Kick Start Time!

Tonight is screening night for all of last year's Kick Start award winners. It looks like they all completed their projects on time, regardless of the issues faced by the filmmakers, (see previous posts about that rant). They all deserve a hearty congratulations for getting their works completed. No small task, so good on you all. Looking forward to seeing the finished products tonight.

I have to say, watching some of these films in the past have brought me to the point of complete and utter frustration. I wonder, usually out loud, maybe too out loud, how some of these people have gotten their grants, and why the hell I keep getting passed over, (I can't bitch about that anymore). Some of these films are sooooo artsy that they leave most in the audience scratching their heads. Most of the time, after the film stops rolling there isn't a noise to be heard. These filmmakers try to make their film into the most thought provoking, poignant piece of art out there. They try to illicit an emotional response from the audience that they hope will propel the them into the stratosphere of filmmaking elite, but all they end up with is a 15 minute, $20,000 waste of time and effort. The quintessential "Canadian" film. And by that I mean a film that explores and tries to uncover the greater good or the moral deficiencies of today's society. Films that depress the soul, question one's existence, make you feel guilty about splurging on that $5 latte while street people have to weigh the options of either saving a friend's life or freedom? How many people really want to see that?

Now not all of the films made for the Kick Start program fall into the above category. A lot of films are good, entertaining and have done very well on the film festival circuit. Some have even gone into the distribution realm, something one can only dream of for their film. These are the few and far between. However, more and more are emerging.

And that is the direction this program should go. This program should be about choosing scripts and filmmakers that will generate some excitement in the film industry in B.C. They should focus on scripts and filmmakers that have the potential to take filmmaking in B.C. to the next level. Growth in the industry. Give these chosen director the tools and contacts to help them further their careers, get them to the next level to enhance the industry, employing the talent that this province is so rich in. No one goes to a movie to see films that, on a regular basis, is going depress them to the point of tears. This theme occurs all to much with Kick Start films, and for the benefit of the industry in Canada, maybe the focus should shift more towards entertainment and less on the moral questions facing the world.

And with that, I will go tonight to support my fellow filmmakers in their triumphant moments, showing off their films.

I better be entertained.

Oh, and by the way, here's the official poster for Serum 1831