Film Food Stuff

Hi, welcome to my Film Food Stuff Blog. My name is Linda Matarasso. If you love all things Film and Food and random stuff then follow me as I post about these things here. I started this blog for a Social media class but decided to keep it going to focus on Film, food and all the stuff I want to express or showcase. This blog is for posts that inspire me. Whether it's a film, a festival, a rant or a cool new place or thing, I will try and write about it here and share with you.

Saturday, 9 August 2025

TIFF 50 - Documentary Programme My top picks.

TIFF 50 Docs Programme-2025

Tiff Docs by the numbers

23 titles from 18 countries

16 World Premieres

TIFF has announced their Documentary Film Programme, and these films highlighted in yellow are my picks for the films I think will get the most buzz, and also the films I want to see.

The one I am most excited about seeing is Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, because she was so popular for years, and then she disappeared. Cancelled by her Network after using the racist N word in her past. I think she tried to apologize, but that was it for her. She was just gone. This doc will be interesting to see her point of view and what has happened since then.

Orwell: 2+2=5 also looks interesting to me about George Orwell's book 1984. I have been thinking about this book for a while lately, as our world has shifted into something you wonder was destined to happen.

2025 TIFF Docs programme (in alphabetical order):

*Source from the TIFF 2025 Press Release.

Wednesday, 6 August 2025

Tiff 50 Galas and Special Presentations- What to see?

TIFF 50 - A Hot Ticket list of Galas and Special Presentations

TIFF 50

Galas and Special Presentations

My prediction for hot tickets.

This year, the Toronto International Film Festival hits its 50th year. September 4th to the 14th in Toronto, ON.

Tiff.net for all the film info and how to get tickets.

To say it's going to be a massive year may be an understatement.

For the first time, I will be able to join the many throngs of media people attending this year's festival, which will offer a Media Pass for the first time. I have volunteered for the past 25 years, so I wasn't able to cover the festival in full for this Blog before. I will attempt to do some volunteer shifts because I get to see my friends that way, and then navigate the media frenzy too. I have covered other festivals like Hot Docs, Planet in Focus, and a few other festivals, but this is the first time I received media accreditation for TIFF.

Last year, I felt it was okay, but it lacked the usual buzz and excitement about many of the films. I think some films that got attention may have been overlooked in other years. Like Emilia Perez with Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Sofía Gascón, with a transgender lead and about drug dealing, and it was also a musical. This film was definitely out of the box and stirred a lot of controversy around awards season.

This year, Toronto will be excited to see the new Frankenstein movie, which was shot in Toronto in 2024 by Guillermo del Toro, a legendary Toronto filmmaker who just received a key to the City of Toronto. It stars the popular Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth.

This list was recently released by TIFF.

I have highlighted some films in Yellow for the ones that got my attention at first glance and in RED font for the ones that I think will get a lot of buzz because they either have a strong Toronto connection, a talented Director, or a topic of interest relating to World Events. This will also be a great year for celebrity spotting with Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Aziz Ansari, Scarlett Johannsen, Colin Hanks, Colin Farrell, Daniel Craig, Angelina Jolie, Brian Cox, and a lot more who will most likely be here for their films.

Here's a list of this year's Gala and Special Presentation Films:

2025 Galas (in alphabetical order):

2025 Special Presentations (in alphabetical order):

I'm not as knowledgeable on World Cinema as my focus is generally on Big audience films unless there is someone who's work I really like.

These are my opinions, and who knows what will be the standout films this year, but these are my best guess until I start hearing more buzz about each film.

I will start providing more details later when I can choose select films to focus on.

Friday, 9 May 2025

Supernatural-do you believe?

Title: Supernatural

Languages: English, Catalan, Spanish, French

Format: 4K

Running time: 84min

Year of completion: 2025

Production companies: Nanouk Films, Harald House, Massala

Production, Glia films

Director: Ventura Durall

https://www.instagram.com/taskovski_films/?hl=en#

HOT DOCS FILM FESTIVAL 2025

Do you believe in the Supernatural, Magic, Spirits or Shaman?

Well, Andre Malby, the healer with special supernatural powers, had a medical doctor son named Mathu who wasn't so sure and became estranged from his father.

A woman who believes Malby healed her wants Mathu to attend a sort of tribute gathering to show appreciation for Malby, who has already passed by this time, many years later.

Mathu does not want to travel to meet with the woman and ignores the request for a while before finally accepting the journey. How do you know what's a lie, manipulation, suggestion, or a real healing process that is something science can't measure?

Mathu doesn't become a believer at the end of his voyage, but he does reconcile the resentment he felt towards his father over his lifetime.

This film wasn't what I had expected, but it was an interesting look at believers, faith, and skeptics who want scientific proof before they can believe.

Screened at the Hot Docs Film Festival. No release date available at the time of this post.

Saturday, 3 May 2025

Shamed- A Hot Docs Review

SHAMED

By MATT GALLAGHER

Running Time: 85 minutes

How do you know when a person goes from being someone who wants to right an injustice to vigilantism and breaking the law?

Jason Nassr, the youtube host of “Creeper Hunter” TV, from Windsor, Ontario turned into that guy.

Described as a narcissist in the film, he does not have any remorse for ruining the lives of the families of at least 5 men.

Jason would set out to lure men online with fake profiles of young girls or boys and then meet up with them in a gotcha style and then posting to his Youtube show to out the person, whether the person actually did anything or not, Jason put it out to the universe to destroy that mans life. Five of these men ended up dying of suicide because their lives were ruined.

Their families left seeking justice for the loss of their loved ones. Jason was charged in connection to these deaths for luring and provoking them.

When he was charged the videos were removed from his online channel but due to our lax court system he ended up getting a very light slap on the wrist. Jason always insisting that he did nothing wrong and they deserved it and he helped take them out of society and away from harming anyone even though none of them actually had any previous alleged allegations or charges.

Jason is an arrogant and rude and self righteous individual who thinks the court system fails and in his case I guess it did, it failed to give him a sentence that would affect his life the way he did to others. He is out of jail on home arrest while the men are dead and gone forever.

Where is the line drawn?

#Skoden-who and what? a Hot Docs Review

#skoden

A film by Damien Eagle Bear,

World Premiere at Hot Docs

If you aren't from Turtle Island's Indigenous community you might not know what #skoden is. It's slang for "let's go then". This is the story of a hashtag and meme gone wrong.

Early in the beginning of social media, a friend of Pernell Bad Arm posted a photo of Pernell with his arms up in a fighting pose. It was posted with the hashtag #skoden, and for some reason, it went viral. Pernell was a friendly man with addiction problems. He had a case worker who cared about him and friends to hang out with, but he couldn't get over his addiction issues, which are influenced by the residential schools trauma.

This documentary is told from an Indigenous perspective after Pernell's passing. With interviews with his caring case worker and one of his good friends. They want to paint a picture of a man who was more than the indigenous stereotype of someone with an addiction problem. He was a kind soul who was more than just a silly meme that didn't reflect who he was as a person.

This is a real look at the sad conditions men like him are in sometimes and how they survive.

It wants you to look past the addiction to the person and the reasons he became addicted.

Addiction is very sad to watch because there's only so much people can do to help, but they still need support and opportunities.

This is the kind of documentary that they should show in High Schools to teach people about compassion and to help not hurt this community.

Dennis Bad Arm and Mark Brave Rock

Ai Weiwei re imagines Puccini - Hot Docs Review

AI WEIWEI'S TURANDOT

Director Maxim Derevianko

Canadian Premiere at Hot Docs 2025,

spotlighted in Big Ideas

Screening at TIFF Lightbox Sat May 3rd at 7:30pm

Screen Time: 77 Minutes

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjpTTA4lfEo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiweiweisturandotfilm

“Everything is Art. Everything is Politics.” ~Ai Weiwei

I'm the first to admit that I am not an opera fan and know nothing about it. I also do not know much about AI Weiwei other than the fact that he is an iconic political artist.

When I began watching this film, I wasn't sure I would be interested in it, but after the initial Opera background info, I started to learn a whole lot of other things. I knew about the Puccini Operas, but I do not understand them, so I never investigated further. From this film, I learned that the Puccini Turandot Opera was a Chinese Opera even though Puccini was Italian, and the Opera was never finished.

AI Weiwei's re-imagined version was to debut at the Rome Opera House.

He enlisted his old friend and esteemed choreographer Chiang Ching,

This production was a bit of a full circle moment for AI Weiwei, when he was a young man, he was an extra in the Turandot Opera in 1987 when his friend Chiang Ching was the choreographer. He had a small part but learned a great deal from his experience. Bringing it back with his vision was going to be a massive undertaking.

His vision was to create a new kind of stage and innovate the costuming. Change the choreography and even the music, had the musical director's vision. They had 2 Music directors because of the timing of the production.

The Rome Opera invited him to direct his version in 2018. This was a massive undertaking, and unfortunately, in 2020, when the whole world shut down, so did this production. It picked up 2 years later, but they lost the original music director and replaced by Ukranian maestro Oksana Lyniv.

Added to the still lingering COVID-19 was the beginning of the Ukranian war.

There are many political references and influences from world events in this version of the Opera that make it much more modern and charged.

AI Weiwei is no stranger to challenges, and they forged on to their debut at the Opera House.

This documentary is visually appealing, and the background story is fascinating. If you love Opera, then you will love it that much more.

I still don't fully understand it all, but I learned a lot more than I knew before watching it.

Another interesting fact is that Julian Lennon is one of the producers.

Wednesday, 30 April 2025

Hot Docs review of Si Vas Para Chile (Unwelcomed)

Si Vas Para Chile (Unwelcomed)

A documentary by Sebastián González and Amílcar Infante

This Hot Docs film sadly reflects many migrants' journeys after being driven out of their countries due to violence, persecution, war, and disasters.

This film documents the price of desperation for people to leave a horrific situation for a better chance at life, but risking it all in the process.

In the past decade, 8 million Venezuelans have been driven out of Venezuela because of economic collapse. Families forced to flee through harsh desert conditions and risk their lives at the hands of angry communities who do not want more immigration for fear of losing jobs and resources, while also fearing some migrants' desperation to get whatever they need to survive.

It's a sad state when families with children are attacked in their pursuit to give their families a chance to be attacked, while the Police do nothing to stop the violence.

This is probably a hard watch if you are a family that has gone through a rough immigration to another country. The odds of making it are stacked against you.

This may help you look at the immigrants fleeing so many countries worldwide in a different light.

I believe a better plan is needed to support migrants who want to work and are forced to flee their home countries to survive. Violence is never the answer to make the world a better place for the children who will create the future.

World Premiere – Hot Docs 2025 - International Spectrum Competition
| Sat, May 3 at 1:45 PM
TIFF Bell Lightbox- 350 King St. West, Toronto, ON

Si Vas Para Chile (Unwelcomed)

Trailer:

UNWELCOMED (SI VAS PARA CHILE) - TEASER on Vimeo

Tuesday, 15 April 2025

October 8th eye opening Documentary

On the 2nd day of Passover, on a Sunday afternoon in Toronto, I ventured into my local theatre to watch the documentary October 8th.

I was fully aware that Pro pro-Palestinians could target this film, but I chose Passover because there wouldn't be a packed theatre. I was alone in the theatre until about 3 others walked in to see the film.

I had a bit of a clue of what the film was going to be about but I learned a lot of things. The film was produced by Will and Grace actress Debra Messing, who also appears in the film.

The film is very powerful and shows the follow up response to what happened after the massacre in Israel on October 7th, 2023 attack by Hamas.

The film has interviews with University students who were bullied in person and online. It has a survivor showing their home in a kibbutz in Israel and telling her story on how she survived.

It shows how social media and mainstream media has influenced the hate among people for and against Israel.

It is told from mainly a Jewish woman's perspective and mostly speaks to what has happened in America with the protests, campus encampments, and online hate speech.

They explain the reason for the attack and with stats and graphics to back up the fact that only 2.5 % of Jewish American people live in America and the surrounding countries to Israel have had declining populations of Jewish residents.

I am sad to see that the film is in limited release and hasn't been getting much attention in Canada. Knowing the fact that hate crimes are the highest for Jewish people in Toronto and probably Canada these days.

What I don't understand is how people can say F*@K Israel and all of it's people when most people in Israel are just afraid for their life and don't want any harm to come to anyone else.

What I also don't understand is why nobody has learned from the Holocaust experience.

People are being radicalized to generate hate and a divide among religions.

This is creating more generational trauma and anxiety that will never go away.

Close to my area there is a street corner that has Pro-Palestinians holding up flags and signs and across the street are Jewish supporters doing the same thing. How do they expect that will change the fighting in other countries nowhere near here?

I think they should put down the signs and flags and get together in a warehouse and put relief packages together for the innocent survivors who have to rebuild their destroyed lives.

Donate to causes that help. B Strong, World Central Kitchen, Global Medic, and more.

Drop the flags and pick up shovels and go and help rebuild the destroyed homes if you have the capacity.

Have meetings with people from both sides and find common ground and maybe write letters to people that have the power to make a difference but don't be delusional to think our Prime Minister can stop these wars because it's obvious if you can sit in your Military protected home and give orders for other people to kill the other side that they aren't going to care what people standing on the street waving flags are saying or Prime Ministers telling them to stop.

It's about power, money and religion. It's not about territory because they are destroying the territory and making everything in it's path toxic. Only the billionaires that want to swoop in and clear everyone out so they can build luxury resorts will win in this war if they are allowed to bulldoze a whole country.

Come together, create peace and get creative and build something instead of destroying everything.

Love wins, war loses.