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PRESS RELEASE Montréal film première
on March 30 followed by a WAITING FOR MARTIN : Montréal, March 25, 2004 A new weapon of mass derision and reflection will hit all of Canada starting with Montréal, on March 30, with the première of the satirical film WAITING FOR MARTIN, by Magnus Isacsson and Sophia Southam. It follows a candidate who just won't take "no" for an answer as he tries to meet his opponent, the elusive Paul Martin, to debate his record as Finance Minister in public. Beyond its humouristic tone, the film raises important political issues which will be at the heart of debates organized in 25 cities, following the presentation of the film. After Montréal, where the panel will be hosted by Monique Simard on March 30, the national tour will head for Ottawa, on March 31st, and then for Toronto, where Olivia Chow will be one of the evening's guests on April 1st. An innovative collaboration between Magnus Isacsson, a veteran documentarian (View from the Summit, Maxime, McDuff & McDo) and Sophia Southam, a young animator, WAITING FOR MARTIN updates the proud tradition established by Michael's Moore Roger and Me and Mike Rubbo's Waiting for Fidel. For a three-year period, cameras
followed political activist David Bernans known to use humour
as part of his politics of protest. From Concordia University
in Montréal, where he debates with a giant Martin puppet,
to the Liberal Party campaign offices in Ville LaSalle where
he serenades passers-by with his guitar during his stint as a
NDP candidate in the 2000 elections, and all the way to last
fall's leadership convention in Toronto which "crowned"
the new Prime minister : the scenario is the same as Paul Martin
refuses to engage in a public debate on issues that are not part
of his political agenda. In the film, the two-dimensional view of politicians is accentuated by the use of cutouts in the animation sequences which creates grotesque and caricature-like characters. Co-director Sophia Southam, who designed all the animation, took her inspiration from the work of Dada artists of the 1920s and 30s : "I am fascinated by the anarchist spirit of these artists and the way they were taking on the system in a really aggressive way, a really creative way. And it is this creative approach to politics that is the key element in WAITING FOR MARTIN. Magnus and I agree that it's the content, the form as well as the message. I hope that it will become a tool for students' groups, unions and community organizations who are looking for ways to be heard ". It is in this spirit that the national tour was designed, so that citizens and groups from across the country will be able to make use of the film just in time for the next elections. David Bernans believes "it is important to give people the straight goods about Paul Martin now so they don't make a terrible mistake they'll regret for the next four years ". The 25 stops scheduled on the tour will thus become opportunities to debate about Paul Martin's record and especially about his government's social policies which have unfortunately been overshadowed by the recent scandals. The detailed schedule of the tour can be found by logging on to "www.cinemalibre.com/waitingformartin". WAITING FOR MARTIN is a lo tekk production with the financial participation of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund. Cinéma libre has distribution rights. The national tour is made possible thanks to the contribution of several partners including the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Canadian Labor Congress. Upcoming dates and locations
: -30- MEDIA RELATIONS - For Montréal,
Ottawa and Toronto : For other cities on the tour, www.cinemalibre.com/waitingformartin
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