This Family Day weekend, Feb 15-17, the TIFF Bell Lightbox launches its 2nd edition of the Next Wave Film Festival. The festival serves to empower youth and deepen their appreciation of film by empowering them to program their own festival through representatives from their own peer group. The festival kicks off with the “Battle of the Scores”, a unique battle of the bands style competition where high school indie bands perform live scores to youth made film trailers in front of a live audience. Of course this is a film festival so there is also a full schedule of movies to check out on Sat Feb 16 and Sun Feb 17.
TIFF’s Next Wave Film Festival Preview
The film schedule is highlighted by 3 special premium selections, some premieres, a work in progress and a marathon of films from a classic teen icon. Saturday afternoon kicks off with a screening of the insightful documentary “Fame High” about the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts (LACHSA), a Canadian premiere, with director Scott Hamilton Kennedy in attendance. The afternoon also kicks off the 5 film John Hughes marathon. The director responsible for so many coming of age, teen based classic films, has 5 of his classic tales delivered here with “Some Kind of Wonderful”, “Pretty in Pink”, “Breakfast Club”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Sixteen Candles”. The films are played back to back, with intermissions, from 3pm to 1:40am. Also playing on Saturday is the ‘work in progress’ coming of age film “5-25-77” and Canadian parent/teacher drama Molly Maxwell, both with their directors in attendance.
The final day on Sunday contains a flurry of films to film a wintery day. The day starts at noon with Japanese drama “Bushido Sixteen” and 1pm with Irish comedy “Earthbound”. The mid-afternoon shows bring the TIFF Festival hit from Spain “Ghost Graduation” and the US family kidnapping ‘dramedy’ “Family Weekend” with director Benjamin Epps in attendance. Late afternoon brings us the South African surfing drama “Otelo Burning” and the final results of the Next Wave 24 hour film challenge. The day, and festival finishes with 2 premium screenings, the first being the star studded drama “Struck by Lightning” starring Glee’s Chris Colfer, Pitch Perfect’s Rebel Wilson along with Allison Janney, Dermot Mulroney and Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks. And closing the festival is the first ever 3D production in Canadian Film history, “Dead Before Dawn 3D” starring Devon Bostick and Christopher Lloyd with director April Mullen and Writer/Producer Tim Doiron in attendance.
More information on this fun filled, action packed weekend can be found on TIFF website and online schedule.
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