Feedback for "A Winter Tale"

Hello Wonderful people,
I promised to post all the comments I've received, and here they are below. (Yes I know, most are from us to ourselves but that's fantastic too). If you got any you'd like to add, send them to me, I'll keep updating them on the AWT website & blog.

And here are links to web coverage:
CBC Newsworld: 11th April , The Link: Radio Canada International 11th April, CBC.ca 11th April, AfroToronto - April, Caribbean Beat, Toronto Star - April 11th, Geoffrey Philp's Blog, Hardbeatnews, Tempo News, Metro News, Trinidad Express - 29th April, Jamaicans.com, Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot (2), Jamaicans.com (2), Truly Caribbean, Caribbean Beat (2), Telefilm Canada, Playback, Caribbean Uprising International
Much love and
Thanks,
_________________________________
Frances-Anne,

Add mine to the list of names sending you heartfelt congratulatory wishes on A Winter Tale being named the best Canadian film at the recent festival. I am very proud of you.

Carl T.
(Carl Thorpe, Multicultural History Society of Ontario)
_________________________________
Hi Frances,

I briefly met you at the Reel World Film Festvial Opening Gala. My friend Peter Bailey was involved in your film. I just wanted to congratulate you on it. All of my friends and I included were amazed at the wonderful job you did. I´m sure this film will continue to be shown and your name will continue to grow with it!

Inspired actor,
Brian Mifsud
_________________________________

Hello Frances-Anne,
I have been telling everyone about A WINTER TALE. I found it powerful, poignant...Beautiful film, and very necessary. Jake Chalmers, my son, really wanted us to meet, and I see why!
Best wishes in all upcoming festivals! Penn."
Penn Kemp
__________________________________

Phenomenal film: A winter tale

Hi Frances-anne,

I'm a good friend of Laura Alleyne's, from Reelworld. She had invited me to watch the debut of your film and attend the opening party recently.

I wanted to let you know that you're film was very powerful, especially these days with all the violence engulfing. Your cast was phenomenal.

I recommended your film to all my friends and a couple were able to make it to the showing at the Reelworld. I am very keen for more of my friends to watch it. On that note, have you been able to secure a distribution yet?

If yes, when would you expect it to be released?

I wish you every success with the film.

Best wishes,
Shaista
_________________________________________

Hi Frances-Anne,
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!! SUPREMELY EXCELLENT!! How great you must all feel.
Pat-Riviere
_________________________________________

Wow, I'm getting phone calls from a bunch of friends who saw the premiere and they have nothing but praise and admiration for the film, my only regret is that I haven't seen it myself, YET... hopefully soon, Congrats on the award FA, keep blowing them away..
Peace & Love to all of yall..
Mike G
__________________________________

WONDERFUL NEWS!
Congratulations Frances-Anne and everyone. I thought all the work was superb and so very brave. the whole thing was a revelation. i couldn't be more proud.
love
michèle
__________________________________

My dear friend

It was meant to be. You are a gifted hard working girl and we ALL see that. I am so happy that your recognition is unanimous.
Love
Martine

__________________________________

Congrats everyone!!!
Good to see that those ideas that we shared meant something to a great number of people. I guess it reminds us that hard work pays off at the end of the day. Please let us keep in contact cos I believe we will all work together again in one way or another. Toronto is very small ......what can I say.... It has been a wonderful experience for me and I hope to work with U guys soon. Much Luck
and God bless.
Lucky
__________________________________

Congratulations from Sabio and family.

We are still trying to get him back to Earth [smile].
That is quite something for a 12 year old.
I was so impressed and moved by the film and every one's amazing work. All the
hard work paid off. Many people who I invited and came to see A Winter Tale, were
also moved to tears. The comments I got from educators I invited to the second
screening agreed that this film should be in every highschool library.
Please let us know when and where this film will show again so I can pass on the
word.

Thanks in advance,
Emerita
__________________________________

Hey Frances Anne,
I know that Winter Tale is going to win-It was outstanding-you did amazing work-thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of this amazing
experience---I am proud that I was able to participate in a project that
has touched so many hearts (including mine!) and will touch so many
more.

All my best and lots of love too!!!

Shakura
Shakura S'Aida
Blues. Jazz. Soul. Music.
www.shakurasaida.com
www.myspace.com/shakurasaida
__________________________________

Frances-Anne:
this must be about the 1000th e.mail you've received congratulating you on your film. It was very exciting to see a 'big-time' movie premiere on the big screen. And that movie belongs on the big screen.
You did a great job and should be very very proud. And even though it was the 3rd time i'd seen the story and knew what would happen, it still kept me engaged and i still found it gripping. The changes you made were so right and the characters were so real and well developed.
Congratulations !!!!!!
Barbara Freedman

__________________________________

I’m adding my voice to what I’m sure must be a chorus of congratulations on the launch and premier screening of A Winter Tale at the Reel World Film Festival. I’m sure you’ve heard all the superlatives – luminous, rich, deeply engaging, amazing, captivating, and of course completely enthralling. It’s probably all been said to you – but I want to let you know how deeply moving the film was. All aspects of A Winter Tale were of the finest form under the leadership of an artist at the top of her game – the superb ensemble cast and their amazing acting, the finely tuned directing, the sharp editing, the wonderful plot and story development, the sound track etc., etc., – all in top form. I sincerely hope that the film will find the widest release possible. Thank you for letting me see some of it from it’s infancy to it’s final form.

Congratulations once again to you and all involved in the project!

Lesley Ackrill

Lesley Ackrill
Executive Manager
Interval House
www.intervalhouse.on.ca

__________________________________

Hi there...

Thanks for inviting me to the screening of your film. Looked really good. Some really good performances. Totally held my interest. I particularly liked the editing of the film. Really tight.

Allen Booth
__________________________________

Hello fa-- I found the film very real and absorbing--all that effort certainly paid off, and I'm happy to see what a creative community you've called up around yourself: it was a great night, I wish you lots more of them! Best, and very warm congratulations-- jay macpherson
__________________________________

hi frances-anne-
i hope you're walkng on a cloud after such a great premiere- it really is fantastic.
your work in post was insanely good. congrats again! nicole
__________________________________

Hello Frances-Anne:

I just wanted to send you a note telling you again how terrific it was to see you present this powerful film with such panache and style at this week's Premiere. It was your night and you shone. After the screening, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the final film but you were being mobbed by well wishers and I really didn't want to intrude.

But I loved the movie and still can't believe you delivered such an accomplished and slick work with the limited resources you had. It was so gratifying for me to hear the reactions from the people in the audience and hear their comments and questions afterward.

So, congratulations again!

Best,
db

Diane Boehme, Senior Director, Independent Production, CHUM
__________________________________

I am so proud to be a part of this film.
I'm sorry I wasn't there to celebrate with you.
lots of love,
valerie b. xox
__________________________________

Guys, a Winter Tale was:

All the characters represented someone I know or knew including my brother/mother and myself relationship. Almost word for word.

I usually dislike gang/drug/hood genre films as they have never spoken to me as a Caribbean immigrant in a real, believable way. This did. I didn't think it was possible.

The performance by Leonie as well as P! were fantastic.as well as the African guy.

I love the fact that you touched on the hostility that we know exists between West Indians and Africans.

felt like those 50's/60's social films. 12 angry men/on the waterfront etc.

It was honest. It didn't feel phony nor superficial. There was nothing pretentious/artsy fartsy about the film. Just good clean straight storytelling. The kind that a regular guy from rexdale, not queen street and john, arts community clan, could see.

I like the fact that white people were not the sole source of the problem and inability to dialogue was a major issue.

The scene when Leonie brought P! dinner, he had forgotten what was tenderness was like and we saw that for a brief moment he was affected.

I actually cried as did people in the seats next to me.

Mark my words A Winter Tale will win Genie for Best Picture of 2007
(or at the very least be nominated.)

enjoy it
wicked
powys/z
__________________________________

Hey frances Anne,

It was a blast to have shared in that experience regardless of not being in this photo. I really had a nice time seeing everyone again and watching the hard work pay off the way it did on the big screen. Thank you for the experience.

Lucky
__________________________________

hey fran

hope the festival is still going well. i know it's wrapping up tomorrow. have been going non stop since i left toronto. but so very glad i could be there for the screening.

just to reiterate.. what i said on wednesday night, since in a party atmosphere it may have seemed trite. i was blown away by your work and by the film. what you've done to it since the last cut i saw. amazing. all the additions, subtractions, the pickups that glued things together - that moved the story forward and brought richness to the whole. little moments that made the story so much bigger.

i know the work in getting the film to where it is now was fucking hard. anyone who knows anything will know it wasn't easy just by how simple and with ease the story is finally told. i am proud of you and your commitment to telling the truth out loud. and i will always be thrilled to have been a part of it.

congratulations.
p.s. my father wanted me to pass on congrats on the
film and wishes for your continued success.
peace
love
__________________________________

Hi Frances.. congratulations again on the movie premier! It was great Joanne (Talbot)
__________________________________

Priya Ramanujam (no network) wrote
at 10:05pm on April 15th, 2007
hey frances, i interviewed you on Friday for my magazine Urbanology... hope you remember, just wanted to let you know that i got to see the film in the theatre on saturday as you recommended, it was beautiful... all the best!
__________________________________

Garrick-Dr G wrote
at 5:56pm on April 12th, 2007
Ms Anne,
Congrats on "A Winter Tale". Had a great time at premiere.The film is fantastic I wasn't the only one who thought so. It was an honor to be part of it.
__________________________________

Raj Dhillon wrote
at 10:45am on April 14th, 2007
I saw your film on Sunday, what amazing work you all did! Kudos!
__________________________________

Bobby Del Rio wrote
at 9:48am on April 12th, 2007
Awesome time with awesome peeps! Great to see everyone last night!!
__________________________________

Jeff Beadle wrote
on April 11th, 2007
STOKED!!!!!!
__________________________________

Garrick-Dr G wrote
at 7:15am on April 13th, 2007
The film was excellent. I see more things happening with it.
__________________________________

man, that went well last night, huh? the new edit of the film, KICK ASS- the story is so clear and so compelling. great performances, it looks awesome. i was so proud to be involved. hats off to frances-anne!
to the rest of y'all- GO TEAM!
nice to see y'all last night!
__________________________________

Ryan Glasgow wrote
at 2:53pm on April 12th, 2007
it was WICKED!
__________________________________

orlando278
hey frances its sabio! party is over it turned out really well love you-sabio
__________________________________

Denise HJ: Francis-Anne - hope that you're still basking in the accolades for the fantastic work that you and your cast has done. Congratulations again.
__________________________________

Hi Frances Anne
I enjoyed the film very much. Congratulations on such a nice evening and such well deserved appreciation for your work and for the festival from the audience.

I thought the acting was excellent...nice ensemble feel from them. And of course I liked the music.

All the best
Fergus Hambleton
__________________________________

Bobby Del Rio: Last night was great fun! Great film and good times! Somebody get those photos on Facebook!!
__________________________________

R.O. Glasgow: We did it. 3 years of hopes, dreams, changes and more changes. Challenges and victories, with a few failures, but we made it to the moment we had all waited for. Without a doubt it was the single most wonderful evening I have ever experienced as an actor/performer/man. I was and am proud of the work that I've done. And finally, it has been set for the world to see. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to feel nice for a day, to be known for a moment, to be interviewed, to talk to beautiful people who want nothing more than to share in your joy. But it was great to see the finished product of so much work... Every now and again, I may tell you about a dream, it's just really cool when I can tell you how it came true.

Frances-Anne Solomon's A Winter Tale wins Outstanding Feature Film Award, and lead actress Leonie Forbes is honoured at the 2007 ReelWorld Film Fest

Frances-Anne Solomon’s A Winter Tale took home the Tonya Lee Williams Award for Outstanding Canadian Feature at the Seventh Annual ReelWorld Film Festival's (RWFF) Closing Night Gala on Sunday April 15, 2007. The film also won Special Mention in the Outstanding Screenplay category at the packed awards ceremony.

Since making its world premiere as the Opening Night film on April 11th, A Winter Tale has been praised by the media and audiences alike, - with influential personalities referring to the film as "excellent," "very compelling" and “exactly what Toronto needs.”

Caribbean film icon Leonie Forbes, who portrays the lead female character, Miss G, was also recognized by the festival. Forbes, who is known as Jamaica’s First Lady of Theatre and Film, was honoured at RWFF’s Brunch with Brilliance. This upscale event is held annually to honour a film artist of diversity who has achieved success in the Canadian film industry, despite all challenges. In addition to this great acknowledgment, Leonie Forbes also took home the festival’s prestigious Award of Excellence.

Written, directed and produced by Frances-Anne Solomon, A Winter Tale tells the emotional story of a black men's support group that forms at a Caribbean Takeaway restaurant in Parkdale, after a ten-year-old boy is shot by a stray bullet. The film features a talented ensemble cast led by Canadian stars Peter Williams and Michael Miller, along with Caribbean stars Leonie Forbes and Denis “Sprangalang” Hall. A Winter Tale offers a brilliant perspective on the timely issues of gun violence in Toronto, set against the backdrop of a multicultural community’s unrealized hopes and dreams.

Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and producer whose credits include Lord Have Mercy! (VisionTV, 2003), Peggy Su! (BBC Films, 1997), My Mother Told Me (Channel 4, 1995) and Bideshi (British Film Institute, 1994). She is the president and artistic director of the two companies she founded: Leda Serene Films, her film/tv production vehicle, and CaribbeanTales, a prolific not-for-profit company producing educational multimedia projects. She also worked as a film and television drama producer for the BBC.

Recent projects include A Winter Tale, a feature film for Telefilm Canada and CHUM Television; Literature Alive, a groundbreaking 20-part documentary series that screened on Bravo!, Canadian Learning Television and OMNI, that showcased Caribbean-Canadian authors; and the Gemini-nominated Lord Have Mercy!, Canada's landmark multicultural sitcom, for Vision TV, Toronto 1, APTN and Showcase.

For more information, please visit: www.awintertale.ca

For media inquires, please contact:
Pennant Media Group
Kevin Pennant
kp@pennantmediagroup.com
T 416.596.2978

Thanks for responding

Grateful acknoledgements to all who responded, and continue to respond, to my post Broadcast "Dialogue"?; who emailed, called me, or just hailed me up on the street.

All your comments are posted at the bottom of the page here, along with some comments I received from the publisher of Broadcast Dialogue.

Bobby, please post this to the INCLUDE list as well, as your readers may be interested to read the extraordinary range of intelligent and informed comments I've received.

Many thanks, again.

A Winter Tale - Boom!

It's been just 24 hours since the Launch of A Winter Tale at the Reel World Film festival. Thanks for all your feedback and emails. We all had a GREAT time. Hot off the press, here are some first delirious shots:

1) The creative team in the spotlight: L.R: Frances-Anne, Michael Miller (just the top of his head),Sabio (in front), Finlandia, Shakura, Leonie Forbes (center), Bobby Del Rio, Nicole Stamp, R.O.Glasgow.

2. Michele Lonsdale, Peter Williams, Michael Miller, Frances-Anne.

3. Peter Williams, ever the Leading Man, leaps forward to adjust my microphone before the screening. I always felt supported, during this process, particularly by the cast.

Missing from these photos, but never from our hearts:
Lucky Ejim, Ryan Ishmael, p! Barrington, Peter Bailey, Valerie Buhagiar, and Sprangalang.

4. Producer Susan Fueg, surrounded by her beautiful daughters.

Photos courtesy of R.O Glasgow who also writes in his blog (sentiments we all share):

"We did it. 3 years of hopes, dreams, changes and more changes. Challenges and victories, with a few failures, but we made it to the moment we had all waited for. Without a doubt it was the single most wonderful evening I have ever experienced as an actor/performer/man. I was and am proud of the work that I've done. And finally, it has been set for the world to see. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to feel nice for a day, to be known for a moment, to be interviewed, to talk to beautiful people who want nothing more than to share in your joy. But it was great to see the finished product of so much work... Every now and agan, I need to tell you about a dream, it's just really cool when I can tell you how it came true."

Broadcast "Dialogue"?

I had a traumatic experience recently. One of our main funders, CHUM Television, invited me to the Genie's (Canada's equivalent of the Oscars).

When I arrived at the spiffy event, there were around 6 or 7 hundred white people milling around. I counted 10 people of colour, including the "help": 3 Aboriginals, 3 Chinese people, and three "Other". Whenever my eyes made four with another "minority" we exchanged rather embarrassed wordless screams of incredulity and desperation.

I left early, slipping into the snowy night. Down on Yonge Street, between the taxi drivers, street car drivers, and late night workers returning home, it was hard to spot even one white face.


What a world of difference between the elite crowd in the windowless room I had left, and the actual demographic of this beautiful city I am proud to call home.

Just think! Events like these take place every day across Canada. And we say nothing. We just carry on, amidst the ever more self-righteous rhetoric of a multiculturalism that is reflected on the street, but not in the institutions of power.

Weeks later, still nursing my pain, a magazine crossed my desk: "Broadcast Dialogue". On the cover, a picture of Bev Oda, our new Japanese Canadian Minister of Heritage. Inside, an article on "Diversity in Broadcasting" I scanned it hungrily - Could this be that mythical thing: a local media publication that is representing the demographic of this country...?

But when I opened the magazine and turned its' pages, my heart fell. On almost every page, pictures of white men and women, sometimes pictured singly, often in groups, of 2, 4, 10, 20 or 50 at a time.Even the article on "Diversity" was richly illustrated with photos of the noble Caucasian men and women who are "leading the way" in Canada's bold initiative.

I find it is even more painful when, as here, it seems an effort has been made to adress the issue, but not carried through. It highlights the discrepancy. A bit like being invited to the Genies.

I decided to speak out! I wrote a letter and sent it to the Publisher of Broadcast Dialogue.

Dear Broadcast Dialogue

I was delighted to see that the March 2007 issue of your magazine had 3 articles exploring race and diversity ("Diversity in Canadian Broadcasting", "Sexist? Racist?" "Little Mosque, Dragon Boys, and Jozi H"), and one on gender, in canadian broadcasting. This is good and progress.

I then went through the magazine and counted the number of images of people of colour versus white people, and men vs women. The results shocked me. Here they are:

Images of white people in the march issue: 166
Images of people of colour of any race at all: 7
Percentage of images of people of colour: 4%
Percentage of Canada's population that is visible minority: 13.4%

Images of men: 147
Images of women: 26
Percentage of images of women 15%
Percentage of women in the Canadian population 51%

I think it is outrageous that your magazine, like the rest of Canada I might add, feels satisfied to talk the facile talk of multiculturalism and gender equality while shamelessly perpetuating the same old, same old, racist sexist WALK.

Get with the millenium please! If America can nominate a white woman and black man for president, & appoint a black woman to be secretary of state and defense, how can Canada justify continuing to pack the halls of power and privelege in this country exclusively with white males?
Sincerely etc.

Minutes after I pressed "SEND" I got a phone call from Howard, said publisher. Delighted, I told him my Genie's story.

"I had enough!" I exclaimed "I decided to speak out!"

"Really." he replied. "Well let me tell you something. Take your "shock" and your "horror" and your "sexist" "racist" nonsense, and peddle it elsewhere. I'm not interested."

I hung up.

And wrote to him again:

Dear Howard,
What I wrote is not nonsense and I have no intention of listening to abuse.

Broadcast "dialogue" indeed.

(Photos: The somewhat misleading cover of Broadcast Dialogue, showing a photo of our own Bev Oda. The two other photos show typical inside spreads, with photos of white men singly and in groups of 2, 4, 10, 20 and 50.)

KOBO TOWN

This weekend I had the pleasure of going to Kingston, ON where I was the production co-ordinator for a documentary we're making about the band "KoboTown" for Leda Serene's new series for Bravo!, on Canadian-Caribbean Musicians and Composers.

We spent two days in Kingston. The first location that we shot at was the Octave Theatre, a beautiful space, and a great room for a band like Kobo town. The acoustics were very clean, the stage was huge, with enough room to dolly back and forth to get the appropriate shots we needed, as we shot the band doing their soundcheck.

After that we moved over to the next location at Al Rankin's Bed and Breakfast. This was an amazing 18th century farm house located in Invery, about a 20 minute drive from the Octave. Al was also the promoter of the concert, and founder of the concert series "Livewire." This location was also amazing, and so quiet. A couple of the band members did an interview, and we were off again to the Octave.

The actual Performance: I had never seen Kobo Town live and was really excited to see what they were all about. Every seat in the theatre was filled and Kobo Town were taking the stage. Drew Gonsalves (band leader) was very interesting and fun to watch, often talking about his Trinidadian roots and giving some insight to what the songs were all about. The music has an oldschool Calypso sort of feel, very fun!! But most of Drew's lyrics also seemed socially, and politically conscious. This didn't take away from the fun vibe of the band at all, just made the music more alluring. The performance was excellent and the whole place was up on their feet dancing by the end of the set.

Back to the B&B, to shoot a few more interviews. They played a few tracks around the table, and talked over drinks while we continued recording. By the time we wrapped it was around 2am so we headed to our hotel to get some shut eye.

The following day we shot more interview footage, and some random stuff with Drew. We said good by and packed up and headed for Toronto. I was extremely happy with the way the weekend went. Being a music lover this shoot was great, I recommend everybody check out Kobo Town, I could go on and on, but don't want to ruin the Doc for you. All the people that put this production together were fantastic and very helpful, we couldn't have asked to work with better people. I would like to thank the Guys in Kobo town, Everybody at the Octave, Al Rankin, Safiya Randera (the director), Catherine Emmanuel (PA), Alberto Suarez (DP), and Brad MacIntyre (sound recordist) for making this experience possible.

For more info about Kobo Town check out, myspace.com/kobotown

(PHOTOS) 1st Photo: Kobotown sitting conversing around table at B&B, 2nd Photo: Drew Gonsalves rocking at the Octave

A Winter Tale @ ReelWorld: 7 Burning Questions

Everything you've been wanting to know about catching A WINTER TALE @ the ReelWorld Film Festival, AND MORE...

1. Our Website is live, and our Trailer is online now!

2. When and Where can I see A Winter Tale?

We are proud, honoured and excited that
A Winter Tale has been chosen to launch the
2007 ReelWorld Film Festival in April.

Screening Dates, Times and Prices are below:

Wed, April 11th, 2007 7:00 pm
Gala Screening
Scotiabank Theatre (formerly the Paramount)
259 Richmond Street West
T: (416) 368-5600
Tickets: $20

Sat, April 14th, 2007 4:00 pm
Rainbow Cinemas Market Square
80 Front Street East (@ Jarvis)
T: (416) 494-9371
Tickets: $9.00

3. Where can I buy tickets to the screenings?

Purchase advanced tickets on-line:

Reel World Film Festival

or at the Manulife Centre

5. What else should I know?

Leonie Forbes, who stars in A Winter Tale is being honoured by the Festival with an Award for Outstanding Achievement. She'll receive her award at the closing Ceremony on April 15th.

Leonie will be celebrated at the Festival's Brunch with Brilliance on Sunday, April 15th, 2007, 11:00 am. She will be interviewed about her career & life during an intimate 1hr "RealSpeak" on Saturday, April 14th at 6.30pm.

For details of these events, check out the ReelWorld website.

7. Anything else?

It's also wonderful that we've been nominated for an Award for Outstanding Canadian Feature (Frances-Anne Solomon), and for Outstanding Original Screenplay (Frances-Anne Solomon & Michelle Lonsdale-Smith). The Awards will be announced at the Closing Gala, April 15th.

See y'all there!