The Victoria Film Festival is set to mark its 30th anniversary with a theatrical opening night featuring acclaimed director Atom Egoyan乌鸦传媒檚 latest masterpiece, 乌鸦传媒淪even Veils.乌鸦传媒�
Set against the backdrop of Richard Strauss乌鸦传媒� opera 乌鸦传媒淪alome乌鸦传媒�, the film unfolds an emotional exploration of trauma, power dynamics and the complexity of relationships. In the film, the opera乌鸦传媒檚 director Jeanine (Amanda Seyfried) is thrust into the daunting task of remounting her recently deceased mentor and ex-lover乌鸦传媒檚 infamous, sexually-charged production. The opera乌鸦传媒檚 familial themes of loss and unsettling power dynamics resurface trauma from her past, unravelling the threads of young Jeanine乌鸦传媒檚 life.
What makes this screening particularly special is Egoyan乌鸦传媒檚 personal connection to Victoria, where he was raised (his first published review ever was in Monday Magazine).
The Cairo-born director explained the story is 乌鸦传媒渆ntirely rooted in Victoria.乌鸦传媒� It delves into a deeply personal narrative inspired by Egoyan乌鸦传媒檚 adolescent experiences and his first love, who he later discovered was a victim of abuse by her father.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 going to be really emotional to bring it back to Victoria,乌鸦传媒� he told Monday Mag.
Egoyan also has a deep connection to the opera 乌鸦传媒淪alome乌鸦传媒�, the first opera he ever directed in 1996.
The film乌鸦传媒檚 inception arose during the opera乌鸦传媒檚 seventh remount.
乌鸦传媒淸Seven Veils] has been brewing for a while, there are hints in it in some of the other films I乌鸦传媒檝e done, but it really came to fruition when I found out that we were going to do this remount of the opera. At that point I started thinking, wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 it be great if I could actually shoot something like a drama about the people who were putting the opera on? Also wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 it be great if I could deal with this issue of retelling the story, but find a different perspective and also talk about a lot of the issues I was seeing around me: people appropriating stories, people behaving badly in the artistic setting.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚 think when people see films, they want to enter into worlds they haven乌鸦传媒檛 seen before. I hadn乌鸦传媒檛 seen this world represented before, around the production of an opera but also the politics and all the aspirations of people having different dreams and fantasies,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Power dynamics in relationships feature heavily in the film, which goes back to the main story of Salome herself, Egoyan said. For those unfamiliar with the story, Salome, daughter of Herodias, becomes increasingly subjected to inappropriate advances by her step-father King Herod all while falling into an obsessional love with John the Baptist. It builds to an uneasy climax, where she agrees to dance for Herod in return for the John the Baptist乌鸦传媒檚 head on a platter.
Egoyan wrestled with the question of why Salome committed this incredibly violent act. He offers a new interpretation through Jeanine乌鸦传媒檚 journey to address her trauma through the opera.
乌鸦传媒淛eanine really feels that that乌鸦传媒檚 her responsibility to herself is to reclaim that story and to make it hers,乌鸦传媒� he said.
乌鸦传媒淔rom the very beginning, when we first put it on, I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 just playing her [Salome] as a femme fatale, as most productions tend to do that. I tried to investigate what was in her background that created this extreme request she makes and I felt that there were other layers to that. I couldn乌鸦传媒檛 rewrite the opera obviously but I felt that through this script I could go further. It was just a very unusual opportunity to retell the story.乌鸦传媒�
Egoyan praised Seyfried乌鸦传媒�, whom he had previously worked with on 乌鸦传媒淐hloe乌鸦传媒�, and saw her as the perfect fit to bring the character to life alongside real-life opera singers, a decision he describes as a 乌鸦传媒渞isk乌鸦传媒� but an interesting way to tell the story.
Attending the opening night at the Victoria Film Festival will be a chance for Egoyan to share with the audience his story behind creating the film.
Egoyan said that while there are more film festivals now than in past decades, they remain important places to showcase work and have a dialogue with the audience.
乌鸦传媒淚 wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 be where I am without festivals,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淵ou really learn what plays and what doesn乌鸦传媒檛 play and that乌鸦传媒檚 a great privilege.乌鸦传媒�
Following Victoria, the film will make its international premiere at the Berlin Festival, where the opera first premiered. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 dying to see how it plays out in Berlin, the opera capital of the world,乌鸦传媒� Egoyan said.
The opening night of the Victoria Film Festival will be tropical-themed.
Other highlights of the fest include a family-friendly screening of Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia where PJs are encouraged on Feb. 11.
Eric McCormack, star of NBC乌鸦传媒檚 Will & Grace, will be at the Vic Theatre on Feb. 3 to share insights into his career and top local short films will be airing at Blue Bridge Theatre on Feb. 10.
And of course, for those looking to explore the world of opera, politics, aspirations, dreams, and fantasies, 乌鸦传媒淪even Veils乌鸦传媒� promises a cinematic experience like no other. Find all the details on .
