THE OLD WAYS (2010, 13 mins, 16mm)
The Old Ways asks what it would take for a government to justify and enforce the death penalty on a child, and offers a scathingly satirical response: public relations. A pitch black comedy that frames the justice system as spectacle, this film’s treatment of its highly political subject is only outdone by its striking visuals and arresting mise-en-scène.
Magali Simard (TIFF Programmer)
Director: Michael Vass
Writers: Kathryn Mockler, Michael Vass
Producers: Tricia Lee, Michael Vass
Executive Producer: Corey Marr
Cinematographer: Catherine Lutes
Editors: Bojan Bodruzic & Michael Vass
Composer: Bob Wiseman
Starring:
Ian Downie, London Angelis, Stewart Arnott, Dan Lett, Levi MacDougall, Kathleen Phillips, Ryan Blakely
Selected Screenings:
2010 Toronto International Film Festival
2011 Anthology Film Archives, New Filmmakers NY
2011 Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival
2011 Peniche Cinema Carte Blanche Selection
2011 Mauvais Genre Film Festival
2011 Lago Film Fest
2011 Aesthetica Short Film Festival
2011 Brno 16 International Short Film Festival
2012 Marginal Utillity gallery
2012 Formentera Film Festival
Distributed by Shorts International:
http://www.shortsinternational.com/