What’s Going On (May 30th – June 5th)
This week’s list is a little weird.
There some cool stuff here and you might at first glance thing “hey, what does this have to do with indie filmmaking?” but to that I say EVERYTHING has to do with filmmaking. Whether you’re a director or writer or cinematographer, the art of experience is our voice and filmmaking is our canvas.
Here is What’s Going On in Toronto this week.
5. Canada’s Oldest Profession: Sex Work and Bawdy House Legislation
I told you it would be weird but you’re a filmmaker. You can only learn from experience.
The history of the world’s oldest profession would be too lengthy for one exhibit, but this one scales down to the history of prostitution at the local level. Photographs, maps, and other historical documents highlights the lives of madams, ladies of the evening, and others who were wrapped up in the world of selling sex.
The exhibit is located in Robarts Library at 130 St. George.
University of Toronto / May 31, 2016 / Free
4. Contact Photography Festival
Photography is a big part of filmmaking. You should know why this is relevant to you as a filmmaker.
The Contact Photography Festival covers Toronto in art for the month of May, with exhibits in renowned museums and galleries and eye-catching installations set on Toronto streets. Over 1500 local and international artists have their work featured in venues that range from popular art galleries and museums (MOCCA, the ROM) to cultural hubs (The Gladstone, The Drake) and the streets themselves (billboards, courtyards).
This year the festival celebrates its 20th anniversary and has no specific theme, allowing this year’s group of photographers to explore the medium in whichever way they choose.
Various Locations in Toronto / May 01, 2016 – May 29, 2016 / Free
3. Inside Out Film Festival
The best LGBTQ films the city has to offer.
Since 1991, the Inside Out film festival has celebrated films by and about members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community (LGBT). The festival takes place over eleven days and features screenings, panel discussions, parties and the chance to meet some of the artists behind the films. In total, the festival screens more than 200 films and videos from around Canada and hosts as many as 35,000 guests.
TIFF Lightbox / May 26th 2016 – June 05, 2016 / Regular screenings; $13, Special events vary
2. Tunnel Vision: The Story of Toronto’s Subway
If you’re a cinematographer, you’d love this.
The Market Gallery hosts this art exhibit that focuses on the history of Toronto’s subway system. It features photographs, maps, plans, and artifacts to showcase the great scale of the subway daily operations. Throughout its 60 year history, the subway has carried billions of Torontonians to their destinations.
This is presented in cooperation with the Toronto Transportation Society.
Market Gallery of the City of Toronto Archives / June 11th, 2016 / Free
1. Toronto Smartphone Film Festival
This is a cool little festival of how to make a film on a micro budget.
The fifth Toronto Smartphone Film Festival showcases the works of aspiring Hitchcocks, Spielbergs and Bergmans whose only filming instruments are their cell phones. The only qualifications that you require to submit an entry are that it was shot with a Smartphone device and is less than ten minutes long; both professional filmmakers and amateurs are welcome.
