Here's what's coming up on The Filmmakers, our TV show about Canadian cinema
Lights. Camera. CanCon. What's the deal with that movie series we keep talking about?
Hello! You're reading the CBC Arts newsletter, and if you like what you see, stick around! Sign up here, and every Sunday we'll send you a fresh email packed with art, culture and a metric truckload of eye candy, hand-picked by our small and mighty team. Here's what we've been talking about this week.
Hi, art lovers!
If you didn't catch it Saturday night, clear the next couple hours from your schedule. Our summer movie series, The Filmmakers, is back for another season, and the first episode is already ready and waiting for you.
Hosted by Joanna Schneller and Amanda Parris, every episode is a bit like your insider pre-show to the Canadian-made feature films that'll be airing Saturdays on CBC this summer. "Conversation and a movie" would be the official tagline. (Add popcorn, breakfast or popcorn-breakfast, as required.)
We'll give you the full schedule below, but this weekend's premiere was all about Mina Shum's Meditation Park.
Cheng Pei Pei — Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's "queen of martial arts" — stars with Sandra Oh in the Vancouver-set drama, a story about a Chinese-Canadian housewife (Pei Pei) on a charming — and tearjerking — journey of self-discovery. As Oh told us last year, this one's "a love letter to Asian moms everywhere," and actually, you should definitely check out that particular interview for a little teaser of the film. We got the chance to go on set last summer, before it premiered arrived at VIFF and TIFF.
New this year, we're focusing on movies made by Canadian women because — not so fun fact — women are beyond underrepresented in the industry. (They make up only 17 per cent of Canadian film and TV directors, 10 per cent of screenwriters and 2 per cent of cinematographers.) Joanna Schneller, our Filmmakers co-host, breaks down the stats in this essay, her case for this all-female season. Writes Schneller: "Women make up 51 per cent of the population. By making women directors 100 per cent of our second season, The Filmmakers is showing audiences what they need to see: that there is no such thing as a 'typical' women filmmaker."
There's a new episode every Saturday. As for when to tune in, all the complicated timezone details are as follows: 8:30pm ET/CT/MT, 9:30pm AT, 10pm NT and 11pm PT on CBC TV. Or, just click cbc.ca/watch.
Peep the movie schedule
Into the Forest (Patricia Rozema) – Saturday, Aug. 4
Window Horses (Ann Marie Fleming) – Saturday, Aug. 11
Gabrielle (Louise Archambault) – Saturday, Aug. 18
Angry Inuk (Alethea Arnaquq-Baril) – Saturday, Aug. 25
Double Happiness (Mina Shum) – Saturday, Sept. 1
Paper Year (Rebecca Addelman) – Saturday, Sept. 8
Jean of the Joneses (Stella Meghie) – Saturday, Sept. 15
I He(art) My City
Meditation Park got us in a West Coast state of mind, so this week, say "hi" to Vancouver's Piper Hoekstra who emailed us this list (and map!) of her must-see sights.
What's the most magical spot in your hometown?
"It is hidden just enough by the high grass and weeping branches of the trees surrounding the little lake that you wouldn't know it was there unless you walked right up to the edge. That whole area is crazy lush and green in the summer and to sit on that bench and look out onto the lake/ocean/mountains and beyond is just friggin wonderful. :D"
Who's your favourite local artist?
"Missy D."
What's the best place to see art?
"Walking tour of all the murals in East Van."
What's going on in your hometown?
See those questions above? Answer them! And then send us those answers in an email. We're still waiting to hear your hometown picks. All summer, we'll be featuring readers' tips in Hi, Art as a companion to our travel series, I He(art) My City, and you could be next.
You've got to see this
18 women in film to watch - An all-female season of the Filmmakers is just the beginning, folks. We put together a list of the country's best emerging directors, including rising Pixar star Domee Shi. Loads of trailers to watch, too. Have a look, then wait for the day you can finally brag: "I knew about them first."
'One of the last few things she said...was that she still had so much art left to do with me' - In her mother's final days, art brought them together. And now, art is how she keeps her memory alive. Edmonton's Kasie Campbell shares the emotional story behind her latest exhibition, Matrilineal Threads.
Paint the town pink and red and orange and yellow... - Well, that was fast! Those rainbow-bright murals we mentioned in a past newsletter are already lighting up walls in Toronto and Edmonton. Take a 23-storey journey up the side of Okuda's tallest painting ever as we join the artist on the job.
Follow this artist
Janice Wu (@janicewuart) - Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? No? How about this, then: do you ever want to lose yourself in an endless scroll of delicate watercolours? If so, follow Vancouver's Janice Wu. Maybe check out her episode of Art Minute, too.
Got questions? Story tips? Hot takes on the latest episode of The Filmmakers?
We're always around. Hit us up over email and we'll do our best to get back to you.
And if someone forwarded you this message, and you like what you've read, here's where to subscribe for more.
Until next time!
XOXO, CBC Arts
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