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nwbeerguide · 5 years

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Central City Brewers + Distillers announces the guest brewers included in their The Red Racer Across the Nation Collaboration

Press Release

The Red Racer Across the Nation Collaboration celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of Canadian craft brewers through this innovative mixed beer pack. This year’s collaboration mixed pack features new beers from 12 different breweries.

BRONZE – Canadian Brewing Awards and Conference 2019 Ocean Playground Belgian Tripel (Collaboration with Tatamagouche Brewing Co.)

Red Racer Across the Nation Collaboration Beers: British Columbia – Moon Under Water Brewery: Kermode Kiwi Saison – The Kermode, or Spirit Bear, holds great legend in British Columbia indigenous culture. The Kermode Kiwi Saison uses local BC fruit as a tribute to this magnificent creature. Alberta – Troubled Monk Brewery: Badlands Sour Brown Ale – The Badlands Sour Brown Ale is truly “Bad to the Bone”. In a good way of course. Paying tribute to the incredible Dinosaur National Park with a tasty and tart craft brew. Saskatchewan – District Brewing Co.: Manitou Dunkel – The great spirit Manitou runs deep in Saskatchewan, as does the legacy of the early German settlers whose descendants flocked to the shores of Little Manitou Lake to enjoy a classic German Dunkel. Manitoba – Barn Hammer Brewing Company: Narcisse Smoked Amber Saison – Red Sided Garter Snakes slither in Narcisse each spring. The world’s largest accumulation of these snakes happens just north of Winnipeg and this Amber Saison pays tribute to the annual spectacle. Ontario – Nickel Brook Brewing Co.: Superior Berliner Weisse – You could say that Ontarians have a “Superior”-ity complex but with lakes this big, can you blame them? This brew should live up to Ontario standards with the use of BC fruit. Québec – Brasserie Dunham: Eastern Townships Coffee Stout – Heading to the Eastern Townships you may want to stop in for a cup of coffee and a pint. This brew kills two birds with one stone as a classic dry coffee stout. New Brunswick – Grimross Brewing Co.: Higher Tides Maplebock – The great force of the tide at the Bay of Fundy is a Canadian Icon, nearly as iconic as the maple leaf and the tree that lends its nectar to this Maplebock. Nova Scotia – Tatamagouche Brewing Co.: Ocean Playground – Bronze medal winner at the 2019 Canadian Brewing Awards! The Nova Scotian coast reveals an ocean playground as far as they eye can see. On the far side of this jungle gym lies Belgium and the source of inspiration for this beer. Prince Edward Island – Copper Bottom Brewing: Panmure Island Bohemian Pilsner– PEI’s Panmure Island has been shaped by time with its iconic beaches and sand dunes. Making a classic pilsner too takes great care and can only reach perfection with time and patience. Newfoundland – Port Rexton Brewing Co.: Skerwink Haze Kveik NEIPA – Explore Canada’s Northeast on the Skerwink Trail. Pick a haze-free day and see for miles from the vista’s Newfoundland has to offer. Yukon – Winterlong Brewing Co.: Top of the World NEIPA – If you head far enough north, eventually all paths lead south. Beyond Yukon’s Top of the World Highway, every direction seems to lead to New England and this juicy IPA. Northwest Territories – NWT Brewing Co.: Mackenzie River Kӧlsch – Take a paddle down Canada’s longest river. After a long day of exploring Canada’s North, Mackenzie would have loved this refreshing and easy drinking Kolsch.

from News - The Northwest Beer Guide http://bit.ly/2JWSqov

#Beer #News #Brewery

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clifi-journal-blog · 7 years

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We Stand on Guard

Looking at a graphic novel by Vaughan, Skroce, Hollingsworth, Fonografiks

SUPER Canadian (O Canada reference, Tim Hortons, Flannel—it’s like the Nova Scotians in modern day Toronto damn)—S/O also inverses the stereotypes of Canadians being so pacifist, polite, passive

American conflict (always been a thing Canada vs. US, which one is more problematic—sharing border/NA, share resources too? One polluting the other?)—over water (of course) is discussed through the language of dun dun dun---DC universe !! (high key shout out to “fiction” being a medium through which we discuss subjects such as environmental change and social justice) – comic to comic, celebrates the graphic novel form (relatable, everyone loves it)

Chick works at Canadian Tire beforehand: the ordinary being transformed into extraordinary (see CC, see Captain America, really inflating the role of the civilian)

Rearranging history “White House bombed 300 years ago (in 2112)”

Aesthetics: modern/rosy/seems like the future in a year 1990s-2000s movie about the future vs. Northwest Territories (2124)—white, nature, minimalistic (minimalism & nature; congestion & modernity)

Baddest Freedom Fighters of the Great White North: Avengers meets the Night’s Watch meets Canada (some sort of diversity—assumption that Canada is multicultural; got those representation: Syrian refugee, whites, French Canadian, Aboriginal)

Theatre of War: war perceived to be theatrics, show performativity

References to real events, real problems in contemporary Canada: oil sands of Alberta (pipeline issues, relevant. Exaggeration of Kinder-Morgan project and how the US market is trying to invade Canadian land through capitalist infrastructure, i.e. pipeline)

Hologram & Questioning lady: emphasizes the role of technology, almost like an invisible hand—(have total control but are they really real?) à pictures of different landscapes (cities, cold glaciers, water, greenery, suburbs and how different people value different things; unequal distribution/allocation of power= return to economic power about power distribution. Diminishing resources caused by climate change is triggering all these violent events)

Breeding of the coy-wolf: happens b/c of environmental fluctuations (not only on people but also on animals, species interaction)

Very progressive squad: big, buff, burly dude is actually gay (Canada and LGBTQ*) ALL-INCLUSIVE, self-promo

I’M ALREADY DEAD page, super bad-ass: won’t go down without a fight, walking to a death trap—very superhero going against an army moment. S/O to learning to die in the Anthropocene, only way to carry on is to accept that we are already dead, especially in such a situation (better to die fighting than to live a puppet)à people walking into war knowing they’re already dead, no matter what the outcome is, they’re doomed, but still wanna give other people some sort of fighting chance, some semblance of hope (stall)

Back and forth, distant past and presentà shows that events are interconnected (see LUTW, CC, etc.)

Vs. CWC where when trouble arises, US & Canada combine; this is the other end of the spectrum, where when trouble arises, close up borders, tensions ensue, etc.

The map’s only getting redderà TBT, rise of communism/Nazi Germany (red: evil, passion, danger)

“I kill soldiers to defend my homeland. You murder civilians to irrigate what you turned into a dust bowl.” – see Conspiracy theory about 9/11 and the Middle East. One done for survival, the other for greed, where do you draw the line that separates necessary and unnecessary demand

Concept of VIRTUAL REALITY—focuses on real/not real, “climate change is only a story; it’s not really happening”. Whether or not virtual reality or not, the pain is the same. Consequences are different, but you are mentally and emotionally traumatized just the same.

HOMELAND: What is home vs. what is land? Geography and belonging—is it a place? A concept? What defines home? Our responsibility to it? Our ownership? “It’s not our planet if it’s happening elsewhere!!” *WRONG* it’s everyone’s problem because ONE EARTH. Scale of what is considered the homeland.

“We’re a nation of immigrants” -- @ Trump and the immigration ban, OKAY. Built on diversity vs. uniformity. Finding unity in diversity? Also an issue of who has the right to what? Do the First Nations have the right to land because they were here first? How do you allocate property rights? If it’s a matter of first come, first serve basis, then why are the animals, the trees—why are they the one who gets the least say? Why are they being marginalized? (Is that why we seemingly show no sense of ownership? Because we are transient members of the community?)

Problem of demand not only between Canada and USA, but also within USA.

“Or we’ll have no choice but to kill your comrade.” “And your little dog, too.” “Jefferson, don’t be a dick”-->i.e. it’s chill to kill humans in mass scales, but god forbid you hurt the dog. I mean, yes, of course we should value other animals (dogs, cats, pets), but shows how little sympathy is given to man in comparison (YT)

Interesting: considered “extremist” and last part of suicide mission is attaching a bomb to herself. HMMMM.

“Cause you know what really happens when you blow up a kid’s parents? You don’t get some noble defender of justice. You get me.” Vs. Batman who, after being orphaned, becomes this superhero, defender of justice figure. She admits her faults, but also shows she’s not afraid of death. It’s like that scene from earlier, walking into the line of fire. She grew up ready to die.

Capture that—capture resistance, see THG, see the LUTW story about capturing stories to inspire rebellion, participation, or at least some level of acknowledgement. Stories inspire hope.

End: return to beginning (We’re all right here) – even though they’ve won, land is ruined, people are death. Rebirth but not quite, bringing back a resurrected zombie (TDW)

#wsog

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vivianrhopper85 · 6 years

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Most Unusual Restaurants in Toronto: 360 Restaurant

If there is one edifice that screams "That's Toronto!", it is the CN Tower located centrally, adjacent to many other truly Toronto attractions. It's the first thing that stands out against our skyline and it's the often one of the first things tourists to the city want to check out. What many people don't think of when considering this tourist hotspot is fine dining with a definite focus on Canadian ingredients and dishes. Designated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the tower houses the 360 Restaurant, named for the fact that the restaurant rotates a full 360 degrees every 72 minutes giving spectacular views of the entire city from over 1,000 feet above.

Coupled with free entry to the observation deck and glass floor, a lunch or dinner at the 360 is actually well-worth the price and this 2-for-1 deal is why it's particularly popular as a date spot, a business meeting venue, and especially a place to take out-of-towners. I can certainly attest to the latter, having treated many family and business visitors from all over the world to an evening above the Toronto. It is always a thrill for tourists.

But that shouldn't mean that locals can't enjoy it just as much. With Executive Chef John Morris at the helm, there's a strong focus on Canadian cuisine, drawing from all across the country for inspiration in his dishes. And who doesn't want to pick out their home or other much-loved local spot from high above city from once in a while?

Atmosphere and Decor

First things first: Nobody is coming here for the interior decor. As such, it's very simple and perfunctory, with a slight air of class. After all it does boast the world's highest wine cellar. Guests are here for the view.

After going through security checkpoints and taking the elevator up in an ear-popping 58 seconds, you're greeted with a vista you won't scoff at. It's important to note that the 360 shares the same common areas with the rest of the CN Tower and depending on the time of day and year, you may experience long lines to get into the building. At 4:30 PM in January however, there was no wait at all and it was in perfect time to catch the winter sunset. During my time, I managed to see the city in both the afternoon and dark of a winter night, all from the comfort of my seat.

Every other time I've come to this place, it's been quite busy but with that in mind, every other time has been in much warmer temperatures and better weather. It was strikingly empty which I found actually added to the atmosphere as I could enjoy the view from my seat at the window in peace. The only sound was the oldies coming from the music system. Even with every table taken during other visits, it never seemed too loud.

Menu Range

This is a menu made for Canadians at fairly affordable prices considering what it comes with. There is nothing that will shock you or anything that seems particularly unfamiliar. It is not the sort of hipster joint that is chock full of bone marrow creations or kombucha-pickled ghost peppers. It's basic and traditional but tasty, with a wide range of options for typical Western tastes.

It is a prix fixe menu where you can choose from a 2-course or 3-course options for $65 or $79 respectively. There is an a la carte menu as well for grilled meats and seafood, which is actually quite impressive considering the venue is not known for ocean-based cuisine. I'm resisting the urge to make a joke about Ripley's Aquarium which is right next door!

Starting with the a la carte menu, there is the choice between artisanal beef from Pine Meadows Farms (which I cannot find online) as well as Ontario lamb and bison. The steaks range from $85 for 16oz rib eye to $75 for the other two. An 8oz bison tenderloin will set you back $80 and a rack of lamb is $79/pound. Seafood offerings were most impressive. The menu lists 3 choices for $95 each with the option of Atlantic lobster, east coast crab legs, or a surf and turf option. And then there is the seafood bar which consist of huge platters full of a large variety of seafood as well as appetizers from the ocean. The platters range from $65 to $395, and from one to three tiers! If you're in the mood for lobster, crab, mussels, oysters, shrimp, and smoked fish, this is by far the dish to order. Appetizers consist of shrimp cocktail or smoked salmon for $24, Malpeque oysters for $38, or seafood cocktail for $48.

The prix fixe menu starts off with appetizers, with only 2 requiring an extra $6. There are 2 salads, a hearty mushroom soup, duck parfait, beet and squash tart tatin, with smoked salmon and shrimp & grits as the more expensive of the offerings.

The mains consist of a well-rounded variety of choices for different palates and nothing too adventurous to scare anybody off, with the bonus of showcasing various parts of the country. There is a Newfoundland-inspired cod dish, a BC seafood dish with rockfish, clams, squid & mussels, a vegetarian risotto with ancient grains and BC mushrooms, Quebec-inspired brioche chicken, an Ontario super pork dish consisting of 4 different types, a vegetarian ravioli, Nova Scotian salmon fillet, and 45-day aged Alberta prime rib. The former is the only option that requires an extra $10 supplement. The sides that accompany the dishes are all very Canadian as well with root vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, and even sumac-dusted potatoes.

All extra side dishes are $11 a piece and it is recommended to order two. I found that two extra dishes are unnecessary as the plates are large enough to be filling.

There are 7 desserts to pick from, or add onto your a la carte order for $14. They are more creative, more Canuck takes on typical fine dining desserts with ingredients that we have come to understand as purely Canadian. It starts with the ubiquitous chocolate based dessert, here in the form of a "tower". Following up is the verrine with cherries, which is known as a slightly classier name for parfait, almost like a deconstructed black forest cake, minus the cake. There's the East Coast-inspired (and Scottish) cranachan which is a trifle-like dessert, a blueberry and maple syrup crème brulee, an upside-down cake, and for the less adventurous there are the typical cookies and ice-cream or sorbet.

If savoury is more your style after a meal, the 360 boasts a sizeable cheeseboard selection with Ontario and Quebec dairies highlighted.

Appetizers

It was a little early for a thick and hot soup and I wanted something more than a salad, so I opted for the beet tarte tatin having only a vague idea what that meant. The dish arrived quickly, well presented, and colourful. It was a little confusing as I saw no squash at all and it seemed more like a hunk of gratin-like pre-prepared beets thrown on a piece of plain pastry. The pastry itself was well-made and flaky but was certainly lacking any taste of squash. The beets were dry and bland, which was particularly unfortunate as I have had some of the best beets in my life at this restaurant in years past. The sheep's milk cheese, or as they claim yoghurt, was smooth, creamy and mild with fresh pea shoots to top it off. The best part of the dish was actually the complementary roasted hazelnuts. They not only added a burst to nutty flavour but also a nice hard crunch to contrast against the beets and pastry. The grape reduction was unnoticeable and far too meagre. It was a nice size for an appetizer.

Entrees

Had I been paying better attention, I certainly would have chosen the bison tenderloin a la carte but with the prix fixe that was not available to me. I was torn between the Newfoundland cod and the Quebec chicken, choosing eventually to go with the chicken simply because the accoutrements were more to my taste. I'm sure the cod would have been quite a treat as well. I would have liked some information on the menu about the sustainability of the fisheries they draw from for this menu as that is a big concern, especially in the troubled East Coast cod industry. The fact that there is no Ocean Wise or MSC designation on the menu made me think twice about the fish.

The chicken dish was the only poultry offering in the entrées and is bound to appeal to even the pickiest eaters as it is a safe, tasty plate made with skill. The brioche crust was thin but adequate and as a huge fan of brioche, it was a great texture mixed with the juicy, spinach-stuffed chicken. The sprinkling of sea salt atop it actually added quite a nice zest of flavour. Usually the protein is the star of the dish but in this case, I feel like the vegetables played a co-starring role of equal importance, and even more flavour. The crushed potatoes were drenched in delicious chicken jus, the heirloom carrot puree was smooth, and the edamame beans were perfectly cooked, not too soft like many places overcook them to. There was the addition of about 3 whole cloves of mashed garlic to add bite and the maple butter sauce rounded everything out with a pleasant sweetness. It may not have been a particularly bold choice of entrée, but it was a satisfying one in the same way as a home-cooked meal.

I also picked up a side of brussel sprouts with chestnuts because I thought all the carbs and protein could use some healthy greens to balance the meal and found them to be perfectly cooked, crispy with a nice char to them, but there was something very sweet about the glaze that was a bit distracting to the overall flavour of the sprouts.

Dessert

Three courses was definitely the way to go. Dessert was possibly the best part of the meal and it was huge! As I have a certain sweet tooth, it's always a bit of a challenge to pick just one sweet treat. The Dark Chocolate Tower called to me with its coffee and orange tinges but as this was meant to be a Canadian experience, I had choose the East Coast Cranachan, mostly because I had no idea what it was and the idea of partridge berries in January seemed too good to be true. Sadly, it was. The dish was covered with raspberries instead. Not a partridgeberry in sight. Considering the raspberries were a mixture of fresh and freeze-dried, I was surprised that there weren't dried partridgeberries instead.

That said, the greenhouse raspberries were good enough and I particularly enjoyed the dried berries as they were really crunchy and packed full of sweet and sour flavour. It helps that I love raspberries. The oat shortbread was overwhelming as there was so much of it. But it had to be in order to scoop up all the custard and whipping cream which was piled really high. After an app and main, I could only finish half of it even though it was the perfect blend of sweet and creamy.

Drink Options

To call the drink options substantial would be an understatement. If you are a wine drinker, this is likely a heavenly list to choose from. The wine list should more aptly be called a wine book featuring wines from Canada, and all over the world. It is 9 pages of whites, reds, desserts, champagnes, and ports. There is bound to be something to please everyone who wants wine. The servers are all versed in the options as well. The food menu also comes with a pairing list to help narrow down your choices if you aren't up to scratch on fancy wine knowledge. The bottles range from $45 for California white to $3600 for a 2000 Château Lafite Rothschild merlot. So, if you're a wine connoisseur or just an everyday Joe, you'll find something tasty. Certain wines are also available by the 6 or 9oz glass.

If you're not in a wine mood, there is also a cocktail list with Canadiana names like Gord's Last Word (which is likely an homage to Gord Downie, or possibly Gordie Howe or Gordon Lightfoot), Toronto Islands, or CN Spritz, all for fairly recognisable cocktails. There's nothing "craft" here. These are just crowd-pleasers with fun names. They will run you from $16 to $20. I sampled the Beamsville Bing which comes with a collectible glass. It tasted a bit too heavily of grenadine for me but I'm sure it would appeal to many others.

There is also a fair selection of Ontario craft beers, from $9 to $14 a pint. They specialize as well in Canadian spirits featuring distillers such as Dillon's, Tag No. 5, Ungava, Screech, Crown Royal, and Gibson's. Specialty coffee is also available.

For people who'd prefer not to drink, there are non-alcoholic cocktails for $12 and juices for $7.50 with more fun names like Centreville Refresher or Walk On The Edge. There is also a selection of coffees and teas for $5. I opted to go with a classic cappucino which is made with decent Lavazza coffee and had a wonderfully thick foam that made it a pleasure to drink. I do think the 360 could go with some local roasters for their coffee to bring more flavour and Canadiana to their offerings.

Service

As a fine dining establishment, it's not surprising that the level of service is high. I found the CN Tower employees, host, bussers, manager, and servers all very attentive and friendly. My server was chatty and engaged but never in a pushy way, and made me feel quite welcome even though I was dining alone. He often stopped by to make sure everything was going well or just chat and I found like they really valued my presence and comfort. It is important to note again that I never felt suffocated or uncomfortable with the attentiveness and it was never overwhelming. It was the perfect balance. It was also appreciated that the manager checked in as well. I think one of the highlights was when the sun was setting in a very beautiful and unique way, a few servers were taking photos of it as well and it just felt very nice to see that the staff appreciates the view even if they see it every day. I feel like that enthusiasm in your staff reflects well on the workplace and service itself.

Feeling Afterwards

After taking my leftovers and collectible glassware, I wandered down to the LookOut (observation deck) and the Glass Floor, as both are included with a 360 Restaurant reservation. I can't say I've ever been to this restaurant and not have my guests want to check out the CN Tower itself afterwards. At the time I was there, very few others were around and due to the weather, the SkyPod and Edge Walk were closed, as well as the outdoor area of the Look Out. It was a nice end to the meal to slowly wander around the CN Tower in near quiet, just watching the winter city at night. The meal itself was filling and although it is not the best food or drinks I've ever had, and it's certainly not going to win a Michelin star, it was a satisfying meal and when taking into consideration the free access to parts of the CN Tower that cost $36 normally, it seems like a pretty good deal for a gourmet and unique experience.

The 360 Restaurant is a good place to put on your list if you want to entertain some out-of-towners or business colleagues. The atmosphere and service are pleasant, the food is tasty, and the view is unparalleled in this city unless you're renting your own plane. You can be assured that any tourist will be happy to dine here, and it's not a bad spot to take a date either. While there are many, many other high-quality fine dining establishments in the city, none come linked with a 360 degree view of the entire city at sunset.

VL00KV

from News And Tip About Real Estate https://jamiesarner.com/toronto-restaurant-reviews/360-restaurant/

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funtubeweb · 6 years

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Film Forward: Five to Watch in ’18

Inventive auteur animation, a compelling feature debut from Laura Marie Wayne, and a timely documentary essay on that great unfinished project we call democracy are among productions currently in the works at Canada’s public producer. Here are five titles to watch in the coming twelve months.

Love, Scott

Nova Scotian musician Scott Jones was on his way home from a night with friends when an act of homophobic violence changed his life forever, leaving him paralysed from the waist down. With Love, Scott, his close friend Laura Marie Wayne, an alumna of EICTV, Cuba’s famed International School of Film and Television, tells his story in a nuanced and finely crafted feature doc.

Juxtaposing poignant testimony from Scott and his family with impressionistic verité footage, Wayne fashions a beautifully textured portrait of resilience, accompanying Scott over three years as he embarks on a fragile journey of healing.

The film features concert footage of Jones himself directing VOX, a community choir he founded as part of the Don’t Be Afraid Campaign, along with a spacious original score by experimental Icelandic ensemble Sigur Rós, active players in the global struggle for LGBTQ rights.

“I’ve become deeply connected to and part of the LGBTQ community,” says Wayne. “I identify as an ally, and I’m using documentary film as a medium to present an insider story of queer experience to a mainstream audience.”

Producer Annette Clarke has championed the project from the onset. “I was immediately drawn to Laura’s sensibility,” she says, “the way she holds up a mirror to Scott and his soul, and to the whole complex human condition. Together they’ve done something remarkable. They’ve given us beautiful film that questions the progress we’ve made in protecting the LGBTQ community.”

Wayne shot the film herself and shares the editing credit with Marcos Caraballo – also a graduate of EICTV. Love, Scott is produced and executive produced by Annette Clarke at the Quebec-Atlantic Studio.

What is Democracy?

Framed as an open-ended question, Astra Taylor’s latest project takes on the oft-cited but little analysed concept known as democracy. The idea first occurred to her back in 2012 as she was coming off her time with Occupy Wall Street — but the planet-wide rise of demagogic nationalism has thrown the project into sharp new relief.

“I was totally onside with Occupy and its critique of income inequality. There was a sense that liberal democracy — with its checks-and-balances, its focus on individual rights and free markets, all that — was letting us down, and direct democracy didn’t seem to offer a realistic way forward either. I felt a need to return to fundamentals, to go back to Plato’s Republic. And recent history shows just how fragile democracy is. Plato actually wrote about the rise of a demagogue — and here we are. There’s a sense of crisis about democracy now, and what the hell it actually means.”

In a big-hearted and wonderfully free-wheeling conversation that moves from Athens to Atlanta, scholars like Cornel West, Silvia Federici and Wendy Brown share screen time with the demos itself — health workers and school kids, refugees and activists, regular people wrestling with the practical and philosophical challenges posed by the democratic idea. Pictured above: Silvia Federici with Astra Taylor in the former city state of Siena.

The project reunites Taylor with Lea Marin, the NFB producer on the acclaimed NFB/Sphinx co-production Examined Life (2008), a philosophical road movie hailed by Variety as “a playful riposte to the notion that movies are for turning one’s mind off.”

“Astra likes to think big,” says Marin. “She’s not afraid of making intellectual films. But this is a very accessible project. It invites people from all walks of life to join a conversation on how we can rebuild democracy, how we can work together to bring about global change…Astra is less interested in pronouncing than in asking the right questions, and those questions matter now more than ever.”

Taylor is the author of The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age (2014); the editor of Examined Life: Excursions with Contemporary Thinkers (2009); and co-editor of Occupy!: Scenes From Occupied America (2012). Her film credits include Zizek! (2005), a feature-length profile of contemporary philosopher Slavoj Žižek. Below: producer Lea Marin with Cornel West and Taylor.

The chief DOP on Democracy is Maya Bankovic whose credits include The Prison in Twelve Landscapes and My Prairie Home, which was also produced by Lea Marin at the NFB’s Ontario Studio. What is Democracy? is directed by Astra Taylor, edited by Robert Kennedy, and produced by Lea Marin at the NFB’s Ontario Studio. Executive producer is Anita Lee.

The Zoo: Remembrance of Things Past

The fate of an aging polar bear, living out his final days in the decommissioned Stanley Park Zoo, is entwined with that of an elderly resident of Chinatown in The Zoo, bittersweet and sparsely elegant animation from acclaimed Vancouver director Julia Kwan.

“I loved visiting that zoo when I was a kid,” says Kwan. “I returned to the site years later, after it had closed, and all the animals had been relocated — except that bear. It was so sad, to see it pacing around its pen, old and alone, and the image has stayed with me. I want to draw parallels to how we treat our elderly, people seen as no longer useful, and to reflect on what’s happening in Chinatown — where old ways are quickly disappearing.”

Kwan’s first feature drama Eve and the Fire Horse (2005) won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance as well as the Claude Jutra Award for best Canadian feature by a first-time director. She went on to direct a pair of shorts for the NFB: Surfacing, an homage to musician Sarah McLachlan produced in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation; and the live action/animation hybrid Blossom, an impressionistic account of immigration produced for Vancouver’s 2010 Cultural Olympiad. The Zoo, Kwan’s first fully animated film, sees her collaborating with the team at Jester Coyote Animation, the Vancouver-based studio that worked with the BC & Yukon Studio on Window Horses and Shop Class.

“Julia has crafted a wonderfully multi-layered script,” says producer Shirley Vercruysse. “It’s anchored in a very specific place yet it addresses universal themes relating to loss, change and abandonment. She’s done such great work with drama and documentary, and we’re delighted to be collaborating with her on her first animation.”

Kwan is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and The Zoo mines the same cultural terrain that informs much of her work. With Everything Will Be, an NFB-produced vérité doc that premiered at Hot Docs in 2014, she captures the texture of daily life in Vancouver’s Chinatown, a distinct urban universe under attack from aggressive real estate development and gentrification. Here’s the trailer:

oehttps://http://ift.tt/2DnhIGh

The Zoo is co-produced by the NFB (Shirley Vercruysse, producer) and Fire Horse Productions (Ruth Vincent, producer). Executive producers are Shirley Vercruysse for the BC & Yukon Studio and Michael Fukushima for the English Program Animation Studio.

John Ware Reclaimed Honours Alberta’s Black Pioneers

John Ware, born into slavery in the Antebellum American South, was already on his way to becoming a legend by the time he arrived in Canada in 1882. “The horse is not running on the prairie which John cannot ride,” declared the MacLeod Gazette in 1885. But his remarkable achievements, along with the larger story of Alberta’s African-American homesteaders, have been largely effaced from official histories of the Canadian west. Pictured above: John Ware, his wife Mildred, with son Bob and daughter Nettie.

That’s a situation that Cheryl Foggo has resolved to remedy with John Ware Reclaimed, a feature documentary that continues a project she began with John Ware Reimagined, a play that premiered in 2014.

Foggo’s own ancestors came to Alberta western Canada in 1910, fleeing a resurgence of racist policies in the newly formed state of Oklahoma, and as a kid growing up in Calgary, she was a fan of the Stampede, enamoured of all things Western.

“But there was no Black presence in the popular culture expressions of that Western narrative, and as I grew up I began to feel under-represented, unwelcome in a story that contained no reflection of my own people,” she says. “Canadians generally know very little about the long rich history of people of African descent in this country,”

With John Ware Reclaimed, she aims to thrill as well as to educate. “That’s the beauty of John Ware’s story. It’s so powerful and compelling. He was an amazing person who chose to make Canada his home, to work everyday to have a positive impact on the lives of people around him. Canadians have been deprived of this great story piece of our history… So it’s a double gift. I get to educate and entertain.”

Filmed partly on land where Ware himself once operated a ranch, the film features Black rodeo champion Fred Whitfield as a stand-in for Ware, along with stylized narration by writer Lawrence Hill, musician Corb Lund and others cultural commentators. A stirring score includes music and song that would have been present in Ware’s world. Pictured above: Cheryl Foggo and Fred Whitfield, photo by Shaun Robinson.

“Working with Cheryl is an absolute pleasure,” says producer Bonnie Thomson. “What she is doing with this film is so thoughtful. She’s celebrating this amazing figure, this charismatic Black cowboy. But she is also investigating his life and times in a completely new critical light, fearlessly examining what it means to be a Black person in Western Canada.”

John Ware Reclaimed is being shot by Douglas Munro, edited by Margot McMaster, and written and directed by Cheryl Foggo, whose previous film credits include the NFB release The Journey of Lesra Martin. It’s produced by Bonnie Thompson at the North West Studio. Executive producer is David Christensen.

Museum of Symmetry: Paloma Throws a VR Party

Paloma Dawkins first rode into the NFB Animation Studio as a successful Hothouse applicant, propelled by self-acquired tech savvy and a lively visual imagination. With Museum of Symmetry she’s hitched her inimitable gifts to the rapidly evolving world of VR to fashion a kaleidoscopic interactive joyride.

“I love clubs and celebratory environments where people come together to dance and have fun,” she said in this 2016 interview. “I want to bring that culture into my creation process.” A proud ‘hacker artist,’ the largely self-taught Dawkins is part of a growing gang of young women who are carving out their own pleasure-positive space within the male-dominated worlds of video gaming and VR.

“There are no rules here. Just enjoy.” Part invitation, part dare, an impish game mistress urges us to enter Paloma’s universe, a delightfully disorienting pleasure dome inspired by her fascination with geometry and nature — and wired with infectious dance beats. Hold on tight for a full mind-and-body immersive VR journey.

“Paloma’s a firecracker, exploding with crazy positive energy,” says producer Maral Mohammadian. “Her work is all about empowerment. She loves taking risks, and she’s not being afraid to be feminine in her own unique way.”

The project was created in collaboration with Casa Rara, the Montreal-based VR studio co-founded by Tali Goldstein and Ruben Farrus under the credo The Everyday Made Wonderful. Joining Paloma on the creative team were Charlène Boutin, resident designer at Casa Rara, and Alt Lit writer Ashley Obscura. The effervescent score is the work of Caila Thompson-Hannant (aka Mozart’s Sister) whose latest recording is described by Pitchfork as “daring, aggressively bubbly, and sharp”.

Museum of Symmetry, the first project from the NFB English Animation to be fully conceived and created as VR animation, is produced by Maral Mohammadian and executive produced by Michael Fukushima. Designed for HTC Vive headset, it will be hitting the festival circuit this year, and will also be exhibited at selected museums, and gaming & music events.

NFB Hothouse, a twelve-week paid apprenticeship in animation filmmaking, was established in 2004. Here is the film that Paloma created during Hothouse in 2013:

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Check out her personal website for a sampling of her work in various graphic genres.

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