Toronto Urban Music Festival 2009

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FILM SCREENINGS @ National Film Board Cinema Friday, January 22, 2010 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Saturday, January 23, 2010 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

This exciting urban film series was launched in 2003 in association with the National Film Board of Canada at the John Spotton Cinema, aka National Film Board Cinema. A series of films and a Master Class by a noted director proved very successful. The screenings for Urban Music Week 2010 include:

January 23 - 8:45 p.m.
2 Turntables and a Microphone: The Life and Death of Jam Master Jay
(Dir. Gary Logan, USA, 2008, 92 min.)

On October 30, 2002, legendary hip-hop DJ Jason Mizell, aka Jam Master Jay, was gunned down in his Queens studio. Security tapes of the incident mysteriously disappear, the five witnesses are uncooperative and no one is talking...until now.
2 Turntables and a Microphone: The Life and Death of Jam Master Jay documents the investigation of the unsolved murder of Jam Master Jay, RUN-DMC’s groundbreaking DJ and producer, deftly revealing the history of hip-hop and mainstream rap along the way. Exclusive, candid interviews with 50 Cent,

Ja Rule, Russell Simmons, RUN-DMC and more offer insight into Jam Master Jay's life - including information that could finally help police solve the murder that shook the music world to its core.

January 23 - 7:00 p.m.
The Hip Hop Project
(Dir. Matt Ruskin, USA, 2006, 88 min.)

From executive producers Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, The Hip Hop Project is the compelling story of a group of New York City teens who embark on a unique journey of self-discovery as they dare to reach for their dreams. Inspired by a formerly homeless teenager named Kazi, the young people struggle to write music about the tough issues affecting their lives. Over the next four years, they overcome daunting obstacles to produce a powerful and thought-provoking album, recorded in a studio donated by Willis and hip hop mogul

Russell Simmons. Winner of 16 film festivals this critically acclaimed film is a lasting legacy to the teens’ transformation through the power of hope and healing.

January 22 – 6:00 p.m. & January 23 – 5:00 p.m.
RiP: A remix manifesto
(Dir. Brett Gaylor, Canada, 2008, 102 min)

Mash-up your life! The ultimate guide to the musical phenomenon of re-mixed mash-ups. The cult DJ, GIRL TALK, pulls magic out of his laptop and the crowd freaks out! A master of mash-ups, he mixes samples of existing music into new songs, and “violates” copyright rules. Web activist Brett Gaylor is on the side of

the “Copy Lefts,” who fight for free access to source material. On the other side, the “Copy Rights” seek to defend the old, established film and music industries. The Internet is the most effective way human beings have devised to share their ideas. The question is how easy, or not, it is for us to share our music, videos, all our creative works or any media. This is the focus of RiP: A Remix Manifesto, a bold documentary on intellectual property for the Digital Age.

Admissions (all films): $6 per screening, $10 for a one-day pass, $20 for a two-day pass. Tickets are available at the door.

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