50 YEARS OF THE BEAT: A CELEBRATION OF THE BOSSA NOVA

JAZZ.FM91 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WBGO PRESENT…

50 YEARS OF THE BEAT: A CELEBRATION OF THE BOSSA NOVA

Toronto, Ontario – Fifty years ago a musical revolution arose from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro that would reshape politics, fashion and jazz music forever. That revolution was the Bossa Nova.

In honour of the golden anniversary of the Bossa Nova, JAZZ.FM91 presents 50 Years of the Beat: A Celebration of the Bossa Nova, a two hour radio documentary that reveals the hidden history of the Bossa Nova and the musicians who popularized the art form worldwide: João Gilberto, Vinícius de Moraes, and Antônio Carlos Jobim.

Produced by WBGO Radio host Simon Rentner, in conjunction with JAZZ.FM91, the documentary includes interviews Rentner collected last January in Brazil with the country's top musicians, producers and scholars including Sergio Mendes, Joyce, Cesar Camargo Mariano, Benjamim Taubkin, Miúcha, Paulo Jobim, Georgiana de Moraes, and Luís Carlos Miéle.

50 Years of the Beat: A Celebration of the Bossa Nova will air on JAZZ.FM91's Documentary Sunday program in two 1 hour segments on two consecutive Sundays from 4:00PM to 5:00PM – Sunday, November 23rd and Sunday, November 30th.

Hear rare recordings from some of the Bossa Nova's forgotten heroes: Sylvinha Telles; Johnny Alf; and Edison Machado; plus an exclusive recording of João Gilberto from the late '50s; analysis from the idiom's leading scholar Ruy Castro, and additional interviews with Bossa Nova founders Roberto Menescal and Carlos Lyra.

Additional artists featured include: Radamés Gnatalli; Luizinho Eça; Tenario Jr.; Stan Getz; Milton Banana; Orlando Silva; Maestro Lindolfu Gaya; Herbie Mann; Os Cariocas; Astrud Gilberto; Charlie Byrd; Baden Powell; Dick Farney; Frank Sinatra; Chet Baker; Luís Carlos Vinhas; Cid Grey; Ary Barroso; Ronaldo Boscoli; Wanda Sa; Edu Lobo; Nara Leão; Marcos Valle; Jorge Ben Jr.; Leny Andrade; Tamba Trio; Sambalanco Trio; Sambrasa Trio; Bossa Tres; Wilson Simonal; and Elis Regina.

ABOUT JAZZ.FM91
JAZZ.FM91 is Canada's Premier Jazz Radio Station, broadcasting the best in jazz music, interviews, documentaries, news, and events 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week across Southern Ontario and Western New York at FM91.1, and around the world on cable, satellite, and the Internet at www.jazz.fm. JAZZ.FM91 is an independent, listener-supported, registered Canadian charity committed to enhancing the greater jazz community through concerts, educational programs, and community partnerships.

The English Surgeon Lanches Calgary's Doc Soup Series

AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY THE ENGLISH SURGEON LAUNCHES CALGARY'S DOC SOUP SERIES

RENOWNED BRAIN SURGEON AND FILM'S SUBJECT DR. HENRY MARSH IN ATTENDANCE

Calgary, October 27, 2008 – The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) and Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival are pleased to announce THE ENGLISH SURGEON (D: Geoffrey Smith, UK) will launch Calgary's monthly Doc Soup screening series. Called "funny, frightening, and deeply moving" by the New York Times and "a gorgeous and utterly moving portrait" by Indiewire, THE ENGLISH SURGEON won Best International Feature Documentary awards at both the 2008 Hot Docs and Silver Docs festivals.

THE ENGLISH SURGEON screens on Wednesday, November 5, at 7:00 p.m. at the Cineplex Odeon Eau Claire Market, 200 Barclay Parade, S.W. Renowned brain surgeon and the subject of the film, Dr. Henry Marsh, will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.

About the Film

What is it like to have God like surgical powers, yet to struggle against your own humanity? What is it like to try and save a life, and yet to fail?

Driven by the need to help others where he can, Dr. Henry Marsh, one of London's foremost brain surgeons, has been going out to Kiev for over 15 years to help improve upon the medieval brain surgery he witnessed there during his first visit in 1992. Today, the patients see him as the great saviour from the West, desperate parents want him to save their child, and his Ukrainian colleague sees him as a guru and a benefactor. But for all this immediate satisfaction, Henry also sees grossly misdiagnosed patients, children who he can't save, and a lack of equipment and trained supporting staff. "It's like selling your soul to the devil, but what can you do? My son had a brain tumour as a baby and I was desperate for someone to help me. I simply can't walk away from that need in others".

It is this dilemma – one of his own making – that makes Henry so interesting. It lets his troubled and compassionate humanity through and reveals the universal theme at film's centre: the struggle to do good things in a selfish and flawed world.

With an original soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, THE ENGLISH SURGEON openly confronts moral and ethical issues which touch every one of us. And all in a country called the Ukraine which is struggling to do the same thing….

The Screenings

The Doc Soup monthly screening series brings the latest Canadian and international documentaries to the big screen in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver. Subscription packages for Calgary's Doc Soup are currently available at www.docsoup.ca for $99 (save $45). Each subscription guarantees a ticket to every Doc Soup selection and comes with free bonus tickets to the Calgary International Film Festival. SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER: Purchase your Doc Soup Pass now and receive a bonus ticket to THE ENGLISH SURGEON - bring a friend for FREE! Single tickets for THE ENGLISH SURGEON are $12. Single tickets are not sold in advance and are only sold at the door, subject to availability.

Upcoming screening dates for Calgary's Doc Soup are January 7, February 4, March 4, April 1, and May 6. Doc Soup titles are announced at least one month prior to their screenings and, whenever possible, guest directors are in attendance.

Hot Docs is pleased to acknowledge Citytv as the Presenting Partner of the Doc Soup series.

Doc Soup: Award-winning documentary

AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY THE ENGLISH SURGEON LAUNCHES CALGARY'S DOC SOUP SERIES

RENOWNED BRAIN SURGEON AND FILM'S SUBJECT DR. HENRY MARSH IN ATTENDANCE

Calgary, October 15, 2008 – The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) and Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival are pleased to announce THE ENGLISH SURGEON (D: Geoffrey Smith, UK) will launch Calgary's monthly Doc Soup screening series. Called "funny, frightening, and deeply moving" by the New York Times and "a gorgeous and utterly moving portrait" by Indiewire, THE ENGLISH SURGEON won Best International Feature Documentary awards at both the 2008 Hot Docs and Silver Docs festivals.

THE ENGLISH SURGEON screens on Wednesday, November 5, at 7:00 p.m. at the Cineplex Odeon Eau Claire Market, 200 Barclay Parade, S.W. Renowned brain surgeon and the subject of the film, Dr. Henry Marsh, will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.

About the Film

What is it like to have God like surgical powers, yet to struggle against your own humanity? What is it like to try and save a life, and yet to fail?

Driven by the need to help others where he can, Dr. Henry Marsh, one of London's foremost brain surgeons, has been going out to Kiev for over 15 years to help improve upon the medieval brain surgery he witnessed there during his first visit in 1992. Today, the patients see him as the great saviour from the West, desperate parents want him to save their child, and his Ukrainian colleague sees him as a guru and a benefactor. But for all this immediate satisfaction, Henry also sees grossly misdiagnosed patients, children who he can't save, and a lack of equipment and trained supporting staff. "It's like selling your soul to the devil, but what can you do? My son had a brain tumour as a baby and I was desperate for someone to help me. I simply can't walk away from that need in others".

It is this dilemma – one of his own making – that makes Henry so interesting. It lets his troubled and compassionate humanity through and reveals the universal theme at film's centre: the struggle to do good things in a selfish and flawed world.

With an original soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, THE ENGLISH SURGEON openly confronts moral and ethical issues which touch every one of us. And all in a country called the Ukraine which is struggling to do the same thing….

The Screenings

The Doc Soup monthly screening series brings the latest Canadian and international documentaries to the big screen in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver. Subscription packages for Calgary's Doc Soup are currently available at www.docsoup.ca for $99 (save $45). Each subscription guarantees a ticket to every Doc Soup selection and comes with free bonus tickets to the Calgary International Film Festival. Single tickets for THE ENGLISH SURGEON are $12. Single tickets are not sold in advance and are only sold at the door, subject to availability.

Upcoming screening dates for Calgary's Doc Soup are January 7, February 4, March 4, April 1, and May 6. Doc Soup titles are announced at least one month prior to their screenings and, whenever possible, guest directors are in attendance.

Hot Docs is pleased to acknowledge Citytv as the Presenting Partner of the Doc Soup series.

Hot Docs

Hot Docs, North America's largest documentary festival, conference and market, will present its 16th annual edition from April 30 – May 10, 2009. An outstanding selection of 170+ documentaries from Canada and around the world will be presented to Toronto audiences and international delegates. Hot Docs will also mount a full roster of conference sessions and market events and services for documentary practitioners, including the renowned Toronto Documentary Forum, May 6 & 7, and The Doc Shop. For more information please visit www.hotdocs.ca.

About CIFF

Founded in 1998, the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization based in Alberta, Canada. Inspired by the pioneering spirit and maverick ideals of the community, CIFF showcases films that break traditional boundaries and forge new cinematic ground. CIFF celebrates an unparalleled breadth and depth of cultural diversity through the meaningful, accessible, and artistic medium of film and engages thousands of artists to showcase the best films from filmmakers in over 100 countries around the world. CIFF is held annually at the end of September, screening over 200 films and hosting several gala events, awards, and special presentations. For more information visit www.calgaryfilm.com.

CIFF Doc Series and Animation

CIFF DOC SERIES, FASHION IN FILM, AND AN ANIMATED FEATURE FILM ROUND OUT THURSDAY'S CALGARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Calgary, AB – With only four days remaining of the 9^th Annual Calgary International Film Festival, time is running out to catch the many cinematic gems being presented at this year's event. This year, the festival has been marked with a strong line-up of documentaries, narrative features, and parties, and these great shows and fantastic events will continue until Sunday's close.

THURSDAY NIGHT DOCS

The Sweetest Embrace: Return to Afghanistan

Soorgul and Amir return to their country in search of their families after 16 years of living as refugees. When their paths diverge, their futures are filled with unexpected and unpredictable turns as they seek to find resolution in their lives. The Sweetest Embrace tells an intimate story set against one of the world's harshest, and yet beautiful, landscapes, where life has been shaped by war, but where spirit remains resilient.

Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:00 p.m. @ Cineplex Eau Claire

Bird's Nest

Bird's Nest follows two Swiss architects on two very different projects: the national stadium for the Olympic summer games in Beijing and a city area in the provincial town of Jinhua, China, as they build bridges between two cultures, two architectural traditions and two political systems. The documentary shows how Chinese culture affects the construction work, the specific architectonic form and the struggle to achieve it, giving insight about the society, the culture and everyday life in China.

Thursday, September 25, 2008 9:15 p.m. @ The Globe Upstairs

FASHION PICK

Gloss

This entry into the Life in Focus: Fashion in Film series is a satirical fairytale set in modern Russia, where unbridled capitalism has created a seedy, decadent lifestyle for Moscow's nouveau rich. Galya goes to Moscow to realize her dream of becoming a supermodel, but is promptly rejected and told she is too gangly to become a model. Through perseverance and help from her gangster ex-beau, she is catapulted to the cover of magazines – though in ways she never expected.

Thursday, September 25, 2008 9:30 p.m. @ The Globe Downstairs

Saturday, September 27, 2008 12:30 p.m. @ The Globe Downstairs

AMERICAN INDY ANIMATED FEATURE

Sita Sings the Blues

Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Director Nina Paley varies her rich animation, site gags and a 1920s jazz soundtrack by legendary singer Annette Hanshaw in order to tell "The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told."

Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:00 p.m. @ The Uptown Downstairs

Saturday, September 27, 2008 9:15 p.m. @ Cineplex Westhills

The complete 2008 CIFF line-up, as well as festival tickets and passes, are available online at www.calgaryfilm.com from August 25, 2008. The Fido Box Office opens at Eau Claire Market and the CIFF Souvenir Program Guide goes on sale at all Calgary Starbucks locations on September 5, 2008.

About CIFF

Founded in 1998, the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization based in Alberta, Canada. Inspired by the pioneering spirit and maverick ideals of the community, CIFF showcases films that break traditional boundaries and forge new cinematic ground. CIFF celebrates an unparalleled breadth and depth of cultural diversity through the meaningful, accessible, and artistic medium of film and engages thousands of artists to showcase the best films from filmmakers in over 100 countries around the world. CIFF is held annually at the end of September, screening over 200 films and hosting several gala events, awards, and special presentations. For more information visit www.calgaryfilm.com

The Calgary International Film Festival Announces Partnership With Hot Docs

The Calgary International Film Festival Announces Partnership With Hot Docs

Calgary, AB – The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is pleased to announce that it has partnered with the Hot Docs documentary film festival to launch the immensely popular Doc Soup screening series in Calgary this fall.

“We’re thrilled to have these dynamic partners helping us to cultivate wider Canadian audiences for documentaries,” says Chris McDonald, executive director of Hot Docs. “Both festivals have developed loyal followings and we’re certain that they’ll embrace Doc Soup as Toronto audiences have done.”

Launched in 2001, Hot Doc’s monthly Doc Soup screenings have become must-attend events for Toronto’s film-loving public. Running October to April, the series showcases the latest Canadian and international documentaries. Past Toronto editions has featured such notable Academy Award-nominated films as Capturing the Friedmans, Jesus Camp and No End In Site. As an added bonus, guest directors are in attendance at select screenings to introduce their films and engage in post-screening questions and answer sessions with audiences. With well over 1,000 subscribers and hundreds more single ticket buyers, Doc Soup screenings regularly sell out.

“This is a fantastic new opportunity for Calgarians to experience a diverse range of non-fiction work,” says Jacqueline Dupuis, executive director of CIFF. “We’re very excited to be working with Hot Docs to bring ground-breaking documentary films to Calgary on a year-round basis.”

Films selected for Doc Soup in Calgary and Vancouver will be premieres in those markets and guest directors will also be present at select screenings. Documentaries will be programmed by Sean Farnel, Hot Docs’ director of programming, and his team, in consultation with CIFF. To ensure the best available selection, Doc Soup films are programmed and announced a month prior to their screenings.

Calgary’s Doc Soup will run from November to April. Tentative screening dates are: November 5, January 7, February 4, March 4, April 1 and May 6 (no screening in December). All screenings will take place at the Cineplex theatre at Eau Claire Market.

Subscriptions for all three Doc Soup series are currently available at www.docsoup.ca.

Subscription packages come with six free bonus admissions to films during CIFF. Limited quantities are available. Single tickets will also be sold for Doc Soup screenings, subject to availability.

About CIFF
Founded in 1998, the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization based in Alberta, Canada. Inspired by the pioneering spirit and maverick ideals of the community, CIFF showcases films that break traditional boundaries and forge new cinematic ground. CIFF celebrates an unparalleled breadth and depth of cultural diversity through the meaningful, accessible, and artistic medium of film and engages thousands of artists to showcase the best films from filmmakers in over 100 countries around the world. CIFF is held annually at the end of September, screening over 200 films and hosting several gala events, awards, and special presentations. For more information visit www.calgaryfilm.com.

About Hot Docs
Hot Docs, North America's largest documentary festival, conference and market, will present its 16th annual edition from April 30 – May 10, 2009. An outstanding selection of 170+ documentaries from Canada and around the world will be presented to Toronto audiences and international delegates. Hot Docs will also mount a full roster of conference sessions and market events and services for documentary practitioners, including the renowned Toronto Documentary Forum, May 6 & 7, and The Doc Shop. For more information, please visit www.hotdocs.ca.

Rogers TV to air NAC Orchestra's "Sound Travels Canada"

Rogers TV to air Sound Travels Canada – a documentary on the first year of the NAC’s Hawthorne School Project – on June 18 (with repeats on June 19, 20)

Ottawa (Canada) – On Wednesday, June 18 at 6 pm, Rogers TV will air Sound Travels Canada, a half-hour documentary developed and produced by Rogers TV covering the first year of the National Arts Centre’s Hawthorne School Project. Sound Travels Canada will be given repeat airings on Thursday, June 19 at 10 pm, and on Friday, June 20 at 4 pm.

The Music Education Office of the NAC together with Bombardier launched an intensive five-week pilot program in February 2008 for two grade four classes at Hawthorne Public School in Ottawa. This was the beginning of a musical journey which will continue through grades five and six with the same children. Hawthorne School was selected for this pilot project because it has one of the highest student body populations of new Canadian children with over 50 languages spoken.

The documentary follows NAC Orchestra French horn player and teaching musician Elizabeth Simpson, and dance choreographer and teaching artist Renata Soutter as they give students the opportunity to learn and experience first hand the joy of making music as part of a collective. The students responded to music (Vivaldi’s Four Seasons) and composed their own, drawing from their own unique cultural and artistic experiences in preparation for a performance with the NAC Orchestra Rideau Lakes Brass Quintet at their school on February 25. Rogers TV was also there as the children attended NAC Orchestra student matinees and met conductor Boris Brott, Elizabeth Simpson and other musicians backstage.

The documentary includes interview segments with Hawthorne School Principal Francesse Kopczewski, a teacher and students at the school as well as the teaching musicians.

Rogers TV produces thousands of hours of unique programming per year that reflects Ottawa's cultural diversity, including Ottawa Living. A distinctive entertainment digest, Ottawa Living is featured Sunday to Friday on cable channel 22.