fest faves

so many good films at the Dawson Fest...there were nearly 150 movies being shown over the weekend. i didn't get to all of them but some of my favourites include:

Jeff Winch's Close & Low. a man, a dog, and a poetic leap through life--winner of this year's Lodestar Award.

Eva Weber's City of Cranes. who'd have thought crane operators in London would be such philosophical guys? and i don't know how she got such clear skies and luscious colours in grey London Town.

Anna McRoberts' The Windfisherman. this is such a funny fairytale, i want to believe that Gust Town actually exists somewhere in rural Alberta.

Daneil Janke's How People Got Fire. as told by elder Kitty Smith. the animation here is breath-taking, partly using painted live-action footage and partly sketched by artist Jay White. 1st place winner of the Yukon Energy Award.

Dustinn Craig's 4 Wheel War Pony. i never expected to love a film about skateboarding, but this is great--historic photos, Apache skateboarders, and smart split-screen effects.

Lulu Keating's Dog=God, made with Karen Hines. 2nd place winner of the Yukon Energy Award, with lush black & white footage Keating developed in a bucket, in her bathroom. (i love the idea & the word "bucket-development". must be the name of a production company somewhere...)

Duane Gastant' Aucoin's My Own Private Lower Post, which bravely explores his mother's experience in residential school, and its painful legacy in his own life.