Canadian filmmakers focus on 'bodies in motion,' while CODE Live breaks new
ground as part of the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad

VANCOUVER , Dec. 14 /CNW/ - Two dancers embrace, twirl apart and come together again in a breathtaking original dance with a beautiful and inspirational twist in the short film Duet, while a Vancouver warehouse and outer space are simultaneously mapped so visitors can see where they stand in the universe in We Are Stardust - both artworks are among projects to be showcased during the Games as part of CODE, the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad's digital edition.

Today's announcement marks the final unveiling of Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad projects, presented by Bell, that are slated for venues throughout Metro Vancouver and the Sea to Sky region during the ambitious eight-week festival, which kicks off on January 22, 2010 . The cultural festival for Canada's Games is the first to create a digital celebration of culture and the arts as part of the Olympic experience.

    
    CODE Motion Pictures
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Duet is one of 16 original two-minute films created for the 2010 Winter Games and were selected by a panel out of more than 200 submissions from across Canada . Slated for the big screen in front of tens of thousands of Olympic spectators and athletes at Games-time Celebrations Sites in Metro Vancouver and Whistler, the films celebrate and explore human bodies in motion, while in some cases breaking and reshaping the audience's preconceived notions of the limits of the human body and spirit in challenging circumstances. All films received funding support from Telefilm Canada and their respective provincial or territorial agency.

From a comic look at our passion for snow sports, to a buoyant exploration of the games children play, or the poignant portrayal of the human journey from birth to old age, the films pack a range of subjects, sentiments and regions of the country.

"We were overwhelmed by the creative scope, vision and talent reflected in directors' submissions from across the country," said Burke Taylor, vice president of culture and celebrations for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). "But with the help of an adjudication panel representing our partners, Telefilm Canada and the Association of Provincial and Territorial Film Financing Agencies, we were able to focus the program on the amazing pieces we're announcing today."

Five of the 16 films will be available for preview through Bell on enabled mobile handsets starting in mid-December and continuing throughout the Games. This means Canadians will be able to enjoy the films on their hand-held mobile devices wherever they are. Among the films Bell will showcase is Inuit High Kick, directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril of Nunavut. Starring Johnny Issaluk, the film takes the viewer on a slow motion journey that details the muscular effort demanded by this unique sport played in Canada's Far North.

The other CODE Motion Pictures and their directors are: 365 ( Matt Embry , AB); Aerial Artistry (Talia Pura, MB); Climb ( Brett Bell , SK); Duet ( Raul Inglis , BC); Geared-Up ( Kenneth Sharman , BC); Hand to Hand (Tamas Wormser, QC); Joy (Zuzana Hudackova, ON); Patin Fute (Emmanuel Lagacé, Priscillia Rousseau, Jonathan Beaudry , Mélanie Breton, Diana M. Cortijo, and Christine Thériault, QC); Play ( Lisa Porter , NL); Momentum (Sheona McDonald, BC); RGB Move (Ryan Enn Hughes, ON); Sheng Qi (Maxime-Claude L'Écuyer, QC); Skywriter (Josh Usheroff, QC); Spring ( Lynne Kamm , ON); and The Rushing of Time ( Daniel Conrad , BC). The films will also be available at www.vancouver2010.com/code during the Games and on Air Canada flights as part of the in-flight entertainment options offered on the Official Airline of the 2010 Winter Games.

    
    CODE Live
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We Are Stardust is one of more than 40 digital art installations announced today as part of CODE Live. The landmark 18-day digital arts event, held in February as part of the larger Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad festival, will feature free visual art exhibitions by top Canadian and international cutting-edge artists, including those announced today, as well as night-time ticketed performances by such outstanding musicians as scratch video phenom Mike Relm, British duo Addictive TV, Kid Koala, Chromeo, and the Hard Rubber Orchestra's Drum & Light Festival. Tickets for the musical acts are available for purchase now at www.vancouver2010.com.

CODE Live starts on February 4, 2010 in three main locations in Vancouver known for fostering creativity and opening minds. They are: the Great Northern Way Campus (577 Great Northern Way), Emily Carr University (1399 Johnston St.) and the downtown central location of the Vancouver Public Library ( 350 West Georgia St.). Individual installations will also be located throughout the city and at the Surrey Art Gallery .

CODE Live is supported by Bell, the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts, with additional funding for artists from Alberta, Ontario, Quebec , and Nunavut.

"As diverse as the CODE projects are, from the light patterns at English Bay with Vectorial Elevation to short films, electronic music, and interactive clothing, they're all fuelled by the same spirit. We're using digital technology to enlarge the creative space in which artists and audiences can connect," explained Rae Hull , creative director of CODE. "It's about closing the distance between art and the viewer, whether that's simply giving people more choice about when and how to engage, or actually having the audience participate in the creation of works, CODE is a vehicle to connect, create and collaborate."

At the Great Northern Way Campus, visitors are welcomed into the space by reed-like LED lights in a Dutch project called Dune 4.0 by Studio Roosegaarde. The reeds glow brighter and bend towards people as they walk past into the gallery like a field of wheat waving in the wind. Once inside the audience will experience everything from the vastness of space in We Are Stardust by George Legrady to a panoramic worldwide journey only they control in Vested by Don Ritter .

At Emily Carr University, the audience can try out electronic garments that respond to touch or act unpredictably in the group show Electromode, or take a turn around Granville Island to discover how they are being observed by the installations created for CODE.lab by Simon Levin , Jer Thorpe and Emily Carr students.

Adventurous audiences can also venture into a miniature theatre for the Canadian international award-winning piece The Paradise Institute by Janet Cardiff and Georges Bures Miller, organized by the National Gallery of Canada . As viewers watch a short film they will unexpectedly encounter a twist on the real and surreal created by the artists and complementary soundtracks.

The main floor atrium and lower floor moat at the Vancouver Public Library are a perfect setting for artworks that focus on culture, movement and community. Seen by David Rokeby will record the movement of passersby and feed them onto adjacent screens in a series of overlays that reveal unexpected patterns. Visitors will also find Room to Make your Peace, a participatory art project where visitors can collaborate with online contributors, reflecting on what it takes to make peace as part of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Truce initiative.

Note to Photo Editors:

Images of the projects are available as high resolution downloads from the media centre image gallery at www.vancouver2010.com/more-2010-information/media-centre/image-gallery/cultural-olympiad-photos/.

About the Cultural Olympiad

The Cultural Olympiad, presented by Bell, is a series of multidisciplinary festivals and digital programs showcasing the best in Canadian and international arts and popular culture. Launched in 2008, the program culminates in the 60-day Cultural Olympiad 2010 ( January 22 to March 21 , 2010), which begins before and continues throughout the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. CODE is the Cultural Olympiad's digital edition, a series of programs developed to creatively engage national and global audiences through the use of digital technology.

Partnerships

Bell

Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers and business with solutions to all their communications needs, including Bell Mobility wireless, high-speed Bell Internet, Bell TV direct-to-home satellite television, Bell Home phone local and long distance, and IP-broadband and information and communications technology (ICT) services. Bell is proud to be a Premier National Partner and the Exclusive Telecommunications Partner to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For information on Bell's products and services, please visit www.bell.ca. For corporate information on BCE, please visit www.bce.ca.

Telefilm Canada

Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry. Telefilm provides financial support to the private sector to create distinctively Canadian productions that appeal to domestic and international audiences. The corporation also administers the funding programs of the Canadian Feature Film Fund, the Canadian Television Fund and the Canada New Media Fund. Visit www.telefilm.gc.ca.

Association of Provincial and Territorial Film Funding Agencies

The association is composed of provincial and territorial agencies responsible for the development of the film and television industry in Canada . The agencies work collectively to respond to national issues and to support initiatives that contribute to the growth of the sector.

Government

The Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad is grateful for the support of the Government of Canada and the governments of all of Canada's provinces and territories and their respective cultural agencies: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec , Nova Scotia, New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon. In addition to the Cultural Olympiad's government and corporate partners, CODE is proudly supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Film Board of Canada . New Media BC and Wavefront Innovation Society are also both active participants in the project. The National Presentation and Touring Program is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

For further information: Media contacts: Janet Miller, VANOC Communications, Tel.: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]