Concrete Playground

Canada, oh Canada, a land of wide plains, challenging mountains, great falls, eclectic cities, clashing cultures and comedians who are claimed by the US authorities; is it any wonder that this country deserves its own film festival?

Punching a sixth notch in its moose leather belt, Possible Worlds hits Sydney this month with twenty features and five shorts spread amongst Dendy Opera Quays, the Factory Theatre and the Australian Museum. Given that Canada is a country that jumps from ocean to ocean, it's no surprise that the films on offer reveal many alternate views of the Great White North.

By no means is the following a definitive list of the 'best' of the festival, but these are certainly films that have grabbed my attention. The Festivalists have cleverly chosen to open proceedings with a screening of Score: A Hockey Musical, which keeps no secrets in its title. Featuring Olivia Newton-John and gallons of youthful exuberance, Score cheekily doffs its helmet to one of Canada's biggest passions. Pontypool hikes festival-goers over to the infection horror genre, with an intelligent twist that involves a zombie-like virus spreading through language, while existentialism gives birth to the filmic riddle that is You Are Here.

Taking a route amongst more down-to-earth matters are the documentaries Kinngait (about the Inuit arts capital) and Force of Nature, a film biography of David Suzuki. Broken Social Scene fans can dance away in This Movie is Broken, which tosses a romantic interlude amongst a BSS concert.

Actually, it's quite hard to just choose a few films from the Possible Worlds line up - the Festivalists have themselves a program that will compel you to live in the cinema for two weeks.