Extreme-sports dramedy Racewalkers makes its Canadian premiere on May 29 at Blue Mountain Film and Media Festival.Supplied
While the weather might be saying otherwise, summer has come for southern Ontario, and with it a slew of film festivals – a surprisingly large clutch of them competing head-to-head-to-head at the very same time. Including one, nestled within the resort village of Blue Mountain, that might be reinventing the rules.
Over the course of the next week and a half, Toronto moviegoers (and those willing to make just a wee trek north of the city) can choose from the 35th edition of Inside Out, whose event focused on 2SLGBTQ+ features opened May 23 and runs through June 1; the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival, whose 25th edition runs June 3-8; and the Blue Mountain Film and Media Festival, the relative new kid on the film-fest block whose fourth go-round just outside of Collingwood, Ont., runs May 29 through June 1.
Each event offers general audiences and members of the industry something different, but the most intriguing development might be happening at the top of Blue Mountain. There, in something of an unprecedented move, the lunatics (film critics) have taken over the asylum (film festival). After the departure of artistic director Helen du Toit following last year‘s edition, the festival has appointed long-time Toronto-based critic Jason Gorber, editor-in-chief of film-review site That Shelf, as its new director of programming.
After he had attended the festival for a few seasons and helped conduct Q&A sessions with visiting talent, festival organizers initially asked Gorber who might be a good candidate to take on artistic-director duties for the 2025 edition.
“I said, yeah, well, me,” Gorber says with a self-deprecating chuckle. “But the first thing that I did when given the opportunity was bring in associate programmers, because I realized what would be absolutely essential for me is to have people around me who could assist and whose taste I trusted.”
Which is how two more local critics, Pat Mullen of POV Magazine and veteran freelancer Rachel West, came on board, too.
“We’ve spent the past six months combing the world, looking for films to play that would appeal not only for the region, but to bring people from outside whose films are rarely seen in this province,” says Gorber.
Standout titles this session include the Canadian premiere of extreme-sports dramedy Racewalkers, which won a Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival; the Canadian premiere of Irish heist thriller Anotas; and the Canadian premiere of American comedy Bad Shabbos, which walked away with an audience award at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival.
While it might seem unusual to have critics take on programming duties, Gorber insists the line is blurrier than it seems.
“I’ve assisted with different programming initiatives before and sort of consulted – and while criticism and programming are very different skills sets, they’re complimentary, too,” he says. “There are films that I don’t love critically, but I know I would program in a millisecond. And vice versa.”
As for BMFM’s place in the festival-season calendar – and whether the space might be overloaded – Gorber says the festival has an outdoor edge. Screenings necessitate short hikes through the picturesque resort village, while outdoor events include open-air screenings of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz and Christopher Guest’s Best in Show.
“We’re situated at a very interesting time, but I only see it as an opportunity. It has never been easier in some ways to see certain films. But it has also never been more challenging to actually be able to navigate, and to focus your attention,” he says. “But Blue Mountain, we’re in one of the most beautiful places in the world, where you get to experience nature along with the best in film. People will see we’re taking real chances.”
