MOTORWAY, THALE, THE WE AND THE I: Distribution News

Congratulations to the filmmakers, cast, and crew of Motorway, Thale, and The We And The I!

All three films have been picked up for distribution after screening in the Festival's Vanguard programme.

Motorway, directed by Soi Cheang, was acquired by Grindstone/Lionsgate for North American distribution.

Thale, directed by Aleksander Nordaas, was acquired by Xlrator Media for US distribution.

The We And The I, directed by Michel Gondry, was acquired by Paladin and 108 Media for North American distribution.

If you were a silly goose and missed these three movies at the Festival, look for them in theaters soon!

THE WE AND THE I: Final Screening!

Last chance to hop on Michel Gondry's bus!  Gondry's newest film The We And The I has its last screening this afternoon. So get there early and sit with your best friend, or in the corner in the back by yourself.  Not that we Vanguardian bloggers have any experience with that...

THE WE AND THE I final screening: Sat., Sept. 15: 3:00 PM, Scotiabank 1

THE WE AND THE I Premieres Tonight!

Michel Gondry's The We and the I premieres tonight at Scotiabank Theatre at 6:45 PM. Head over to our previous post to see the film's trailer and poster.

Tickets can be purchased:

• ONLINE: TIFF.net/thefestival
• BY PHONE: 416.599.TIFF or 1.888.599.8433 (Toll-free) 
• IN PERSON
• Festival Box Office; 225 King St. West
• Scotiabank Theatre Box Office; 259 Richmond Street West

Further information about Michel Gondry's The We and the I can be found on the Festival website, as well as on the The We and the I IMDB page.

The We and the I screening times:

• Fri., Sept. 7, Scotiabank 1 6:45 PM 
• Sat., Sept. 8, Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 6 11:45 AM 
• Sat., Sept. 15, Scotiabank 1 3:00 PM

The Inspiration Behind Michel Gondry's THE WE AND THE I

Whoa, check out these real kids.

Perhaps the only thing cooler than getting to attend a creative acting workshop would be getting to attend one run by Michel Gondry (or a lifetime supply of ice cream; we can't decide). A few years ago, kids from various youth programs around the Bronx, including The Point, a community program with a focus on creativity and youth development, had the pleasure of working with the acclaimed director. He had the kids act out important moments in their lives as improvised sketches and recorded them. 

And then if that wasn't cool enough, Gondry later returned with a screenplay based off of those recorded improvised sketches. And if your brain can handle any more awesome, Gondry then cast the same kids from his workshops, most of whom ended up playing versions of themselves in the film. So amazing, right?

When watching the trailer for The We and the I, you can't help but be struck by how, for lack of a better word, real the kids come across. By casting unprofessional actors and using their actual stories, Gondry was able to tap into this authenticity that most teen movies these days--er, all days--lack. (Yes, that means we're saying that High School Musical is completely unrealistic. Look, we wish that squeaky-clean teens could burst into organized dance and song on a whim, but it just doesn't happen. Get over it.)

To get more insight on the background and production of the film, this article from the Hunts Point Express published last fall is an excellent read. 

And, if you haven't yet, grab your tickets to one of the below screening times. If you don't, we might be forced to sing and dance. And you really don't want that.

THE WE AND THE I Screening Times:

Fri., Sept. 7th, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK 1

Sat., Sept. 8th, 11:45 AM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Sat., Sept. 15th, 3:00 PM SCOTIABANK 1

Michel Gondry's Sweded Films

There's no denying that Michel Gondry has one of the most creative brains (and talented nasal cavities) that we've ever seen. In his 2008 film, Be Kind Rewind, he took that creativity to a new and hilarious level with the concept of "Sweded" movies.

Basically, a Sweded movie is one that you make yourself, sort of like a remake (and we use that term loosely). Also, it's what happens when a magnetized dude erases all of the tapes in your video store and you need to recreate all of the movies but don't exactly have a large budget. Or access to the original cast of Ghostbusters. (They are just so hard to get a hold of.) The motto is: "if you love it, Swede it!" 

As the film progresses, the Sweded movies become more than just remakes and end up bringing together the community. All together now: awwww. Check out Michel Gondry's own Sweded trailer for Be Kind Rewind:

Doesn't it just want to make you dig out the ole camcorder from the closet and make some movie magic? Or you could just use your iPhone, since this isn't 1999. Be Kind Rewind inspired a whole slew of Sweded films and luckily they're still kicking around on Youtube. Magic! One of our personal favourites is this Sweded version of Jurassic Park, because tape-raptors:

And while there won't be any Sweded movies in Gondry's The We and the I (or will there?!), the film is still brimming with Gondry creativity and magic. Be sure to check out the screening times below and get your tickets.

THE WE AND THE I Screening Times:

Fri., Sept. 7th, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK 1

Sat., Sept. 8th, 11:45 AM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Sat., Sept. 15th, 3:00 PM SCOTIABANK 1

Director Profile: Michel Gondry (THE WE AND THE I)

We were puzzling over the very best way to introduce our Director Profile of Michel Gondry (the dude spying on you--yes, you--in the above photography) and we were at a lack for words. This inventive director needed a likewise introduction. Something spectacular. Something punchy. Something that sums up the question, "Who is Michel Gondry? No, really." Ahem:

"Who is Michel Gondry?" Well, for starters, he is a man who can solve a Rubik's cube with his nose. Why solve 3-D mechanical puzzles with your hands when you can use your nasal cavity, is what we always say. When Gondry isn't busy being the obvious hit at parties, he makes fantastical, awesome films. Not with his nasal cavity. (We think?)

Gondry started off his career in the world of music videos. He's frolicked around in the woods with Bjork and a giant stuffed bear, changed things with Sheryl Crow, turned the White Stripes into building blocks, cloned Kylie Minoque, and danced with Flight of the Conchords--just to name a few. Gondry's unique and inventive storytelling style and camera techniques also led to his success in directing commercials. Remember that Gap holiday commercial that you maybe--okay, definitely--hated by the end of the holiday season? Gondry also directed commercials for Smirnoff, Air France, Polaroid, and Levi's.

In 2001, Gondry made his feature film directorial debut with Human Nature, a comedy written by Charlie Kaufman. The film explores topics like sex, human nature, and a very hairy and naked Patricia Arquette. Roger Ebert applauded the film's "screwball charm" and "manic whimsy".

2004's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ("Hi, Joel. No jokes about my name.") is probably Gondry's most popular film to date. Gondry teamed up again with Kaufman and the film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film presented the fascinating question of: if you could erase someone from your mind, would you? Or, rather: can you? And people have been flocking to Montauk Beach in February ever since.

Artist rendition of Gondry performing his nasal cavity hijinks at a fancy-pants soiree.

Gondry followed up with The Science of Sleep in 2006, which he also wrote. A fantastical seemingly sideways-moving story that the New York Times said, "is so profoundly idiosyncratic, and so confident in its oddity, that any attempt to describe it is bound to be misleading."

Be Kind Rewind (2008), Gondry's fourth feature film is an underrated comedy about your typical magnetized dude who accidentally erases all the tapes in a video store (don't you just hate when that happens?), and hilarity--Gondry style--ensues. (If you're under the age of 12, you might not know what a "video cassette" or "VHS" is and for that we are truly sorry. We also feel old.) Not only is the film hilarious, but it also introduced us all to the concept of "Sweded" films. Huzzah.

Gondry is back at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival with The We and the I. If you've ever wanted to know what a busload of Bronx teenagers would look like through the eyes of Michel Gondry, then this is the film for you. Because that is what it is about. Early reviews from Cannes are positive, with the Hollywood Reporter saying, "…the film has a scrappy charm that springs organically from the characters and their stories." If only Gondry could have directed all of our high school bus rides home, right?

Below is the trailer and screening times for The We and the I.

THE WE AND THE I Screening Times:

Fri., Sept. 7th, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK 1

Sat., Sept. 8th, 11:45 AM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 6

Sat., Sept. 15th, 3:00 PM SCOTIABANK 1

THE WE AND THE I Poster and Trailer

A group of NYC teenagers take the bus after the last day of school. Such a simple premise for Michel Gondry's new film, The We and the I. But with the unique vision of Gondry, the Academy Award®-winning writer-director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this simple premise becomes an "invigoratingly unconventional glimpse of kids taking tentative steps toward adulthood" (The Hollywood Reporter).

Below are the poster and trailer for The We and the I, which plays this year's Toronto International Film Festival within the Vanguard programme.

Further information about Michel Gondry's The We and the I can be found on the Festival website, as well as on the The We and the I IMDB page.

The We and the I screening times:

• Fri., Sept. 7, Scotiabank 1 6:45 PM 
• Sat., Sept. 8, Cineplex Yonge & Dundas 6 11:45 AM 
• Sat., Sept. 15, Scotiabank 1 3:00 PM