FIN lineup includes eclectic mix of content from home and abroad

The FIN Atlantic International Film Festival is set for a busy September following a lineup announcement including Atlantic Canadian, national and international film fare.

Propelled forward by the theme 'Binge On Us', festival executive director Wayne Carter can't wait for people to take advantage of the festival's new day-pass system.

It will allow those who can't get the week off to spend full days viewing movies at a low price.

“I'm all about this. Binging has become a particular buzzword with a certain demographic, and they won't realize I used to binge at what would become TIFF. I could buy a pass and one year I saw 44 films,” said Carter.

“The idea of the daily pass is, if you have one day to spare, you can see five films and go to a party for $38. We are another way to binge on movies, but we're going to offer something a lot different than you'll see on streaming services.”

Following the successful Opening Night Gala showings of uniquely Canadian films Maudie (2016) and Tragically Hip documentary Long Time Running (2017), this year will see Halifax's prominent director Thom Fitzgerald back.

His film Splinters will play at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium at the Dalhouse Arts Centre on Thursday, Sept. 13 to open things up.

“Thom is a lovely man, and we are so honoured to have this film here. When Jason (Beaudry, program director) and I saw it, we needed to ask about them letting us have it to open things up,” he said.

“Opening night sets the tone for the festival, and we have an enormous amount of Canadian programming on display this year.”

He calls it a love letter to Nova Scotia, and the Annapolis Valley-shot film features a Maritimes cast including Closet Monster (2015 FIN film) star Sofia Banzhaf and Shelley Thompson, who won accolades for 2017 FIN-featured The Child Remains.

Fitzgerald has had films scattered in different years of the festival since his 1997 work, The Hanging Garden. This is his return to the screen after Cloudburst won him the Audience Award at the festival 7 years ago.

“This is the best feeling in the world. I think the festival is so oriented toward its audience, where lots are oriented towards business or stars. Haligonians are the real stars here,” said Fitzgerald.

“FIN knows their audience and they know people want to see themselves and Atlantic Canadian films reflected on screen.”

Fitzgerald is happy to come back after 2011's Cloudburst.

“It's always a nerve-racking process to reach the finish line. I rushed here from Cineplex, where I watched the film this morning for the first time. It still didn't have credits,” he said.

“I think that adds to the excitement of having this film go to TIFF and then come home here.”

Atlantic Canadian productions will feature prominently in the Gala Presentations, including Newfoundland director Deanne Foley's An Audience of Chairs and Love, Scott, a documentary about gay Nova Scotian Scott Jones' struggles after an attack outside a New Glasgow bar left him paralyzed from the waist down. Laura Marie Wayne directs what's sure to be an emotional endeavour.

Also on tap is Sharkwater Extinction, the last film of conservationist Rob Stewart, who died when his equipment malfunctioned in the water while filming this documentary.

The East Cost Shorts Gala features work from FIN mainstays Shelley Thompson, Taylor Olson and Jackie Torrens, among many others, and Newfoundland's G. Patrick Condon will feature his debut G. Patrick Condon's Incredible Violence as well.

“It's important for us to support Canadian and Atlantic Canadian film and short film. We have an extraordinary number of great storytellers,” he said.

“We look for Atlantic Canadian work and then Canadian, and we have an amazing mix of everything here.”

Some Hollywood fare will come forth in This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman's Life Itself, Joaquin Phoenix-starring The Sisters Brothers and Michael Shanning-Hilary Swank family drama What They Had.

“Life Itself is going to make a whole lot of noise. I don't think Dan Fogelman or Oscar Isaac have ever looked better,” he said.

A Cinema 902 program will shine a spotlight on Atlantic Canadian filmmakers, and Struan Sutherland/Nicole Steeves' film Aliens With Knives, Chelsea Comeau's Creepy Crawling and Dillon Garland's The Last Divide will all screen.

Three films will also join the Restored! Program this year again, including Luis Bunuel's Belle de Jour, Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies, and Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris.

New this year is EXTREME programming — films that will rock and shock you to your core, for better or worse.

“Following our showing of the remastered Dario Argento film Suspiria last year, we saw crowds for this 40-year-old movie like we never expected. We filled two theatres,” he said.

“We didn't see those folks at the festival often, and I came back from Cannes, and we wanted to launch EXTREME, and knock people out.”

This year, featured are Nicolas Cage film Mandy and Lars von Trier's film about Matt Dillon as a serial killer, The House That Jack Built. They're profane, violent, and Carter says the festival is outright daring people to watch them.

“I saw both at Cannes. I heard buzz about Mandy and went to an 11 p.m. screening and the theatre was jam-packed. Halfway through the film people stood up and applauded,” said Carter.

“It is surreal, bizarre … The music and visuals are incredible. The second half is a full off-the-hook revenge film. There are chainsaws, axes, blood, gore, vodka, barbed wire and characters who look like they stepped out of Hellraiser. Nicolas Cage is at his most Nicolas Cage I've ever seen him.”

Carter was on-hand for the much-reported walk-out during Cannes for controversial director Lars von Trier's The House That Jack Built.

“It is important to remember that theatre holds thousands, and headlines said 100 people walked out. This is a Lars von Trier film about a serial killer, and if you are offended or freaked out by violence, you needed to expect that,” he said.

“The film is 2.5 hours, there's a whole lot of mind-candy, provocative thought and discussion, and Lars makes a response to the names and things thrown at him in the last decade.”

They're still working on getting a third one, and Carter says they should know in a week.

Featuring over 125 screenings and special events, the 2018 Special Presentations include, but are not limited to Assassination Nation, Halloween Party from Halifax's Jay Dahl, The Hummingbird Project, Keira Knightley project Colette, and Cannes Best Director winner Cold War.

“These guys watch 1,000 movies on the programming team and we find something for everyone,” he said.

“Cold War is probably the frontrunner for Best Foreign Language Film of the year. It blew the roof off Cannes, and I tried to get in to see it three times and couldn't.”

Though the closing film has not yet been chosen, Carter said they're looking to duplicate the success of previous years. 

2016's Manchester By The Sea was nominated that year at the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Performances by an Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role, and won Best Original Screenplay for Kenneth Lonergan, and Best Actor for Casey Affleck.

The actual Best Picture winner, Moonlight, played at the festival that same year. Queer drama Call Me By Your Name, the Closing Gala in 2017, was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, and won Best Adapted Screenplay. The Shape of Water won Best Picture last year.

“We're looking at several films for closing night, and we'll have a decision in the next few days. We've been a bellwether the last few years for major awards contenders, and we want to continue the trend,” he said.

“Though we may not get huge Hollywood films like A Star Is Born, those will end up in theatres. What we love is bringing important, smaller and international films audiences may not get another chance to see. Our lineup this year reflects the best.”

Tickets for screenings and special events along with ticket packages, group tickets and passes are on sale now.

Tickets will be available online at finfestival.ca. Tickets will also be available at the Festival Box Office in Park Lane Mall (5657 Spring Garden Road) beginning Tuesday, September 5.

The opening night film tickets can be purchased at the Dalhousie Arts Centre Box Office (6101 University Ave.), by phone at 1-800-874-1669 and online at dal.ca/dept/arts-centre or finfestival.ca. Tickets for the Opening Night Party will be available at finfestival.ca or at the Festival Box Office.