Opening: Human Rights Watch at TIFF Bell Lightbox

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Evil tyrants, cruel teens and human traffickers are among the bad guys in the unwelcome spotlight of TIFF's annual Human Rights Watch film series. The fest, which starts today and runs until March 8 at the Bell Lightbox, assembles nine documentaries from around the world that showcase humanity at its darkest. Here are four that caught our eye.

Special Flight

Screens Feb. 29 at 8 p.m. Directed by Fernand Melgar, 103 mins (in French).

The fest kicks off with a doc from the last place you'd expect to be on the human-rights radar: Switzerland. Apparently, the Swiss have a habit of arranging ‟special flights” to forcibly turf out illegal immigrants from the land of cheese and chocolate, but not before keeping them locked up for up to two years. Filmmaker Fernand Melgar ventures inside the Frambois detention centre near Geneva to paint a portrait of the boredom, tension and unlikely friendships that build among the inmates and wardens. Deportation notices arrive suddenly, with no possibility of appeal, and the illegals are forced back to countries they may not have lived in for decades.

The Bully Project

Screens Fri. March 2 at 8 p.m. Directed by Lee Hirsch, 98 mins.

There's currently a right kerfuffle going on south of the border over the R-rating assigned to this shocking doc on school-ground bullying. It seems the stories of emotional and physical violence some teens are subjected to weren't the problem, but the repeated use of curse words was beyond the pale for the ratings board in the U.S. There’s a petition doing the rounds demanding it gets the PG-13 rating that will bring this doc from Sundance and Emmy-award-winning director Lee Hirsch to wider audiences. And it deserves to be seen. Hirsch spent a year following some of the five million American kids who are bullied every year and who cling to the desperate hope that “it will get better.”

Burma Soldier

Screens Sun. March 2 at 8 p.m. Directed by Nic Dunlop, Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern, 70 mins.

Myo Myint Cho was once a soldier in the Burmese army, one of the thousands that propped up the country’s brutal military junta for 50 years. After losing a leg to a landmine, Myo Myint became a pro-democracy activist, calling for the end of a government reviled around the world for its human-rights abuses. He was thrown in jail after taking to the streets to protest General Ne Win’s rather crazy decision to devalue the country’s currency on the advice of an astrologer. After a decade Myo Myint was released from jail and fled to Thailand, from where he tells his story in this HBO doc.

The Price of Sex

Screens Tues. March 6 at 8 p.m. Directed by Mimi Chakarova, 73 mins.

Bulgarian photojournalist Mimi Chakarova spent eight-years documenting sex trafficking in Europe. In her film she interviews women who were bought and sold like cattle in Eastern Europe and shipped to brothels in the west and the Middle East. Chakarova filmed undercover and the result is a stark and haunting doc.

Human Rights Watch 2012 runs to March 8 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., 416-599-8433.

Red alert: Holt Renfrew celebrates classic nail colours with free manicures

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For nail aficionados, nothing is more important than when Chanel launches a new nail colour. Waiting lists are longer than those for the latest “it” bag, counter sales are more frantic than on Boxing Day and stock sells out faster than tickets to the latest reunion tour. Need we remind you about when Chanel ignited the mint green nail trend with the launch of Jade back in 2009? Or what about the more recent (and still always sold out) iridescent, Peridot?

Despite the craze for Chanel’s latest colours, there is something to be said for iconic shades of red. Like the little black dress, the red nail is a classic that will never go out of style. This week, Holt Renfrew invites you to its Bloor Street location to rediscover Chanel’s range of reds with a complimentary shape and polish. There’s never been a better time to treat yourself to a bit of luxe pampering!

Chanel Shade Parade, Holt Renfrew, Feb. 24-March 4. By appointment only.

On tonight: Miss Representation at the Revue Cinema

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If you watched Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony then you were witness to Hollywood's continuing shoddy treatment of women. From the lack of female director nominees to actresses being nominated for subservient roles (like servants and housewives) to Angelina Jolie making headlines with her right leg, Tinseltown has a lot of ground to make up when it comes to its representation of women.

Cue the aptly named documentary Miss Representation.

The film, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was then broadcast by the Oprah Winfrey Network, has its Toronto premiere with a benefit screening tonight at the Revue cinema.

The doc examines how the mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in North America. Produced, written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a former actress, the film also features Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Rosario Dawson, Geena Davis, Katie Couric and Rachel Maddow in candid interviews.

We were fortunate to catch an earlier screening in December and were disturbed by the information offered in the doc. We don't want to spoil the movie, but here's a quick sample of the scary stats it parades:

The United States ranks 90th in the world for the number of women in its national legislatures.
Women hold only three per cent of senior positions in the U.S. mainstream media.
65 per cent of women and girls have disordered eating behaviours.
American teenagers consume an average of 10 hours and 45 minutes of media a day.

Take it from us, after the screening, you won’t interpret the media’s representation of women the same way again. And that’s probably a good thing.

Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-531-9950. Feb. 28, 6:45 p.m.

Coming Soon: Chantecler, a new French-Canadian bistro in Parkdale

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Joining the slew of new restaurants to hit Parkdale in recent months is Chantecler, set to open its doors right near the super hot Grand Electric by this weekend. The small venue seats 26 and will feature a traditional diner-style kitchen with a modern aesthetic. Co-owner Jonathan Poon, who has worked in the food industry in Australia, Europe and Asia, will man the kitchen while his partner, Jacob Wharton-Shukster, will act as front of house manager.

“We wanted to choose a name that reflected my belief in food using local ingredients and the abundance of our land,” explains Poon. “But we didn’t want to make it too obvious.” Hence the name Chantecler, which is a heritage breed of chicken native to Canada. “We also thought it was suitable to the space, which has a French-Canadian bistro feel.”

The restaurant will serve what Poon describes as “refined, simple Canadian food,” such as their traditional chicken consommé, which will use all parts of the chicken as ingredients and garnish. Appetizers will start at around $10 and entrees will cap at $21.

Reservations aren’t accepted, so show up early.

Chantecler, 1320 Queen St. W., 416-628-3586

Inside the Table Hockey League of Toronto

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Deep in the heart of Corktown, a small group gathers once a week to celebrate a great Canadian pastime. Some in this group are lifelong devotees with quick reflexes and polished skills. Others come to rediscover a game they loved when they were young. A few are discovering it all for the first time. But they all come together to take part in a cultural tradition that is bigger than all of them — table hockey.

“Our particular league only meets during the winter,” says Eugene Kurtz, president and founder of the Toronto Stiga Table Hockey League. “We play on an 82-game schedule, just like the NHL.”

The group meets every Wednesday near Queen and Bayview to play a handful of games on the Swedish-made Stiga tables, which feature hard, wax-made figurines, as opposed to the paper-made players found on some Canadian tables. The crowd, Kurtz says, is “eclectic.”

Surprisingly, there is more than one table hockey league in town as well as the annual Toronto Classic Table Hockey Championship, which was founded at the University of Toronto in 1999.

“We have directors, teachers, accountants, IT guys and, this year, two women,” says Kurtz.

Earlier this year, the TSTHL hosted the Toronto area’s first sanctioned table-hockey tournament. The event drew not only a large group of locals, but a number of internationally ranked players from Denmark, Germany and the U.S, who take table-hockey well beyond the beer-leagues. Some travel to as many as 20 international tournaments in a season and play by the International Table Hockey Federation’s exacting rules. Big tournament winners, Kurz says, make a substantial amount of money.

But nostalgia and a bit of old-fashioned bonding is still the TSTHL’s biggest draw.

“Ninety per cent of our the participants just come to test their skills…because they’ve only ever played against their brothers or their friends,” Kurtz explains. “But those Danish players…they play for prestige and money.”

Trending in Theatre This Week: The Neverending Story, War Horse, Paprika Festival, The Lost Sagas of Tjorvi the Flaccid, Can I Really Date a Guy Who Wears a Yarmulke

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The Neverending Story

Children of the ’80s won’t ever forget the first time they watched the film adaptation of Michael Ende’s novel about a young boy named Bastian and his epic adventure in Fantastica (probably because that huge dragon-who-looks-like-a-dog scared the bejesus out of us.) This staged version introduces the tale to a new generation.
Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front Street E., 416-862-2222. To March 17.

War Horse

Don’t forget to bring a box of Kleenex to this Tony Award-winning play about a young man’s remarkable journey to find his beloved horse, Joey, who’s been sold and shipped off to war. Are you tearing up already?
Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King St. W., 416-872-1212. To June 2.

Paprika Festival

Toronto’s only free theatre festival returns to the Tarragon Theatre for its 11th year with new works by emerging and established playwrights.
Tarragon Theatre, Extra Space, 30 Bridgman Ave, 416-531-1827. March 1 – March 10.

The Lost Sagas of Tjorvi the Flaccid

Double entendre alert! This is a tale about an insecure young Lord named Tjorvi who’s never set sail nor conquered anything.
Unit 102 Studio, 376 Dufferin St. March 1 – March 10.

Can I Really Date a Guy Who Wears a Yarmulke?

Ah yes, the age old question. This romantic comedy tries to answer it by looking at the different perspectives of the younger generation when it comes to religion and tradition in an attempt to bridge the gap in the name of love.
Toronto Centre for the Arts, Studio Theatre, 5040 Yonge St., 416-781-5527. Feb. 29 – March 11.

Runway rundown: what Canadian designers have been showing at fashion weeks around the world

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With New York and London recently wrapping their fashion weeks, Milan's currently underway and Toronto's just around the corner, the fashion world is in a full-fledged frenzy. Amid the endless stream of strutting models and new looks, we've been keeping our eye on our homegrown talent. Here's what some of our favourite Canuck designers have been showing around the world.

Jeremy Laing

Laing is one of Canada’s pre-eminent designers. Though he shows his designs in New York, he has shunned the call of the megacity and instead chooses to live and work in Parkdale.

Where he showed: New York Fashion Week

What he showed: Jessica Minkoff described his most recent collection as “post goth,” fitting for a series of looks done in an earthy palette with textural juxtaposition and layering reigning supreme. Bleach stained velvet separates — guaranteed to be fall favourites — were shown alongside more challenging pieces with a tangible Japanese aesthetic.

Erdem

Montreal-born U.K.-based Erdem Moralioglu is a favourite of the fashionistas.

Where he showed: London Fashion Week

What he showed: Citing Hitchcock as a reference, the designer showed a very proper, ladylike collection for fall but with a sly twist. Colours were bold (black was paired with fuchsia, chartreuse and royal blue) while naughty black rubber took a starring role in the garments, embroidered with lace and acting as a tweed overlay.

Jean-Pierre Braganza

Calla, Todd Lynn and Thomas Tait joined London-based Braganza at The Sh0ws last season here in Toronto.

Where he showed: London Fashion Week

What he showed: The strongest pieces in Braganza's collection offered up surprising twists: a dress grew lapels from the chest, while a vest highlighted the shoulders with a series of folds. Referencing Victoriana, Braganza nipped in waists and drew attention to both the shoulder and the arm. The highlight of the show, though, was Branganza’s bow: he wore a T-shirt that gave a shout out to Bovine Sex Club.

Juma

Brother and sister duo Alia and Jamil Juma have made the leap to showing in New York, moving out of their Toronto studio late last year. We’re sad to see them go — their most recent collections have been eye-catching, and fall/winter 2012 is right up there with the others.

Where they showed: New York Fashion Week

What they showed: Never shying away from colour, the siblings showed a visual cacophony of colour, created from their own digitally altered photographs or illustrations. Standouts included a reptilian shift dress with flowing sleeves, and a leggings-and-tunic combo — worn by Alia — that was a fuchsia and almost-neon green.

Calla

Designer Calla Haynes, who had her debut in New York but now lives in Paris, is known for her digital prints.

Where she showed: New York Fashion Week

What she showed: A peach-and-blue printed dress — worn over a grey turtleneck — was a modern take on the robe d’anglaise thanks to a triangular cutout at the front of the skirt. Outerwear options included a smart coat with bronze buttons marching down the front, and a black-and-white geometric-print tweed jacket.

Todd Lynn

Lynn is a rock star's designer, having worked with U2, the The Rolling Stones and Marilyn Manson. He now lives and works in the U.K.

Where he showed: London Fashion Week

What he showed: Exaggerated collars, hips emphasized with partial-peplums, and extended lapels were some of the features of Todd Lynn’s fall garments. Much of the collection was comprised of separates, which included flowing pants and a stunning teal jacket with origami-like folds. A well-cut two-tone leather dress that could have been plucked off the back of a young Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner closed the show.

Thomas Tait

Born in Montreal, Tait graduated from the prestigious Central Saint Martins school of arts in London, England.

Where he showed: London Fashion Week

What he showed: Tait showed a series of simple and sophisticated looks that kept the focus on the construction. A moss green cocoon jacket with rounded shoulders was paired with yellow-orange leather trousers made a bold statement; other more subdued looks featured Tait’s quilted take on the varsity jacket and plenty of black. Leather and velvet were key players; denim played a minor (and unnecessary) role. A look featuring a collared white shirt and a leather skirt seemed to reference Jil Sander.

After more than 50 years, European Quality Meats is closing its Kensington Market location

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Kensington Market is losing one of its most recognizable landmarks: the longstanding European Quality Meats & Sausages. The butcher shop is closing this spring, founder Morris Leider tells us.

“The area has changed quite a bit,” Leider says. “The clientele has changed.”

All of the company’s other properties will remain open, he added.

Leidier, a 79-year-old Polish Holocaust survivor, originally purchased the store for $6,000 in 1959. Not too bad considering it was rumored to have been put on the market for $1.8 million, according to the Toronto Star.

Leider’s son, Larry Leider, told The Star that rising downtown property values and a shift in demographic prompted the sale.

Larry went on to tell The Star that the closure of that facility would “take its toll on the market” and said that there would not be another meat shop opening in its place.

European Quality Meats & Sausages will close its Kensington Market store on April 7.

Meet a Comedy Troupe: MANTOWN

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Alcohol and testosterone are the key fuel sources for all-guy comedy troupe MANTOWN. But they have some serious comedic chops, having appeared in fests across the country and performed with the likes of Hercules actor Kevin Sorbo. We chat with MANTOWN member (and Adam Levine lookalike) Adam Cawley about being comedy hunks, alcohol poisoning and why Ryan Gosling would make a great show guest.

How did your troupe come about?
MANTOWN spent centuries entombed in the embryo of the mighty astral tyrannosaurus that safeguards the universe until the men awoke and pierced the shell of the outerverse, falling unto the Mortal Plane to improvise.

That’s…interesting. So, how would you describe your style?
It’s hard to describe. We did Improvaganza in Edmonton (the absolute best improv festival in the world), and improvisers from other troupes kept coming up to us, telling us how fast we played, and that we had a super high “joke per minute ratio.” Whatever that is.

What's your biggest achievement so far?
So far…as of now…as far as we know…no one has died at one of our shows. (Unconfirmed)

That’s an achievement we can all get behind for sure. So, what is it about improv that you like the most?
It's instant. Instant satisfaction or instant failure. You create a world onstage, shaped by the shared imagination of the people you're playing with and what the audience is willing to believe. [In our shows] we've time-travelled back from the future to host the perfect party, we've built a tower to heaven and met God, we've given Oprah a jetpack and let her solve crime. We didn't set out to do any of those things, trust me.

Do girls and guys laugh at different things?
Probably. But it doesn't seem to matter in MANTOWN. Alcohol poisoning is something for everyone.

You’ve improvised with Kevin Sorbo. What was that like?
It was like watching your older brother come back to high school after graduation and macking on all the girls you like.

Who’s your dream guest improviser?
Ryan Gosling. He’s so hot right now.

What’s next on the MANTOWN agenda?
Each show we do gets closer to becoming a crime. So, probably, we'll be running from the police. There's some pretty big projects coming up that we can't talk about right now. But you should start stockpiling your kegs of beer.

You guys are known for being one of the hunkiest comedy groups around town. Which one of you gets the most play?
Jason DeRosse. It’s uncanny.

Who’s the manliest of the group?
Probably Jason DeRosse, because he can fit all his manliness into a 5' 5" frame.

The details

Established: 2006
The line up: Bob Banks, Adam Cawley, Jason DeRosse and Rob Norman (hosted by Rob Baker)
Influences: “All of our dads mashed. And probably yours.”
Catch them at: The Comedy Bar (945 Bloor St. W., 416-551-6540) on the last Friday of the month. They're also doing a special set on Friday March 2.

Scene: Ice carving at Bloor-Yorkville Icefest

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Shards of ice fly as a sculptor gets to work at the Bloor-Yorkville ice fest on Saturday afternoon.

The artist pictured was one of around a dozen taking part in the festival's ice-carving competition on Yorkville's Cumberland Street.

A clear preference for animal shapes was in evidence among the carvers present, with squirrels, moose and eagles making appearances. Though each was delicately carved, the tools being used were not. The carvers attacked their blocks of ice with chainsaws and gusto, though they later reverted to more precision equipment for the fine details.

The public were invited to vote for the winning sculpture, but among the kids present the clear favourite was apparent by mid afternoon. That was the time when the organizers started carving up a huge block of ice nearby and liberated the candy they had cunningly frozen within it.

It seems that among the school-aged crowd rendering wildlife in ice only gets you so much cred. But freezing candy? That's really cool.

Bloor-Yorkville Ice Fest, 416-928-3553 ext. 24, Feb. 25 & 26

Giddy up

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This is the story of a boy who met a girl. Only, in this rock ’n’ roll version, local musicians Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland knew early on that they not only wanted to be with each other in sickness and health and all that other crap — they wanted to be in each other’s band, man. The result of their mutual musical inclinations is Whitehorse. It is bold, unbridled and set to gallup into the Winter Garden Theatre on Feb. 24.

“We’re married, and we have acknowledged each other as our strongest musical assets, so it was sort of obvious that at some point we would find a way to ensure that we had each other trapped, musically at least,” says Doucet. “What we weren’t expecting was how much new music and creativity would blossom from calling ourselves a band and accepting that we were a collaboration and not simply each other’s part-time employers. It makes for a really different dynamic when you surrender to the fact that your artistic instincts are subject to a partner’s veto.”

Both artists have had significant and fruitful careers pre-Whitehorse. Doucet fronted Vancouver band Veal before going solo and garnered a Juno nomination in 2006 for his album Broken (and other rogue states). His last album, Steel City Trawler, was released in 2010. McClelland has released four studio albums in addition to touring with Sarah McLachlan. So why tempt fate?

“We know we are breaking a cardinal rule, call it ‘mixing work and family’ or ‘dipping the pen in the company ink’ or what have you, but the truth of being an artist is that you don’t compartmentalize your art as distinctly separate from your life,” Doucet explains. “They are one and the same. Live by the sword … (How many more bad metaphors can I co-opt?).”

The result has a vintage feel — think “Frankie and Johnny” by Elvis Presley meets the Kills.

“I don’t think we thought of ourselves as a rock ’n’ roll band initially. Terms like that hadn’t really been discussed. We knew we wanted to do things in an authentic way, which for us means play our instruments and sing our songs like humans with minimal interference from computers,” says Doucet. “We draw from vintage country, blues, rock ’n’ roll, folk … mariachi … whatever. I don’t think we have much choice. If we tried to make modern pop music or some kind of clever indie thing it wouldn’t sound authentic. It’s not what we’re good at.”

Whitehorse released an eight-song recording last fall and will release a full-length album in 2012. There has been some serious momentum following their first release, and their relentless touring schedule is sure to garner them further notice and acclaim.

“We are having fun. We made sure that, when we started Whitehorse, we would hit the ground running … so we wouldn’t have to sit around wondering if starting a band was a colossal mistake,” says Doucet. “Of course, there’s no way to account for people’s taste, but they are coming out to the shows, and nobody has asked for their money back yet, so that’s good. But it’s all a bit scary.”

For more information go to www.whitehorsemusic.ca.

Oliver’s twisted logic

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Caring about the air, water and land that give us life. Knowing that sacrificing our environment to a corporate-controlled economy is suicide. If those qualities make us radicals, as federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver recently claimed, then I will wear the label proudly.

But is it radical to care for our country, our world, our children and grandchildren, our future? It seems more radical for a government to come out swinging in favour of an industrial project in advance of public hearings.

The proposed Northern Gateway and Keystone XL pipeline projects and the massive expansion of the tar sands are not about finding the best way to serve Canada’s national interests. If we truly wanted to create jobs, we would refine the oil in Canada and use it to reduce our reliance on imported oil. If we really cared about using resources for the national interest, we would slow development in the tar sands, improve environmental standards, increase royalties and put some of the money away or use it to switch to cleaner energy, eliminate subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and encourage Canadian companies to develop the resource.

Instead, we are called radicals for daring to even question the wisdom of selling entire tar sands operations to China’s state-owned oil companies and building a pipeline so that the repressive government of China, rather than Canadians, can reap most of the benefits. We are radical because we are concerned about the real dangers of oil-filled supertankers moving through narrow fiords with unpredictable weather conditions and through some of the last pristine ecosystems on earth. We are condemned by our own government because we question the safety of two pipelines crossing more than 1,000 streams and rivers — a reasonable concern, in light of the more than 800 pipeline spills that Enbridge, the company in charge of the Northern Gateway, has had since 1999.

And so here we are, a country with a government that boasts of our “energy superpower” status but doesn’t even have a national energy plan. A country willing to sacrifice its manufacturing industry, its opportunities in the green-energy economy and the health of its people for short-term profits.

Our government is supposed to represent the interests of all Canadians and not just those who voted for it or the corporations that support it. Instead we have a government that hurls insults at us.

While an investment banker like Joe Oliver or a former oil industry economist like Stephen Harper may look at Canada and only see numbers, we see a country rich in natural resources, wildlife, clean water and a diverse population of educated and caring people.

With recent or pending federal reviews into environmental regulation we can expect more attacks and more attempts to silence those who believe that we must at least have a discussion about our priorities before selling out our country to anyone who wants a piece. Maybe it’s time to get radical!

David Suzuki is host of CBC’s The Nature of Things and author of more than 30 books on ecology.