and runs for seven days (rather than the customary 11). The venerable festival will assume a very different form for this edition, with a largely virtual program being supplemented by in-person screenings (and, of course, drive-ins) throughout the US.
Of course, a core component of Palm Springs’ film programming has been showcasing dozens of countries’ submissions for the Best International Film category at the Academy Awards. While France had already announced that Filippo Meneghetti’s Two of Us secured their nomination, the film’s trailer debuted this week in anticipation of a North American release in February.
Likewise, it was announced in October that Deepa Mehta’s Funny Boy had been appointed Canada’s hopeful in the Oscar race. As of today, you can actually lay eyes on the film as it’s now available to stream on CBC Gem.
Finally, Elliot Page’s announcement from earlier this week has not only inspired many but also prompted important discussion regarding pronouns and the harmful practice of deadnaming.
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