The three characters are in a decrepit room of a cabin, overgrown with vegetation that has crept indoors. Light is filtering through the spaces in between the wood and through the window offering a very misty quality to the photo. A youngish man with short hair is seating on the left of a vintage phonograph, a woman is standing up beside it with her hands on the desk where it is placed, and another man is seated beside her and looking at an album cover which is stacked on other album covers on a messy desk. They appear to be listening.
The Archivists, Film Production Professor Igor Drljaca’s short film, world premiere’s at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), on September 13, 6:00 pm, and then screens at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) right after on September 24 at 12:00 pm.
Starring Noah Reid, Bahia Watson and Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, The Archivists also employed Adjunct Professor Rafi Spivak, who was the editor of the film.
The Archivists’ Synopsis
After uncovering a degraded vinyl album in an abandoned home, three musicians attempt to reimagine one of its songs. Shot on stunning 16mm, Noah Reid, Bahia Watson, and Maxwell McCabe-Lokos star in this wistful dystopian sci-fi that is both hauntingly eerie and will get your foot tapping.
LISA HALLER, TIFF
TIFF Trailer: https://bit.ly/33gfvKH
Director, Igor Drljaca
Director’s Statement
Our society is at a crossroads, and The Archivists is a product of these uncertain times. I grew up in a country that no longer exists, Yugoslavia, and as a child, I witnessed how minor differences can be utilized to turn people against one another in the midst of a crisis. It was during this time, that the sharing of stories and music gave us all that little extra fuel to keep going.
Artistic creation is the ultimate expression of our inter connectedness, and that is what I sought to explore in this film. This is a story that celebrates the human capacity for love, empathy, and creation. In the dystopian world of The Archivists, artistic remnants of our world can still be found, and as long as there are those who seek them out, like the three musicians in The Archivists, they will help build a better world.
Writer/ Director: Igor Drljaca
Director of Photography: Christopher Lew
Production Designer: Becca Blackwood
Editor: Rafi Spivak
Music: Casey MQ
TIFF – Programme 3: https://bit.ly/33k5ufU
VIFF – Programme 5: https://bit.ly/3hbC34x
Igor Drljaca Bio: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/profile/igor-drljaca/
Igor and Albert Shin’s Company, Time Lapse Pictures: https://www.timelapsepictures.ca/
Rafi Spivak: https://www.rafispivak.com/
The Archivist Press:
The Gate:
https://www.thegate.ca/film/044316/a-look-at-short-cuts-programme-03-tiff-2020/
BriefTake:
https://brieftake.com/the-archivists-review/
Globe and Mail:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/tiff/article-tiff-2020-why-this-years-canadian-short-cuts-filmmakers-deserve/
BlogTO:
https://www.blogto.com/film/2020/08/movies-tiff-2020-programmers/
The New Current Interview:
https://www.thenewcurrent.co.uk/igor-drljaca
