Driving for freedom - Taxi Casablanca

“For Zakia, driving the taxi affirms her identity as a free woman.”

Taxi Casablanca follows Zakia Mezzour, Morocco’s first ­­– and only – female taxi driver, as she navigates the high-speed traffic of Casablanca. She is a brave, determined woman who, after being denied a taxi license on the basis of her sex, wrote letters to the royal family, members of government and other figures of influence, petitioning for her right to work in her chosen field. After a year of perseverance, Zakia was granted her prized ‘white shark’ 19070’s Mercedes.

Morocco is said to be one of the most progressive Middle Eastern countries, so far as women’s rights are concerned. In 2004, King Mohammed VI passed the family law code which officially recognized women, as of age 18, as legal entities for the first time. The law granted women greater rights during divorce, changed the legal age of marriage from 15 to 18, placed restrictions on polygamy and gave women the right to marry without the consent of a male guardian. However, societal expectations around marriage and family, the stigma that accompanies divorce, issues of poverty and lack of education make taking advantage of these legal rights challenging for many women.

Sharing the taxi with her ex-husband, Zakia has spent upwards of five hours a day behind the wheel for more than eight years. Opinions toward her chosen career range from surprise, to support, to staunch disapproval. By the encouragement of her supporters, and determined to prove her detractors wrong, Zakia goes about her day. She seems to take genuine pleasure in driving, even if it’s at someone else’s behest.

In the face of religious and societal traditions, Zakia takes a powerful stand against Morocco’s approved cultural norms. Her courage has proven to be an inspiration for other women in the city. “When I see this woman driving, it’s as if I’m driving,” says one female passenger. “I would love to have that opportunity. To get to that place, you had to show men there’s nothing women can’t do. And it’s true!”

The film covers several broad themes in one fell swoop – women’s rights, poverty, education, domestic abuse and employment. Along with the varied applications in academia – women studies, cultural studies, and economic studies – the film is an intelligent and interesting choice for casual observers.

You can catch Taxi Casablanca, part of the Beyond Borders series, at 2pm on Wednesday, September 29th at the EMMEDIA Gallery.

Docs: Art and Copy

Just as I thought the festival was winding down, I walked into the Eau Claire theatre packed to the brim with people ready to watch... a documentary?! About advertising?!

But Art and Copy certainly pulled through and by the end, people were psyched to have learned so much about the leading ad designers - artists - that have come through with some of the best ad campaigns of the past few decades. Far from being a critique of consumerism and corporate brain-washing, this film put good advertising on par with art and design. It totally bypassed the topic of poor ads (the stuff we feel dragged down and bombarded by every day) and focused on what sets the good ads apart from the rest.

It turns out the answer isn't so clear cut. Some slogans are chanced upon and go viral for no good reason, while other ads are carefully manufactured to evoke particular emotions and make us want to not just buy a product, but join the group of people we associate with that product. The common vein, though, is that kernel of truth that we can identify with in the five or thirty seconds that we see the ad for.

But before taking the last step of this argument and proclaiming the great ad designers as the prophets and truth-seekers of our age, one is also faced with numbers. Billions of dollars are spent on ad campaigns that have only one purpose - to make us want things. An overwhelming majority (upwards of 80%) of all ads come from only four holding agencies. Kids are exposed to over 20 000 ads every year. Michael Jordan's value to Nike is estimated at $5.2 billion. Business is, after all, business.

Like it or not, advertising is a key component in our society and has a huge influence in shaping it. And in the right hands, it can do good things too; Nike's 'Just do it' campaign made people not only get off the couch, but also quit bad marriages and encourage girls to do more sports.

It was great to see so many people out for the last night of the fest! It's been a pleasure to blog for CIFF for the past week and bit and I hope you're all as stoked as I am for next year! Cheers to CIFF on its 10th birthday!

Docs: Cooking History

With the weather closing in today and Cooking History screening at Eau Claire at 4:30pm, what better way for history buffs and those utterly bored by history movies to unite under the same roof! This brief intro to the wars of the 20th century is told through the recipes of military cooks across the decades. There's recipes for bread laced with arsenic and bread for starving troops, but then there's the decadence experienced by dictators that only the head chef would know about. Certainly stuff that never makes it to the text books!

There's more to the picture than meets the eye...

Rock Prophecies sets the bar high for guitarists and the Rock Doc genre alike, bringing a bygone era of seminal superstars back into focus through pictures, music, anecdotes and interviews. Enter the world of the Rock Gods, as seen through the eyes of Robert Knight, fabled photographer of Guitar Legends.

Whether you believe Jeff Beck is best or you're into Kenny Wayne Shepherd (one of the fastest selling white bluesmen since Eric Clapton) there's something for every rock and blues fan in this film. With the price of admission you'll get an all-access backstage pass following Knight, as the protagonist, as he seeks to find the embodiment of his foil (the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughn) in the next generation of guitar virtuosos.

40-years of shooting industry icons sets the tone for the new generation of axe men, like Chris Iorio from Adelita's Way and Sick Puppies' Shimon Moore, blowing across the frets and bending the strings. (Rock 'n Roll will never die!) But it is the phenomenal Tyler Dow Bryant, a Texan born 6-months after the Double Trouble front man’s death, which gives this movie its mystique.

Filmmaker John Chester (Director, Cinematographer and Editor) will be in attendance, along with Knight. Showtime is 7:30 pm at Eau Claire Market - Cineplex Odeon - Screen 5. Afterwards, use your ticket to attend an exclusive CIFF Event, the VW Rock N' Roll Red Carpet Party. Shine up your hobnailed boots and put on your patchwork jeans, or find something fashionably fierce to wear, then let down your hair. As Almost Famous 'band aide' Penny Lane would say: "it's all happening" at the Barley Mill in Eau Claire, following the screening.

(Diane Bennett is covering Events, Headliners & Music On Film)

Timing Is Everything

After snagging free parking near Eau Claire Market, last night, I step out of my car just as two guys walk by. I know them in an instant. The unmistakable black cap and leather jacket was a giveaway as I had, a few nights before, pre-screened Rock Prophecies. It's Robert Knight, Photographer and subject of tonight's Headliner, with Director John Chester.

"Oh man," I blurt, "You guys are my heroes!"

This gets their attention and I introduce myself and my 9-year old son who I am taking to see the animated feature My Dog Tulip, followed by It Might Get Loud (a great film).

"That's my friend Jimmy Page's movie," Knight smiles.

We talk, as we walk, about one of the the film's featured artists, Tyler Dow Bryant, among other things. Knight tells me Bryant has a gig in California Sunday night. He gives me a clue as to where.

"He's playing on the same stage where Jimi Hendrix first played."

I give. My Hendrix Trivia from back when I was younger than my son is not that good.

"The Monterey Pop Festival."

Apparently it's an annual event and still has the same cachet for up and coming artists today. The pair are amazed how everyone in town seems to know who Knight is wherever he goes, indicating the buzz generated by the screening which is a one-night stand followed by the VW sponsored party. We pause outside the door for a picture. My son is short and Robert is tall so you take what you can get. For a picture shot with a 2.0 megapixel phone, it's a pretty good one.

As we ride the escalator up to the theatres, where they have a scheduled sound check for their film, I can't help but mention the similarity to Knight's story and the one told by Cameron Crowe in the fictitious film Almost Famous, about a 15-year old kid named William Miller, played by Patrick Fugit, who is hired by Rolling Stone magazine to tour with, and write about the up and coming rockband Stillwater. The film also stars Kate Hudson as groupie Penny Lane and Billy Crudup as rock star Russel Hammond.

"He ripped me off, man! I got my start 6-years before Led Zeppelin got famous."

Knight is eluding to the comparison of his real-life experience as a young teen wandering into the rock world with a camera and winding up befriending the band members along the way. (Before working in the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, which he still frequently writes for.*)

After parting company, with a hope to talk again, I feel pretty hip as we walk outside the market doors to get some fresh air. A passerby agrees to take a picture of my son and I as we crouch under one of the door posters which emulates my thoughts.

Then, as if the evening could get more uncanny, a young musician, with a guitar strapped to his back, bursts out of the doors and starts telling me how he just met Knight. His name is James Drolet and the video has the story.

*For more on Crowe/Almost Famous, click: IMDB.

(Diane Bennett is covering Events, Headliners & Music On Film)

It Might Get Loud - A Love Story?

Jack White, Jimmy Page & The Edge star in this movie, which will be different from other Rock Music Documentaries as it is about the relationship these musicians have with their instruments. It Might Get Loud may have three different stories to tell, but there's one reason I can't wait to see this film. It's when the trio finally get together on an empty soundstage, with their pride and joy collection of toys, to swap stories, influences and chord progressions. Showtime tonight is 9:30 pm, Eau Claire Market - Cineplex Odeon - Screen 5.

This will be a welcome angle of trying to get inside the minds of the artists. I remember seeing the Led Zeppelin documentary The Song Remains The Same as a teenager and being awestruck by the concert footage, but the psychedelic dream-like sequences (which were intended to shed light on the bands musical inspiration) were just a distraction. A dozen years later, when the U2 movie Rattle & Hum was released substance was once again lost to style. (A White Stripes film may be forthcoming.)

I think Director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) will be telling the story he had pitched to him by Producer Thomas Tull. The film ought to be about the process of making music and the paths these artists have taken, plus the dialog they have while sharing their passion for the craft of playing guitar.

(Diane Bennett is covering Events, Headliners & Music On Film)

Documentary: The Mirror

Ever wonder what happens when a group of community-conscious people try to revive a nearly abandoned village high up in the Italian Alps? Apparently, they decide to build a mirror to make the center of town a nice, warm place in the depths of winter.

The Mirror is a story of how a new community centerpiece can bring light, literally and figuratively, to an otherwise sleepy town. Interviews with everyone from the parish priest to the semi-hermit living high on the hillside track the progress of the project. And as with any successful initiative, much rejoicing and curious festivities ensue at its unveiling.

Directed by Calgary's very own David Christensen, this film is a fantastic glimpse into a small town with big ideas that just get done. Watch it tonight at 9!