Canadian Actors, Directors and Movies

News:

Hold Fast to Film - It's been almost 35 years since the novel Hold Fast by Newfoundland writer Kevin Major was published. The book went on to sell more than 200,000 copies in Canada and was honoured with the Governor General's Award. Today, the novel for young people is considered a classic and it is finally coming to film thanks to Rosemary House of Rock Island Productions and Judy Holm and Michael McNamara of Markham Street Films Inc. Shooting begins May 28 with no specific release date other than 2013. Hold Fast will be distributed by eOne Entertainment.

Shorts, shorts and more shorts - The who's who of short filmmaking gathered in Toronto's tony Yorkville neighbourhood just after noon yesterday, specifically taking over most of the second floor at the luxe Sassafraz Restaurant for the unveiling of the extensive lineup for the 2012 Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival. From an unprecedented 4,700 submissions, programmers have selected 244 films from 35 countries. Of those, a remarkable 207 will have their Canadian premieres and 38 of those will have their World Premieres at WSFF. Genres include live-action, animation, experimental, documentary and music videos.

Film Festival News

The Cannes Film Festival gets underway today. One of the Canadian films screening in competition this year is David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis. Based on the novel by Don DeLillo, the action is set in New York City in the not-too-distant-future. Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson) is a 28 year-old finance golden boy dreaming of living in a civilization ahead of this one, but watches a dark shadow fall over the firmament of the Wall Street galaxy, of which he is the uncontested king. Cosmopolis screens three times on May 25th. Click here for a link to the Cannes International Film Festival and all of our May 2012 Film Festival listings.

Film Festival News

My Brother The Devil kicks off the 2012 edition of the Toronto LGBT Film Festival on Thursday. It's a taut drama set amongst gang life on the streets of East London that is a coming-of-age story about the love between two brothers who must find themselves and their own way in life. Click here for a link to the Toronto LGBT Film Festival and all of our May 2012 Film Festival listings.

Trailers

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Born Today:

Northernstars Bernard Braden, Denise Filiatrault, Kevin McDonald and Yannick Bisson share May 16th birthdays.

Now Playing:

Scott Speedman plays the title character in the eOne Films release Edwin Boyd. The film is based on the exploits of the real Edwin Boyd and the infamous Boyd Gang. Twelve years in development, click here to watch the trailer for Edwin Boyd.

China Heavyweight is the latest from Up The Yangtse director Yung Chang. The film is set in southwestern China where state athletic coaches recruit rural teenagers who demonstrate a natural ability to throw a good punch. These boys and girls undergo a rigorous regimen that grooms them to be China’s next Olympic heroes but also prepares them for life outside the ring. Click here to watch a trailer for China Heavyweight.