“When I was a kid, there were two things I wanted badly and never got… A real dog and a Kenner AT-AT Walker.” (Patrick Boivin)
Category: News
Let’s Get Free!
Those lawyers who are on the side of reinforcing copyright laws have well-honed arguments. They really do. In fact, they ought to, it’s their job. But something greater is at stake here. Creativity.
The music biz’s lawyers have notoriously argued for more copyright legislation. Take Lyor Cohen, for example. He’s Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group. Responsible for signing the likes of Jay-Z, DMX, Slick Rick, EPMD, Ja Rule. Oh yes, he was also the road manager of Run-DMC (btw, love them… huge fan). He is credited for having played an integral part in hip-hop for the last 25 years. Rightly so.
In an interview Cohen gave to Complex, a glossy life-style magazine, he was asked about the viability of free music as a business model. The answer: “If it’s free, then how would record labels pay their staff and sign new artists?”
Pay the staff? Packed in nice top-floor offices in NY and LA? Is this what copyright is all about? How does that protect the artist? Seriously. We all know that copyright only moderately protects the artist but wholly enriches the supporter and enabler of a dated business model that seems to leave out any practical understanding of the web.
On the other hand, Berkman Center Professor and writer David Weinberger says “that the web enables us to rediscover what we’ve always known about being human: we are connected creatures in a connected world about which we care passionately.” And that goes for creativity too. Everything is connected. “Whether it’s Walt Disney recycling the Brothers Grimm, Stephen King doing variations on a theme of Bram Stoker, or James Joyce mashing Homer up with, well, everything, there’s no innovation that isn’t a reworking of what’s already there.” To not recognize this and not be transparent is hypocritical and leads to loss of credibility.
Let’s be transparent about Canada’s bill C-32. It’s irrelevant.
Here’s Weinberger again: “So, I don’t know how the law should change. I’m not a lawyer or legislator. But what’s at stake isn’t whether some of us get music without paying for it but the type of world we’re building. We have the chance to move from a world based on scarcity and greed to one built on abundance and generosity. And the effect will be evolutionary growth ….unless we stay really stupid about it.”
Let users decide what to do. We’ll break the authority all the institutions, government and corporations have had.
My web is your web is our web…
CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival Comes to a Close
Director Jérémie Saindon and Producer Valérie d’Auteuil hanging out at the Radio-Canada Toronto office waiting for an interview to discuss L’Anniversaire in competition at the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival.
The CFC Festival has a phenomenal selection of shorts featuring the very best from around the world. It’s really cool to be part of the 2010 selection. We’d like to thank Danny Lennon (Prends ça court and relentless promoter of Quebec Shorts) and of course Festival Director, Eileen Arandiga.
Hearty congratulations to Jean Malek who got the nod for best Canadian Short with his very poetic Les Poissons (Vanessa Pilon, Stéphanie Lapointe).
Jérémie Saindon’s L’Anniversaire @ CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival
Julie Le Breton donning makeup to play a lonely single mother in Jérémie Saindon’s dramatic short L’Anniversaire (Birthday).
Le Breton and her two boys anxiously await the afternoon’s family birthday party. But a moment of passion for one ignites a moment of irrevocable change for the other.
After screening at Cannes’ Short Film Corner, it is playing at the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival.
“A six day celebration of the latest and greatest in short film and video from around the world,” says this quote lifted from their website. It kicked off June 1st.
Stephan Dubreuil, Valérie d’Auteuil and Jérémie Saindon are off to Toronto to represent the film in competition.
As well as catching this year’s selection of the world’s best short movies and meet upcoming directors.
Patrick Boivin Does it Again!
Jon Favreau himself twitted this… “You need to see this if you like Iron Man or babies.”
Patrick Boivin in Numbers
This is Patrick Boivin’s latest short. As you can see, he had fun with weapons this time around. Especially their going off in the midst of a lovers’ quarrel.
Also, we wanted to give you some of Boivin’s traffic numbers on his Youtube Channel :
Youtube Street Fighter, 7,298,301 views
Iron Man vs Bruce Lee, 5,880,880 views
Ninja’s Unboxing, 1,113,400 views
Happy Meal, 1,979,430 views
Transformers-Jazz with a General Problem, 2,411,137 views
Total Upload Views: 62,004,231
Patrick has something quite big in store. Sit tight ’cause it’s gonna be awesome!
Here’s Kaveh Nabatian’s Reel
Director’s Reel from Kaveh Nabatian on Vimeo.
Woolf + Lapin Briefs
Here’s what’s going on with us…
– Jérémie Saindon’s short L’Anniversaire (written with Stephan Dubreuil) is generating some serious buzz at Cannes… a really good launch for the festival circuit. Next up, Toronto’s CFC World Wide Short Film Festival in a couple of weeks.
– Woolf + Lapin signs Writer/Director Sébastien Girard. He’s just adapted Le Seigneur d’Anvers for TF1.
– Tean Schultz’s deal for his TV concept Divorcing Jesus is finalized with Carpe Diem Film and Television.
– Sinclair Dubreuil appears in Kaveh Nabatian’s latest short film Steam to be released soon.
– Christian Lalumière is slated to go into pre-production for his documentary on film, TV and stage legend, Denise Filiatrault.
– Olivier Roberge to direct a multi-media project for the Historical Society of la Haute-Saint-Charles.
– Director Jim Donovan wraps The Perfect Student (Producers: Pierre David & Tom Barry).
– Bachir Bensaddek to file his film project Montréal la blanche with Kinesis.
Woolf + Lapin Welcomes Director Kaveh Nabatian
Bell Orchestre – Upwards March from Kaveh Nabatian on Vimeo.
This is Upward March. It’s the experimental film that won at South by Southwest in 2008. It is by Kaveh Nabatian, director and musician. The soundtrack is signed Bell Orchestre, Kaveh’s band which incidentally won a Juno (best instrumental album of the year) just last week.
So yeah, he’s versatile and talented.
In this film, as in most of his work, Kaveh pushes artistic boundaries. His strong, well-composed visual esthetic is all his own. It’s, how shall we say, musical. We will post more stuff of his soon to illustrate this.
Among other things, he has directed a really cool music video for Torngat, a short apocalyptic film called Sunday Afternoon as well as other experimental films that you can see here on his profile.
We’re really excited to work with Kaveh. He has just returned from the Aeolian Islands, off the coast of Sicily, where he isolated himself to pen the script for his very first feature-length film called Ricochet, slated to go into production (Kinesis) in the next year.
3 Saisons Takes the Big Prize at Beverly Hills Film Festival
Last night, at the 10th Annual International Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) closing Gala Awards ceremony, “3 Saisons,” a feature-length drama from writer/director/producer Jim Donovan, received the Golden Palm Award and the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.
The award comes after a fruitful, year-long festival run. “It’s my first U.S. award and the jury was comprised of some very heavy hitters from Hollywood. It’s a nice way to finish,” Jim says.
Here’s the trailer…