Maria Jose Cuevas’ Beauties of the Night catches up with the most famous Mexican showgirls of the 1960s–1980s today in this collaborative documentary. At TIFF, Laura Anne Harris talked to Cuevas and her most famous subject, Olga Breeskin, about making the film and Breeskin’s fascinating life story.
First Feature
TIFF16: Writer-director-star Alice Lowe discusses Prevenge
Alice Lowe discusses the making of Prevenge, her wickedly funny directorial debut, from conception through to completion. Shot when she was seven months pregnant, the film is a revenge movie in which a foul-mouthed fetus sends its mother, Ruth (Alice Lowe), on a killing spree.
Yanillys Perez’ TIFF16 Dropbox Award Winner Jeffrey
Yanillys Perez’ feature debut, which won the TIFF 16 Dropbox Award for the Discovery Section, is a work of creative nonfiction. Perez mixes magic realist voiceover with a social realist approach to its optimistic, clear-eyed, and poetic subject: Jeffrey, a charming and driven 12-year-old boy who dreams of becoming a famous reggaeton & dembow singer.
TIFF16: Below Her Mouth is cringeworthy
Below Her Mouth attempts provocation and frank depictions of lesbian sex, but it forgets the emotion in its love story.
TIFF16: Blind Sun is a visually and aurally accomplished thriller
Psychological thriller Blind Sun from Joyce Nashawati transports us to a water-scarce dystopian future almost entirely through its color scheme, sound scape, and central performance.
Anna Rose Holmer on her Sundance hit The Fits
Holmer discusses how working with the New York City ballet influenced her film, how she used sound and editing to tell the story, and the shooting rules she set for herself.