Toronto’s annual World of Comedy Film Festival, which gets under way this week, is a reality thanks to Carla Nolan, left. (with video)
Nolan, whose Russian-born grandfather Israel Miller performed in Yiddish theatre in Edmonton, founded the festival in 2003 to fill a yawning need.
“At that point in my life, I realized that what I needed was more laughter,” she said. “So I thought, ‘Why not start a comedy film festival?’”
After doing research, she discovered that there were only two such festivals in the world, including one in Montreal, the Just for Laughs Film Festival.
“I realized there was a niche to be filled,” said Nolan, a graduate of the University of Alberta who majored in theatre.
By that juncture, Nolan had been an in-house producer at YTV, the children’s television channel, for about a decade and thought it was time for a change.
In launching the festival, she faced such difficulties as financing and public awareness.
Nolan, who had been an administrator in the Alberta government’s performing arts branch and one of the founders of the first women’s film and video co-operative in Edmonton, garnered support from colleagues and friends.
“The first year was more successful than I hoped it would be. We received great media coverage and filmmakers came in from as far away as Australia,” she recalled. “We screened 70 shorts and features. Even a horrible snowstorm didn’t stop audiences from attending.”
This year’s festival, which runs from March 5-7 at the Innis Town Hall Theatre, showcases 59 shorts and feature films from Canada and the United States and from an assortment of countries ranging from Norway to France.
One of the offerings, Mendel’s Tree, is a zany, surreal and improbable seven-minute short about a haredi Jew who frantically tries to dispose of a Christmas tree in his living room after learning that his mother is coming to visit him. It hails from Australia and is directed by Fin Edquist.
Realizing that comedy is a very subjective genre, Nolan, the festival’s director, always tries to create a lineup that appeals to different tastes.
“I think that’s why our programs of shorts are so popular,” she explained.
If you don’t like one, you may like another. “Our films cover the whole gamut of the genre, from romantic comedies and slapstick to mockumentaries and political satire.”
Asked whether she has a special affinity for comedy, given her Jewish background, she replied, “Jews love joy. They love to tell stories and laugh. Our humour became a coping mechanism to help us survive difficult times.”
Nolan, whose father was a pharmacist and whose mother was a piano teacher, was influenced by her parents, who were both interested in theatre, music and visual arts.
While attending Talmud Torah, she performed in Chanukah and Purim plays. And in high school, she joined the drama club.
“I became immersed in Edmonton’s vibrant theatre scene, acting, directing and producing and directing children’s theatre classes at the Jewish community centre.”
After moving to Toronto, Nolan joined YTV, working on Gemini-nominated programs. Seguing into filmmaking, she produced two shorts, The Red Clog and Roy, which were broadcast on various networks and cable stations.
More recently, she was part of the development team for the Canadian Film Channel, a proposed national specialty TV service.