Pavane Featured at NXNE June 18
June 10, 2009
North By Northeast Music and Film Festival, June 17-21, 2009 will screen Filmmaker/Musician/Author Paul Quarrington’s short “Pavane”
Thursday, June 18 @ 7:00pm NFB Studio
150 John St, Toronto, ON M5V 3C3
Screens with
* City Sonic: Barenaked Ladies at Ultrasound Showbar | Peter Lynch 2009
* Depeche Mode: The Posters Came From the Walls | Jeremy Deller, Nick Abrahams 2008, Canadian Premiere, Documentary, Feature
Pavane Wins Platinum Award at WorldFest Houston
May 30, 2009
Pavane TX Theatrical Premiere – April 18, 2009
WorldFest Houston International Film Festival
PLATINUM REMI AWARD WINNER
“Pavane” has won a PLATINUM REMI AWARD at WorldFest Houston International Film Festival! The film was shown April 18, 2009 in the “Digital Shorts Remi-Award Winning” Program, 3pm, and featured in the WorldFest 2009 program that will be given out to all the attendees, and distributed to film festivals all over North America. For updates www.worldfest.org
Big “Pavane” news! An airing on CBC and an invitation to the Houston Worldfest!
March 4, 2009
Big news, and you heard it hear first!
On April 5, 2009, “Pavane” will air on CBC’s Canadian Reflections, which–and I quote–features the best Canadian short films from eminent directors across the country. Nice words, indeed, even if I am now something of an eminence grise. (If you check out their webpage, you might notice a little photo of the beautiful Kari Matchett holding up a microphone to the somewhat more grizzled David Fox. That’s a still from my film “Moon & Mann.”)
Also… BookShort producer Judith Keenan and I are very thrilled to announce that the film “Pavane” has been invited to the very prestigious Houston Worldfest! The 42nd annual edition of the festival takes place April 17 through 26. Houston, we have landed! (I suspect I’m not the first person to use those words in this context.)
“Pavane” is going to Chicago!!
February 5, 2009
BookShorts honcho Judith Keenan (I’m using Variety magazine lingo here, seeing as we’re discussing movies) and writer/helmer Paul Quarrington are pleased to announce that their short film “Pavane” has been accepted into the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (CIMMfest.) Mike Phillips, the programing director, was very complimentary: he called our film “a great demonstration of how much life and backstory one can fit in a short running time. I think it has more to say than most feature-length films.” Now THAT’S what we like to hear!
Oh, and here’s a little update. We ourselves are going to Chicago, and whilst there, I am going to be part of the CIMMfest All-Star Blues Jam Band, which will feature legendary bassist Robban Hagnas from the Finnish group “The Wentus Blues Band.” Porkbelly Futures have shared the stage with this fine band before, at last years Canadian Music Week. Robban is an excellent high-energy musician, so I better start practising and bolting back the Red Bull.
This is going to take place at the Awards ceremony at the Chicago Cultural Centre, Sunday March 8th.?
Nino Ricci & Paul Quarrington Review Moving Stories Films 2008
November 18, 2008
Curator Paul Quarrington speaks with Moving Stories Film Advisor Nino Ricci about the?page-to-screen film adaptations represented? in the Moving Stories Films 2008 program, including Quarrington’s own adaptation of his novel The Ravine as the short film, Pavane.?
Their review includes these films: A LETTER TO COLLEEN Dir. Andy London; THE CAVE: Dir. Michael Ramsey; NO BIKINI: Dir. Claudia Morgado Escanilla, PAVANE: Dir. Paul Quarrington, THE GARGOYLE Sei?s Story: Dir. Bert Kish.?
Shot live on location at the Vancouver International Writers Festival for BookShorts Literacy Program.? For more information about Moving Stories Film Festival, visit http://www.movingstoriesfilmfest.com
Moving Stories Wraps Cross-Country Tour: Toronto Last Stop Nov 26
November 10, 2008
With a shout out to our presenters coast to coast, 600 audience members enjoyed the inaugural screening program Moving Stories Films. ?Our Special Guests on stage along the way included Randall Maggs, Andrew Davidson, Gary Thomas, Rachel Peters, Irene Duma, and Ivan E. Coyote. Filmmakers Ken Tsui and Brittany Junek were specially commissioned to produce a BookShorts film based on David Chariandy?s novel ?Soucouyant,? which premiered during the Vancouver presentation.? Thanks to our presenters THIN AIR 2008: Winnipeg International Writers Festival; St. John?s International Women?s Film Festival; Ottawa International Writers Festival Fall Edition; WordFest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival and Vancouver International Writers Festival.
UPCOMING TORONTO DATE:? NOVEMBER 26, 2008 - GLADSTONE HOTEL Pressented by THIS IS NOT A READING SERIES, Pages Books & Music.? Reserve in advance by email, judith@bookshorts.com
Paul Quarrington on Adaptation – Part 3
October 1, 2008
Thoughts on the process of adapting books to screen
By Paul Quarrington
In my previous post I talked about the role of a filmmaker’s personal expression as well as the challenge of selecting which specific aspects of the printed material to explore.
In a short film?especially in a BookShort, based on a full-length book?this process is accentuated. The filmmaker must be able to cut to the heart of the matter, to find the single aspect that speaks across both media. I liken this process to distillation.
The next challenge for the filmmaker is how to deliver this distillation. The delivery of a piece of creative writing relies on the interaction of three important components: Voice, Narrative and Subtext. These ingredients and their integration must also be considered when writing the recipe for a film adaptation.
In my upcoming posts I shall explore these considerations – samples included!
Paul Quarrington on Adaptation – Part 2
September 24, 2008
Thoughts on the process of adapting books to screen
By Paul Quarrington
Movies are not as big as books.
The general public, I think, has a vague and imaginary scale that measures narrative weight, and they seem to equate a book with a feature length film. But the movie is much, much smaller. My novel ?Whale Music? is a small book?two hundred and some odd pages?but even it was way too big for a feature film.
As various directors worked on it, as I re-wrote according to discussions, disparate aspects would come to the fore. I wrote the first draft myself, and concentrated on the humorous aspects of the story. (I included characters like the dog and Babboo Nash Fazoo, for example.) Then Atom Egoyan and I worked together. Being Atom Egoyan, he was most interested in the familial stuff (and Desmond?s parents were on-screen characters.) Then Richard Lewis took over the helm, and the parents were deep-sixed to make more room for the love story between Claire and Desmond.
So perhaps the most important aspect of adaptation is for the filmmaker to identify which specific aspects of the printed material speak to him/her. By selecting those to which he or she connects emotionally and primally, the filmmaker is ensuring that the final product will by at least in part a personal expression. Sometimes the filmmaker is forced to highlight aspects where there is no personal connection, sometimes the filmmaker bends things to make them fit, tries to force a square peg into a round hole. The filmmaker must possess a very intimate and profound knowledge of the source material. There must be a very immediate and visceral connection, Otherwise, I assert, the project is doomed to failure.
Canadian Premiere of Pavane!
September 24, 2008
The Pavane Premiere is here!
In just a few short days Pavane will be publicly screened for the first time ever with Moving Stories Films at THIN AIR: Winnipeg International Writers Festival. The entire program, which includes 14 other short films based on works of literature, will be featured at the CanWest Global Performing Arts Centre (MTYP) on Sunday September 28 at 10am.
Quarrington will also be conducting a workshop using Pavane to illustrate the process of adaption from book to screen. He will be joined by BookShorts Executive Director Judith Keenan and author Susin Nielsen. The workshop takes place on Saturday September 27.
Paul Quarrington on Adaptation – Part 1
September 16, 2008
Paul Quarrington soon hits the road to host the inaugural Moving Stories Films program at various literary and film festivals across the country with stops in Winnipeg, Banff-Calgary, St. John’s, Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto. In addition to premiering his short film Pavane (based on his book The Ravine), Quarrington will also be conducting workshops for filmmakers, writers and anyone who is interested in the process of adaptation.
Join us for an online exclusive series: “Paul Quarrington on Adaptation”.? Over the next few weeks, Paul will be sharing his thoughts on the creative process of adapting books to screen. Come on out to one of the workshops in a city near you where you can meet Paul and assorted special guests, and be sure to follow along online.
