Alex Reid

Winnipeg artist Diana Thorneycroft’s current exhibition, Canada, Myth, and History, Group of Seven Awkward Moments Series, is being shown at the Winnipeg Art Gallery until August 22nd. The works combines the landscapes of Canada’s Group of Seven, Tom Thomson, and Emily Carr with current Canadian cultural icons using “dolls, toys, and other found objects”.

Diana Thorneycroft - Early Snow with Bob and Doug, 2005., 2007. - Chromogenic print. Collection of gallery Art Mur.

The Awkward Moments are fraught with contradictions and forced ambiguity, oscillating between fact and fiction, child-play and adult situations, comedy and tragedy. The landscape paintings of the Group of Seven provide a historical context for the theme of national and cultural identity, and a link to past or common ideological constructs of Canada.

Go to the Winnipeg Art Gallery on Thursday, August 12th at 7pm because it’s your last chance to hear Diana Thorneycroft speak about this exhibition.

It’s that time of year again, the annual 48-hour film contest.

For the first year, teams will randomly draw a genre, line of dialogue/text, and prop/item to include in their film. The idea is to storyboard, shoot and edit your entire short-movie (maximum four minutes) in 48 hours (Saturday & Sunday) using these surprise elements. Previously only one keyword was used in which it was easy to make a general video in advance and include the one keyword afterward.

Because it’s the Film Group, uploaded videos on Youtube won’t suffice. Your videos must be presented in either:

* playable, non-looped DVDs
* miniDV
* 16mm
* 35mm

Notes about the Contest

* The contest is open to all interested parties. You do not have to be a member of the Winnipeg Film Group (WFG) to enter.
* You do not have to live in Winnipeg to participate but you must be present at the beginning and end of the 48 hour period to be eligible.
* You must register with the $10 entry fee. Cash only!
* Only 25 teams will be entered into the contest.
* No equipment will be provided to filmmakers but you can call the WFG at 925-3455 if you need to rent gear.
* The entered films can be about anything you choose but must contain the randomly drawn items chosen by a team member at registration time.
* Completed films must be submitted to the Cinematheque on playable DVD, miniDV, on 16mm or on 35mm by 6:00PM on Sunday, June 27.
* DVDs should be non-looped, and de-interlaced. Please include screening ratio on your DVD.
* Films are not screened prior to the premiere on Sunday so they may contain imagery and situations not suitable for all audiences. Films will not be rated.

For more information contact: distribution@winnipegfilmgroup.com

Friday, June 25 – Sunday, June 27, 2010
Registration is Friday, June 25 at 5:30-6:00 ($10 per team/film)
Screening is Sunday, June 27 at 7:30 (Admission is $5. All are welcome!)
Winnipeg Cinematheque
100 Arthur St.

Several weeks ago, veteran Winnipeg City Councillor Bill Clement passed away and frankly I was a bit shocked, partly because I know of almost a dozen good people in Winnipeg who have passed on suddenly and unexpected in the past few months.

I wasn’t close with Mr. Clement but for a long time I’ve held in him in high regard for his hard work while I worked at City Hall, mere doors down from his office, and most of all, for his willingness to communicate with me, despite any disagreements in viewpoints we may have had. I certainly didn’t always agree with him; I believe his views on policing and fiscal areas were our common grounds. But of all of the 15 City Councillor on council, there were only three City Councillors who I feel went beyond the call of their duty. Mr. Clement was certainly one of them.

Mr. Clement was the only City Councillor who always responded to me personally, some times even calling me, within 24 hours of any inquiry despite me not being a resident or voter in his riding. Communication skills are the most important skill a politician or businessperson should retain, and Mr. Clement never disappointed. He also was the most fiscally trained City Councillor, something I repeatedly celebrated in my news reporting during the early 2000s, rarely employing an assistant.

Since my last communication with him in the winter about a policing issue, I meant to thank him via email for all of this but my email outbox attests I never got around to it.

Mr. Clement was the City Councillor for 27 years, a partner is his family business Aqua Pleasure Pools, he truly was a people person, gruff but a straight shooter and most of all, was not petty to mere political differences.

You will be missed Sir.

The Federal government via MP Shelly Glover and the Province of Manitoba via Trade Minister Peter Bjornson have announced a shared funding boost of $1.8 million to Manitoba Music (which New Winnipeg Media is a corporate sponsor of) – a not-for-profit industry association designed to help local artists and companies market their music beyond Manitoba’s borders.

The money is part of a four-year plan under the Canada-Manitoba Western Economic Partnership Agreement (WEPA), in which both the Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada are contributing $25 million each over four years to “to strengthen economic activity and improve the quality of life in western Canadian communities.”

Henry Winkler, the actor who played “The Fonz” on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days has received a Key to the City by Mayor Sam Katz.

What the hell is the Mayor thinking?!

Normally the Key to the City is given to hometown heroes, say like Cindy Klassen or Clara Hughes who are both from Winnipeg and are Canadian top Olympians. And even if the Key to the City is given to an outsider, it should be for an inspiring reason; it’s a great honour to bestow upon someone.

So why did this actor get such a honour? Because the Mayor cited “The Fonz” as one of his personal heroes (the character, not the actor).

“Is there any young man who didn’t go to bed saying a prayer, ‘Please let me wake up as The Fonz’?”

~ Mayor Sam Katz

The Mayor’s office released a press release stating that Winkler received the honour because he was literacy advocate though Katz’s personal comments would indicate he was more star struck than inspired by someone who happens to be dyslexic.

Winkler admitted he also had similar keys to Dallas and New Orleans. While Dallas and New Orleans are no better, this is just a tacky stunt. This just devalues the Key to the City in Winnipeg. And at a car show no less.

ugh.