KUNGLOOSH writes: Our Tolkien fan group got together on Saturday, October 14, 2006 for a day of eating, fun, eating, hiking, and eating. (Hey, wouldn’t be a Hobbit Feast without the food!) The festivities were at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL. There was even a tree that looked like a “party tree” from the movie. Those who attended were: me, Bill, Nancy, Rob & friend, James, Susan, Rogan, Alesia, and Sandy. A toast was given in the memory of our greatly missed friend Balin. Our group gets together twice a year at Starved Rock and our next get together will be in June. [More]
Month: October 2006
Rocky writes: For Toronto residents and visitors, you may be interested in attending the 2nd Annual Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival: The Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival has announced its line up of films for the second annual event, which is taking place October 27-29, 2006 in Toronto. More than 45 films will be presented including features, shorts, animation and documentaries; many are Canadian or World Premieres. [More]
Rocky writes: For Toronto residents and visitors, you may be interested in attending the 2nd Annual Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival.
Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival Announces 2006 Programme
Toronto, The Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival has announced its line up of films for the second annual event, which is taking place October 27-29, 2006 in Toronto. More than 45 films will be presented including features, shorts, animation and documentaries; many are Canadian or World Premieres. The films, which delve into the world of mythology, mysticism, magical realism, legend and science fiction, have been chosen from submissions from around the world. The festival is taking place at Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto campus. The complete programme is available at www.fantasyworldwide.com.
“Our aim is to showcase fantasy films that are inspiring, enlightening and entertaining,” says Johanna Kern, executive director of Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival.
Highlighted Feature films include:
Sidekick, Canada — a comic book obsessed computer geek discovers that his friend has telekinetic abilities. He endeavors to turn him into a superhero, with the hope of becoming his trusty sidekick, but learns that not all people with extraordinary abilities are meant to be superheroes. Director: Blake Van De Graaf. Winner of ‘People’s Pick for Best Flick’ Award 2006 Canadian Filmmakers Festival.
Mee-Shee, UK — A fun-loving nine-year old has the adventure of a lifetime when he uncovers the world’s biggest secret: Mee-Shee, a loveable water giant. Incredible monsters and amazing special effects from Academy Award winning Jim Henson’s Creature shop. Starring: Tom Jackson, Bruce Greenwood, Daniel Magder, Joel Tobeck, Rena Owen. Director: John Henderson Canadian Premiere
Gamerz, Scotland / UK — An off-beat comedy with a love triangle set in the fantasy, role-playing society of Glasgow University. The hero is the Game Keeper, a geeky genius who builds an imaginary world – and has a fatal weakness for the sexy goth girl who thinks she’s an elf. Director: Robbie Frazer. Canadian Premiere
Spectres, USA — Some of Sci-Fi’s most famous faces. Marina Sirtis, co-star of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” meets up with “X-Files” regular Dean Haglund, Tucker Smallwood of “Space: Above and Beyond, Linda Park of “Star Trek: Enterprise;” and Alexis Cruz of “Stargate,” to create a dark and eerie tale of a supernatural phenomenon. Director: Phil Leirness
Laura’s Star, Germany / Animated Feature — Laura is new to the neighborhood, and a little homesick. Then she rescues a fallen star who is homesick too – and shares a friendship that makes her new surroundings feel like home. Directors: Piet De Rycker, Thilo Rothkirch. Coproducers and distributors: Warner Bros.
Short Order, Ireland / UK / Germany — Fifi has an uncontrollable talent for culinary seduction. Over one busy night in the culinary underbelly, boredom will become fantasy as a little bit of love and wisdom come together where life is a buffet and everything is Short Order. Starring: Emma de Caunes, John Hurt, Cosma Shiva Hagen, Jack Dee, and Vanessa Redgrave. Director: Anthony Byrne. Short Order was nominated for 8 Irish Film and Television Awards and won in the Production Design category. Canadian Premiere.
Highlighted Documentaries include:
The Gathering: Return of the Whale Dreamers, Australia — by producers Julian Lennon and Kim Kindersley. The wisdom of Indigenous Elders from around the world permeates this film, offering up the familiar warnings of where humanity seems to be going, but it also reflects back to us that we collectively can come back from the edge of extinction. For the first time on film, Aboriginal Whale Calling ceremonies are shared. Guest Appearances: Jack Thompson, John Hurt, Julian Lennon, Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush. Director: Kim Kindersley. Best Film Award, Byron Bay Film Festival. Canadian Premiere
The Secret, Australia — Leading scientists, authors and philosophers reveal the secret that has transformed the lives of those who lived it: Plato, Newton, Carnegie, Beethoven, Shakespeare and Einstein. This is the secret to everything – joy, health, relationships, money, love and happiness. Directors: Drew Heriot, Damien McLindon, Sean Byrne. Canadian Premiere
Huldufolk 102, USA/Iceland — Beneath the quiet veneer of Iceland is an invisible nation of Hidden People. Tales of these beings challenge human perceptual limitations and reveal the mysteries of the natural world. Director: Nisha Inalsingh.
Highlighted Shorts and Animation include:
Cost of Living, Canada; Lesson Number Five, Lebanon; Guide Dog, USA / Animation – (sequel to the Oscar nominated “Guard Dog”); Delivery, Germany / Animation; The Orchid and the Rose, Canada/ Animation; and many others.
Tickets can be purchased at Innis Town Hall (University of Toronto campus) during the Festival.
Festival weekend passes are available online (Pay Pal). For group tickets presales, contact info@fantasyworldwide.com.
Fantasy Worldwide is an independent, not-for-profit organization and the only film festival of its kind to showcase a broad variety of fantasy and science fiction genres.
Note: official selection is subject to change. Please visit the Festival website for final selection by October 1, 2006.
Comic fans whose fandom crosses over with Lord of the Rings will have something to look out for later this month, when Topps’ The Lord of the Rings Masterpieces trading card set…The sketch cards are that – cards upon which the named artists drew images of LotR characters, scenes and events. There’s no reproduction – the cards in the packs are the cards the artists drew on. Each sketch card is a one of a kind piece of art. With the number of artists, the total sketch card count comes to roughly 25,000 cards – the number of cards done by any one artist carried due to their schedules, ranging from 50 at the low end all the way up to one artist who produced 2,500. The cards are inserted randomly in boxes of the Hobby Market version of the cards (not mass market retail). [More]
GREENSBORO — The hobbits can teach us a thing or two about terrorism, so says a religious scholar and author who will speak about the subject at UNCG. The school announced today that Ralph Wood will hold a lecture at UNCG on Oct. 26 entitled “J.R.R. Tolkien: Writer for Our Time of Terror.” Wood, a professor of theology and literature at Baylor University, will speak at 7 p.m. in the Alexander Room, Elliot University Center. His lecture is sponsored by the UNCG English department’s speakers series. It’s free and open to the public. Tolkien wrote classics including “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. His works have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity following the release of the recent “Lord of the Rings” films. [More]
Weta Digital is an extraordinary company. It was formed 13 years ago in, of all places, New Zealand, by film director Peter Jackson and others to provide visual effects to movies. After having its physical effects part split off, one of its first projects was to provide the special effects (SFX) for the film Heavenly Creatures. This needed one computer, a film scanner and a film recorder. Since then the Lord of the Rings trilogy has happened, followed by King Kong, and Weta D now has up to 600 people working on projects using a so-called Renderwall suppercomputer with 4,400 processors backed by a BlueArc Titan super-NAS system. [More]