Artist: Bruno Boëz
Toronto – September, from 8th to 18th, 2022
Hi Bruno, how are you?
I’m doing great! It’s been an extremely rich period professionally, with great cultural projects in the Francophone community. And I have to say that being back in the movie theaters is really good for me!
You participated in TIFF this year as a film critic, was it your first time in this context?
This is the third time I’ve covered TIFF for Le Petit Septième, a Montreal-based cultural media that specializes in reviewing Canadian and international independent films. But this is the first time I’m at TIFF with a media accreditation, issued by the festival after a selection phase. It’s also the first time I’m attending the festival in person, the other times I was at home, in my couch, watching the films on a platform!
How many films did you see?
About fifteen, but I would have liked to see many more.
What were your favorites?
The latest films by award-winning Iranian director Jafar Panahi (No Bear) and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu (R.M.N) are incredible. But two other films, less expected, impressed me.
The first one is called Luxembourg, Luxembourg. It’s a Ukrainian film directed by Antonio Lukich, and you know what? It’s a comedy, a little gem that was a hit with festival-goers at TIFF: I was in a room packed with more than 300 people and it had been a long time since I’d been thrilled like this, since before COVID no doubt. In these times of war, this film is an ode to fatherly love, in a crazy, hilarious quest of two brothers, anti-heroes in spite of themselves, cursed heirs of a mafia father who disappeared and whom they wish to find.
The second favorite is called The Gravity, directed by the Franco-Burkinabe Cédric Ido. The filmmaker skillfully reinvents the cinema about the suburbs, bringing beauty and magic to the subject matter, veering far away from the realistic, stereotyped and heavy interpretations we’ve seen. With a surprising creativity and a breathtaking mix of genres between fantasy, action and humor, he already makes us excited to see his next movie.
Can’t wait to go back next year?
Of course, TIFF is a must and offers the city of Toronto an international influence in the seventh art, on the same level as the most important film festivals: Venice, Berlin and Cannes. Each year, more than 200 films are programmed with many premieres and nuggets unearthed by the TIFF programming team. And of course, you can always see the latest films by world-renowned filmmakers. This year, for example, it was the new Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans. It’s a privilege to live right next to TIFF!
Thanks for your answers, let’s get ready to enjoy the last weekend!
Bruno Boëz
Bruno Boëz is an expert in the management of cultural policies and actions in favor of image education and the preservation and enhancement of cinematographic works. Bruno moved to Toronto in 2020 where he continues his career in the film industry. He worked for 15 years in Paris at the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC), in the implementation of national film education programs for young audiences, and then in the film heritage department. He joined, upon its creation in 2018, La Cinémathèque du documentaire, an agency promoting the distribution of documentary film throughout France. A passionate cinephile, he is involved in volunteer activities in the film community. He is a member of the feature film selection committee for the International Education Film Festival held annually in Évreux, France, and a critic for the Quebec blog Le Petit Septième for which he covers numerous film festivals.
A collector of cameras and antique film objects, and a creator in his spare time, he completed his first novel, Bonjour, je m’appelle Thatch, in 2020. He has directed several independent short films, including a fiction/documentary Made in Paris, a documentary Mon René, an experimental film Ici, il neige, and more recently, audiovisual essays during the Covid-19 crisis.
Bruno joined the board of Le Labo in 2020.
Artist profil
This interview is made possible by our funders: Ontario Arts Council, Canada Heritage and Toronto Art Council.
More info: https://www.tiff.net/