Cinema Canada (Aug-Sep 1973)

qualified himself (besides being a Ryerson graduate, he has an MFA in Mass Media from Northwestern University) he is planning to work with two Black psychologists and is using a computer for working out complex communications theories. Little-White’s film background also includes several years’ directing, writing and researching commercials and TV documentaries in Jamaica; and a student film he made while studying at Ryerson called Born Black. Born Black (51 minutes, 16mm, black and white) traces the history of Black Canadians from 1608 to the present. The idea of making this ‘visual textbook’ came from students in a Black Experience class at York University. Little-White went ahead with the project, did most of the shooting himself, and begged/borrowed/scrounged the equipment and resources. (Sound familiar?) The film was made mainly for educational purposes on a high school and university level. On the basis of personal research, Little-White has selected International Tele-Film Associates to distribute his film since they seem to be the most respected in schools across Canada and the United States. Although there are technical faults in Born Black (partly due to a faulty registration pin in a borrowed Bolex from York University) Lenny Little-White has learned a lot by making Born Black and is confident about starting his next film. We wish him luck — especially with raising the rest of the $ needed! More news from the NFB Two Soviet film executives — Lev Kulidjanov, president of the USSR Association of Filmmakers and Eldar Shenguelaya, first secretary of the Association of Filmmakers in Georgia — recently visited Canada as guests of the National Film Board. They met officials, executives, distributors, and filmmakers Don Shebib, Bill Fruet, Claude Héroux, Gilles Carle, Arthur Laméthe and Al Waxman. Eldar Shenguelaya screened Unusual Exhibition for the Canadians who in turn showed them Jutra’s Mon Oncle Antoine and Kamouraska, Shebib’s Get Back and Héroux’ Quelques arpents de neige (A few acres of snow.) This visit follows last year’s visit to Russia by Sydney Newman, Assistant Film Commissioner André Lamy and NFB’s Director of Planning and Research Gerald Graham. The Summer Cinema program has started its second year. Throughout Canada, 48 students are showing NFB films in a wide variety of locations (communes, lumber camps, ferry boats) to a large variety of audiences (hospital patients and prison convicts included). Louis Craig, 22-year-old Loyola communications student, is coordinating. We Call them Killers is a new 15-minute short from the NFB. The film is about the response of two killer whales to the music of flutist Paul Horn and the sound experiments of Dr. Paul Spong, who narrates the film. Directed and shot by Tom Shandel, the crew hopes this film will help prevent the possible extinction of whales. The first film in the new languagedrama series (designed to achieve bilingualism through entertainment) has completed shooting. The Heat Wave Lasted Four Days stars Gordon Pinsent, Larry Dane and Alexandra Stewart and was directed by Doug Jackson. Mr. Jackson, who has been with the Board since 1952, has just had his two latest films played on CBC — The Sloane Affair and Gastronomie. Richesse des Autres (Wealth from Others) was recently shown widely throughout Québec. It is a documentary about the exploitation of miners and mineral resources in Québec with footage from Chili as a contrasting alternative. All except one of the Québec mines refused entry to filmmakers Maurice Bulbulian and Michel Gauthier, whereas in Chili where mines were recently nationalized, they were allowed entry to all the cooperative mines. Appearing in the film are René Levesque, ex-Minister of Natural Resources and Chilean Prime Minister Salvador Allende. Balablok — chosen best short film at Cannes ’73, will open in seven theatres in and around New York City with Norman Jewison’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Three NFB features were recently aired on Radio Canada’s Cinéma Canadien program: Jean Chabot’s Mon Enfance a Montréal (My Montreal Childhood) produced by Jean-Pierre Lefebvre, edited by Marguerite Duparc; Ou Etes-Vous Donc? (Where are you then?) written, directed and edited by Gilles Groulx and produced by Guy L. Coté; and Vive la France a comedy directed by Raymond Garceau, produced by Jean-Pierre Lefebvre. Thomas Vamos did the camerawork on all three films. The brand-new batch of awards for NFB films are: Grand Prize at the Melbourne Film Festival for Street Musique by Ryan Larkin, who also received $3,500 from the new Victoria State Government and First Prize of the International Animation Film Jury at Oberhausen for this film. Norman McLaren’s Ballet Adagio, Hugh Foulds’ Citizen Harold and Barrie Howells’ Trafficopter all received Diplomas of Merit at the Melbourne Festival. Le Vent by Ron Tunis won both the Prize of the International Jury of the Association of High Schools in Germany and second prize from the International Animation Jury at Oberhausen. Hot Stuff by Zlatko Grgic won a diploma from the International Council of Graphic Design Associations, as did Metadata by Peter Foulds; both at Oberhausen. Finally, The Men In The Park by George Geertson won second prize at the Guadalajara Short Film Festival. Canada Council holds ‘think-tank’ session in Gaspé From August 5th to 10th there was a meeting to decide Canada Council’s film policy and priorities for the future. Film officer Penni Jacques (see filmpeople) invited Visual Arts Officer Suzanne Rivard-Lemoyne; Charles Gagnon and Claude Godbout from Montréal; David Tompkins and Peter Rowe from Toronto; and Werner Aellen and Kirk Tougas from Vancouver for the meeting. "ie Weiland, artist and filmmaker, received a Senior Art Grant and is now holder of a Victor M. Lynch-Stauntin Award as an additional sign of recognition. Other film grants this month went to the following: — Vidéographe ($50,000) for research and distribution in their videotape centre. — Canadian Film Institute (90,000) — Cinémathéque Québécoise ($57,000) — L’Association coopérative de productions audio-visuelles ($35,000) to set up an organization to investigate means of distributing films outside existing commerical outlets. — Conservatory of Cinematographic Art ($10,000) to bring international filmmakers to Montréal for public talks and group discussions. Cinema Canada 9