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The director Mark Carter discusses the new CTORA Theatre production Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (11-27 October 2024 at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre), and more, with Joseph Planta.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Mark Carter joins me again. The director and designer is on to preview the latest CTORA Theatre production, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starting this Friday, 11 October 2024. It’ll be at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre through to 27 October 2024. We all know those classic songs “Candy Man,” and “Pure Imagination.” This new musical blends those favourites with fresh numbers. And whether you remember the 1971 film or the original novel by Roald Dahl, there’ll be something familiar and welcome. I’ll ask Mark about the piece, as well as this production. It’s a big cast and a live 8-piece orchestra. You can visit www.ctora.ca for tickets and information. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Carter; Mr. Carter, good morning.

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The science journalist, author and broadcaster Bob McDonald discusses his memoir Just Say Yes (Douglas & McIntyre, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Just Say Yes

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

For over four decades now, Bob McDonald has devoted his working life to reporting on science. And in his inimitable way, he’s brought the study of the world and the world around us closer to audiences on television, through his writing, and of course, over thirty years on CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks. In his new memoir Just Say Yes, he tells the story of not just of how he ended up one of the preeminent science correspondents in the country, but his beginnings in Orilla, Ontario. It was a blue-collar experience for Bob and his family. He writes of the challenges of living in a small town, and the childhood abuse he suffered. He writes about all of his life candidly and captivatingly. It’s, as I tell him in our interview we taped about ten days ago, as though we can hear his voice as we read. Bob McDonald has hosted Quirks and Quarks since 1992. He is a regular science commentator on CBC News Network, and science correspondent for CBC’s The National. Before that he was the host and one of the producers of the television program Wonderstruck. He has received the 2001 Michael Smith Award for science promotion from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council, as well as the 2002 Sandford Fleming medal from the Royal Canadian Institute for Science. He also received the 2005 McNeil Medal from the Royal Society of Canada. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and the recipient of thirteen honorary doctorates. In 2014, asteroid 332324 was officially named BOBMCDONALD. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. He joined me from his home in Victoria, BC. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Bob McDonald; Mr. McDonald, good morning.

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The author and veteran sports writer Ed Willes discusses his new book Never Boring: The Up and Down History of the Vancouver Canucks (Harbour Publishing, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Never Boring

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Ed Willes joins me now. He’s just published a great read, Never Boring: The Up and Down History of the Vancouver Canucks. He takes the reader beginning in the 1960s when Vancouver desperate for an NHL franchise is left out thanks to the various machinations of people here and elsewhere, Central Canada specifically. It might be a conspiracy of sorts or not. The book looks at the various ownership groups over the last fifty-four years, from those early days in the 1970s, through to the Frank Griffiths era, McCaw, and now the Aquilinis. We see the challenges of owning an NHL franchise, and how the owners are regarded by fan and foe alike. We are regaled with stories of unforgettable players, characters through the highs and lows of wins and losses; players who dazzle fans with skill or personality or both. As Mr. Willes tells me in this interview we taped a couple of weeks ago, this book from Harbour Publishing was to have come out last fall but because of a delay turned fortuitous, the book is out now with a hell of a last chapter. He narrates just how the Canucks seem to have gotten out of that funk from the time of the management of Jim Benning, through to the coaching of Bruce Boudreau through today’s management group of Jim Rutherford, Patrik Allvin, and award-winning head coach Rick Tocchet. The excitement surrounding the team during that playoff run comes through the page, and it either bodes well for the season ahead, or perhaps signifies an aberration. I’ll ask Ed about all that and more. The book is also a great tribute to daily sports journalism. We see once more glimpses of the writing of Jim Kearney, Jim Coleman, Jim Taylor, and even Allan Fotheringham, among many others. There’s also a lot of Mr. Willes’s own work as he spent some forty years covering sports at newspapers across Canada, including many years at The Province here in Vancouver. Ed Willes is also the author of The Rebel League, Gretzky to Lemieux, and End Zones and Border Wars. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Ed Willes; Mr. Willes, good morning.

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The writer and director of Lucky Star Gillian McKercher discusses the feature film that boasts an Asian-Canadian cast (Terry Chen, Olivia Cheng, Conni Miu) and reflects on family, deceit and luck (screening this week at the Vancouver International Film Festival), with Joseph Planta.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Gillian McKercher joins me now. She’s a written and directed a new film, Lucky Star. It’s a terrific movie set in Calgary, where Lucky played by Terry Chen, once a gambler, has since settled down with a wife, two daughters, a business and a mortgage. He falls for a tax scam, and after losing a good chunk of money, and saddled with more bills that pile up, he realises he might have to go back to his gambling ways to recover his losses and keep afloat. His wife Noel, played by Olivia Cheng, and daughter Grace, played by Conni Miu, also have moral dilemmas of their own. Naturally, they’re opposed to his gambling. The film is a great look at familial bonds, deceit, and sacrifice. It’s wonderfully paced, and gripping to watch. It’s a marvelous addition to the Asian-Canadian film genre. Gillian joins me now to talk about this film, identity and more. She is a writer, director and producer based out of Calgary. Her first feature Circle of Steel was critically acclaimed and the winner of the Audience Award at the 2018 Calgary International Film Festival. Visit www.gillianmckercher.com for more. The film screens 6.30pm Thursday, 03 October 2024 at the International Village Cinema. There’s another screening Saturday, 05 October 2024 at 12.30pm. Gillian is scheduled to attend both screenings for Q&A’s. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Gillian McKercher; Ms. McKercher, good morning.

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The filmmaker Josephine Anderson talks to Joseph Planta about her debut feature documentary Curl Power, screening at the Vancouver International Film Festival this week.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Another great documentary screening this week at the Vancouver International Film Festival is Curl Power. In the film, director Josephine Anderson follows a teenage curling team from Maple Ridge, 4KGirl$. They’re a hardworking group of friends who strive to be curling champions, who are coached by three of their mothers who happen to be former Olympians. In the film, we see them curl, but we also see them grow up, and contend with all those issues that young people have to deal with, self-esteem, body image, anxiety, depression, breakups and all the other transitions that people in high school go through. And as they go through them together curling is both incidental, as well as what keeps them together. The film captures these young women often in vulnerable ways, and through Josephine’s well-placed camera, we see how they grow up throughout the film. The films quiet nature allows the viewer to think about their own formative years and how they’ve been leavened by the friendships formed in those all-too important years. Curl Power is Josephine Anderson’s debut feature. She previously appeared on the program in 2020 when her short On Falling premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. This new film screens 03 October 2024 at 6.00pm and Saturday, 05 October 2024 at 3.45pm at SFU Woodwards. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program Josephine Anderson; Ms. Anderson, good morning.

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The filmmaker Mads K. Baekkevold discusses his debut feature having its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival, a film looking at the life, work and identity of chef Hidekazu Tojo, The Chef and the Daruma, with Joseph Planta.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

For nearly forty years now, Tojo’s has been a popular mainstay in Vancouver’s food scene. One of the more anticipated documentaries of the year, The Chef and the Daruma had its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival last night. And just before the screening, I talked to the film’s director Mads K. Baekkevold about this movie and what it was like working with Hidekazu Tojo as reveals so much about his life and work. The film retraces in a trip to Japan, what sort of upbringing it was, and how from early on to today, family was so important to Chef Tojo. We see the influence on his work and artistry as he narrates jobs he had in Japan in various kitchens before he immigrated to Canada in the early 1970s. Even in contemporary sequences, where Tojo dines throughout Japan, we see the clever inventor at work, taking in the tastes that might find its way back to Vancouver and his menus at the West Broadway location where he holds court nightly. I’ll also ask Mads about what it was like to make the movie, and the various pieces of advice that Tojo deploys throughout. One of the things we don’t talk about, and I purposely didn’t talk about it in our conversation is the Daruma, these dolls that appear throughout the film that are central in the goalsetting that Chef Tojo does through the year. They’re such a special part of Tojo’s outlook in life and how the film unfolds, that I’ll leave it to viewers to find out more about them. Mads K. Baekkevold is a freelance director, creative, writer, and editor. He has created content for various clients, including television commercials that have earned him two Cannes Lions awards, and a Clio. Visit https://www.madskarlsenb.com/ for more. The film screens at least three more times, and though they might be sold out by the time this runs, visit www.viff.org for updates on additional screenings. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mads Baekkevold; Mr. Baekkevold, good morning.

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The filmmaker Thea Loo discusses her new documentary Inay (Mama), having its premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival, with Joseph Planta.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Inay (Mama) (Filipino for Mama), is a new documentary that is having its Canadian premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival tomorrow night. It’s a moving film that looks at the impact of the Live-In Caregiver Program that from the 1990s on has brought thousands of women from The Philippines as migrant workers rearing the children or elderly family members of Canadians, enabling them to send their earnings back home, where many of their children were left behind. After a certain period of time, these women were able to gain permanent residency and then bring their children to Canada. It’s an often-harrowing journey, as there are issues of abandonment, as well as cultural and psychological shock once these children build a new life in a new country, and try and rebuild a relationship with a missing parent. Thea Loo is the film’s director and she joins me now to talk about the film. Early in the movie, she and her husband, cinematographer Jeremiah Reyes talk about the depression that Reyes contends with. And soon, he and her friend Shirley, are interviewed on camera about the intergenerational trauma and lack of belonging that they seemingly have each had to navigate through. In Jeremiah’s case, addressing a lot of this might just help he and Thea adjust better to their recent marriage. Both he and Shirley have to deal with secrets that they grew up with, and by the end of the film, each of them sit down with their respective mothers and talk, often frankly, always emotionally, and hopefully charting a new path. The repercussions of governmental policies, and its effect on generations of Filipino Canadians is something this documentary sheds light on and it’s enlightening and enlightened in its approach. Thea Loo is a graduate of Simon Fraser University. Other than filmmaking, she has worked in other disciplines like photography, music, and theatre. The film screens tomorrow (October 2nd at 7.00pm) and Friday (October 4th at 4.00pm) at International Village. Thea and Jeremiah will participate at Q&As at both screenings. We taped this interview a couple of weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Thea Loo; Ms. Loo, good morning.

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The writer Bill Arnott discusses his new book A Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, On Foot (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Perfect Day for a Walk

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Bill Arnott joins me now. He’s recently published a new book, A Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, On Foot. It’s part travelogue, and part history. In his observant, inimitable way, he walks parts of the city bringing the reader the sights and even sound, as well as points us to things we might have missed or overlooked, or taken for granted. He offers up hidden gems, as well as fascinating stories and histories of the neighbourhoods he walks through. Whether it’s Kitsilano, where he lives, or Granville Island, or False Creek or the West End, there’s all sorts of things we need to know about and remember. And even places like Yaletown or Chinatown or the Downtown Eastside, where we might have misconceptions about; are seen in a new light through Bill’s gaze. The book is a celebration of an ever-changing city, and there’s no better way to chart the city’s progress than on foot. I’ll ask Bill about why set out to document his walks, the various people he encounters on the way, that he canvasses for their thoughts about the direction of the city. I’ll also ask him about why he kept the journeys within the months of October to March. The book also has archival photos, as well as contemporary ones taken by Mr. Arnott, who joined me from here in Vancouver when we taped this interview nearly a month ago. Bill Arnott is the author of A Season on Vancouver Island, and the award-winning Gone Viking books. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. This new book is published by Arsenal Pulp Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Bill Arnott; Mr. Arnott, good morning.

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The acclaimed choreographer and performer, co-artistic director of The Biting School Arash Khakpour discusses their latest production Empty-Handed (02-05 October 2024 at the Firehall Arts Centre), with Joseph Planta.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Arash Khakpour joins me now. The co-artistic director of The Biting School, he is the choreographer, and one of the performers of Empty-Handed, which begins tomorrow night, 02 October 2024 at the Firehall Arts Centre. The world premiere runs until Saturday (05 October 2024). I’ll ask Arash about the piece, and the themes explored therein: darkness, deception, and greed, all timely themes. It’s a contemporary dance piece. I’ll get Arash to tell us about the music, as well as the way this piece views the world. Visit www.firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information. And visit www.bitingschool.com for more as well. Arash is joined onstage by the performers Juolin Lee, Marisa Gold, Hayley Gawthorp, and Antonio Somera Jr. We taped this interview last week. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Arash Khakpour; Mr. Khakpour, good morning.

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The filmmaker Christopher Auchter discusses his new documentary The Stand, which debuts this week at the Vancouver International Film Festival, a feature-length film on the 1985 blockade by the Haida on Lyell Island, with Joseph Planta.

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Christopher Auchter joins me again. The acclaimed filmmaker has a new film, a full-length feature that will debut this week at the Vancouver International Film Festival. In The Stand, Christopher with archival film and audio, takes the audience back to the fall of 1985 when a small group of Haida blockaded a dirt road on Lyell Island to demand that clear-cut logging stop as it’s been destroying salmon habitat and ravaging the old growth forests. There’s a lot of pressure exerted by the provincial and federal governments, as well as private logging interests, as the RCMP is called in to keep the peace and at times enforce various court orders. We see the court of public opinion form against the Haida, most vocally in the form of talk show host Jack Webster, who talks about the issue regularly on his highly rated BCTV morning program. I’ll ask Christopher about all the archival material he was able to draw upon. There’s radio interviews as well as high quality film shot from the perspective of the Haida, as well as the private logging firm contracted to work the forest. We see what it was like for the RCMP too, as the various points-of-view are featured throughout, almost-moment-to-moment. We see their conversations with the elders who take up the blockade, who also have to arrest them later on. We see Guujaaw on the front line, and how he communicates with others over a radio. Miles Richardson is featured in the film through his appearances with Webster and their vigorous debates, as is then-NDP MP Svend Robinson, also a lawyer, who’s on the front line. As the complex legal process plays out, the obtaining and enforcing of injunctions and the sort, we see what it’s like on the front lines and how with such dignity and grace what compels the Haida to take a stand. There’s a great character in the film, used as a sort of narrator that I’ll ask Chris about, Mouse Woman. Voiced by Delores Churchill, she adds some levity but also poignancy as we see throughout the film, as well as narrative information that provides further context to the events. It’s a powerful film, and one that tells necessary history considering what this critical moment provided as an inflection point for the future of land claims and Indigenous sovereignty. Christopher Auchter has appeared on the program twice to talk about his previous short films 2017’s The Mountains of SGaana, and 2019’s Now is the Time. Christopher Auchter wrote and directed, as well as animated The Stand, which is produced in association with Knowledge Network and the National Film Board of Canada. The film screens at the Vancouver International Film Festival this Thursday, 03 October 2024 at 8.45pm at SFU Woodwards, and Saturday, 05 October 2024 at International Village; at 3.15pm. Chris will be at both screenings. We taped this interview eleven days ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Christopher Auchter; Mr. Auchter, good morning.

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