Two east coast artists will be highlighted in the 2010 Reel Artists Film Festival which runs in Toronto from February 24 to 28. Alex Colville, perhaps the most famous Nova Scotian painter gets the silver screen treatment in a new documentary 'Colville' directed by Andreas Schultz. As well, director Katherine Knight brings us into the world of Newfoundland performance artist Colette Urban in her documentary 'Pretend Not To See Me'.

Colville

TORONTO PREMIERE
Saturday February 27th 1:00p.m.
Miles Nadal JCC, Al Green Theatre
750 Spadina Avenue

Synopsis:
Taking us into Alex Colville’s studio and home, director Andreas Schultz creates an intimate portrait of one of the most famous living Canadian artists. Colville’s subjects are drawn from his immediate surroundings: the small town of Wolfville; Evangeline Beach, with the silhouette of Cape Blomidon on the horizon; the slopes of the Gaspereau Valley; the waters of the Grand Pré marshlands; and the 60-year relationship with wife Rhoda. By examining Colville’s work through the landmarks of his intimate life, Schultz places the painter’s famously opaque but highly realistic imagery into context.

Andreas Schultz is a writer and director living and working in Berlin. Born in 1966 in Stuttgart, Germany, Schultz studied fine arts at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin and then attended the Konrad Wolf Film and Television Academy in Potsdam-Babelsberg.

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Pretend Not to See Me

Friday, February 26, 4:30 pm
TORONTO PREMIERE
FREE STUDENT SCREENING
Miles Nadal JCC, Al Green Theatre
750 Spadina Avenue

Synopsis:
Living in remote Newfoundland, performance artist Colette Urban balances everyday living with the world of the imagination. Shot at her oceanfront farm, this film captures Urban as she restages 13 enigmatic performances from her lifetime of work. Resilient, determined, self-aware and funny, Urban embraces the transformative power of art: “I’m timid in the real world. Performance and this idea of disguise are a real comfort. I’m someone else once I’m in that role of the performer.” Set against rugged east- coast beauty, Urban emerges as an empathetic, courageous and visionary character, someone following a dream and sustaining courage through acts of creative risk.

Artist and filmmaker Katherine Knight teaches photography at York University. She is founder of Site Media, a Toronto film company producing portraits of creative artists in extraordinary places. Knight’s works are held in many collections, including those of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. In 2000, she was awarded the Duke and Duchess of York Prize. In 2006, Knight produced Annie Pootoogook, a half-hour television documentary for Bravo! and APTN.

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For more information on the Reel Artists Film Festival