Zonad: A return to red latex?

I’ve been looking forward to the Irish film Zonad since the festival began. There’s something inherently appealing about a nice, fun flick about a rehab escapee posing as an intergalactic spaceman who pulls the wool over quintessentially naïve and trusting townsfolk eager for a little excitement. Our story begins with a celestial event – a comet. The 160+ people of Ballymoran, Ireland, gather at a party to watch the flaming hunk of rubble hurtle past as they speculate on the existence of life on other planets. When the Cassidy family arrives home, they’re shocked to find a man dressed in red latex, passed out on their living room floor.

Convinced he is a visitor for places beyond, the Cassidy’s welcome Zonad (Simon Delaney) into their home, their refrigerator and, eventually, their beds. As the first spaceman the town has ever met, Zonad becomes instantly popular, especially with the women. Both young Jenny Cassidy (Janice Byrne), frustrated by her lack of sexual experience – despite repeated attempts to throw herself at boyfriend Guy (Rory Keenan) – and her mother (Donna Dent) turn to Zonad for affection.

Zonad lives the highlife as the local, out-of-this-word celebrity. That is, until Bonad – Zonad’s rehab cohort – arrives claiming to be Zonad’s superior officer. After having Zonad cast out of town, Bonad sets up office in Jenny’s bedroom; and the bedrooms of women all over Ballymoran. It’s not until Zonad joins forces with Jenny’s hapless boyfriend Guy that Zonad is at last able to challenge Bonad’s supremacy.

Filled with cliché music and Pleasantville-esque sentiments, Zonad is a fun, quirky and entertaining film that’s sure to appeal to all viewers. Challenging assumptions about what is socially acceptable and socially responsible, Zonad highlights the power of believing, even if what you believe in is a lie.

Have your own close encounter at The Plaza on Saturday, October 2 at 9:15pm.

Would you like a little faith with your coffee?

Faith, Fraud and Minimum wage follows small-town girl Casey (Emily of New Moon’s Martha MacIsaac) as she struggles to strike a balance in her life. After her sister Meg (Kate Lavender) is left in a coma following a vehicle accident the year before, Casey turns her back on her faith, much to the chagrin of her highly-religious, ultra-conservative Maritime town. Heartbroken by the tragedy, Casey’s father, played by well-known Canadian actor Callum Keith, spends his waking hours at Meg’s beside hoping and praying for a change in her condition.

Frustrated by her job at Krowne Donuts, her father’s absence, and the strained-yet-playful relations with her coworker – local football hero and boyfriend of her arch-rival – Jansen (Ricky Mabe), Casey tosses a cup of Krowne Donuts 100% Arabica coffee on the outter wall of the donut shop. The ensuing mania that takes place, when the coffee stain bears a striking resemblance to Jesus Christ just days before Christmas, throws Casey's world into further chaos.

With Christmas creeping ever closer, the appearance of the holy image gives the town instant notoriety, drawing in worshipers from across Canada and the United Sates. Taking advantage of the sudden rush of visitors, both Krowne Donuts and Casey’s family Christmas tree lot – conveniently located in the adjacent lot – begin to receive a rush of Christmastime income.

As the image attracts more and more of the faithful, the aspirations of local business man -- and Krowne Donuts owner --‘Uncle Bob’ (Don Allison) begin to conflict with the modern views of recently-appointed Father JJ (Andrew Bush). But when Casey’s father begins to believe that the coffee stain Christ is a sign that Meg’s health will be restored, Casey is torn between her practical need for money and her moral obligation to the town, her father and herself.

Equally touching, entertaining and funny, Faith, Fraud and Minimum Wage is a creative commentary on society, capitalism, faith and what it means to be faithful. MacIsaac and Keith are heartbreakingly believable, suffusing the film with an emotional quality that extends beyond the screen to the audience.

Don’t miss the Alberta premier of Faith, Fraud and Minimum Wage Thursday, September 30th, 7pm at The Plaza.

Just a little behind the scenes...

You might not think about it but a lot of work goes into making sure there's a picture up on the screen. UVS is providing projection services in selected venues, namely through the use of digital projectors and in turn, those projectors are being provided by Christie. The films that you see arrive in many different formats including 35mm, 16mm and in some cases through digital means including digital video tape.

We get those prints and tapes shipped out to us during the course of the festival. Our transport team is kept very busy throughout the festival both receiving and sending out films. Big thanks to UPS and to each of our venues, The Plaza, The Globe Cinema and Cineplex Odeon Eau Claire Market for putting up with us this week and allowing us to deliver 10 days worth of great films.

The Mavericks program is starting up tomorrow (Wednesday) and along with American Express, we'd also like to acknowledge and thank some of the other sponsors of The Mavericks Program. Nuvo Hotel Suites, The Calgary Foundation, Alberta Film, Calgary Economic Development, Alberta Lottery Fund, Tourism Calgary, Calgary Arts Development, the City of Calgary and Avenue Magazine.

Avenue Magazine has also partnered with American Express to produce a Dining Guide - more on that in this post. Avenue Magazine can be picked up at many locations across the city or during the course of the festival, at any of our venues and downtown at our box office located at 207 - 8th Avenue S.W. All we ask is that you don't take the big poster boards. They do look great though on almost anywhere.

Hey, who likes movie tickets? And food?

With the first weekend of the 10th Annual Calgary International Film Festival behind us, we still have another week of festival to go!

At this point, we'd like to take a moment to thank our presenting sponsor, American Express.

While American Express has provided immense support to the festival itself, you might be able to get some usage out of this partnership if you're planning on going out for a nice meal - and seeing a film. Food, movies, I think everybody loves those..

Our friends at Avenue Magazine have partnered with American Express to produce a guide to dining out during the festival. The guides can be found at our box office at 207 - 8th Avenue S.W. or if you click here, you can see what there is to offer. The gist is that if you pay with your American Express card at any of the participating locations in the guide/website you get a really great deal on your food and are available to purchase 2 for 1 general admission tickets - only til October 4th of course. After that, just bring your tickets and receipt to the box office and exchange it up and you're good to go.

The Mavericks are coming. American Express has furnished the $25,000 grand prize for the winner of the new Maverick's competition. 10 exciting films are up for this prize and it should be an amazing time for the theatre-goers, the filmmakers themselves and everyone involved in the festival, many thanks to American Express once again.

I wanted to get a few shots of cardholders with their cards - but something told me that wouldn't be appropriate for an internet picture. So instead I have that one above which is just as nice, again it's the safest photo I could get because putting credit cards numbers on the net is definitely not cool. We love privacy! Also, those chairs are really comfy.

I grabbed this shot on Monday night, some volunteers were taking some well deserved R&R between shows. They just filled up The Plaza full of eager attendees for the screening of I Killed My Mother. The important thing, they didn't show me their American Express cards either.