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Tkaronto gets two great reviews in Edmonton
From the VUE Weekly: "In an emotionally compelling, low-budget first feature, writer-director Shane Belcourt portrays two dangerously compatible thirtysomethings sharing a house in Toronto, both of whom are forced to confront their individualities the further they pursue a friendship. At the centre of their dilemma, they find difficulty expressing their mutual Canadian Aboriginal background in careers that demand them to do so. Tkaronto asks questions of cultural identity in a subtly investigatory manner that seduces and charms its audience." Read complete review here >>>
From SEE Magazine: "Jolene, played winningly by Melanie McLaren, is one of the two main characters in Shane Belcourt’s lovely, no-budget indie Tkaronto (named after the discarded Mohawk word for Toronto). The other is Ray Morin (Duane Murray), a Métis graphic novelist who’s come to The Big Smoke to pitch a series to some TV executives ... The themes of Tkaronto may sound familiar, even rote, but there’s something very fresh in the way Belcourt filters them through his young, self-deprecating characters ..." Read complete review here >>>
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Tkaronto receives rave review in Canada's Globe and Mail
KAMAL AL-SOLAYLEE -
From Friday's Globe and Mail
Tkaronto, Métis director Shane Belcourt's debut feature, is a film about what it means to experience a profound sense of loss.
Loss is there in the title, the original, long-gone Mohawk word for Toronto. It continues in the central stories of two urban natives whose sense of loss is both real and metaphysical. It resurfaces in an ending where love loses out to prior emotional commitments. If there was a contest to determine who is psychically “The Biggest Loser,” our two leads would win hands-down.
Read complete review here >>> |
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Pressed for time, director Shane Belcourt found his voice with Tkaronto
BY JASON ANDERSON, EYE WEEKLY
*** (three stars out of five) - Adapted by French explorers and mapmakers from a Mohawk phrase that translates as “where there are trees standing in the water,” this city’s original name is unknown to most of those who now dwell here. But chances are the places, people and feelings captured in a new film that bears this moniker will not be so unfamiliar, even to viewers who might think the movie’s central questions about Aboriginal identity have no impact on their own lives. Read complete review here >>> |
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A Métis filmmaker reveals the inspiration for his impressive debut feature
JENNIE PUNTER, From Thursday's Globe and Mail
There's nothing like the impending birth of a first child to inspire one to complete sensible things like home renovations or financial planning. But for Shane Belcourt it was time to throw caution to the wind and finally write and direct that feature film he had always talked about.
Read complete article here >>> |
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Tkaronto -
SHANE SHINES
From Thursday's NOW Magazine
NNN (out of five) -
Ray (Duane Murray) is a disgruntled half-Metis Vancouver writer who looks and feels plain white. He cringes when yuppies claim native heritage just because they had some ancient Cherokee grandma, while he barely feels justified in doing so with a Metis father ... a film that feels at once so deeply personal and so universal.
Read complete review here >>> |
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imagineNATIVE Film Festival Co-Presents Toronto Theatrical Run at the Royal - means all kinds of additions at each screening!!!imagineNATIVE has programmed a different award-winning “Best of the Fest” shorts to preceed Tkaronto each night of the week-long run. imagineNATIVE is also hosting a special panel to explore the fascinating and complex issues raised in the film following the screening on Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 4:15pm, moderated by Toronto International Film Festival/imagineNATIVE programmer and CBC radio film critic Jesse Wente.
Find out more here >>> |
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Tkaronto gets a rave review in the Ottawa Sun!
Tkaronto has been called an Aboriginal version of Before Sunrise, and it's not a bad description. The film is smart and sexy and arresting, and the performances (especially from Melanie McLaren as Jolene) are terrific ... This is a worthwhile indie feature attracting a lot of deserved buzz, so catch it while you can.
Read the review here >>>
Read the biogaphy piece on Melanie McLaren ("Jolene") here >>>
Also, read the review on the Sun website AND watch a bonus on-line video of the interview with Liz Braun >>> |
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Tkaronto's Director Shane Belcourt gets some hometown exposure in the Ottawa Citizen
Caught between 'two worlds':
Tkaronto: Shane Belcourt, a Métis leader's son who turned his life into onscreen art. As high school students growing up in Ottawa, Shane Belcourt and Duane Murray went to theatres once a week, dreaming of the day their films would be on the big screen. In their spare time, they spent hours filming and then editing amateur comedies with a video camera and an off-line editing suite in the TV room of Belcourt's Westboro home. This included making little movies for Belcourt's theatre class at Notre Dame High School. Read complete article here >>> |
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Shane Belcourt was on CBC's Radio One program Q
Shane had the great pleasure of being interviewed by CBC's Amanda Putz for the radio one program Q on Tuesday August 12th (interview starts at 16:40 mins).
You can listen to the interview as a podcast at this link. |
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Tkaronto gets the front page of the Ottawa Citizen!
On Friday August 8th, to kick off the Ottawa run of Tkaronto at the Bytowne Cinema, the Ottawa Citizen ran their film review headline on the front page of the Ottawa Citizen. VERY cool exposure. See it here and read their review. |
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MÉTIS FILMMAKER SHANE BELCOURT MAKES FEATURE FILM DEBUT WITH TKARONTO
(Toronto – July 22, 2008) KinoSmith is pleased to announce the release of writer-director Shane Belcourt’s feature length film, TKARONTO. This stunning and poignant debut feature film will be opening in Ottawa on Aug 8th and in Toronto on August 15th, as a co-presentation with the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. READ FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE >>> |
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SHANE BELCOURT Interviewed on Isuma.TV
In May 2008 writer-director Shane Belcourt spoke with IsumaTV about making films and telling stories. You can listen to that interview here as an mp3 >>> |
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Tkaronto Wins Best Director and Best Actress Award at the Talking Stick Film Festival.
Writer-Director Shane Belcout won the 2008 Best Director Award for his work on Tkaronto and Melanie McLaren won the Best Actress Prize for her protrayol of "Jolene". The award was given out at the 1st Annual Talking Stick International Film Festival, June 26th, 2008. (Sante Fe, New Mexico, USA).
For more information visit the festival website here >>> |
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Tkaronto Wins Best Director Award at Dreamspeakers Film Festival 2008
Writer-Director Shane Belcout won the 2008 Best Director Award for his work on Tkaronto. The award was given out at the 13th Annual Dreamspeakers International Aboriginal Film & Television Festival, June 5th, 2008. (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). For more information visit the festival website here >>> |
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U.S. Premiere of Tkaronto took place at Palm Springs Native Film Festival (Feb. 16, 2008) Tkaronto, made its U.S. Premiere at the 2008 Palm Springs Native Film Festival in California, USA. The festival ran from March 5th to the 9th, 2008. Tkaronto screened as the "Centerpiece" film on Friday Night, March 7th, at 8:00 PM. Writer-Director Shane Belcourt and stars Duane Murray and Melanie McLaren were in attendence. (Palm Springs, California is 2 hours east of LA). Check here for more information >>> |
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World Premiere a Success at ImagineNATIVE Film Festival (Oct. 23rd, 2007) Tkaronto, a small Canadian independent feature film shot on a miniscule budget over 17 days with a crew of six people, held its world premiere to sold out audiences last night at the 2007 ImagineNATIVE Film + Video festival in Toronto. Selected as the Closing Night film, it screened at Toronto's famed Royal Cinema where more than 100 people standing in a rush ticket line outside the theatre were turned away at the doors. More details here >>> |
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EYE WEEKLY Magazine Film Review (Oct. 18, 2007) - We got a great review for the feature from Eye Magazine. "The quality of writer-director Shane Belcourt's feature debut – named after our city's original Mohawk name – is all the more remarkable when you consider that it was made in six months on a measly budget." Read the complete review here >>> |
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CBC Radio One Interview - you can listen to writer /director Shane Belcourt on CBC Radio One in Toronto (99.1 FM). He was on the Metro Morning Show, Wednesday, October 17th. 2007. Listen to the interview here >>>
For more information on CBC's Metro Morning in Toronto click here >>> |
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