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Culture Briefs

Alternative approaches

Often more renowned for stifling creativity than supporting it, McGill has rarely been seen as the vanguard of artistic endeavour. But Professor Alanna Thain’s Alternative Approaches to Media class is changing all that. After beating the odds and registering for the course in last year’s registration feeding frenzy, 17 aspiring filmmakers experimented with numerous techniques this semester, from stop motion animation to found footage collages and Super 8 film.

On Tuesday, December 2, McGill is hosting an exhibit celebrating the efforts of the class, some of whose films were selected to compete as finalists in the Festival de Nouveau Cinema’s Concours Fantôme this past October. Students will present their final projects, which address fundamental questions about film as a medium in 2008, such as the democratization of media, the prevalence of the small screen, and the fate of celluloid in an art increasingly engaged with the Internet.

The free screening takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the Arts Building. Come support the efforts of these dedicated filmmakers, and show McGill that this creative course is a step in the right direction.

– Joshua Frank

Simply sweet

It’s been nearly seven Christmases since Simply Sweetly, McGill’s all-women choral group, first got together and started making music. This December, the choir is putting on Acentos Latinos, a Christmas performance with a Latin American theme. The show will include choral adaptations of folk songs, religious pieces, as well as modern compositions. The group has also selected a number of arrangements from the internationally acclaimed Spanish composer Javier Busto, as well as Canada’s own Stephen Hatfield.

Simply Sweetly is performing on Saturday December 6 at 7:30 p.m., at Christ Church Cathedral (located on the corner of Ste. Catherine and University). Tickets are $8 for students and $15 for adults. To book in advance, email simplysweetly@gmail.com. Admission is also available at the door, and there will be a wine and cheese following the show.

– Simon Lewsen