Snakes, Lattes and Trivia: An evening in a board game café

How a local café chain is elevating the trivia game

By: Nalyn Tindall

If you consider yourself a pop culture whiz, Snakes & Lattes is the place to be on a Wednesday night. The board game café has become a date-night staple across Toronto, boasting multiple locations throughout the city on the streets of College, Bloor and Eglinton. The unique blend of board games, drinks and eats has made Snakes & Lattes a go-to destination for many Torontonians. But there’s more than just board games in store.

Trivia has become a fan favourite and stands out among the café’s many events, including mixers and karaoke nights. The chain currently holds weekly general trivia on Tuesdays at the Annex location, 600 Bloor St. W., and themed trivia nights every other Wednesday across the city, attracting a diverse crowd of trivia enthusiasts and casual players. Themes include a variety of pop culture knowledge from movies and TV shows to music, with Taylor Swift and The Office being two of their most popular topics.

What sets Snakes & Lattes Trivia Nights apart from others in the city is the elevated effort that goes into planning these events. Everything is next-level, including the decor, themed menus, costumes, prizes and thoughtfully crafted questions. The host, Max Simon, fosters engagement and enthusiasm among the players, bringing the experience up a notch. “The main goal for me when I'm hosting is it doesn't matter if you got it right or if you got it wrong, as long as you had fun. That's the real win right there,” said Simon.

With a lively atmosphere and supportive staff, the café creates a fun, dynamic and competitive environment, encouraging players to work together and test their knowledge to the fullest.

A variety of questions for casual viewers and hardcore fans made for a night of fun (Nalyn Tindall/CanCulture)

“We try to make it more of an experience with the themed menu and tossing in some props and decor from the show, so you're really getting a very immersive experience,” said Rebecca Moshe-Steinberg, community manager at Snakes & Lattes.

Moshe-Steinberg is the mind behind these events, proposing trivia night last year and recruiting Simon, her high school friend, to host. Following their first Marvel-themed trivia night in May, the idea took off and has led to many different themed trivia nights over the past year. These events have been well received and tend to sell out; Steinberg noted they’ve even attracted a cast of regular players at their events.

Along with my friends, I had the pleasure of attending the How I Met Your Mother-themed trivia night, which was a blast. The night began with a warm welcome from Simon, who explained the game's rules and set the evening's welcoming and joyful tone. The night consisted of four rounds of trivia, each based on different seasons of the shows, as well as a bonus round for the top two teams during intermission. 

We tried drinks and food off their themed menu, which included thoughtfully crafted dishes with clever nods to characters and moments in the show. We tried the Madame Chews House of Dumplings, pork and kimchi-filled fried dumplings with gochujang sauce, and the Sumb*tches cookie, a sizeable skillet-baked cookie with vanilla ice cream. Both dishes were incredibly delicious and left me wanting more. 

We also tried two themed drinks: a twist on a vodka cranberry called Ms. Robin and a scotch and honey-focused cocktail dubbed Daddy’s Here. Clearly created by master mixologists, the drinks were well-balanced, refreshing and, not to mention, aesthetically pleasing.

Our delicious drinks and dessert from the themed menu. (Nalyn Tindall/CanCulture)

I’d also recommend their regular menu, from which we tried the Snakes Winter Salad, Chai Latte and Mini Cheesecake Tart. I was highly impressed with the quality of food produced at a place that calls itself a café and would plan to eat dinner here if coming for a night of board games.

The night was filled with competitive yet friendly fun, and we found ourselves in fourth place once the 49th and final question had been marked. The questions varied from beginner-friendly to extremely niche, with a good mix of difficulty in each round. I had a great time testing my knowledge, trying tasty treats and joking around with my friend and other guests. “It really does build a great sense of community,” said Simon.

The themes selected for themed trivia nights are often suggestions from patrons and staff members, based on what’s expected to be popular or has previously been a hit.

Moshe-Steinberg noted that the entire team does a lot of research to ensure they’re getting the details right. From the head chef to the mixologists, every member of the team is dedicated to creating a memorable experience.

Overall, Snakes & Lattes trivia nights offer an entertaining and enjoyable experience perfect for groups of friends or family. 

The entertaining, challenging gameplay and delectable food and drinks make for a night to remember. So if you're looking for a unique and engaging way to spend an evening in Toronto, head to Snakes & Lattes and get ready to test your knowledge and have some fun!

Newsworthy journalism stories recommended by journalism students

5 films and TV shows centring the journalism profession that you need to add to your watchlist

By: Julia Lawrence

(Ish Chopra/CanCulture)

The film and TV industry has no shortage of journalist portrayals, and they range from political and crime coverage to teen writers trying to run a magazine. Although some will leave your friends asking if journalists really do that as part of their job (looking at you, Nightcrawler), it’ll provide a fun viewing experience and something interesting for a Friday night.

Through a CanCulture survey, journalism students in Canada and abroad shared their favourite films and TV shows with us that feature the media in one way or another.

Borgen (2010-2022)

Borgen, a Danish political drama show, follows Denmark's first female prime minister and the inner workings of media and politics. While the show started in 2010, it holds up to today’s political climate, and its spin-off, released in 2022, only continues the show’s immersive writing style.

My father recommended this show to me during my first year of university at TMU and I caught myself thinking about it constantly and wondering if my career path would ever be similar.

If you’re a journalist interested in covering the political beat or a viewer who loves drama and tension, then Borgen is for you.

Borgen is available for streaming on Netflix.

A Taxi Driver (2017)

A Taxi Driver is a suggestion by Joshua Chang, a third-year School of Journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). He describes the film as, “A Korean taxi driver who is in desperate need of money and offers to drive an international journalist from Seoul to Gwangju. The journalist seeks to report on the 1980 uprising against the corrupt government.”

“The movie portrays the job of a journalist, the dangers that come with reporting on protests/uprisings, and the importance of reporting/raising awareness of international topics,” Chang added.

A Taxi Driver is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Gay Mean Girls (2019-2023)

Recently, Gay Mean Girls' creator did a Q&A with CanCulture’s film editor Mariana Schuetze. She learned in the piece that “the second season of the show follows student journalist Savannah Lin who becomes embroiled in the complicated dynamics of a queer POC 'safe space' in Toronto.”

Schuetze shares that as the series follows the story of young queer women and non-binary folks, "This season challenges what family means to young, marginalized communities and how it can change as you learn to be true to yourself.”

The series was created by Heyishi Zhang, and season two stars Robyn Matuto, both of whom are TMU alums. The series is shot in the GTA and written and produced by a community of queer women of colour.

Gay Mean Girls is available for streaming on the show’s YouTube channel.

Nightcrawler (2014)

Nightcrawler follows con man Louis Bloom, who is desperate for work and pushes his way into covering crime scenes for L.A. media. Bloom goes a bit too far and becomes more than just an observer of crime as he starts to become the star of the story.

The film was suggested by Mara Maris, a Romanian student currently on exchange studying journalism at the Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX) in Denmark.

“It shows the madness a journalist can tap into once they become kind of addicted to finding stories. As a journalist, there's a point you can get to in which you can't stop wanting everything to be a story,” Maris says.

Nightcrawler is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

The Latest Buzz (2007-2010)

The Canadian teen sitcom, The Latest Buzz, follows a group of 14-year-olds who end up working as writers for Teen BUZZ, a struggling youth magazine. “They navigate the fast-paced world of publishing while also dealing with regular teen issues," says Danielle Reid, a third-year journalism student at TMU.

“It’s a Canadian show that got me interested in the idea of journalism as a kid!” says Reid.

The Latest Buzz series is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video or Youtube.

Are you a journalist or a journalism student? Or maybe someone who’s interested in this (incredibly cool) profession? Do you have a film or TV show you think should be on this list? Leave a comment below, and we’ll make a Part 2.

Canadian talent shines at the 2023 Oscars

Several Canadian nominees were recognized by the film industry at the 95th Academy Awards after a year of great cinema

By: Sarah Grishpul

A giant Oscars statue sits in the middle of the foyer in the Kodak Theatre during preparations for the 84th Academy Awards on Feb. 24, 2012. (Doug Kline via Flickr)

Well, it appears that this year’s Oscars award ceremony went on without a hitch, (or at least without Hitch), with a number of Canadians taking to the stage, tears being shed, and even the legendary Cocaine Bear in attendance.

Overall, it was a big night for breakout indie A24 film, Everything Everywhere all at Once, which dominated the awards ceremony. The movie won a slew of acting and technical achievements, scoring the final Best Picture award at the end of the night. Many actors who had been previously shunned by the industry were finally recognized for their talented performances this year.

In his acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor, an emotional Ke Huy Quan called out to his mother watching at home, “Mom – I just won an Oscar!” and reflected on his struggles as a child actor.

“Dreams are something you have to believe in, I almost gave up on mine,” said Quan. “To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive.”

In a close race for Best Actress between Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett, Yeoh brought home the Oscar, making her the first Asian woman to have won such an award (about damn time!).

“Ladies, don’t let anyone tell you you are ever past your prime, never give up,” said Yeoh during her speech, dedicating her award to her own mother as well as to mothers everywhere. “Because they are really the superheroes, and without them, none of us will be here tonight.”

It was also a big night for the Canadian film industry, as several Canadians brought home Oscars during the 95th Academy Awards this year. Here are the Canadians honoured at the event along with their acclaimed films:

Sarah Polley (Women Talking): Best Adapted Screenplay

If you haven’t heard of Toronto filmmaker Sarah Polley or seen her latest film Women Talking, I suggest you pause reading this article and get yourself to the nearest screening because this cinematic marvel truly deserves your attention.

“I want to thank the Academy for not being mortally offended by the words women and talking being so close together like that,” said Polley during her acceptance speech, eliciting a second round of applause from the audience.

Polley won an Oscar for her adaptation of Canadian author Miriam Toews’ novel, and rightly so, as the screenplay is one of the film’s strongest attributes. The story is about a group of women from an isolated religious colony coming together to decide whether they must forgive the men for their constant assaults or leave to start a new life.

“We know that we’ve been attacked by men, not by ghosts or Satan as we’ve been led to believe for so long. We know that we’ve not imagined these attacks,” said Claire Foy as Salome in a riveting scene where some of the women begin to question whether the men accused really are guilty.

This film tackles tough subjects about abuse and the power struggles women face in a society heavily influenced by the patriarchy. Polley also examines how the young boys in the colony are positioned to follow in the footsteps of their abusers through educational institutions and gender constructs set in place.

While none of the aforementioned abuse is depicted on-screen, Polley’s script is able to capture the impact such matters have on the characters' lives and actions, making the award well-deserved indeed.

Brendan Fraser (The Whale): Best Actor

While Brendan Fraser was born in America to Canadian parents, I still say we claim him as one of our own (he is on Canada’s Walk of Fame, after all).

Fraser’s return to Hollywood, in what has been dubbed by the internet as the Brenaissance, has captured the hearts and minds of audiences with his comeback story. Fraser claimed in a GQ interview in 2018 that he had been blacklisted in the industry after coming forward publicly about being sexually assaulted by the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), Phillip Berk.

“I started in this business 30 years ago, and things didn’t come easily to me, but there was a facility that I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped,” said Fraser in his acceptance speech. “And I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgement.”

Since then, with the release of Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, an Oscar for Best Actor is only one in a collection of awards Fraser has accumulated for his performance. Fraser received a Critics’ Choice, Satellite, Screen Actors Guild, and the TIFF Tribute Award for his role as Charlie in the film.

Adrien Morot (The Whale): Best Makeup and Hairstyling

The Whale also took home another award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling that night. Montreal-born makeup artist Adrien Morot, along with his team, won for their work on transforming Brendan Fraser into his character through the first-time use of all digital prosthetic makeup in a major feature film.

“The Whale is very different in terms of technical requirements from anything I’ve done before, and from anything that anyone in the makeup field has done before,” said Morot in an interview with CityNews.

With only 12 weeks to develop the prosthetics, Morot used a digital sculpture and a 3D printer to create the 300-pound suit, which took four crew members to assemble in the span of about three and a half hours.

While Canadians may celebrate the win of one of our own, it’s important to recognize the way Hollywood has used fat suits to depict Fatness through a harmful lens. Historically, the industry has used fat suits to make a mockery of or to depict fat bodies as an obstacle to overcome rather than embraced.

Some examples that come to mind are “Fat Monica” from Friends, where her younger self was depicted as obsessed with food, sloppy and unattractive. Or Debby Ryan’s character in the Netflix show Insatiable, whose body-centric plot resulted in fat-shaming and misleading depictions of weight loss.

Many Fat activists have condemned The Whale for its portrayal of Fatness and have taken a stand against the film.

James Cameron (Avatar: The Way of Water): Best Visual Effects

The moment Canadian filmmaker James Cameron’s long-awaited trailer for the Avatar sequel dropped, everyone knew it was a shoo-in to win Best Visual Effects (VFX) at the Oscars.

According to a BBC article, the original film had only been 70-75 per cent computer-generated while Avatar: The Way of Water is around 90 per cent VFX.

Cameron, renowned for being a pioneer in visual effects, continued to make major advancements with motion-capture and computer-generated technology in this film.

His greatest accomplishment in this film is the way of water itself, shooting the scenes with motion-capture equipment in a specialized water tank. The actors and crew had to undergo a year’s worth of underwater training to adapt to the filming conditions, as they weren’t allowed to wear diving equipment.

The first Avatar film also won the award for Best Visual Effects in 2009, leading many to wonder whether audiences will see the same results at the Oscars when Cameron’s third edition of the franchise comes out.

Similarly to the first film, the sequel also garnered many criticisms from Indigenous communities who criticized the series for its dilution and romanticization of coloniality. Taking inspiration from the early American colonial period, Indigenous activists take issue with the continuation of Indigenous stories told from a white perspective.

Daniel Roher (Navalny) Best Documentary Feature Film

Born in Toronto, director Daniel Roher filmed Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition, after his attempted murder in 2020.

“I would like to dedicate this award to Navalny, to all political prisoners around the world,” said Roher during his speech. “Alexei, the world has not forgotten your vital message to us all. We cannot, we must not, be afraid to oppose dictators and authoritarianism wherever it rears its head.”

Navalny invited Roher to film their venture to seek out the reasoning behind his poisoning and who was behind it. While the Kremlin had denied any connection to the attack, Navalny accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering the assassination attempt. Since then, Navalny has been in solitary confinement in the Russian prison system.

Roher and his team hope that the documentary will reach people in Russia, and that the Academy Award will help bring attention to Navalny’s imprisonment.

The end of an era: The growing obsolescence of Hollywood movie awards

As award shows rapidly decrease in both ratings and attendance, do we still need Hollywood to deem what is the best of cinema?

By: Sarah Grishpul

Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences distributes several prestigious awards, more commonly known as the Oscars, to a selection of elite figures Hollywood deems to represent the best of the industry.

The notion of such a ceremony was devised in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, head of the acclaimed MGM Studios, wanted a beach house. Like most men with both an obscene amount of money and power, he called upon his employees to build it for him.

In fear of emerging ideas of unionization, Mayer organized a group with fellow Hollywood elites to stifle labour complaints by issuing prizes recognizing the so-called pantheons of the moving picture scene. Thus, the Academy Awards were born.

Following the success of the Oscars came the emergence of several other film and television award shows. The Directors Guild of America Awards began nearly a decade after the Oscars in 1938 to celebrate acclaimed directors. This was closely followed by the Golden Globes in 1944, run by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The Globes recognize the achievements of both film and television in the industry and usually serve as an indicator of who the frontrunners or winners will be during the upcoming Oscars ceremony.

The ‘90s brought the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, which primarily recognizes actors, and the Critics Choice Awards, where entertainment critics and journalists vote on the best in show business.

Canada didn’t get its own award ceremony to advocate and promote Canadian talent until the creation of the Canadian Screen Awards in 2013.

However, recently audience attendance towards these types of award shows has been rapidly decreasing. Despite gaining a 58 per cent increase from 2021 in attendance last year, the Oscars still only managed 16.6 million viewers, making it their second lowest-viewed telecast. The Golden Globes faced similar numbers that year with 6.3 million viewers, a steep decline from the 18 million garnered in 2020.

One of the reasons behind general movie lovers’ aversions towards such an upscale event could be a lack of faith in Hollywood as an institution. Due to the dozens of controversies and systemic barriers in place, many question if these award shows truly represent the best of cinema.

Much like political campaigns, film studios spend exorbitant amounts of money pushing their movies to the forefront of the public eye. It’s common to see actors appear in advertisements, interviews and round-table discussions to promote their films.

In the early 1990s, former film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein was famous for his aggressive campaigning tactics. He was known to conjure an Oscar win for any of his films by reaching out to Academy voters, arranging private screenings and creating a consistent and ostentatious slew of promotional material.

While this campaigning strategy was effective, such obvious methods of bribery and coercion damaged the reputation of the award shows. It soon became apparent to audiences that whoever had the most money, power and influence in Hollywood would be guaranteed a win.

Such corruption has been exposed over the past years in the HFPA. The 87 Hollywood correspondents responsible for doling out the awards were revealed to have been easily swayed by film producers through bribery and press junkets in an investigation in the Los Angeles Times.

Additionally, these award shows are criticized for their lack of representation, reflected both in the nominations and within the exclusive voting groups. Recently, the 2021 Golden Globes ceremony abandoned a live telecast due to the explosion of controversies regarding conflicts of interest and the fact that there was not a single Black member in the HFPA.

This issue isn’t just exclusive to the Golden Globes. During the 2015 Oscars, not a single Black actor was nominated for an award — and the Oscars have only nominated seven female directors (Kathryn Bigelow, Chloé Zhao and Jane Campion being the only three to win the award). It’s a clear indication of the lack of diversity behind the scenes of what’s meant to be a ceremony to recognize the best in Hollywood—best becomes unmeaning when those who define it are fueled by a matrix of power and systems of oppression.

In an article published for Variety, Reign pointed out that audiences consume entertainment through their own lenses and experiences. Because the Academy was 84 per cent white and 68 per cent male in 2020, that would explain why so many nominated films reflect the stories of these demographics.

Recently, the Academy implemented new “representation and inclusion requirements” for studios when submitting their films for the Best Picture Award. By the 2024 awards ceremony, to meet the Oscar’s on-screen representation standard, a film must: feature at least one lead or significant supporting character from an underrepresented racial group, have at least 30 per cent of secondary roles be from two marginalized groups, or the main storyline of the film must be focused on a racial or ethnic minority group.

Aside from on-screen representation, the Academy enacted similar eligibility standards for the talent behind the scenes. In the leadership positions, at least six crew members or 30 per cent in a film must be from an underrepresented group. These rules also apply to internships and opportunities for below-the-line workers.

Underrepresented groups, according to the Oscars' requirements, include women, people of colour, people who identify as LGBTQ or people with disabilities.

Red carpet at 81st Annual Academy Awards at Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Feb. 22, 2009. (Greg Hernandez via Flickr)

However, despite all these changes, Hollywood has yet to recapture the hearts and minds of the average movie-watcher. Apart from the lack of representation and blatant corruption, award shows have begun to grow out of touch with their younger audience.

According to CNBC, the key demographic of adults from 18-49 has dropped ratings significantly by 60 per cent from the 2020 Academy Awards. Since the decline in ratings, Hollywood has been desperately trying to reconnect with movie fans.

During last year’s Oscars, the Academy introduced the wildly unpopular most-popular-film category, the Oscars Fan Favourite, where viewers could vote online for the year’s fan favourite. Many saw this as the Academy’s way to shoehorn blockbuster films into the telecast and thus prove to sceptics that they have an appreciation for these types of movies. 

Unfortunately, it was a lazy attempt to engage with average movie-goers. The results of these online voting polls were heavily distorted by a rush of bots and chronically online fandoms, leaving many fans upset with the outcome being Zack Snyder's Justice League.

In addition to that, eight of the categories (film editing, sound, makeup/hairstyling, original score, production design, documentary short, animated short and live-action short) were cut due to complaints over the length of the show. They were then pre-recorded and edited into the telecast, causing an uproar among many industry professionals.

So, does all this indicate that movie awards don’t matter to general audiences anymore? Perhaps.

However, as an avid film fan, I would say there is still something to be appreciated about these productions.

These events bring together some of the most talented filmmakers, actors and visual craftsmen to recognize a year’s worth of love and labour. It introduces millions of people to a vast collection of films and stories to reflect on and discuss.

An example would be Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite’s historic win at the 2019 Oscars. It became the first non-English-language film to have won Best Picture and gave Joon-ho a platform to speak unto Hollywood’s historic treatment of films outside the Western lens. This win also served to introduce a whole new audience to Korean-cinema, and the potential for the Oscars to widen its film pool from strictly American films.

So, while movie award shows may be unbearably pretentious and overtly cringe, they have the potential to lift up and recognize great talent and work from a diverse collection of actors, directors and creative teams. Although they have been slow to change, it’s steady progress I hope to see continue as I switch on the channel every year.

Powerful programming: The Toronto Black Film Festival

A Toronto festival features content from Black creators in film, music and spoken word

By: Gabriel Hilty

Opening night was hosted at the Isabel Bader Theatre, in Toronto. Prior to the film screening, the festival featured speeches from sponsors and the festival founder Fabienne Colas. (Gabriel Hilty/CanCulture)

In Canada and the West, the first thing associated with cinema is often Hollywood, an industry that has a glaring lack of diversity. This disparity is highlighted by statistics of lead figures in top-grossing movies and industry events like the Oscars that are routinely criticized for celebrating whiteness over talent.

That’s where the Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF) comes in, with its organizational mission to “develop the independent film industry and to promote more films on the reality of Black people around the globe.”

From on-screen to behind the cameras and to the newsrooms covering events, the spaces allotted to those in the film industry are claustrophobic to marginalized communities, a reality that TBFF aims to change.

In contrast to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and its celebration of large-scale and indie films, the Toronto Black Film Festival envisions itself showcasing Black films and “creating a space to debate major cultural, social and socio-economic issues.”

The festival returned to Toronto from Feb. 15 to 20 in its comeback from pandemic restrictions that forced it to take place online for two years.

Its schedule featured 125 film screenings, musical and spoken word performances, along with discussion panels on Canadian film.

In the array of dozens of film festivals in Canada and the world, TBFF stood out, emerging from the predominantly white spaces film festivals usually find themselves in.

Inclusive programming, support for the next generation of Black filmmakers and the powerful content featured front and centre are some of the ways TBFF creates an inclusive path for underrepresented artists.

Digital innovation

The festival website prominently advertised the online access pass to its programming. (Screenshot via www.torontoblackfilm.com/all-access)

Accessibility was a forefrontal thought for the TBFF organizers. While governments and many individuals have decided to move past pandemic protections like masking and proof of vaccination, the festival organizers recognized that this may not work for everyone.

Familiar from pre-pandemic times, the in-person-only approach that has made a slow return to the community isn’t suited for disabled people, immunocompromised people and others who take precautions and avoid large indoor venues with mask-free crowds.

In order to accommodate those wary of in-person events, TBFF hosted an online access pass alongside its in-person programming.

The online access included most of the festival’s content at a slightly reduced price compared to a regular all-access ticket.

Andrea Este, the head coordinator of TBFF, talked about the festival’s plan for hybrid access methods in the future.

“Our first in-person hybrid festival was the Calgary Black Film Festival in 2022, and we’ve decided that going forward, we will always keep the online component to give more people access to these films” Este said.

TBFF’s decision to continue offering virtual access is a model for what other festivals and events can provide, especially with the knowledge gained in online video technology early in the pandemic — which gives little excuse not to offer alternative ways to access content.

Opportunities for the next generation

Andrea Este speaking about the Being Black in Canada program before screening the short films created within the program. (Gabriel Hilty/CanCulture)

Advancing Canadian talent in the film industry is another area where TBFF has a unique approach that stands out, dedicating a whole night of programming to emerging Black Canadian filmmakers.

The filmmakers at TBFF are highlighted through the Being Black in Canada program.

The program, founded by TBFF creator Fabienne Colas and her namesake foundation, is “Canada’s largest mentorship & training program for Black filmmakers,” according to their website.

Every year, it mentors around 30 young Black filmmakers from across major Canadian cities.

At the opening ceremony, Fabienne Colas talked about the role of the festival and its programming in the Canadian film landscape.

“We want to continue to showcase exceptional work that doesn’t always make it to the silver screen by giving a voice to the marginalized and fostering the development of independent film,” Colas said.

After the creation and production in the program, the short films developed by the filmmakers screen at TBFF in a fantastic collection and showcase of talent.

With a runtime of approximately 10 minutes, each filmmaker only had a short timeframe to highlight their work and creative talent in their films. 

This challenge was tackled differently in each of the films, with some keeping focus on one subject for the whole duration and others choosing to split time by giving shorter insights into the stories of multiple interconnected issues, all part of a larger theme.

Sync, a film by Hilary Etomo Mba, focused on the concept of non-romantic love. The film features three duos, each having conversations on the value of their love for each other outside of the traditional romance-linked definition of the word.

Various techniques used by Mba allow the film to be creative in spite of the short timeframe.

The use of different groups of people allowed her to capture a variety of voices and settings within the film’s time parameters, and the predominantly used ‘fly on the wall’ perspective enabled intimate insight into the personal discussions of the film’s main subjects.

The topics of Sync and the other short films were unique, often reflecting the background and experiences of the filmmakers, and the whole array of films displayed creativity and diversity of ideas.

Topics ranged from important, often swept under the rug, subjects like sex-work to intimate conversations about Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and profiles on local Black businesses.

Content: Not Shying away from important issues

Film director Matt Waldeck (left) and narrator and main subject Rickey Jackson (right) speaking in a Q&A after the opening night screening of their film Lovely Jackson. (Gabriel Hilty/CanCulture) 

Centrepieces at film festivals, like the opening and closing films, are important; they can set the tone for the whole festival and send a message about the values of the event and what it wants to highlight as important.

To select these critical films and create the right impact, the preparation behind the scenes is a process that goes far beyond the days leading up to the opening night.

Este said that elements like discussions on topics, selecting people to invite and going through applications submitted to the festival start around three months in advance.

“They go through the process of watching all of the submitted films,” she said, detailing the selection process done by the festival’s programming team.

After this, Este said that the team makes the decisions on which films make it into the final schedule based on collective discussions.

This year, TBFF opened in the Isabel Bader Theatre with the film Lovely Jackson, directed by Matt Waldeck. 

A deeply personal story released in 2022, Lovely Jackson is a feature documentary on the story of Rickey Jackson, the man who served the longest wrongful incarceration in the United States.

The film takes a different approach from more traditional true crime documentaries: rather than centreing the story on a crime or a killer told from a third-person perspective, such as detectives who worked on the case, the main figure in Lovely Jackson is Rickey Jackson himself.

A powerful statement as the opening film of TBFF, Lovely Jackson puts a spotlight on the continued problems in the judicial and carceral system Jackson encountered during his nearly 40 years of imprisonment, and the same militant systems that remain intact today.

It touches on topics including systemic injustices and systemic racism through a first-person recount, along with themes of friendship and Jackson’s capacity for forgiveness.

The wider release of Lovely Jackson after it finishes its festival tour is yet to be announced.

The Toronto Black Film Festival: A powerful event

TBFF highlights some of Canada’s diversity that other festivals and the film industry as a whole need to incorporate, and gives opportunities to the next generation of Black Canadian creators. 

With a lineup of events beyond just film screenings, including live music performances and open discussions with experts in the Canadian film industry, TBFF creates a comprehensive approach to inclusivity across multiple mediums.

As a part of its itinerary, TBFF doesn’t shy away from featuring more complicated and sometimes divisive topics, with this year’s opening film Lovely Jackson touching on systemic injustices and problems within the judicial and carceral institutions.

TBFF is a must-see event for everyone when the festival returns in 2024 for its 12th edition.

Review: On Winston LaRose and the Mr. Jane and Finch documentary

The story of an 80-year-old Black candidate with community in his heart who ran for Toronto’s City Council

By: Hadiqah Khalil

(Kevin Konnyu via Creative Commons)

Content Warning: Ant-Blackness, Police Brutality, Anti-Black Stereotypes

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If you search up “Jane and Finch” on Google, the results received are the typical stereotypes against the “Jane and Finch” community—essentially written by someone guided by systemic biases and the historical impacts of white supremacy. However, as one elderly activist fought to challenge the stigma against Jane and Finch, the documentary of his efforts sheds new light on the community he loves.

In the 1960s, Jane and Finch grew from a small hub of 1,300 residents to 33,000 in 1971. Amid a bustling city gentrified by white homeowners, Jane and Finch, a contrastingly racialized neighborhood, was failed by a government unwilling to provide its growing community with the social infrastructure it needed to survive. Social services and economic opportunities were seldom proportionately funneled to community members as organized police presence made the area one of the most state-surveilled in Toronto. But what a power-laden media apparatus that routinely paints Jane and Finch as a “catch-all name” for crime and violence in the city fails to show, Jane and Finch has long been an emblem of cultural richness, collectivity and care. And one of the activists at the heart of this community: Winston LaRose.

In a CBC documentary that captures the heartening journey of the 80-year-old activist,  Torontonians get a 44-minute glimpse into the life of Mr. Jane and Finch himself as he  advocates for the rights of the Jane and Finch community while bringing the lack of Black representation in Canadian politics to the fore.

The story is unpredictable yet invigoratingly moving — it encouraged me to actually get out of bed and dissect flaws in my life and inspire my surrounding communities. Thematic elements of racial injustice are present in the film as it highlights the corrupt Canadian political system, that leaves very little room for genuine change in the Jane and Finch area. Despite the uncertainty, the central figure of this documentary deeply encourages the audience to continue to revolutionize and rise up against all odds.

The story, directed and produced by Canadian film directors Ngardy Conteh George and Alison Duke, first premiered at the Toronto Black Film Festival in 2019. After Mr. Jane and Finch’s official airing on CBCDocsPOV on Feb. 22, 2019, the film won the Donald Brittain Award the following year. In addition, the documentary won an award for Best Writing in a Documentary Program at the eighth Canadian Screen Awards in 2020. It is currently available to stream on CBC Gem.

It’s safe to say the 2018 Municipal election was a controversial one in the books (as the council was reduced from 47 wards to just 25), but LaRose did not fail to challenge the stereotypes towards his community against other politicians. LaRose is not just a community member, an advocate or even a running candidate—he’s a proud citizen known by all as Mr. Jane and Finch. 

“Jane and Finch is a community that is close to my heart. It is a richly diverse community north of Downtown Toronto, a place where new immigrants come to settle,” LaRose said in the documentary. “I have been grassroots in the community. I represent people in every kind of advocacy situation.” 

So, where does his political journey begin? Viewers are taken back to the 2018 Municipal Election when LaRose ran for councillor of Ward 7—passionate about representing the Jane and Finch community. He believes in assisting the general population with immigration difficulties, housing concerns, police brutality and the lack of safety for youth in local schools.

The film’s ability to capture such live and pivotal moments during the election is truly an eye-opener to those who fail to understand the undeniable existence of racism in Canada’s foundations, history and present. The film implores viewers to reconsider and reflect on the powerful voices we choose to give platforms to, and who we allow to dictate how our communities exist.

The documentary showcases the presence of LaRose’s competition: Giorgio Mammoliti and mentions the racist remarks presented by Mammoliti when he referred to the representatives of the Jane and Finch community as "cockroaches." Respectfully, someone, please educate me on why Mammoliti came in second place while LaRose came in seventh in the 2018 Municipal election. These results alone say enough about our political system.

LaRose showcases just the opposite. For over 25 years, he and his team served the public through their local office located in Yorkgate Mall, while creating The Jane-Finch Concerned Citizens Organization (JFCCO). This organization actively develops to provide deserved rights to the disadvantaged, which includes opportunities and services available for youth as well as battling against social and economic injustices.

The Jane and Finch community continued to face attacks through controversial comments, according to Ontario’s Minister of Community Safety Michael Tibollo in the documentary. As he entered the Jane and Finch area — of which Black Canadians make up almost 30 per cent — he further propagated and enabled racist ideologies by referring to the community’s history with gang violence: "I went out to Jane and Finch, put on a bulletproof vest, and spent 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the morning visiting sites that had previously had bullet-ridden people killed in the middle of the night," Tibollo said.

I stand with LaRose on the behavioral effects severe underemployment, poverty and police brutality has on the community. One can only take action once educated on the causes of the problem: displacement, discrimination and colonialism.

“Our politicians are not dealing with the fundamental root causes of what's causing crime. It's always about bringing in more police officers, putting police officers in our schools, they'll bring them in our churches next,” said LaRose during his campaign. ”If we restructure our [government] approach to how we create societies and communities, we will not have the crime problem.”

The documentary was definitely worth the watch if one would like to educate themselves on what went down in the 2018 municipal election from the eyes of LaRose himself, although I felt it lacked further discussion on Black Canadians and the colonial undercurrents and beliefs still held today against the Jane and Finch community. I hoped the film would have had a 50/50 discussion of LaRose’s campaign, yet also providing much needed context of Black Canadian history, to those who are uneducated on the sole issues they encounter.

After watching this film, I feel inspired, yet vastly humiliated, as I see a man who is driven to make his voice be heard while many individuals—shamefully including myself prior to viewing the film—hold unconscious biases towards a community without self-educating on the root of the problem. Mr. Jane and Finch represents the many members of a community who have been suppressed by the rest of Torontonians as the rising stereotypes overtake them. Let’s continue to slam down racist remarks and degrading stereotypes on a community that grounds the city and makes space for its community members to exist and thrive unapologetically.

Rating: 3.5/5

Looking for purpose: A review of Jean of the Joneses

Jean Jones navigates life as a first-generation Jamaican in New York as a member of a highly secretive, dysfunctional family whose most profound secret washes up on their doorway, dead

By: Alexa Fairclough

(Roberto Ourgant/Unsplash)

Jamaican-Canadian director Stella Meghie’s 2016 film Jean of the Joneses, contains a humour akin to Issa Rae’s Awkward Black Girl, melodrama reminiscent of Tyler Perry and charm that is all her own. Within this feature-length film, she’s able to tell a full story of a young woman’s encounters with love, loss and growth. Despite the complexity of these themes, there is an undercurrent of jest throughout the film.

The gritty, low-budget Lifetime movie entitled Jean of the Joneses, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in Texas, follows the titular character on her journey to discover her family's mysterious past and unlearn her own toxic patterns. Though the story takes place in New York, the main family’s recent Jamaican descent and the struggles they face can easily resonate deeply with Black Canadian audiences.

After years of living without a paternal figure, an estranged patriarch of the Jones family appears on the front doorstep before perishing shortly after. Following her newly discovered grandfather’s death, Jean is the only family member who takes the initiative to give him a proper send off. She does this while balancing her own tumultuous romantic relationships with men, one of whom being the EMT she rode to the hospital with following her grandfather’s death.

Following a breakup that leaves her without a permanent home, Jean floats around the homes of her kin network, consisting of her mother, grandmother and aunties. Her erratic travels are spurred by a need for shelter and the burn of rejection due to her incompatibility with her respective family members — a rejection well known amongst young people aiming to establish independence from their families.

Meghie so subtly and beautifully demonstrates how familial dysfunction births inertia in young creatives.

The Joneses' criticism of Jean is relatable to many young women, as she’s is often chastised for being unmarried, despite only being 25- years- old. She receives many overbearing comments on her choice to wear her hair naturally in low maintenance styles and her individual stylistic choices with her clothing. Lastly, she’s berated for her stagnation in her career, as context clues allude to her once being an up-and-coming writer with seemingly abundant potential. Amid this beratement, each family member she stays with accepts her into their homes and begrudgingly accompanies her on her journey for answers as they attempt to aid her in finding a new sense of purpose.

Meghie so subtly and beautifully demonstrates how familial dysfunction births inertia in young creatives. Jean becomes a weapon for intergenerational reckoning juxtaposed with her aunts and mother's generation, who did not question their mother’s façade of perfection. The first-generation Jamaicans in the film, Jean’s mother and aunts, have waded through the chaos created by their parents and have become upwardly mobile Black people in New York. Even though the family is economically stable, each of them is out of balance and complacent with the status quo — except for Jean.

Meghie is an accomplished writer, director and producer — an auteur, if you will. She began her career in public relations before pivoting into screenwriting — a move that challenged the stereotypical narrative of Black Canadian and Jamaican history within the film industry. As Black women have been excluded from telling their stories for far too long, her work has been an important step forward for intersectionality.

Her debut film Jean of the Joneses was nominated for the Best Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards and the Canadian Screen Award. Since then, she has directe her first feature film, Everything, Everything (2017), which was nominated for a National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People Image Award for Best Outstanding Director, as well as The Weekend (2018), The Photograph (2020) and, most recently, the Whitney Houston Biopic, I Want to Dance With Somebody (2022).

To create such incredible works, Meghie has drawn from her personal experiences as inspiration for many of her films, a common method for a filmmaker. But as a Black woman, Meghie’s methods provide content that contrasts the media we so often absorb. These stories have been bottled up for generations, waiting for the chance to be told. And much like the secrets and stories of the Jones family that have been bottled up for so long, loosening the cap has only been for the better.

Gay Mean Girls is exactly the type of show we've always needed

Read CanCulture's Q&A with creator and director Heyishi Zhang and season 2 star Robyn Matuto

By: Mariana Schuetze

(L to R) Vicky To stars as “Skye”, Jenna Phoa stars as “Savannah Lin” and Robyn Matuto stars as “Jenn” in director Heyishi Zhang’s GAY MEAN GIRLS Season 2, a KindaTV release on YouTube. (Courtesy of KindaTV)

Gay Mean Girls is nothing like anything I've seen before. It started as a short film then turned into a successful webseries, with it's second season premiering this year. It's a coming-of-age queer dramedy filled with joy, laughs, anger, disappointment and everything that comes with being a queer teenager in high school. 

The series was created by Toronto Metropolitan University alum Heyishi Zhang, and season two stars Robyn Matuto, also a TMU alum. The series is shot in the GTA and is written and produced by a community of queer women of colour.

The second season of the show follows student journalist Savannah Lin who becomes embroiled in the complicated dynamics of a queer POC "safe space" in Toronto. Following the story of young queer women and non-binary folks, this season challenges what family means to young, marginalized communities and how it can change as you learn to be true to yourself.

CanCulture's film editor Mariana Schuetze had the opportunity to sit down with Zhang and Matuto and talk about their work and thoughts on the show.

Why Gay Mean Girls? Where does that title come from?

Zhang: I think that 'gay' is because the characters are gay. They're mean because I think that all the characters have like a very ambiguous moral compass. And I think ultimately, the story is more of a critique of the structures that we live in. And it's an expression of how these kids act out as a result of the oppression that they face. And then the girls is because they are… I think the girls aspect is like, it's like a more playful spin to what these characters are experiencing.

And, of course, I would be remiss not to mention the film Mean Girls. I think for me, I remember watching it; there was like a very homoerotic quality to the relationships that all the women had with each other, especially because the men in that film were kind of used as pawns. But the women were the players of all of that. And so even though they were attracted to men, all of their attention was toward the women. And so I think I wanted to see a more explicitly queer version of these mean girls.

And how has the response been? I saw that you pre-screened at TIFF Next Wave (for season one, in 2019, and now for season two). How was that like?

Zhang: Oh, it's wonderful. I think screening the first season, it made a really big impact on me. And I think, because it was a live audience, to see how people reacted in real-time, it was pretty interesting. And so I ended up kind of writing the second season more like a feature than something episodic, for that reason. Because I had always dreamed of, or I had always envisioned, that the audience would receive it in a theatre for the second season, as opposed to the first, where it was going to be received online.

I think to me, one of the facets of the show is that it's like, if you get it, you get it, if you don't, you don't. And the people who get it really go hard. And I really appreciate that. And then everyone else who doesn't get it, I think there's like something for everyone, or I try to put something for everyone in there whether it's the one-liners or the certain tension between the characters and stuff like that. I find that the audience online often latch onto those things. It's fun to see how everyone reacts to it. But I think it's really rewarding to see some of the audience understand the structural critiques that are being made about society, as well.

Jenna Phoa stars as “Savannah Lin” in director Heyishi Zhang’s GAY MEAN GIRLS Season 2, a KindaTV release on YouTube. (Courtesy of KindaTV)

Were you there, Robyn, for the season two screening? How was that?

Matuto: Yeah, I was. It was really… it was just really fun. And it was just really great to just have people come up to me later and just be like, “I experienced something like that, too.” I think every person of colour that went to this screening was like, "I totally get what I saw on screen.I know what it feels like to have social justice language being weaponized against you." Or like, "I've met a Savannah or I've met a Jen before…"  

Robyn, can you tell us a little bit about, your character Jen, and how you became involved with the production?

Matuto: I remember in the audition process, I went into it, playing like a very archetypal mean girl, and it was just really interesting because after, Heyishi and I would have conversations, and talk about, you know, that she doesn't set out to be mean.

I think the thing with Jen is like, she's never gonna see herself as the antagonist of the story. She is the hero of her own story. And that was just a really interesting and juicy thing to play. Because at the end of the day, she does, I believe, have a good heart. And she really is trying to balance loyalty to herself, and her friendship with Savannah, as well as her reputation. And that was just a lot of fun to play with. And really, like sit down and think like, you know, I can't go into this playing a character that I want to judge, I have to go into this being like, "nope,  this is her, whatever her truth is, it's her truth, even if someone in the story doesn't receive it that way."

And how was it creating these characters? And exploring this universe in season two? How does it feel to write and direct something that you've created?

Zhang: I'm really happy with the season, compared especially to the first season, I think because this season is an expression of what the inside of my head feels like. Especially the sixth episode that does this justice. In the sense that everything is a little exaggerated and wrong. But, it's meant to be menacing and dangerous but it's not presented as such like the visuals are very, very, fun and colourful.

But to answer your question, in terms of what it's like to make it, honestly, it was really hard. I think for me, the show is a way for me to organize my memories. And my memories are not that pleasant. So I had to dig in.

I think that I had to really try to understand not only my environment, and the social rules of my environment, and to articulate clearly what those words are in the making of the store and its world. But also, I have to seek to understand the people around me, and that included the people who have hurt me as well. And I think the nice thing about being able to make movies is that it's easier to empathize with people who have hurt you when you have narrative control. And so I think that was one of the more challenging processes of writing the show. And in terms of directing it and everything, I think, for me, I learned a lot about, like, how much prep goes into making, like into planning for set and how I can improve as a director.

And in talking about creating the show, how important was it for you, for both of you, or how did it feel to have women of colour leading this project in front of and behind the camera?

Matuto:  I feel like it really made a world of a difference because I've been acting since I was a teenager. And most of the time when I'm on set, no one looks like me.No one talks like me. No one gets the same jokes about having immigrant parents as me. And on this, I really felt comfortable, just like existing. I feel like a lot of the time when you're on set, and you're a woman of colour, you're always gonna be at least 30 per cent on survival mode, even if you're on the safest set in the world, it's still gonna be a majority of white men. And that's just kind of like how the industry goes.

In this, I always felt comfortable, voicing out like, "hey, in my family, Jen would talk like this." Or if like, I saw something on set, I would be like, "Hey, I could actually bring something of Filipino culture to hang up." I totally felt comfortable doing that. It just really felt like an environment where I didn't have to necessarily be "on," so to speak, which is nice. And just being with a cast where I wasn't playing like the token Asian best friend because oftentimes when I'm out there, like that is the role I'm being submitted for and then, I'm the only one on set who has that experience, and I'm regurgitating lines that are made for the token Asian best friend, but in this case, like everyone is Asian. It really didn't feel like…an alienating experience.

Zhang:  I think I remember that Jen was written to be East Asian in the script. And then, we had worked in aspects of Filipino culture into the character, like as a result of Robyn's casting. 

But yes, in terms of having women of colour lead the story, I think all the people in the writing room are also women of colour. And I think that there's a certain understanding of "how have I seen the world structurally?" And understanding how to portray the characters and having the story play out in a realistic manner; in a way that you wouldn't get anywhere else. And I hope that the rest of the industry is able to catch up with what indie creators in the web series sphere are doing. Because it seems like this, it's oftentimes when these low-budget, indie web series or like spaces are the types of projects that the creators are able to take any kind of real risk. And it's where you see different stories being told. And so I hope that the Canadian TV world and the Canadian film world is able to see the kind of innovation that's taking place in the web series.

Jenna Phoa stars as “Savannah Lin” in director Heyishi Zhang’s GAY MEAN GIRLS Season 2, a KindaTV release on YouTube. (Coutesy of KindaTV)

In talking about the future and about hope, what do you hope audiences take from from Gay Mean Girls season two?

Zhang: I hope that they find the story funny and entertaining and that they can relate to it. That's really basic, but basically, it's kind of what Robyn was saying about like, "oh, like I've had these community experiences with all this corruption and everything." Because I think it's something that people don't really want to talk about because these spaces are very marginalized. And the problem is very complex. And so it's like, sometimes people don't know how to talk about it, or sometimes they're just cowards. And they don't want to risk being on the outs. But I hope that the show can be, like, a starting point to having these kinds of conversations. And in turn, I hope it rubs the right people the wrong way.

Matuto:  I guess for me, I would just say that I really hope people go away from it rethinking the structures that they work within and the institutions that they work within.

I think  the greatest response I had after was  my friends and family coming up to me being like, "I've never seen someone talk about these organizations and these grassroots communities like that." And it's like, well, yeah, like, 100 per cent, that happens, but I think people just don't want to talk about it because it is such a safe space for so many people. But at the end of the day, we are just replicating the same stuff that we're seeing in these institutions that we're trying to run away from.

And then just like—I know this is such a boring answer— but like empathy, too. And maybe that's because I played Jen. You know, she does a lot of wrong in this series, but she does a lot of what she thinks is right too. And I think at the end of the day, you just got to think about it like, putting yourself in those people's shoes doesn't mean they're right. Or maybe we should just think about it and what brought them to that place in their life.

Zhang:  I think to add to that, it's like I hope people can recognize the cop that lives inside them and to be reckoned with that.

Jenna Phoa stars as “Savannah Lin” in director Heyishi Zhang’s GAY MEAN GIRLS Season 2, a KindaTV release on YouTube. (Courtesy KindaTV)

Zhang and Matuto are just getting started, and Gay Mean Girls shows just how incredible content can be when community members are able to tell their own stories, on their own terms. They say they hope everyone loves it – especially the series’ sixth episode, their personal favourite. And if they don't, Matuto hopes that at least viewers examine why they hate it.

Gay Mean Girls’ season one is already available on their YouTube channel and the second season is set to premier on Feb. 24 at 3:30 pm EST, and every following Friday. Fans can also follow them on their social media, @gaymeangirls on every social media platform.

Behind the scenes with FilmTripper on her blog and social media journey

Becca Rhodes shares how she built her TikTok visiting movie sets and sharing informative blog posts

By: Julia Lawrence

(Becca Rhodes/The Film Tripper)

Is there a movie set you’ve always wanted to visit in real life, but didn’t know where to start? Becca Rhodes had the same question before beginning her journey as FilmTripper.

Rhodes researches where movies and TV show sets exist off-screen and then spills all the info about the set's location and building’s history on her blog and TikTok. She’s visited places in Etobicoke, like the high school in Mean Girls, and Greenwich, England, where the Bridgerton House is located.

Travel alongside CanCulture journalist Julia Lawrence through Rhodes's journey to starting her blog and how she combines her bachelor's and masters in architecture from Carleton University with her love for films in this in-depth Q&A.

What sparked your interest in creating a blog and social media presence?

I kind of have been obsessed with movies my whole life. So once I found out that not every movie is just filmed on a soundstage, I was like, well, if I'm travelling with my family, and we're close to something where something's gonna be filmed at that, then of course, I'm gonna make everybody haul ass and go see it.

So I kind of just started building up all of these little things over the past couple, I guess maybe 10 years, I've been going and seeing stuff. But then, just before the pandemic, I had been kind of putting stuff together for an actual blog, because I've already found all these places, I'd love to share them with people. So I started compiling them for the blog, and the pandemic hit, literally, I want to say a couple of weeks after I had done my first blog post.

I had all of these things that I was like, ‘what am I supposed to do with all these photos now?’ So that was how I started it. I started the blog as a resource for people to come and find stuff because it's so hard to find all that information, especially about really niche things such as y2k movies. It was kind of a little hobby and then once TikTok kind of blew up, it was kind of figuring out, well, how am I supposed to take all these photos that I've collected and put them into a video format? So it’s still building, but that's kind of how it started. It was an interest of mine that I wanted to share and then it kind of took off a little bit.

What was it like maintaining the blog during the pandemic?

I had a lot of pictures and stuff backlogged, thankfully. So I was like, what things do I already have in my knowledge base without having me to actually go to these places? Luckily, living in Toronto, there's so much that's filmed here. So throughout the pandemic, we couldn’t do anything inside. I couldn’t see my friends, but I could walk to a diner and look at the outside because that's where they filmed Hairspray. I can see it from the outside, I can social distance and I don't have to go talk to anybody. I could just have this way to explore the city that I already know, but through a different lens, if that makes sense. So it was a fun way for me to get out and about and I definitely don't do as much exploring now when everyone is fully functional back working in society, but it was a fun way to do all of that.

Do you usually film your content yourself?

I typically do a lot of the stuff by myself because it's hard to convince people that aren't film people to do stuff like this with you. My sister will tag along for stuff that she's interested in because she also is in the social media world, so she's able to take photos for me. Usually, I'm just like, ‘oh, I'm having a me day, let me go see if there's something that I can find.’

Have you had to deal with situations where a building is covered by scaffolding? How do you handle situations like that?

That specifically has happened to me twice, where it's not even worth me taking a photo of this because there's so much scaffolding in front. The house that Nate Archibald lives in Gossip Girl when I went there was [under] renovation. So full of scaffolding that we couldn't even figure out which building it was and we were like, ‘it's totally the one that has scaffolding.’ And then, a building in London, that was one of the workshops from Cruella, was full of scaffolding.

It makes sense for some buildings, once they get the money after being used in a movie, they're like, ‘well, what a great time to do a renovation. We just got a bunch of money being featured in this movie.’ So that is kind of sad, but then it's a good excuse to go back.

How’s it been combining your architectural background with your movie-lover side?

It is fun. I would say sometimes it is, I don't want to say distracting, but because I have an architecture background and when I'm writing articles or creating posts or anything, I'm writing them from an architectural way. I have to remember most people want a clear-cut answer, they don’t care what type of window frames are used in the building, and I have to pull it back.

I know Architectural Digest does a cool series on TikTok where they have well-known architects break down movies architecture, houses and stuff, and so I'm feeling people are starting to become more interested once they see people, concisely breaking it down from a reputable place like Architectural Digest. I do say that it's a benefit, it's easier for me to pick out buildings because I have a background in it. If I'm looking for something I can narrow it down, because the architectural style is something I'm familiar with.

I’ve been trying to work on some building-specific series, where it's like, ‘well, this building was featured in this many shows,’ let's talk about this building first, and then the shows. So I've been trying to work on a couple of things that are more in line with that just because it is my background and I want to talk about these cool facts that I have about these buildings. So if there's an audience for that, then I'd love to continue moving in that direction.

How do you balance your work and social media projects on the side?

My job as an architect is obviously really demanding. So I don't put as much time into my blog, I have so many half-started articles that are on my Google Docs that I'm like, ‘I promise I haven't forgotten about you.’ But it is like anything, it's hard balancing your job with just seeing your friends, being healthy, making yourself meals. So to balance my job with all that regular stuff and then my hobby that takes up so much of my extra time, you definitely have to enjoy it in order to do it.

Editing videos, making posts and all that stuff definitely takes longer than putting a blog article together. The hardest part is obviously the research so if I recognize this building but where's it from? Then I have to deep dive and be like, ‘has anyone else found this building?’ ‘No.’ If I know this movie says it’s in Montreal, was it filmed in Montreal or was it actually filmed in Vancouver? It's a whole breakdown of how I got to the answer. It takes time, that's for sure, and I'm definitely not producing as much as I'd like to.

Sirius Black's house from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was also another stop on Rhodes' tour of London. (Becca Rhodes/The Film Tripper)

Rhodes has also visited many Harry Potter shooting locations, including King Cross St. Pancras Station, in London, England. This picture, specifically, was taken exactly where the car flies over the station in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. (Becca Rhodes/The Film Tripper)

In London, Rhodes also recorded content at the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour, a walkthrough exhibition and studio tour in Leavesden, England. (Becca Rhodes/The Film Tripper)

What are the logistics when it comes to finding the sets?

Let's use Harry Potter as an example because that one's easy and a lot of people have already done a lot of research on Harry Potter, which is also nice. So usually I’ll dedicate a day to Harry Potter; I research Harry Potter filming locations in London, and I see if there are ones that are easy for me to find. Like Kings Cross Station, those types of places are iconic, then I put them all up [on Google Maps] and I see what's close to what. If I already know in my head a lot of places are in this area, then I'll be like, ‘Okay, well, how about Bridget Jones's Diary, how many Bridget Jones places are close to Harry Potter places?’ So then I take two different maps and I tend to overlay them on top of each other. I put in as many filming locations as I can possibly find on the internet. So after I do all the research, and figure out everything via the maps, then I section off by neighbourhood and then I'll go to that neighbourhood and see all the things I wanted to see, document everything.

I always have on my phone the stills from the movie so that I can hold it up and see exactly where it's supposed to be and line it up properly when I'm taking photos and stuff. I try to take at least one and then that's how I like collecting, I guess, all of the data. The research does take the longest and I try not to go to any locations without having done at least the bare minimum of research. Otherwise, I go there and if I'm filming something I don't know what to say or I don't remember the exact spots because there are just so many buildings that look so similar.

Do you tend to focus more on nostalgic 2000s movies or take requests for newer shows?

I try to do a mix. I try not to do anything that I haven't watched, everything that I talk about is something that I'm interested in or that I've watched. My niche I would say is the late ‘90s, early 2000s type movies era of Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan, that key era from my childhood. Because there is so much nostalgia, people love to see things that they remember and things that they watched a lot.

I do try to do TV shows and movies that are coming out, I try to plan my content so that if there's a show coming out in two weeks, I've started to build up some stuff so that I can post it a week before. For example, Wednesday was obviously everywhere, so I bet I could find this building. So I did some research and figured out it was in Romania and there's only a handful of places in Romania where you can film that looked like this. I posted that because it was trending and that video did pretty well, but it was because it was in at that moment.

DogVideoFest is the cutest film festival in Toronto

The perfect event to watch cute dog videos while supporting a good cause

By: Allison Baldwin

Toronto’s Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, located at 505 Bloor St. W, presents the 2022 DogVideoFest (CanCulture/Allison Baldwin).

The 2022 DogVideoFest is a four-day film festival featuring a 75-minute-long reel of some of the year's funniest, most unique and touching dog clips around the world. Held at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, located near Bloor and Bathurst, the screening took place right between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, making it a great cozy event to beat the cold weather.

The film festival was created by the makers of CatVideoFest, and both festivals were founded on the idea of producing an annual event for cat and dog-lovers of all ages. The compilation shown on festival screens consists of many video submissions. Then, the film is screened in festivals in theatres across the globe, from the Music Box Theatre in Chicago to the Sudbury Indie Cinema in Ontario.

DogVideoFest was put on screens to raise money for animal welfare organizations and local dog shelters — and Hot Docs is set to donate 10 percent of the ticket sales to the Toronto Humane Society.

Will Braden is the creator of DogVideoFest and premiered the festival for the first time during 2022 after a few years of success with CatVideoFest.

For the first year of screenings, Braden’s goal was to get people interested in the event like they were with the CatVideoFest, while also showing something exciting and fun, he wrote in an emailed statement to CanCulture. “The charitable aspect is built into the DNA of the traveling festival. Having a local shelter as partner, to have a presence at shows and receive a portion of the ticket sales, is essential to the festival,” said Braden.

Braden also said that a huge part of the success of the festival is because it gives people the opportunity to do some good for animals while having some laughs for 75 minutes. With regards to the future of the festival, “as long as people want to see the dogs, we’ll be back!” said Braden.

As a loving dog owner in Toronto, I decided to check out the festival screening as a lighthearted pastime during the holiday season. I was thrilled to watch some fun dog videos and attend the event. I was also not disappointed to see the theatre full of fellow dog lovers.

As canines filled the screen, some prompting laughs from the audience and some prompting audible reactions out of pure cuteness, it was clear that the room was swelling with dog lovers.

The reel largely consisted of funny videos, from unlikely friendships to slow-motion fails which, without a doubt, made me chuckle.

A touching rescue story was included every once in a while with either stray, sheltered or neglected dogs. Their stories of recovery and finding a forever home touched my heart and truly moved me. Displaying the heartwarming stories of rehabilitations and transformations added a touch of sentimentality— a fitting contrast to the many humorous videos featured.

Moviegoer Josephine Liu decided to attend the event on her birthday because of her love and excitement for all things pets.

“I personally am pretty involved in the community through volunteering, and I think that’s just kind of the icing on top of the cake, because we get to watch something we enjoy, and then it does a little bit of good as well,” said Liu.

Journalist and editor of Musicworks magazine Jennie Punter came to the event with her family, full of lovers of all things dogs.

“Many of our dogs have been rescues, so we really support organizations that help dogs find a home,” said Punter.

The compilation not only made me smile and laugh but also made me want to give my own rescued shelter dog some extra love that night. The DogVideoFest is an event I would not think twice about attending and supporting again. It’s something I recommend for all types of animal lovers alike to check out for themselves.

Education over entertainment: How to consume true crime ethically

From podcasts to docu-series and beyond, true crime content has romanticized gruesome acts, but trauma-informed projects may be the future of the genre

By: Paige Janssens

Content/Trigger Warning: Mentions of blood, death/murder, homophobia

Bone-chilling accounts of blood-soaked murders, nail-biting suspense and the fact that everything you hear truly happened can make the true crime genre addictive. But with growing concerns around the ethics behind these works, many Canadians are questioning whether the genre does more harm than good.  

The true crime genre, which examines or tells the story of an actual crime through a chosen form of dramatization, such as podcasts, movies or television series, has become increasingly popular among Canadian consumers in recent years. In fact, true crime is one of the fastest-growing podcasts among Canadian listeners, increasing in popularity by three per cent last year. 

But there are ethical concerns to its mass proliferation. The true-to-life nature of the genre, which arguably contributes to its entertainment value, forgets the actual victims affected by these crimes, capitalizing off their trauma for monetary gain and entertainment value. 

Despite true crime content creators causing harm now and in the past, the genre doesn’t have to follow that pattern in order to still be entertaining. And there are countless examples of Canadian journalists and filmmakers producing entertaining and ethical pieces to prove it. True crime aficionados simply need to know what to look for.

Prioritize trauma-informed reporting

It’s no secret that true crime stories often revolve around the criminal, with the victim(s) rarely shown as more than a footnote. 

Even more concerning is that these pieces are often pursued without the families' blessings and despite their objections.

The recent Netflix series Dahmer is a prime example. The series, follows Jeffery Dahmer, one of the most notorious serial killers in America. The show, which became a sensation when released, is now facing backlash after being condemned by the families of the victims.

Justin Ling, the host and reporter of Canadian true crime podcasts “The Village” and “The Village: The Montreal Murders,” says that trauma-informed reporting is vital in ethical true crime.

Ling’s podcasts focus on murders of gay men in Toronto and Montreal and how systematic homophobia and racism in the community, as well as corrupt police and an even more corrupt system, contributed to these crimes. 

Trauma-informed reporting, he explains, ensures evidence-based facts and contextualized information is put at the forefront when reporting on trauma-inducing events. Consideration of any trauma experienced by the individuals and communities involved in the story should be considered above all else.

He elaborates that ignoring trauma when reporting on true crime can seriously risk retraumatizing loved ones and cause profound mental anguish for those involved. 

“Your quest for entertainment can not come at the expense of someone who has seen members of their family, of their community, [of] their loved ones murdered, tortured and disappeared,” Ling said.

Ling adds that a significant part of the problem is that many creators need more understanding of trauma-informed reporting and how to integrate it into their work.

Many of those who engage in true crime, "do not understand what ethics mean in this context,” he said. ”[They] often demand answers from people they have no right demanding answers from.” 

He encourages true crime lovers to seek content that prioritizes victims' voices and their families.

“Listen to what these hosts, these producers and these journalists are saying,” he advised. “Are they putting the family and the communities at the forefront?” 

Host of the true-crime podcast “Uncover: Dead Wrong” Tim Bousquet says the victim's life should always inform true crime reporting. He tries to show their full humanity, especially when discussing those often marginalized by society. 

His podcast follows the story of a Halifax man, Glen Assoun, who spent more than 17 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife, Brenda Way, who worked as a sex worker.

“I was determined to deal with compassion,” he said. “I tried to portray everyone as complex people and not define them by their work.”

Bousquet says although the story's focus was Assoun, he always keeps in mind that Way was the victim before anyone else.

“Even now, I’ll stop by her grave from time to time, just to keep her high in my mind,” Bousquet said. 

Education over entertainment

The main goal of true crime is usually entertainment, but focusing on education can be an excellent step in reducing harm.

When valuing entertainment above all else when creating true crime content, the events being told often revolve around the exploitation of someone — usually the victim — which should not be a spectacle to be consumed.

This lends itself to romanticization and glamorization — two big problems in the true crime genre.

Bousquet says that true crime content that educates its audience is much more ethical than simply dramatizing the crimes. True crime lovers should consider whether the content is being created to shine a light on an issue or if it’s just trying to get a rise out of its audience.

“It seems voyeuristic or almost pornographic to dive into it simply for the reaction it brings us,” he said.

“Your quest for entertainment can not come at the expense of someone who has seen members of their family, of their community, [of] their loved ones murdered, tortured and disappeared”

He says creators should also question why they’re reporting on crime if it doesn’t expose some more profound truth. 

“I’m not a huge fan of dramatizations unless there is a point to it, like understanding some detail that may explain why someone is or isn't the killer,” he said.  

Ling echoes these sentiments, adding that in many cases, true crime shouldn’t be entertaining at all. Series or podcasts that simply glamourize or romanticize a killer for entertainment often mean the viewer is revelling in the misery of the trauma of others for their own enjoyment.

“I think there’s no conceivable justification for it,” Ling said. 

He explains many serial killers get away with their crimes not because they are geniuses, as the media often presents them. But instead, because of systematic issues.

True crime often doesn’t take the opportunity to reveal these societal issues, and ethical sources of the genre can bring voices to communities that are often ignored.

“These communities are often pointing to the fact that they are ignored and belittled and put to one side,” Ling said. "Media can be a great equalizer in this respect, to give them a platform.”

Bousquet notes that true crime doesn’t need to be glamourized and filled with blood and guts to be lucrative. Social justice discussions can be exceptionally engaging and appropriately told.

Now what?

With the conversation growing around harm reduction in the genre, more and more creators are becoming conscious of their work's effect on victims. In the coming years, hopefully, true crime content will exclusively prioritize ethics.

But until then, Ling encourages fans to seek out content that is oriented towards reducing harm. 

“If it’s trauma-informed, ethical and with the buy-in cooperation of those most impacted, I think that’s reasonable." 

Meet Me In The Bathroom is a chaotic, choppy ode to NYC’s indie-rock revival

James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem has the most realized story in the overstuffed archival documentary

By: Rochelle Raveendran

James Murphy, lead singer and creative mind behind LCD Soundsystem, was one of the several indie-rock acts that defined New York City’s scene at the turn of the millennium (Emanuele Rosso/Flickr)

I cannot accept that in my lifetime, the Big Apple was affordable enough for aspiring musicians to move there with just a guitar and a dream and somehow eke out a living with like-minded creatives — often while intoxicated. Such a fable is squarely 1960s Bob Dylan-esque in my mind, before the affordability crisis and the internet turned community hubs for up-and-comers into largely virtual spaces.

But a little over 20 years ago, the stars of affordable rent and talent aligned in the skyline over grimy New York City clubs, creating an indie-rock scene that is now the stuff of legends, both for the artists it produced and for its inability to be recreated today.

The documentary Meet Me In The Bathroom, which screened at HotDocs Theatre in downtown Toronto last November, charts the growth of the iconic musical area. It attempts  to evoke the adrenaline rush of witnessing a legend in the making while also finding depth in its enigmatic key figures. Directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, the film consists entirely of archival clips and is coupled with contemporary input from those onscreen relegated to voice-over narration. Through a combination of shaky camcorder footage, grainy VHS tapes and music videos rich with the high-resolution of success, we jump from band to band at a dizzying pace that sacrifices coherence and characterization in favour of evoking the era’s youthful instability. When Lovelace and Southern pull back into the performers’ words and trust their music to take the lead, the result is so striking that it makes you wonder what would have been possible if the film’s wealth of material were better refined. 

Unfortunately, the most impactful band in the scene featured is also the least interesting to watch. The documentary is fittingly named after a song by the Strokes, whose breakthrough transformed acts in the same genre from underground to in-demand. Through a series of opening meet-cutes, we see the serendipitous collision of the Strokes with fellow indie-rock band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and anti-folk group the Moldy Peaches.

Fans will enjoy footage of the Strokes goofing around offstage, but the perfunctory narration – or lack thereof – fails to dig beyond their blustering persona. Frontman Julian Casablancas is the most discussed out of all the figures in Meet Me In The Bathroom, but he is spoken about far more often than he speaks himself. The documentary barely even touches on his backstory that could flesh out a Bond villain. Casablancas' Swiss boarding school education and modelling-agency-president father are named and dropped faster than you can say: “So that’s how he afforded New York rent!”

And if I’m oversimplifying here, the film does little to counter me. Archival footage cannot supplant uninteresting narration about an inaccessible core figure. In one particular scene, the visuals memorable fail to bring broader insights to life as an unidentified speaker exclaims the Strokes were “sex gods!” However, all the viewer sees is a photograph of five dudes with varying curl patterns, rather than a visual that justifies this emphatic sentiment.

Meet Me In The Bathroom is based on an oral history of the same name by Lizzy Goodman that attributes every quote, yet Lovelace and Southern often avoid such clarity. For an overstuffed film, this frustrating choice undercuts the opportunity to link each character’s reflections to an individual, rather than the impersonal voice of the scene. In an eagerness to show the breadth of artists involved, depth is sacrificed to the point of meaningless inclusions. Rock band Interpol is shown for the sake of including Interpol, with not much to say beyond the conventional story of a musical act succeeding after a long stretch of failure and subsequently facing internal conflicts. Fellow band TV on the Radio fares far worse, popping up with all the briefness but none of the emotional impact of a jack-in-the-box toy.

A liberal use of frenetic montages – think clips of musicians juxtaposed with blooming flowers – forms a choppy visual style that splits the difference between hallucinations and fancams. Karen O, lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is easily the most captivating performer onstage, throwing her entire body into startling vocals. One of the best montages intercuts her hurtling through “Tick” with footage of revellers from the first Halloween after the Sept. 11 attacks. The music, editing and era find tumultuous synchronization, nailing the immersive potential of archival documentaries. Ironically, the sequence follows a particularly odd choice: cutting away from Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches performing a deeply evocative song about the attacks for generic footage of its aftermath. At least we return to Dawson in time for her haunting warning about the Manhattan air, where toxic dust clouds are no longer visible, but still linger: “They say that it’s okay, but I say don’t breathe in.”

Questionable editing again undermines emotional impact when Karen O sustains a severe injury onstage. The accident is the culmination of her self-described mental and physical deterioration which regressed as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs grew in popularity. Lovelace and Southern empathetically explore the dichotomy between Karen O’s powerhouse performances and fragile internal life.

While being a woman in a male-dominated arena gave her the freedom to ignore any predetermined rockstar code, it also heightened her isolation. Karen O provides a compelling, thought-provoking narrative supported by her bandmates' input, but the climax is squandered when the film immediately cuts away from her injury into the stories of different groups. By the time we return to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, their momentum is gone.

A liberal use of frenetic montages – think clips of musicians juxtaposed with blooming flowers – forms a choppy visual style that splits the difference between hallucinations and fancams

To a great extent, Meet Me In The Bathroom is at its best when its narrators are willing to be vulnerable, which is why the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are interesting to watch. But the film’s true potential comes through James Murphy, founder and creative brain behind electronic-rock band LCD Soundsystem.

After an enlightening experience taking ecstasy that is perfectly depicted in a swirling psychedelic sequence, he awakens to the visceral joy of music that makes people who don’t usually dance, dance. Initially a record producer, Murphy agitatedly describes how he reassessed the three decades of his life he spent hunting down obscure records after the emergence of piracy site Napster in 1999. Now, any 20-year-old with a computer could play the same tracks.

Murphy's debut single “Losing My Edge” channels his creeping fear of becoming an outdated loser. The documentary wisely includes over a minute of the song’s music video, in which Murphy is slapped repeatedly across the face. Having never listened to the band before, I felt the transcendental, brainstem-shifting experience of visually and audibly absorbing a good song for the first time.

All the footage for LCD Soundsystem is in perfect unison with Murphy’s overarching story, from joyous drug user to uncompromising music producer and somewhat reluctant frontman. Montages are used effectively, but it's the still moments of music alone that catch the ear and the eye. Directors Lovelace and Southern previously made a documentary about LCD Soundsystem in 2012, which may explain why this narrative is particularly polished.

Murphy is also very willing to talk, providing impassioned, witty reflections that supply much of the film’s humour. His neurotic approach to his work spurs strong reactions in the artists around him, who bring complementary compelling stories and punchy quotes that help turn Murphy into a fully realized character.

In a post-screening Q&A at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Theatre in Toronto, Goodman, who executive produced the film, described how she relinquished control of her book to the directors, saying that a “frame by frame, literal adaptation” would be neither possible nor creatively interesting. While the resulting project takes an admirably labour-intensive approach to immersion, it is ultimately too ambitious for its own good.

Meet Me In The Bathroom, now streaming on Crave, needs ruthless, unsentimental editing to reduce its scope and better follow-up questions for interviewees that penetrate beneath the rockstar facade. The pounding thrum of nostalgia and bass guitars will likely still capture indie-rock fans who witnessed the era for themselves or wish that they had. But if I’m searching for visuals that complement and enhance insightful commentary from the groundbreaking featured performers, I think I’d rather watch their music videos.

7 independent theatres you should visit in Toronto

Ever wondered what else is out there besides Cineplex? Indie theatres have got you covered

By: Sarah Grishpul

The act of going to the movies has long been a part of Toronto’s culture, mainly due to the once-vast market of film exhibitions and festivals. Lately, the Canadian theatre industry has been dominated by corporate chains like Cineplex Entertainment, which according to their 2021 quarterly report, has grown to own around 75 per cent of the movie theatres in the country.

With such power and influence over the general moviegoing audience, many independent (indie) theatres have faced a decline in attendance, and many unfortunate cinemas have been forced to close their doors.

But there remain several indie theatres in the city that are worth checking out. Whether you are an esteemed cinephile or an average run-of-the-mill moviegoer, there’s something for everyone at each of these cinemas.

Revue Cinema - 400 Roncesvalles Ave.

The Revue Cinema stands deserted on 400 Roncesvalles Ave. on Dec. 7, 2022. I forgot to check whether the theatre would be open before dragging my two friends to accompany me to the building location. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

The Revue Cinema opened in 1912 in the Roncesvalles neighbourhood and, to this day, remains one of the city’s oldest movie theatres.

The theatre was forced to close in 2006 after the death of its owner and the fall of Festival Cinemas, which was a chain of independent Canadian cinemas. But due to the support of the Revue Film Society, a local community of film lovers, they were able to raise enough money to re-open and have the city declare the building as a heritage site.

The success of this theatre can be attributed to the attachment it holds over the neighbourhood, hosting a collection of art-house and local entertainment for all ages to enjoy.

The front window of the Revue Cinema displays posters for upcoming screenings of Jerry Maguire, Grand Hotel and The General at 400 Roncesvalles Ave. on Dec. 7, 2022. The cinema is well-known for its collection of art-house entertainment and cult classics. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

The cinema hosts a variety of film events and screenings ranging from popular new releases to forgotten favourites like Harold and Maude and unappreciated cult classics like My Bloody Valentine.

Their Revue Series programming curates screenings of a multitude of genres and niche interests, tying the shows together with panel discussions, food pairings and interactive games.

One of the acclaimed events at the Revue is the monthly Dumpster Raccoon series, in which the cinema will screen “trashy cult classics accompanied by live performances” to share the best (and worst) of pop culture. 

Another iconic staple at the Revue is their Hold Up! series, where beloved comedy films are accompanied by special stand-up performances and live commentary throughout the screening.

 The Revue Cinema has a lot of love and respect for cinema, providing an engaging, community-building experience for audiences while remaining a historic testament to Toronto’s cinema landscape.

Paradise Theatre - 1006 Bloor St. W.

Several cars rush past Paradise Theatre located at 1006 Bloor St. W. on Dec. 7, 2022. Staff were preparing the venue for the upcoming Hans Zimmer Candlelight performance, which has become a staple attraction for the theatre. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

Paradise Theatre, located in the Bloorcourt Village neighbourhood, serves both as a performing arts and movie theatre, with a variety of screenings, musical and live performances to experience.

First opened in 1937, the cinema survived as an independently-run theatre until the fall of the Festival Cinemas chain forced the establishment to shut its doors. Yet much like the Revue Cinema, Paradise was saved by a love for movies.

The building was purchased and restored by Moray Tawse, a Toronto real estate executive, who said in a Toronto Star article that he wanted to preserve the building because it reminded him of a beloved cinema from his childhood.

The marquee at the Paradise Theatre on 1006 Bloor St. W. announces their latest event “Candlelight: Best of Hans Zimmer” on Dec. 7, 2022. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

These days, the theatre screens a variety of classics and Oscar-winning films such as Miracle on 34th Street and Moonlight. The cinema also has its share of curated film series, dedicated to highlighting the best of Hollywood.

In what has been dubbed the Queer Cinema Club, audiences are invited every month to watch a classic queer film, with special guests and performers attending the screening. According to their website, the intention behind this series is to celebrate some of the best of queer cinema, bringing together Toronto’s LGBTQ community. 

Horror film fans may get a kick out of Paradise’s Evil Women series, where each month a film devoted to the iconic femme fatale trope is featured on the big screen. In 2023, January’s pick will be Strait-Jacket, a 1960s thriller starring Joan Crawford, followed by Misery in February starring Kathy Bates.

A view from the sidewalk as people walk underneath the Paradise Theatre marquee promoting a musical performance of German film score composer Hans Zimmer’s works on Dec. 7, 2022. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

As such, if you’re looking for a glamorous venue to see a film with family or loved ones, Paradise Theatre is the ideal destination for moviegoers.

Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema - 506 Bloor St. W.

Cars wait in traffic outside the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on 506 Bloor St. W. on Dec. 7, 2022. Despite its modern and unassuming exterior, the inside of the building is lavish and well-maintained. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

Documentary films have often been cast aside by large theatre chains, leaving many to be left unappreciated by mainstream audiences. Hot Docs is an organization committed to celebrating the art of documentary filmmaking. 

Through their yearly Hot Docs Festival and screenings at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, moviegoers can view some of the best Canadian and international documentaries.

 Located in Toronto’s popular Annex neighbourhood, the cinema has historically stood as one of the first film houses in the city. The theatre adopted many names and titles over the years before landing in the possession of Hot Docs and has maintained a key destination for cinephiles in the area.

For youth under 25, Hot Docs also offers students a free Bronze Membership. Members are given access to a multitude of free, exclusive screenings and discounted ticket prices for the duration of the Hot Docs Festival and yearly screenings at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. 

Inside the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, the auditorium is empty and the projector screen is blank on Dec. 7, 2022. Although the theatre was closed for the evening, the staff were extremely kind and allowed me to take photos indoors. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

Unlike many multiplexes, the theatre only has one screen but that doesn’t mean the cinema has a limited selection for audiences to view. As well as showcasing some of the best and most acclaimed documentaries, the theatre hosts a variety of cinema series that make the venue worth visiting.

Hot Docs offers a collection of special event screenings to engage audiences in shout-alongs, sing-alongs, and family favourite classics. During February, the cinema is celebrating Galentine's Day with a special sing-along screening of Mamma Mia. The film will also be open captioned for accessibility and those who have yet to burn the lyrics of the entire movie musical into their brains.

As well, the cinema currently runs a series called Relaxed Screenings, providing a sensory-friendly environment for neurodivergent community members. During the screening, the house lights and sound will remain low while audience members are free to move around or take breaks from the viewing.

Whether you’re in the mood for a documentary or just to escape the cold and catch a flick this winter, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema is a welcoming space for all.

TIFF Bell Lightbox - 350 King St. W.

Patrons wait outside Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre on Oct. 29, 2022. Young film fans eagerly discuss Park Chan-Wook’s latest film, Decision to Leave as they leave the matinee screening. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

As mentioned before in my guide to taking advantage of yearly programming offered by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), there is an abundance of indie, international and film restoration screenings to see at the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre.

Nestled in the heart of Toronto’s media and entertainment district, there’s no missing the glow and allure of the Lightbox theatre. The space holds itself to a certain prestige. Walking in on a literal red carpet, it’s obvious you’re here not just to watch a movie, but to experience art.

Film fans who want to experience something outside of the traditional big-screen blockbuster are introduced to a wide range of choices from the latest out of the festival to an array of underrated gems.  

A wall inside the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre showcases several framed movie posters of new releases: Triangle of Sadness, My Policeman and Decision to Leave, which have been three of the most popular screenings at the cinema as of Oct. 29, 2022. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

TIFF offers student discounts as well as an easily obtainable membership for those under 25, which makes this cinema an appealing destination for cinephiles on a budget.

Members also get free admission to TIFF Cinematheque screenings, a curated collection of contemporary, international and rare archival cinema. Programs such as Special Screenings, Love Will Tear Us Apart, and Perpetratin' Realism: 1990s Black Film are all series TIFF members can see at no cost this February.

 The Lightbox theatre provides a home for those films left forgotten by large multiplexes and a space for the Toronto community to experience a diverse collection of films outside of the dominating Hollywood blockbuster.

Imagine Cinemas’ Carlton Cinema - 20 Carlton St.

Speeding cars rush past the Carlton Cinema on 20 Carlton St. on Dec. 13, 2022. TMU students may recognize the name on the marquee from their timetables, as the theatre is available to students as a classroom. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

While Imagine Cinemas is indeed a theatre franchise, they are a small independently-owned chain of cinemas with only 12 locations in Ontario and British Columbia.

If you’re coming to the theatre to catch the latest Marvel blockbuster spectacle on the big screen, Imagine may not be the right place for you. Compared to the vast size of Cineplex screens, along with their lineup of AVX, IMAX, 3D, and 4DX viewing options, those who crave visual bombardment are likely to be let down by the small screens at Imagine Cinemas.

 But Imagine still makes space for audiences to view a collection of film genres that don’t necessarily rely on action sequences and an overabundance of CGI to produce a quality movie.

The marquee outside of the Carlton Cinema on Dec. 13, 2022, lists several of the films they were screening. Inside, the cinema is decorated with posters for current and upcoming films such as The Woman King and A Man Called Otto. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

Before being bought out by Imagine, the Carlton Cinema was well-known for being one of the first multiplexes in the city to focus on showcasing art-house content. Even today, the theatre focuses on screening films that are often ignored or ushered out too quickly by bigger cinema chains.

Carlton Cinema continues to screen film festival favourites like Holy Spider, Devotion and Moonage Daydream after their debuts at TIFF in 2022.

The location of the theatre is ideal for Toronto Metropolitan University students, as it is a few blocks away from campus and just down the road from the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

A sign hanging outside the Carlton Cinema promotes the theatre’s $7 discounted ticket prices on Tuesdays. Out of all the indie theatres on this list, the Carlton has the lowest ticket prices, making it an ideal spot for broke university students such as myself. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

Tickets at the Carlton are especially cheap, with general admission being $10 and Tuesday discounts only $7. Students looking to catch a movie on a budget will benefit from these low costs regardless of the small stature of its screens.

Imagine Cinemas’ Market Square Cinema - 80 Front St. E.

Market Square Cinema barely visible in an alley behind a row of movie posters on Dec. 13, 2022. Located nearby the St. Lawrence Market, this theatre was difficult to find due to its inconspicuous location. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

Imagine Cinemas’ Market Square Cinema is another small theatre location close to St. Lawrence Market tucked away behind a Metro and TD Bank.

When I say tucked away I mean practically nestled in a back alley. It took me around half an hour of walking around in the cold and dark before stumbling upon the front entrance. 

Don’t be disillusioned by the empty lobby upon entering, for the actual cinema is underground where the friendly staff members are awaiting your arrival. 

An empty lobby inside Market Square Cinema with three self-serve ticket kiosks and a row of movie posters appears to be the most modern aspect of this entrance. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

On descending to the lower floor, it was almost as if I were travelling back in time. The theatre cast a vintage ‘80s ambiance.

While the theatre and auditoriums themselves are quite small compared to most Cineplex locations, I found the space to be quite quaint and intimate. After having completed my final exam of the semester, it was pleasant to be surrounded by a respectful and quiet crowd of moviegoers.

As with numerous Imagine Cinemas, the real edge it has over Cineplex are the chairs. Many locations have upgraded to luxury, electronic recliners that prioritize the comfort of their audience. 

Auditorium one in Market Square Cinema is reportedly the smallest room and screen out of the six auditoriums down in the basement of the building. In my opinion, the luxury recliners and cosy atmosphere Imagine Cinemas is known for make up for the size of the screen. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

When it comes to comfort and community, Market Square Cinemas is the ideal place to relax after a stressful week and catch the latest flick.

Fox Theatre - 2236 Queen St. E.

Patrons bustle into the Fox Theatre on 2236 Queen St. E. to avoid the heavy pelting of rain and snow on Dec. 15, 2022. Many members of the Beaches community have braved the poor weather to attend the venue’s Bad Sweater Party screening of Love Actually. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

For those who live outside of the Beaches neighbourhood, this independent theatre is quite a trek to get to. I made the terrible mistake of venturing out here during a snowstorm, and although the journey was perilous, upon stepping foot inside the building I realized the trip had been worth it.

The Fox Theatre first opened in 1914 and has remained a centerpiece of the Beaches community to this day. The interior of the cinema maintains the vintage aesthetic without feeling too old or outdated. It’s a charming and cozy atmosphere that’s only enforced by the friendly staff and bubbling guests.

The concession stand at the Fox Theatre offers a selection of popcorn, soda, alcohol, hot beverages and candy for guests to snack on during the movie. It was a joy to learn from one of the staff that free refills of soda and popcorn were permitted (which is something heavily restricted at Cineplex locations). (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture)

The concession prices were quite reasonable compared to Cineplex’s and, to my delight, popcorn and drink refills were offered at no extra cost.

The Fox offers patrons a slew of contemporary, classic and cult films while also hosting several special events for the community to attend. For New Year’s Eve, the theatre hosted a special screening of the rom-com classic When Harry Met Sally so that movie fans may ring in the new year together.

Two audience members find their seats for the holiday screening of Love Actually at the Fox Theatre. Many have shown up wearing Christmas sweaters to accompany the Bad Sweater Party theme encouraged by the venue. (Sarah Grishpul/CanCulture).

If you’ve fallen in love with this location as much as I have, the Fox has a student membership for only $7.10 per year. This includes discounted ticket prices and a free movie during the month of your birthday.

For someone who spends the majority of their time indoors, this cinema is certainly one I would brave a snowstorm to travel to.

A testament to cinema

Despite the abundance of Cineplex theatres monopolizing the industry in Canada, it is truly a testament to the power of our love for cinema that these independent, local theatres are still serving their communities to this day.

Community is the lifeblood of these independent movie theatres. Without such an audience, there would be no reason to create the films we hold so near and dear to our hearts.

How realistic are holiday romance movies? A CanCulture investigation

Our Scrooge writer learns the true meaning of Christmas in this fictional tale, thanks to a quaint, small town and a precocious child

By: Rochelle Raveendran

(Kamala Bright/Unsplash)

Snow fell like flaking dandruff outside my cubicle. Another holiday season spent working alone in the City, just the way I like it.

The clock struck 4 p.m. and I made my way to my editor's office to submit my pitches for our newspaper’s next edition. I had the perfect story idea: investigating the rates of traumatic brain bleeds triggered while cutting down Christmas trees.

“That doesn’t sound very festive,” Mariana, my long-suffering editor, said doubtfully.

“That’s the point,” I replied. “People only focus on the positives of the holidays. No one talks about traumatic brain bleeds.”

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Listen, Rochelle. You’re a great writer, but you’ve gotta get outside of your comfort zone.”

“Traumatic brain bleeds are famously uncomfortable,” I pointed out with a hint of quirky charm.

Mariana ignored me. “I’m gonna assign you something you can really sink your teeth into,” she said. “There’s this town two hours away — Almonte, Ontario. A bunch of Christmas movies are filmed there every year because it looks so quaint. I want you to stay in Almonte for a week and interview the locals about what it’s actually like to live there.”

“But I…” I paused for a second. With a hard-hitting investigative feature like this, I could finally be a real journalist.

I rolled my eyes in acceptance. Mariana grinned. 

“Pack your bags, Rochelle. You’re going to Almonte!” 

My rickety red car ground to an unexpected halt just as I passed the Almonte town sign. I peered through my window screen; I had never seen a village like this before — charming, red-brick buildings cloaked in bright Christmas lights and pristine, fluffy snow. Even the town sign was written in an pretty, cursive font.

I tentatively hit my steering wheel in hopes my car would jump to life when someone knocked on my window. Rolling it down, I found myself staring into the eyes of an elderly man with a thick, white beard, half-moon glasses and jolly red cheeks. 

“May I help you?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye. 

“I… I’m trying to get to the Very Merry Inn, but my car just broke down,” I replied.

“Let me see what I can do,” he said with a wink before disappearing behind my car. For some reason, I was not terrified that he would smash my windshield. He just seemed too jolly.

Suddenly, my car rumbled to life. I hopped out immediately to thank the kind stranger, but he had completely disappeared. All I was left with was the faint sound of sleigh bells in the air…

The Very Merry Inn was straight out of a Costco Christmas card, complete with a red cardinal perched on the wood-p door frame. I took a moment to appreciate the little bird dusted in snow. It’s so rare to see birds in the City. 

When I walked inside, the smell of freshly baked cookies hit me like a sickeningly sweet cloud of sugar. No one was in the lobby, which was cluttered with dollar store-esque holiday decor.

As I approached the front desk, out popped a young girl with bouncy curls and vacant eyes.

“Can I help you?” she said brightly. I blinked in surprise; I didn’t expect to be checked in by someone who can barely see over the counter.

“I have a reservation for a week under–”

 “You’ve got something on your jacket,” the child interrupted. I looked down to see a glob of bird poop staining my new Canada Goose. 

“That damn cardinal!” I grumbled as the door opened behind me. “The one time I admire something to do with the holidays, and I literally get crapped on.” 

“Language!” a new voice tutted. I turned around and ran straight into a man carrying several logs of firewood. He wore a widow’s thick, woolly jumper, and the dashing smile of a divorcé.

 The pair exchanged a knowing look before chirping in unison: “Are you from the City?”

“Listen,” I said testily. “I just drove two hours to get here. My car broke down, a bird attacked me and I have to write the article of my career this week. Can you please show me my room?” 

The man raised his eyebrows and opened a wooden drawer, taking out a large knobbly key before exchanging another knowing look with the child. I rolled my eyes as they giggled. This was going to be a long stay.  

The next morning, I walked around the town, trying to interview as many people as possible. Everyone I encountered was the owner of a small business with an improbable niche: an Elf-themed bauble store, a red velvet cupcake bakery. Yet, no one had any complaints.

“So, have you ever had a traumatic brain bleed while cutting down a Christmas tree?” I hopefully asked a Christmas tree vendor with a thick, white beard, half-moon glasses, and jolly red cheeks. 

He winked and I felt a twinge of déjà vu.

“You're finding your way around town,” a voice behind me observed. I turned to see the irritating innkeeper, whose name I could not remember.

“Sorry, I’m actually working right now,” I said dismissively. But when I turned back around, the vendor had disappeared.

“C’mon, it’s the holidays,” the innkeeper said. “Anyway, I was hoping you’d take some time off.” He handed me a crumpled flyer from his pocket. “We’re hosting a sugar cookie decorating party at the inn tomorrow. Sally would love you to be there.”   

“Your daughter? ”

“Yes. You know, the holidays have been so tough on us since her mom died.” 

“Okay,” I said unsurely. 

“Plus, you’re our only booking this month. We were hoping this party could drum up some interest and save our little inn. And Sally would love you to be there.” 

“You already said that.” 

“Yep,” he said with a glittering smile. He smelled like sugar cookies and singlehood.  

Before I understood what was happening, I was sitting in the Very Merry Inn, decorating a snowflake cookie alongside Sally, her father and a bustling throng of villagers, all glowing with the spirit of the season.

“Sally, why are you the only kid in Almonte?” I asked.

She shrugged. “That’s simply the way things are here.”

“And I didn’t see any schools nearby.”

“I already know everything I need to know,” Sally replied with the sage wisdom of a wizened philosophy professor.

“This town doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “There are no schools, you’re the only kid here, and you talk like a forty-year-old. Everything I’ve seen is a mom-and-pop shop — you don’t even have a Starbucks.”

“No,” said the innkeeper, “but we can pour some coffee on a snowball if you want a fancy, schmancy blended drink, like in the City!”

Everyone laughed in eerie unison.

“None of this makes sense!” I insisted, my voice rising.

“Perhaps you’re not looking hard enough, Rochelle,” Sally said sagely. “Perhaps, you’re only seeing what you want to see.”

“What do you want to see, Rochelle?” asked the innkeeper, his name still beyond me. I gazed into his eyes as I pondered the question.

“I don’t know… I thought I wanted to see the truth, but sometimes, it’s not as gruesome as you think. Maybe the holidays can just be about decorating sugar cookies instead of traumatic brain bleeds.”

The innkeeper smiled widely. “Sally, I think Rochelle just understood the spirit of Christmas.”

We all laughed together. Sally gave me a cookie and called me Mom. Outside the inn window, a man with a thick white beard, half-moon glasses and jolly red cheeks winked at me.

Maybe Almonte was just what I needed this year, I thought.

As I sat in the Very Merry Inn lobby with a blank Google doc open on my laptop, I couldn’t help but reflect on what a miraculous two days I’d had. When I began working on this story, I would never have guessed that I’d come out of it with a charming innkeeper, a precocious child and an entire village of quirky shop owners who all adore me. 

In just two days, my heart had grown two sizes. The holidays really meant something to me now, beyond fatal seasonal injuries. My cold journalistic resolve had broken into the unmistakable glow of Christmas spirit.

The front door swung open, and in burst my innkeeper, his cheeks flushed from the cold and excitement. He was wearing more layers than I’d ever seen someone don in my life. 

“Rochelle, the sugar cookie party saved the Very Merry Inn!” he cried.

“What? How is that possible? Only locals showed up!” I caught myself and bit my tongue. “Wait, I don’t want to know. I trust this. I trust the holidays.”  

He walked towards me and took my hands in his mittened ones. “Forget the City. Stay with me and Sally. We can run the inn together!”

“Are you serious!” I gasped. 

“When am I not?” he replied, and we both tittered. It was funny; I’ve known him for less than 48 hours.

“But I don’t even know your name!”

The innkeeper cocked his head. “Does it matter?”

“Of course not,” I laughed, and we kissed chastely.

My phone buzzed incessantly in my pocket. We broke apart, and I glanced at several frantic texts from Mariana: “where’s your draft???? hello??? are you alive???”

I giggled lightly at my screen and tossed my phone into the nearest snowbank. She clearly doesn’t know that Christmas is about love, not content. She’s got a long way to go. But I’ll leave her journey for another movie.

This investigation is as fictional as your favourite Netflix Christmas film.

Your 2022 winter break watchlist

A collection of new movies and shows ready for you to binge watch this holiday season — all with a Canadian twist

By: Layyan Mohamed-Birhan

(Ish Chopra/CanCulture)

Winter break has finally arrived and I know many of you, including myself, are craving the chance to unwind in bed and binge-watch countless films to your heart’s desire. But with so many shows released during this busy year, the pain of deciding what to watch is unlike any other.

Luckily, we’ve got your back! Here is a list of the best new movies, shows and documentaries to catch up on during the break.

Ginny & Georgia (Season 2)

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In case some of you have not heard yet (drumroll), season two of Ginny & Georgia is premiering on Jan. 5, 2023 on Netflix.

Fun fact: although the setting is based in Massachusetts, the show was actually filmed in spots around Ontario. According to Narcity, Ginny & Georgias’ home is located in the Toronto neighbourhood Baby Point, but the majority of the show is filmed in Cobourg, Ont. The Netflix original series also includes Canadian actors Raymond Ablack (Joe, the coffee guy) and Nikki Roumel (teen Georgia), who also appears in two Degrassi series.

Season two will consist of 10 one-hour-long episodes. Although it's not a lot, you’ll certainly have enough days to binge-watch it before the winter semester begins — unless you’re like me and could finish it in one night.

Emily in Paris (Season 3)

If you’re in need of watching a series that screams comedy, drama and chic, I suggest you get ready for the new season of Emily In Paris. The third installment drops on Netflix on Dec. 21, 2022, and I couldn't be more excited.

It focuses on Emily’s journey as she balances adjusting to an unfamiliar French culture, working in a marketing firm and juggling her chaotic relationships. The show is truly iconic and makes me want to pack up my bags and move to Paris — away from the frigid temperatures in Canada.

If you haven’t heard of this series, you need to do yourself a favour this winter break and start watching. And make sure to check out our article, Emily in Canada, inspired by this series.

Falling for Christmas (2022)

For those who celebrate Christmas and want to get into the holiday spirit but have already binge-watched every holiday movie that exists, try adding Falling for Christmas, starring the one and only Lindsay Lohan, onto your list.

In this rom-com, Lohan's character, Sierra Belmont, is diagnosed with amnesia after a skiing accident. She finds herself under the care of a handsome lodge man and his daughter. This is a great movie to watch on Netflix with friends, family or even alone in the comfort of your home.

Hodan’s Story

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Hodan Nalayeh was a Somali-Canadian journalist with a passion for storytelling and activism. Nalayeh was a mother of two, and her work consisted of breaking the stereotypes against Somalia and documenting the positive things about her country. She created the first English-language online platform for Somalis worldwide called Integration TV. In 2019, Nalayeh died in a tragic hotel bombing in Somalia alongside her husband.

This CBC Gem documentary aired on Oct. 8, 2022, and was constructed by one of Nalayeh’s close friends, Dwayne Holness. He created it in honour of her work and the impact she made. Holness explained in a CBC interview posted on his Instagram, that it took about a year to get the documentary to where they wanted it. He also hopes her story inspires others. 

These are four suggestions that would be great to watch during the winter break whether you’re in the mood for inspiration, luxury, holidays or drama! As you hand in the last of your assignments and travel back home for the break, keep these shows and films in mind for those cold, cozy nights ahead.

Editors' picks: CanCulture's top films of 2022

Another year has gone by. What were CanCulture's top movie picks of the year?

By: Mariana Schuetze

(Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

The year is finally over. And after a long, pandemic-induced hiatus, the film industries are back in full force. From the usual superhero blockbuster to long-awaited sequels and arduous journeys through the multiverse, 2022 brought an abundance of amazing movies to our homes and theatres. 

It's difficult to narrow down our top picks, but the Film Section challenged our CanCulture masthead to pick one film as their all-time favourite of the year. Rest assured, each and every film has been approved by our in-house cinephile and film editor, Mariana Schuetze.

Mariana Schuetze, Film Editor

SHE SAID (MARIA SCHRADER)

"Movies about real-life events always fascinate me. As a history and film buff, they are the perfect piece of entertainment for me. And as a journalist and someone who lived through (even if as a kid) the #MeToo movement, I was very excited to watch this one. She Said follows The New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor as they investigate sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein. What I absolutely loved about this film is how it captured the process of writing a news story. I’ve just started doing journalism in person and seeing them working out of a newsroom with other journalists was, honestly, a lot of fun. And the two badass women that led the narrative certainly didn't hurt. Plus, I went to the movies to watch it as I was doing my CanCulture Instagram takeover, which was so much fun -- so it was definitely a very special day overall."

You can rent She Said for $24.99 on Prime Video and watch it in select theatres.

Vanessa Tiberio,

Food Editor

DO REVENGE (JENNIFER KAYTIN ROBINSON)

"In my opinion, this year in film wasn’t a year to write home about, but Do Revenge managed to encapsulate all that revolves around teenage angst, identity and the ramifications of technology. With a well-liked gen-Z cast, this film was filled with fun and humour as it expressed an important message to audiences about cyber bullying and its impacts. Plus, the costumes and cinematography were perfectly fitting and appropriate for the Netflix original."

You can watch Do Revenge on Netflix.

Mia Johnson,

Literary Editor

THE MENU (MARK MYLOD)

"A riveting, bloody dinner party that wraps clever commentary on classism, pretension and fine dining practices inside horror satire. I'll watch any movie where men run around, screaming, in fear for their lives while the women sit and drink wine. Will Tracy and Seith Reiss's dry humour mixed with absolute delusion, I could not stop laughing."

The Menu isn't available on streaming, but you can still watch it in select theatres.

John Vo,

Fashion Editor

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (DANIEL KWAN AND DANIEL SCHEINERT)

"Although this film has little to no connection with Canadian culture, this science-fiction film about the endless possibilities manages to tackle themes of love, acceptance, nihilism and Asian-American family dynamics. Combine that with a parody of a Pixar film and hot dog fingers and you have yourself one of the most memorable films of the millennium.

You can watch Everything Everywhere All At Once on Prime Video.

Kinza Zafar,

Features Editor

NOPE (JORDAN PEELE)

"If you say yes to watching Nope, you’re in for a ride at a Wild West theme park with cowboys and aliens. Jordan Peele’s original take on a UFO thriller is fresh, exciting and hilarious with eclectic performances and breathtaking cinematography. As a Peele-fan who grew up fascinated by extraterrestrial creatures, this experimental sci-fi felt like a fever dream come true."
You can watch Everything Everywhere All At Once on Prime Video.

You can rent Nope for $6.99 on Apple TV.

Sena Law,

Arts Editor

INCANTATION (KEVIN HO)

"I love horror movies, but it’s been awhile since one spooked me the way Incantation did.  This Taiwanese film provided a really refreshing and immersive horror experience. I also loved the cultural references that I could relate to!"

You can watch Incantation on Netflix.

Kayla Higgins,

Music Editor

BROTHER (CLEMENT VIRGO)

"Sons of Caribbean immigrants, Francis and Michael, try to navigate their personhood in a housing project called The Park amidst rising societal tensions in the summer of 1991. As the duo attempt to find their footing during the early growth of Toronto’s hip-hop scene, this tale is a testament to the resilience of a marginalized community, brothership and what music can do for the soul."

Brother isn't available on streaming, but it will be playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre from Jan. 26 - 29, 2023.

Caelan Monkman, Music Editor

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (DANIEL KWAN AND DANIEL SCHEINERT)

Because having it only once on this list just isn’t enough…

"So many stellar movies came out this year that it’s really hard to pick a favourite. Matt Reeves gave us the best superhero film in years with Matt Revees' The Batman, Sara Dosa’s Fire of Love was a beautifully mesmerizing documentary from start to finish, and Clement Virgo’s Brother was a tender and faithful adaptation of the 2017 novel of the same name. Even Jackass Forever is deserving of praise for being some of the most fun — albeit juvenile fun — I’ve had in a theatre in a while. But for me, the standout movie of 2022 is Everything Everywhere All At Once (EEAAO). Endlessly creative and eccentric, yet deeply moving and thought-provoking, the film packs so much into its two-hour and 20-minute runtime. I’m a sucker for weird movies, and EEAAO does such a phenomenal job of exploring weird and wonderful ideas, all while grounding the audience in a sentimental story which culminates in an emotional sucker-punch of an ending.”

Ish Chopra,

Graphic Designer

BULLET TRAIN (DAVID LEITCH)

"The majority of the characters either hold grudges against one another or are the target of grudges while seeking to flee the consequences of past crimes. All are either hired killers or other violent criminals related to the world of crime. This action comedy is probably one of my favourite movies this year and I have watched it more than 10 times. The direction, the cinematography, the script and the actors made this movie a success for me."

You can rent Bullet Train for $5.99 on Prime Video.

Atiya Malik,

Social Media Director

TOP GUN: MAVERICK (JOSEPH KOSINSKI)

"The action and adrenaline in this legendary Tom Cruise film were unforgettable! Each character was well-developed and had a rich backstory that gave the plot dimension. Just as well, the cinematography during the flight scenes was spectacular to watch! Genuinely made me feel like I was in the cockpit myself! This film will take you on an adventure and leave you in such a good mood after."

You can rent Top Gun: Maverick for $5.99 on Prime Video.

Olivia Wiens, Managing Editor

THE GOOD NURSE (TOBIAS LINDHOLM)

"The Good Nurse, starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, is the definition of a quiet movie with a deep impact. It’s a perfect example of keeping the viewer engaged despite them knowing how it’s going to end — it’s a true story, after all. The humanistic, empathetic take on a very dark situation is a testament to the extremely talented team that put it all together."

You can watch The Good Nurse on Netflix.

Sama Nemat Allah, Editor-in-Chief

STAY THE NIGHT (RENUKA JEYAPALAN)

"I watched this movie on a whim during one of those arbitrary Thursday nights when no school project feels imminent enough to do, and it brought me so much sadness and joy. It was less plot, more character study, and pays such special homage to Toronto, the city of its making. Its tenderness might’ve resonated more with me because I could recognize the streets our protagonist Grace walked down or because I saw myself in the way her days crumbled on a TTC streetcar seat. Nevertheless, the movie felt like a tribute to the solemnity and quiet melancholy of growing older but not growing up: of watching everyone you know move on without you to a gentle life while you watch from the sidelines."

You can rent the movie for $5.99 on Apple TV.

With this, let's wrap up our fun little list. What was your top film of 2022? 

I can't wait to see what movies 2023 has in stock for us. But until then, I'll (re)watch every single one on this list. 

The art of going to the movies: a guide for casual viewers and film buffs alike

Learn how to perfect your movie-going experience with these five tips

By: Nalyn Tindall

(Nathan Engel via Pexels) 

Going to the movies is a unique experience unlike any other. With streaming services on the rise, some may feel the practice of going out to see a movie is dying, but I wholeheartedly believe it’s an experience that can’t be replicated. 

An outing to the cinema is the perfect date, after-class activity, family outing or escape from reality. Films naturally bring people together, allowing an audience to relish in a communal experience of emotions. Whether you're dying of laughter while watching the newest comedy or gasping in terror while viewing a bone-chilling horror movie, experiencing these emotions in a crowd amplifies the impact they have on each and every person in the room. Hearing those around you react to the screen prompts a similar reaction from yourself, creating an intensely immersive few hours.

An in-person theatrical viewing provides an experience that just can’t compare to watching at home — and it's an art that some have perfected with intricate steps that must be followed. As a frequent movie go-er, here are my five key steps to making the most of your time at the theatre.

 Step 1: Picking the perfect film 

When going to the movies, it's important to choose the perfect film, and there’s a multitude of factors that must be considered when browsing through your options.

The people you choose to share armrests with are key to the viewing experience. It’s important to consider everyone's movie tastes, how well you know each other and the nature of your relationship. There’s nothing more awkward than watching a sex scene with your parents or taking a new coworker to the most obscure movie of the year.

But ensure you are also thinking of yourself; while your company's taste matters, don't sacrifice your own to ensure you’ll enjoy the movie just as much.

Step 2. Picking your seats

This may be even more difficult — and more argument-inducing — than choosing the film. Agreeing on seats can be a strenuous experience, especially if the people you’re with don’t have the common sense to avoid the front row at all costs. Instead, it’s important to buy your tickets early so you have unlimited seating options.

But if you’re worried about fighting over which section is the best or find the wide array of seat options overwhelming, it might be a good idea to cut it close and purchase tickets when there are only a few seats left. That way, you can avoid adding stress to an event that is best experienced stress-free.

Step 3. Snacktime!

Although theatre snacks may be expensive, they’re an essential part of the experience. Going to the movies is a time to indulge in the finer things that can't be found at home. This can mean buttery popcorn, delectable candy or most importantly, a giant fountain drink. You’re bound to be parched sitting in the theatre for hours, so it’s essential to be prepared.

(Ron Lach via Pexels)

Step 4. Enjoy the magic

When the lights dim, you know it’s time for the magic to begin. The trailers will roll and the anticipation will grow. Sitting in a dark theatre surrounded by other aspiring cinephiles and casual movie go-ers, all absorbing the same piece of art, is an experience that can’t be recreated. 

While you may love a film that others hated, the shared viewing ties the audience together. Unlike at home, where your phone, emails or family members beg to distract you, you’re able to concentrate on the film in front of you, step out of your busy world and simply enjoy for just a few hours.

 Step 5. Debrief

This is the part I always enjoy the most. When the lights come on and the theatre empties, thoughts flood the mind. The conversations following the credits are always memorable, as I passionately rank films and compare my thoughts with my company. There are a million questions to ask them, from their favourite character or scene to what they would change about the film. As heated discussions rise and controversial opinions get challenged, the debrief acts as a bonding ritual and an incentive to go back for another. 

If you consider these five steps, you're bound to experience the perfect movie outing. While a few things may still go wrong, like your popcorn ending up on the floor or an actor not living up to your expectations, memories will be made. Going to watch a movie in the theatre provides the opportunity for long-lasting memories to be made above all else, which is why it will never go out of style. 

A Q&A with the student creator of 'Vibe Check'

CanCulture spoke to a Toronto Metropolitan University student who’s creating his own show about the collectivity in youthfulness and queerness

By: Daniella Lopez

Vibe Check was produced by TMU students and filmed around locations in downtown Toronto (Daniella Lopez/CanCulture)

For his final thesis project, Don Qarlo Bernardino, a fourth-year media production student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), spent the entirety of 2022 creating his baby: a TV series pilot titled Vibe Check.

Vibe Check follows four queer, Asian, BIPOC students who move into a communal home together in downtown Toronto and find family in one another.

In early November, the show went into production where they spent 12 days filming. I sat down with Bernardino to find out more about the show, his experience making it and the lessons he wants viewers to take away from it.

Please note, this interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What inspired you to create the show?

The show has been a passion project of mine for more than a year. I’ve always been interested in writing stories, and I think with the medium of television, there’s a lot that you can do to tell different, diverse, interesting stories.

I've always been passionate about Filipino, queer and Asian representation. I’ve always sought after shows that have that sort of representation, but I never saw it from a Filipino, queer perspective, so I wanted to create a show that was all about [gen-Z] that was just unapologetically queer.

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Why did you name it Vibe Check?

As a writer, the hardest thing for me is creating a title because that’s your brand. I was searching up what represents gen-Z culture, and I was like, “What is slang that represents us that can also be catchy? Why don’t I say something about vibes?” When you meet someone, the most gen-Z thing to say is, “do they pass the vibe check?” That’s the whole idea of the show, and it stuck.

What was the process of writing the script like?

Creating the script was a whole process. I was the sole writer; I wrote the entire script. It was over 30 pages.

Because it’s a pilot script, there’s a lot of pressure and expectations that I put on myself to incorporate everything. I’ve had some of these scenes that you see in the show in my mind for a long time, but actually connecting them into a story and seeing how it shifts and evolves was really fascinating. A lot of the characters were also very personal to me as well, so it was a very vulnerable script. From the script all the way to production, it became more and more surreal.

You just finished production. What was that whole experience like?

Production was [wild] because I managed five roles — I was the sole writer, director and star of the show. I cast the whole production and I also helped with producing. A lot of us on set were just students who didn’t have a lot of experience, so there were people still learning.

The location we ended up filming in was my personal dorm, so it became more surreal because it was a story that reflected my life. The [main] character is a messier version of me, so his room has to be messy at all times — so my room stayed messy for a long time.

I’m still processing it, and to this day, it’s an experience I’ll never forget. Regardless of the difficulties, this production was so fun. My crew was so committed and dedicated to showing up on set, helping out and working together as a team.

Do you have a favourite scene that you shot or starred in?

There’s so many that I absolutely loved. My favourite scene that we shot was a party scene. Jessa [one of the main characters] runs into her ex-boyfriend at the party and he tries to get her back. They have this argument, and she realizes this guy is not worth it. It’s a really funny scene of a toxic, straight high school relationship that never worked out. 

Image via VibeCheck Instagram, captioned: “We think day ten might’ve been the best one yet.”

There’s a scene of David and Jacob [two of the main characters] eating Filipino food and walking down an outdoor plaza, which was really beautifully filmed, and it just showed queer male friendship.

There’s a really funny hookup scene that’s at the beginning of the show, where [my character] tries to hook up with someone, but it goes terribly wrong.

Those all sound so much fun! Is there anything you want viewers to gain from watching the show?

I want to inspire people to show that we can tell diverse stories in media and in television. It is possible to have proper representation, to cast authentically and to write stories that are authentic.

And in terms of queer representation, I was never interested in the coming out storyline because … it’s either about them struggling with their sexuality or being a cheesy romance story or extremely tragic. This is a story about queer people right in the middle. It’s made by and for queer BIPOC people. The message I want audiences to take is that we can see ourselves represented if we just try because we did.

That’s awesome, I’m so excited for it. Finally, when is it coming out?

That’s a question I get all the time, and it’s putting more and more pressure. By [December], we’re going to release a trailer. After post-production is done, we’re going to see which theatre we can show this project in. I’ll continue working on it to make it even better for next semester. We just want to bring everyone together to show the hard work that we did. 

VIBE CHECK

〰️

VIBE CHECK 〰️

Justin Trudeau’s Drag Race appearance is the epitome of pinkwashing

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just became the first world leader to appear on a Drag Race show, but why?

By: Sarah Grishpul

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves to a crowd of onlookers as he marches in the 2018 Vancouver Pride Parade. (@GoToVan via Flickr)

In the second episode of Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World, another Canadian incarnation in the American RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a quick appearance in the ‘werkroom’ to offer words of encouragement to the contestants and to speak on queer allyship.

During the three-minute segment, Trudeau was particularly charismatic as he preached to the queens on Canadian diversity and how the country is determined to be at the forefront of inclusivity and positive change concerning LGBTQ rights.

“We do diversity better than just about any other place in the world,” said Trudeau. “It doesn’t matter what your background is, where you’re from, who you love. You enrich this place.”

Drag Race has had a profound cultural impact on a global scale, making drag more accessible for audiences while destigmatizing the queer and trans community for people living in countries like the U.S., the U.K. and Brazil, who each have their own versions of Drag Race.

Andrea Houston, a queer media professor at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), says that this reality TV competition franchise is one of the most important LGBTQ pop culture outlets in the world.

“It is doing so much to give queer people in other countries not only an escape, but representation that is probably not completely accurate, but is inspiring for a lot of people,” said Houston.

This televised appearance was celebrated for being the first time a world leader has been on a Drag Race set. Previous installments of RuPaul’s Drag Race have only ever brought in American politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The segment concluded on an emotional beat with the queens reflecting on how inspiring the prime minister was in driving forward LGBTQ rights.

“I love him so much because people like him made it easy for immigrants to migrate here and have a chance for a better life,” said contestant Stephanie Prince in the episode. “So, seeing him being here is so nice.”

“I’m not from Canada, but to hear a politician speak so passionately and genuinely about that is just so heartwarming,” expressed another contestant, Victoria Scone, in the episode.

While Trudeau has been praised by the queens for his allyship, citing his involvement during the pride parade and vocal advocacy towards queer rights, the segment fails to paint a complete picture of the objective truth.

“The message that Canada is a sanctuary for queer people facing persecution, that's accurate, but it's not the full story,” said Houston. “Canada's not a utopia.”

Audiences should regard reality television with a critical eye, as it operates to influence viewers through a heavily edited and censored narrative. The segment itself is entirely one-sided, treating Trudeau as an LGBTQ hero without leaving room for political discourse.

“We have so many issues that could be solved by a majority liberal government that disproportionately impact queer and trans people,” said Houston. “Unfortunately, I'm just not seeing it from him.”

Houston encourages queer viewers to look critically at politicians and what political gains can be achieved from this Drag Race debut. For as much as Trudeau has been an ostensible figurehead for queer allyship, there still is a lot more he should be doing for the queer community.

While Trudeau has been praised by the queens for his allyship…the segment fails to paint a complete picture of the objective truth.

Rather than appearing on Drag Race and speaking on what it is like to be a queer ally, Houston would prefer that the Prime Minister use his power to tackle the ongoing issues harming queer communities in Canada.

Canada is currently under a majority liberal government, meaning that Trudeau could be doing more to support prevalent issues like Bill C-36: The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act and HIV criminalization laws.

During his campaign, Trudeau promised to repeal the laws implemented in Bill C-36, as Canadian sex workers have argued that it complicates and endangers their lives by restricting and criminalizing certain aspects of sex work. Yet, Houston points out that he has barely talked about it. 

The same goes for HIV criminalization laws where a person could be persecuted under Canadian law for not disclosing their HIV status. These laws stigmatize people with HIV, especially LGBTQ people who are marginalized for their sexuality. Despite promising to revoke the law once elected as prime minister, Trudeau has made no further steps to rescind them.

“I really think that the Canadian public, queer people, LGBTQ people, people who care about justice, should maybe question this appearance on Drag Race and maybe ask some deeper questions about what it means, what it's doing, who [it is] benefiting,” said Houston. 

“Is it benefiting queer people in Canada and around the world? It's not for me to say, but we know it's for sure benefiting the government,” she elaborated.

According to Houston, Trudeau’s appearance on Drag Race Canada could likely be interpreted as an example of pinkwashing and homonationalism, meaning he’s using the queer community to push the government's nationalist agenda. 

‘Homonationalism’ was first coined in 2007 by Jasbir Puar, a queer theorist who proposed that a country’s capacity for national sovereignty is evaluated by how tolerant and accepting they are–or pretend to be–towards their 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

Nations like Canada are celebrated for being progressive while Trudeau’s Liberal government can maintain the support of the queer community through these publicized and glamourized appearances.

“How many gaps in the system are there that could easily be filled with one piece of legislation on his part,” Houston said. “There's so much that could be done to relieve people's suffering.”

7 Canadian actors in famous movie franchises

Canadian actors have been making their mark in blockbuster cinema for longer than you think

By: Manroop Aulakh

(Graphic by Ishitaa Chopra/CanCulture)

Have you ever gone down the stalking-your-favourite-actor-on-IMDB rabbit hole and thought, huh, they're Canadian? The number of times I’ve been shocked to realize that a great actor was Canadian is astronomical. 

Canada has given us many wonderfully talented actors and actresses that we now see on the big screen. You may have heard of some of them, but a few may come as a shock. Check out these notable Canadian movie stars who make the franchises we know and love complete.

Hayden Christensen - Star Wars

Born in Vancouver, and raised in Markham, Ont., Hayden Christensen started starring in several TV roles at the mere age of 13.

You’ll most likely recognize him from his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Despite others defining Hayden's performance as monotone, the persona he put on moulded the character we’re so fond of today. Christensen plays with Anakin's raw emotions in a robust fashion before brilliantly and visibly reeling them back in throughout the entire franchise, making his performance an unforgettable one.

Keanu Reeves - Matrix

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, actor Keanu Reeves was raised in Toronto from the age of six. In high school, Reeves took an interest in hockey but eventually dropped out of school to pursue an acting career.

After landing several roles throughout his early career, Reeves landed his role as Neo in The Matrix franchise, comprising four seminal movies that shaped the action genre as we know it today. He portrays the role of a cybercriminal through an arguably reticent delivery that makes it truly unique. He received a Blockbuster Entertainment Award and two MTV Movie Awards in his role as Neo.

Tatiana Maslany - Marvel Cinematic Universe

Tatiana Maslany was born in Regina on Sept. 22, 1985, and started working towards her acting career at just nine years old when she joined a community theatre, according to an interview with the Toronto Film School.

Maslany came to fame while starring in the award-winning series Orphan Black (2013). In 2022, she made another big career move in her latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) show as She-Hulk in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Maslany said she had anxiety about entering the MCU because she felt more comfortable in smaller roles. However, she felt drawn to both the script and the character, which convinced her to take on the endeavours. The Saskatchewan actress helped to create a strong, relatable female superhero that stood in stark juxtaposition to anything else the MCU had previously done. 

William Shatner - Star Trek

William Shatner was born in Montreal on March 22, 1931. After graduating with an economics degree from McGill University, he joined a local theatre group as an assistant manager and performed with the National Repertory Theatre of Ottawa. He came to the attention of New York critics and was soon playing essential roles on major live television shows like The Brothers Karamazov (1958).

In 1966, Shatner boarded the USS Enterprise for three seasons of Star Trek As Captain James Kirk. After the show’s series finale in 1969, Shatner spent the following decade making guest appearances on many television series such as Petrocelli (1974), Barbary Coast (1975) and The Bastard (1978). However, the ‘80s saw a major Shatner revival with renewed interest in the original Star Trek, which led the actor to return to his character for a seven-movie franchise.

At the age of 91, Shatner recently became the oldest person to travel to space and followed that experience up with the 2022 release of his book, Boldly Go Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder.

Cobie Smulders - Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Cobie Smulders was born in Vancouver, on April 3, 1982. Starting her acting career as a teenager, she quickly landed guest spots on television series such as Jeremiah (2000) and Special Unit 2 (2001). Smulders is well known for her role as Robin in the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which ran from 2005 to 2014.

In 2012, Smulders landed her role as Maria Hill in the MCU franchise The Avengers, spanning over four movies. She continued her role with appearances in Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D and several other Marvel films. In an interview with Evening Standard, Smulders said she was grateful for the opportunity to do something so different from a sitcom. “If you're lucky enough to get a job as an actor, I don’t think you can ever be picky,” she said, explaining why she initially took the role. She will be continuing this role in Marvel’s Secret Invasion series alongside Samuel L. Jackson in 2023.

Simu Liu - Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Raised in Mississauga, Ont., Simu Liu is a Chinese-Canadian actor born in Harbin, China on April 29, 1989.

After getting laid off from an accounting firm after working there for nearly a year, Liu decided to pursue work in TV and film instead. Liu mentions walking through a set as a background actor, saying, “Oh my god this is incredible, I want to do that,” according to an article by The Shorthorn. He later landed his well-known lead role in Kim's Convenience (2016), which was a sensational hit, and took its denomination from a real store in Toronto.

In 2021, Liu landed his breakthrough role as Shang-Chi in the MCU’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Liu was the first person of Asian heritage to be cast as the lead role in a Marvel movie. “I loved comics as a kid, I loved superheroes, but I really didn't see myself represented in that space,” he said in a Time article. “I really hope with this movie, kids who are like me, who grew up similarly, can have that.”

Michael J. Fox - Back to the future

Michael J. Fox was born in Edmonton on June 9, 1961, and developed his desire to act as a young child, leading to his role in a series titled Leo and Me (1978) at age 15. Three years later, he moved to Los Angeles and featured in a few films before landing his role as Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985), which resulted in three movies that earned him two best actor awards.

While Director Robert Zemeckis had his eye on Fox as a bright young leader to play McFly, Fox was currently starring in the popular sitcom Family Ties and wasn’t able to commit to any other work. It wasn’t until months later after Zemeckis had tried and failed to find another suitable Marty McFly, that Fox was finally eager to sign on, according to an article by People Magazine. If the film starred an entirely different actor, the movie might not have been the instant classic hit it is today.

Fox, along with costar Christopher Lloyd, recently designed and released their first-ever Back to the Future merchandise collection, bringing back a lot of nostalgia for old fans.