Christian Zyp, Mark Davies, Lindsey Campbell and Lucas Anders gather together for the annual Moving Radio X-Mas Watch Party. Each year we pick one of the most bizarre and potentially terrible Christmas movies/specials to watch and break it down. This year, it's the animated special THE CHRISTMAS TREE (1991) from director Flamarion Ferreira. Listen to see if it's a holiday not-so-classic.

As much as THE CHRISTMAS TREE is about an orphanage run by a cruel and corrupt woman named Mavilda, it's so much more: a tree named "Mrs.Hopewell", and amputee teddy bear, a Santa with the power of lightning, degenerate poker games, a mayor with bags of money... And that's just a taste.

Chad Brunet interviews Alex Ross Perry (director/screenwriter) about his film PAVEMENTS. It looks at the band Pavement in an appropriately unique way. It screens as part of CUFF.Docs Saturday November 23rd, 2024 at 9:30pm at the Globe Cinema.

PAVEMENTS appears to be just another music documentary, until it doesn't. A prismatic, narrative, scripted, documentary, musical, metatextual hybrid, the film intimately shows the band preparing for their sold-out 2022 reunion tour while simultaneously tracking the preparations for a musical based on their songs, a museum devoted to their history and a big-budget Hollywood biopic inspired by their saga as the most important band of a generation. From mult-CUFF alumnus Alex Ross Perry (THE COLOR WHEEL, HER SMELL).

Christian Zyp interviews Jon Spira (director/screenwriter) about the documentary THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE. It screens as part of CUFF.Docs Sunday November 24th, 2024 at 6:30pm at the Globe CInema.

Christopher Lee’s story would be fascinating, even if it only went as far as audiences already know; that of an iconic actor who defined the role of Dracula and went from being the star of the 1960s Hammer horror films to a distinguished career encompassing the 007, STAR WARS, and LORD OF THE RINGS franchises. But there is so much more to the life and career of Sir Christopher Lee. From Italian aristocratic roots through his wartime experiences in the Finnish and British military, his post-war Nazi-hunting spy adventures (perhaps making him the inspiration for James Bond, which was written by his cousin), and his unequalled acting career which culminated in a Guinness World Record for highest number of screen performances.

www.jonspira.co.uk/

Lucas Anders interviews Jenny Carchman (director) about the documentary WHATEVER IT TAKES. It makes its Alberts Premiere Wednesday November 20th, 2024 at 9:00 pm as part of CUFF.Docs at the Globe Cinema in Calgary. https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/cuff-docs/2024/whatever-it-takes/

WHATEVER IT TAKES is the extraordinary true-crime story of a middle-aged couple subjected to cyberstalking threats by the Fortune 500 company eBay. In the summer of 2019, Ina and David Steiner started being harassed online and receiving bizarre deliveries to their suburban home, including a bloody pig mask and funeral wreath. As the harassment against the two e-commerce bloggers intensified, the police and FBI closed in on a Silicon Valley giant and some very unlikely suspects. Founded on the principle that "people are basically good,” WHATEVER IT TAKES tells the story of the legal case, the toxic work culture at eBay, and how members of the security team ended up in federal prison. This is a timely true crime caper about dysfunction, the disintegration of ethics, and a couple of unsuspecting journalists whose lives are changed forever.

Christian Zyp interviews Peter Hays (director) about the documentary FLASHBACK about the legendary club from the 80's nightlife scene in Edmonton. Catch the screening of FLASHBACK at CUFF.Docs Saturday November 23rd,2024  @ 4:45pm at the Globe CInema in Calgary. Peter will be in attendance for a Q&A post screening. 
 
FLASHBACK is the story of a defiant disco dance culture of sweat and sex and drugs and fashion in Edmonton. It became a sensation on the international club circuit despite police raids, threats of violence and the scourge of AIDS. Even though the club is no more, it comes alive again in the memories of the people who were there and the legends they left behind.

https://www.flashbackdocumentary.ca/

Christian Zyp interviews Neil Grahn (prod/dir) about the documentary series HORSE WARRIORS. It airs on APTN in Canada and will screen as part of CUFF.Docs Saturday November 23rd, 2024 at 12pm. CUFF.Docs will be showing Episodes 1, 7, 8, and 13 – the series finale, ahead of its broadcast on APTN. There will also be a post screening Q&A with participants from the show. 

HORSE WARRIORS is a 13 episode docuseries from Neil Grahn and Dominique Keller that follows three dedicated teams as they train, compete and strive for victory in the North American Indian Relay Championships. This thrilling series captures the unique challenges each team faces, from balancing work and family responsibilities to overcoming injuries and personal strife. Featuring both male and female athletes, the show highlights the significant roles women play in this demanding sport. Find out more at https://www.aptn.ca/media-centre/shows/horse-warriors/

Christian Zyp interviews Matthew Bauckman and Jaret Belliveau (co-directors) about their documentary KUNG FU ELLIOT. Released originally in 2014, CUFF.Docs is having a 10th anniversary screening of the film on Sunday November 24th, 2024 at 9pm at the Globe Cinema in Calgary.

KUNG FU ELLIOT tell the bizarre story of Elliot "White Lightning" Scott, a martial artist with big ambitions: he's determined to become Canada's first kung fu action hero with his low-budget karate epic, BLOOD FIGHT. This surreal documentary captures two years in the lives of a passionate amateur filmmaker, his supportive partner Linda Lum, and their cast and crew of outrageous dreamers striving to achieve success.

https://www.kungfuelliot.com/

Christian Zyp interviews Alex Lamb and Max Well (co-directors/co-producers) about the documentary THE DONN OF TIKI. It is the Opening Night film for CUFF.Docs on Wednesday November 20th, 2024 at 6:30pm at the Globe Cinema in Calgary. Max Well will be in attendance for a post screening Q&A.

THE DONN OF TIKI is the incredulous story of Donn Beach, creator of the Tiki Bar, and perhaps the most important influencer of modern-day cocktails and bar aesthetics. Better known as "Don the Beachcomber," Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt was an American maverick famous for telling entertaining, if unverifiable, stories about his life. There are slivers of truth to his tales – a youth spent in Jamaica, running rum during prohibition, hunting down cigars and liquor for troops in World War II. By combining audio from a 1986 interview with stop-motion animation reminiscent of a 1960s Christmas special, Donn comes to life. As we learn about Donn's travels through The South Seas, bootlegging in 1920s Hollywood, scavenging for liquor in Europe during WWII, and creating authentic travel experiences in Hawaii in the 1950s, we begin to understand who he was as a person, what drove him to do the things he did, and how his influence is still felt today.

www.thedonnoftiki.com/

Christian Zyp interviews Marah Strauch (director/producer) and Bryce LeavittI (director) about their documentary SPACE COWBOY. It makes its Alberta Premiere at CUFF.Docs on Saturday November 23rd, 2024 at 2:30pm at the Globe Cinema in Calgary.

SPACE COWBOY focuses on Joe Jennings, a pioneer of skydiving cinematography, as he looks back on creating iconic moments in film and television, while he tries to turn a dreamlike vision into reality. An innovator in the world of skydiving, Joe spent decades capturing breathtaking aerial moments with his camera for extreme sports competitions, Super Bowl commercials, and Hollywood blockbusters. Now, at 62, this pioneering skydiver is taking on a new challenge, elevating his art with a daring “flying car” stunt. Through stunning archival footage, revealing interviews, and dramatic verité, SPACE COWBOY uncovers a deeper emotional journey as Joe navigates loss, depression, and the challenge of balancing a life in the sky with the realities on the ground.

https://spacecowboymovie.com/

Christian Zyp interviews Matthew Salleh (director/cinematographer) & Rose Tucker (producer) about their documentary SLICE OF LIFE: THE AMERICAN DREAM. IN FORMER PIZZA HUTS. See the Canadian Premiere of this film at CUFF.Docs Saturday November 23rd, 2024 at the Globe CInema at 7:15pm.

A contemporary portrait of America, told through a collection of stories observed within the walls of former Pizza Hut buildings across the country. These nostalgic spaces hold memories of a bygone era, but through the power of transformation, they provide something new and special for the communities that continue to flow through them. From an LGBTQ+ church in Florida, to a karaoke bar in Texas, to a cannabis dispensary in rural Colorado, these modern-day portraits are paralleled with the origin story of Pizza Hut - one of America's most iconic brands, and the two brothers who founded the company in Wichita, Kansas in 1958.