Bits and pieces about arts and culture events in the west-end neighbourhood known as the Junction Toronto, and about some cultural events coming up in the GTA. Hello and welcome to Our #JunctionTO Neighbourhood!
Tonight, The Junction BIA and a new Junction SPACE: Branch + Bar + Bands + Stage + ART 3030 Dundas West invite you to celebrate CONTACT Photography Festival with the participating Junction photographers all under one roof and a special CONTACT menu!
Please join us in celebrating a festival, which joins thousands of kindred spirits, who share a love and passion for photography. We will celebrate yet another successful year of CONTACT in the Junction, with an evening experience of photography art, music, audience choice awards, and more.
Ticket: $100 All proceeds go to support of cultural, educational and community programs.
Guest Profile Leading members of the Canadian and Russian-speaking business, professional and art community, political and diplomatic dignitaries, media, and the Toronto community at large.
The Gala Night Programme Reception at 6:30 pm Dinner at 7:30 pm Photo and Art Exhibition Live Entertainment Show Live Music Band Dancing Silent Auction & Door Prize Draw Black Tie (optional)
Arabic Language Day will be 8 December, the date on which the United Nations General Assembly designated Arabic as the sixth official language of the United Nations in 1973;
English Language Day will be 23 April, traditionally recognized as William Shakespeare’s birthday;
French Language Day will be marked on 20 March, International Day of Francophonie;
Russian Language Day will be 6 June, the birthday of Aleksandr Pushkin, considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet;
Spanish Language Day will be celebrated on 12 October, traditionally observed in Spanish speaking countries as Dia de la Hispanidad;
Chinese Language Day will be celebrated on 19 April, the date was selected from Guyu ("Rain of Millet"), which is the 6th of 24 solar terms in the traditional East Asian calendars, to pay tribute to Cangjie.
One of the Canadian highlights at the 2012 Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Film Festival is Najeeb Mirza's fourth documentary, Buzkashi!, that goes into the world of a horse-riding battle sport played in the Tajikistan's mountains. The film will be screened as part of the Canadian Spectrum, a competitive program showcasing the work of Canadian directors.
BUZKASHI! World Premiere D: Najeeb Mirza | Canada | 2012 | 81 min |
In Tajikistan's mountains, the ancient sport of Buzkashi pits individual horsemen against each other. Champion Azam plays for honour and integrity, but his success is threatened by "mafia" influences that could transform the game-and country-forever.
Screenings: Sunday, April 29, 9:45 pm at The Royal Cinema Tuesday, May 1, 9:00 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox Sunday, May 6, 9:00 pm at Cumberland Four - Alliance Cinemas
Buzkashi! In Tajikistan’s majestic Pamir mountains, horse riders battle in a centuries-old sport that pits individual riders against one another. Azam, a successful shepherd and Buzkashi champion, is experiencing drastic change. At home, his son prefers to study medicine than take over his father’s flock. On the field, Azam plays for honour and integrity but his main rival, Khurshed, threatens to change the game forever by using his seemingly infinite wealth to employ teammates in organized mafia-style alliances. Sports documentaries have a powerful capacity to combine emotional, physical and cultural elements into unforgettable cinematic moments, and director Najeeb Mirza brings us into a world of underdogs and villains from a nation on the cusp of dramatic transformation. From the chaotic, brutal action of the game to the serenity of the quiet hillsides, we follow a man shaped by tradition, now forced to face the modern world that surrounds him.
thestar.com: 10 Hot Docs documentaries to watch ... Tajikistan Buzkashi! Director: Najeeb Mirza The poorest of the former Soviet Central Asian republics, Tajikistan has endured civil war, electricity blackouts, social upheaval and painful reversals since the end of communism. The polo-like national game of goat-dragging, or Buzkashi, played in the high Pamir mountains, is a metaphor for new Tajikistan’s clash of values, as honour and integrity vies with opportunism and new money in a struggle of all against all. Not even the remote villages are safe from the threat of a future trampled by the ruthless march of “progress.” ... By Olivia Ward, thestar.com April 21, 2012,
NFB Docs Talks is an exciting series of hour-long conversations with festival filmmakers offering their insights into documentary filmmaking and storytelling.
Doc Talk 1 - Visual Innovation will be a discussion of how documentaries are utilising craft and technology to push boundaries in cinema and lead the way for innovative storytelling.
Moderated by AJ Schnack
Panelists: Christian Bonke, BALLROOM DANCER Elizabeth Mims, ONLY THE YOUNG Najeeb Mirza, BUZKASHI! Gary Tarn, THE PROPHET
Tuesday, May 1, 5:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox 4 Free Tickets
Tickets are FREE and can be obtained on the day of the event at the screening venue one hour before the first screening of the day, subject to availability.
Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival: Public Photography in the Junction, May 1 - 31, 2012, 18 Venues / 21 Artists Opening Night Gala: Saturday, May 5th, 2012 Photo:: States of Undress by Jim Roche Credit: scotiabankcontactphoto.com + junctionbia.com
CONTACT 2012 highlights how photography shapes collective experience and makes things public. - CONTACT 2012
Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival & the Junction BIA
Photography in the Junction
May 1 - 31, 2012 18 Venues / 21 Artists
Enjoy the work of 21 photographers in 18 locations along Dundas Street West from Quebec Avenue to Keele Street.
Opening Night Gala & Receptions: All Venues
Saturday, May 5, 2012 Time: 6 - 9 pm
Location: Dundas Street West [between Keele Street & Quebec Avenue]
+ Continue down Dundas Street West at the SE corner of Quebec Ave to the Wise Daughters and past Clendenan Ave to the Telephone Booth Gallery! Also openings on the same night.
The Fine Arts Studio Program at Centennial College (Pape and Danforth) is an intensive, two year studio based course. It is well known for its hands-on, one on one approach to the creative process. Small classes, dedicated faculty and passionate students from across Ontario. Ask any of the students, and they will tell you It has earned its well deserved slogan as a place where you happily: "Get Your Hands Dirty".
Media about the Exhibition:
insidetoronto.com: College students get first taste of art life in real life "... Janet DiBernardo sits on the Fine Arts Studio Program Advisory Committee and said she didn't hesitate when its professor and co-ordinator David McClyment, also a local artist, asked if Latitude 44 would host the show. Last year, she spoke to Centennial College students in the program about how to get involved with professional galleries. ..." by Lisa Rainford, Mar 28, 2012
Please mark your calendars and get ready for the best showcase of documentary films in Toronto this year! Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market, returns for its 19th annual edition from April 26 to May 6, 2012. Showcasing the best in Canadian and international documentary, Hot Docs will welcome filmmakers, industry delegates and audiences to Toronto for the 11-day event. This year’s Festival will screen 189 amazing docs from 51 countries.
World Showcase: Canadian Premiere
The Tundra Book: A Tale of Vukvukai, the Little Rock A stunning documentary about the lives of the seldom-seen Chukchi people.
Director: Aleksei Vakhrushev Producers: Aleksei Vakhrushev, Olga Savelyeva Cinematographer: Vyacheslav Makaryev Editor: Julia Trofimenko Official Website: Film Studio "High Latitudes Ltd" Russia, 2011, 105 min Language: Chukchi Russian with English subtitles
Stunning photography and sensitive direction captures the fascinating culture of Indigenous reindeer herders and their struggle for survival in Russia's Arctic Circle, one of the harshest, and most beautiful, environments in the world.
Director's Biography Alexey Vakhrushev was born in 1969 in Anadyr' (Chukotka). In 1996 graduated from VGIK (Institute of Cinematography). Since 2000 is a director and scriptwright at the TV Company "Ethno-Online". Member of the Russian Cinematographers' Union. Selected filmography: 1996 Birds of Naukan, 2001 Island, 2003 Treasure of Semen Dezhnev, 2004 Walrus Fang Chronicle, 2005 Hunters of Freezing Coasts, 2005–2007 People of the Bering Strait; Chuvan Treasure; Bone Coast of the North; Mist Travellers; Heirs of Taymyr Shamans; Images of Time, 2005–2008 Miracle Factory; Welcome to Enurmino!
Screenings: Sunday, Apr 29, 6:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox 4
Tuesday, May 1, 1:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox 4
It’s noon and -37C on Chukotka peninsula. A blistering wind slices across the tundra. In the magnificent landscape of Russia’s Arctic Circle, just across the Bering Strait from Alaska, 72-year-old patriarch Vukvukai leads his Indigenous Chukchi family in caring for their herd of 14,000 reindeer. Living in isolation except for their wind-up two-way radio and occasional visits from traders in tank-like snow vehicles, the family depends on their reindeer for food, shelter and clothing. Through the seasons, unflagging Vukvukai alternates between chuckling and barking orders at his sons and grandchildren, instilling in them the practical knowledge and spiritual traditions that have allowed the Chuckchi to survive for thousands of years in one of the harshest environments in the world. Subtly directed by Aleksei Vakrushev, an award-winning Inuk filmmaker from Chukotka, The Tundra Book provides a rare and stunning glimpse into a world still intertwined with the oldest rhythms of life. Gisèle Gordon
Courtesy of Scotiabank Students (with valid ID) and seniors (60+) can attend daytime screenings (screenings before 6 pm) for free. Same-day tickets are available at the participating venue one hour before the first screening of the day, subject to availability.
Enjoy and mark your calendar now for Hot Docs' showcase of global stories. See you there!
youtube.com: "The Tundra Book" Trailer Uploaded by HighLatitudesLTD on Jan 16, 2012
"The Tundra Book. A Tale of Vukvukai, the Little Rock" Feature Length Documentary by Aleksei Vakhrushev (2011, Russia, 105 min)
72 years have passed as deer herder Vukvukai lives in the depths of Chukotka. He is an old man full of energy and wisdom -- The Real Man of Tundra whose life can not be seen apart from the deer. His people take care of a huge herd -- over 14,000 deer. Their life is a non-stop struggle for survival and well-being in the most harsh weather conditions of Chaun-Chukotka. They deeply believe in the strength of tradition and so succeed in their struggle. The ancient culture of Nomadic Chukchi takes care of them, so they preserve and follow it. As far as it is now -- their realm remains stable. This is the Truth of Vukvukai.
Poster: The ... Musician, An Etude A New Play, Conceived and directed by Art Babayants Based on the novella by V. Korolenko March 29-April 1, 2012 at Robert Gill Theatre
Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies University of Toronto & Toronto Laboratory Theatre
p r e s e n t
The ... Musician An Etude
Conceived and directed by Art Babayants Based on the novella by V. Korolenko Scenography and lighting design by Paul Stoesser Co-conceived by the collective Featuring Kevin Kashani, Shelley Liebembuk, Didier Morelli and Art Babayants
March 29, 30*, 31* (Thu-Sat) at 8 pm – $ 10 April 1 (Sun) at 2 pm - PWYC
Robert Gill Theatre, 214 College St (St. George St. Entrance, 3rd floor)
Reservations: 416-978-7986
Based on a famous novella written by a 19th century Russian/Ukrainian writer, The ... Musician tells a powerful story of struggle, suffering and sacrifice as faced by one who is eternally robbed of an essential element of human experience.
Through a complex interplay of lighting, spoken text, physical gestures and live music, the show aims to challenge the audience’s perception by inviting the spectators to dive into a world where the most common signs of communication are perpetually concealed.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
* On March 30, 31 a talkback with the creators of the show will follow the performance.
First Impression: Couldn't We Be, Phoenix Theatre, Toronto A Play by Vladimir Milman; Directed by Art Babayants; Phoenix Cultural Diversity Theatre July 26-27, 2008; Palmerston Library Theatre; Toronto, ON, Canada by Anya
Poster: The Art of Life Community Health Centre together with Vasyl Popadiuk, violin virtuoso Present charity concert "Improvisation from the Heart" Saturday, March 24, 2012, 7:30 pm
World Music Fusion Improvisation from the Heart Charity Concert Supporting Gifted Children with Special Needs by violin virtuoso Vasyl Popadiuk Saturday, March 24, 2012 Time: 7:30 pm
For information & tickets call: 416-449-6747 or buy tickets online The Art of Life Community Health Centre 885 Don Mills Road, Suite # 121, Toronto Ontario www.theartlife.ca office@theartlife.ca Vasyl Popadiuk, extraordinary violinist admired throughout the world and known as "The Golden Violin", will partner with the Art of Life Community Health Center, a non-profit organization, to delight our hearts with beautiful music, raising funds for programs for gifted children with health issues.
Please join us and support this wonderful initiative and may the music of love always resonate in our world like the laughter of children.
"The voices of Nature filled his playing — the breath of the wind and the rustle of the forest, the plash of the river, and the vague murmurings that quiver and die in the distance; and, behind it all, that deep, heart-swelling emotion, so elusive of definition, that Nature's discourse arouses in the soul. " - V. Korolenko, The Blind Musician, An Etude Translated from the Russian by Helen Altschuler Progress Publishers, Moscow 1978
youtube.com: The best Speech - Severn Suzuki The original speech with music and visuals - Severn Cullis Suzuki - 1992 UN Earth Summit in Brazil Uploaded by be2212 on Aug 17, 2009
featuring a 3-course dinner Cuisine from 4 local restaurants served from 6 pm till 8 pm Silent Auction
or
$5 Admission after 8 pm Live Auction Cash Bar Local Live Music at 9 pm featuring
The McDales and The Groovies
A message from the Junction Residents' Association:
The Junction Residents Association is gearing up for our 3rd annual Function in the Junction, to be held on Saturday, April 28, 2012.
Once again, our event will be held at the Masonic Temple located on Annette Street, beside the Library.
Last year's sold-out event was a tremendous success in raising funds and bringing our community together for a good cause.
The goal of the Function in the Junction this year is to raise money to provide assistance to students for post-secondary education. All funds raised will be distributed among students from six local schools. Recipients will not necessarily be chosen on academic merit but on community involvement, volunteering and personal circumstances.
We will provide a three-course meal. Appetizer, main course and dessert for $45 a ticket. The menu will offer four choices for appetizer and main ( beef, chicken or vegetarian), and three dessert choices. Dinner will be served between 6 and 8 p.m .
There will be a silent auction for the dinner crowd and a live auction from 8 to 9 p.m. After 9, local musicians have offered to entertain us, and we'll wrap up at midnight.
Tickets are now on sale at our sponsors: Agora Cafe, 3015 Dundas St.W and Latitude 44, 2900 Dundas St.W. When purchasing tickets, customers will have the opportunity to choose their menu.
