The anti-festival is here! Generation DIY hits Toronto this week!

In the confusion following a massive power outage, an awkward demolition derby driver vanishes, setting in motion a series of events affecting his pregnant girlfriend, his helplessly car-less father, a pack of wild boy scouts, a lactose intolerant roller rink employee, an elderly woman in search of her lost dog, and his best friend – a ten year-old girl named Turkeylegs. The Guatemalan Handshake by Todd Rohal almost seems to eliminate itself from the criteria set by the movement’s other pieces. It doesn’t focus so much on twenty somethings and looks very polished in terms of quality; hardly lo-fi at all. It comes as no surprise that Jared Hess [Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre] champions this film as each director’s first films should be considered cousins in the same family. This American rural comedy is not without its charm. Think Jared Hess and a pinch of Richard Kelly.

Alan, a musician whose band has just broken up, shows up in New York to support his burgeoning rock and roll career. In down time, Alan drinks and strategizes with his old friend Lawrence, a grad student, and Lawrence’s girlfriend Ellie, a journalist. Alan endeavors to keep his shoulder to the wheel while Ellie meanwhile finds herself compelled by Alan. The attraction is mutual, but both parties are reluctant to take a next step. Mutual Appreciation by Andrew Bujalski does appear the set the template of the movement or at least meet what expectations I have of it with my limited exposure to it. It was shot on grainy black and white film. It focuses on an almost entirely young cast that deals with the ebbs and flows of post collegiate life and is mostly non-stop dialogue for a near 2 hours. While it tested my endurance it still had a likeable cast strongly led by its central character Alan [Justin Rice] and his boyish charm.

Dillon, Parker, and Hot Dog are in a band, stuck playing low-paying shows and working dead-end jobs. When they get the chance to move to Montreal for a regular gig at a downtown club, they jump at it. But the road from no-name indie act to rock-star fame is a bumpy ride. The Death of Indie Rock from Canadian director Rob Fitl was the most raw of the three films that I was presented to preview. It was shot on DV over three years while the director was studying at university and while some may be quick to dismiss the story the rawness of the video lends itself to a very real quality. What I also found interesting were the moments of soul-searching by Hot Dog, seen turning to his Bible a couple times during the film, something you don’t see that often in film.

Mumblecore, “bedhead cinema”, “Slackavettes,” whatever you want to call it, does take some getting used to, especially for those raised in the studio system. But for those looking for something not confined to that mold may just find what they are looking for at Generation DIY. 

Related Links

• Generation DIY homepage for festival dates and other locations across Canada.