Qasim Virjee online : http://www.qasim.ca

Yoga studio suggestions in Toronto anyone?

qasim — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:21:42 -0700

After just having come back from a week of surfing in Nosara, Costa Rica (see photos on flickr here) @ Surf Simply, I've been inspired to take up regular yoga practice. Its amazing how the rigour of an activity like surfing can remind you how important it is to ensure that your body is not only fit, but ahem, stretchy :)

I've heard of all the places BlogTO suggests in their 'best of' list but am wondering if anyone else has recommendations - please do comment below! I'm looking for regular hatha (not hot/bikram madness) ideally near my house by the St Lawrence Mkt or by my studio over in Chinatown...

Thanks :) read more »

A family outing to toronto's centre island

qasim — Sun, 16 May 2010 14:42:01 -0700

Taking advantage of a gorgeous sunny spring day the Virjees jumped on a ferry to the park island, ate an iceycoolie, rode tandem bikes and harassed goosies.

See the full gallery on posterous

[This post came via email from Qasim Virjee [Connected]]

A visit to iqbal foods in northern toronto!

qasim — Sun, 02 May 2010 08:48:34 -0700

See the full gallery on posterous

[This post came via email from Qasim Virjee [Connected]]

The Design Guru Podcast is now live!

qasim — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:18:26 -0700

I've just launched a monthly series of DJ mixes that will feature tunes high on rotation at my studio - Design Guru.

You can download the mix from designguru.org as well as subscribe to the podcasted series via iTunes.

Do you remember when Ganesha drank milk?

qasim — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:50:45 -0700

I was living in Nairobi, Kenya back in September 1995 when statues of the Indian god Ganesha suddenly began drinking milk all around the world. I remember people scurrying between alters in houses and temples throughout the predominantly Indian neighborhoods of Highridge, Parklands and Westlands to spoon milk into the mouths of effigies - and them nearly all accepting the offering! Every witness to this phenomenon I met and talked with, as well as saw on the BBC world news couldn't deny their lack of convincing explanation for this world-wide experience and were in amused shock.

A friend's mention of 'waiting for a miracle' on facebook (not too sure what she meant) sparked this jaunt down memory lane - since Sept 21 1995 I can't recall anything so mystically epic occurring.

Clever marketing for alice in wonderland film spotted in toronto subway

qasim — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:13:12 -0800

*sent from my mobile read more »

[This post came via email from Qasim Virjee [Connected]]

Family time in Edmonton: this weekend in photos

qasim — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:57:11 -0800

Posing in new @jumaonline

qasim — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:53:31 -0800

Despite trepidation, denim shirts don't necessarily make you look like a mexicano

Q./

[This post came via email from Qasim Virjee [Connected]]

Open Video Alliance | Filmmaker Summit This Saturday Afternoon… Tune In

qasim — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:16:42 -0800

REMINDER: Tune into the Filmmaker Summit at slamdance.com/summit this Saturday at 11am US Mountain Time/1pm US Eastern Time (GMT -7). We’ll be exploring how the web changes the creative process, new distribution models, and more.

THIS IS NOT A MANIFESTO… It’s a survival mechanism.

By Saskia Wilson-Brown—published in the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival catalog for the WorkBook Project, Open Video Alliance and Slamdance Filmmaker Summit.

Of the 3661 feature films submitted to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, about 120 made it into the festival. Of those, 50 have no distribution as of this October. For the just about 3,500 total films submitted to Slamdance in 2008, 20 made it in to feature narrative and feature documentary competition, and 92 made it into the shorts programs. Of those features that got in, 5 got picked up for distribution. And then… What sort of distribution? Though there are some exceptions, as a general rule filmmakers are often faced with strict acquisitions deals demanding rights worldwide, across all platforms, in perpetuity… often for negligible sums of money.

The truth about the independent film world is that for the most part, the only ones that are able to sustain comfortably are the lawyers, the middle-men, and the studio execs. There are exceptions, of course, but for all the success stories that serve as models of the “what if?” there are an equivalent amount of quiet failures, films languishing in obscurity while their makers shrug and dutifully begin developing their next project.

Most filmmakers take it for granted that there is a slim chance of receiving a supported release, assuming, as artists do, that the fault is somehow theirs. In truth, this reality is more a symptom of an outdated, broken distribution system that can’t keep up with the spike in creative output than it is a testament to bad filmmaking. Though it goes without saying that some films could be better, what of the thousands of very good, relevant films that sit on the shelf? A sense of futility sets in: Since the filmmaker’s lot is to engage in public storytelling, there inevitably comes a time when we ask ourselves what the point is of spending all this money and energy creating films that end up reaching an audience of, like, 40 people. Why make films at all, if there’s such a slim chance of having them seen?

We here at Slamdance take this situation very seriously, asking ourselves a few simple and crucial questions: What role does a festival play in furthering its filmmakers’ success? In disseminating stories? In ensuring the continuation and sustenance of independent film? We suspect that if festivals have the curatorial purpose of introducing new film to new audiences, then they also need to further that by taking an active role in helping filmmakers harness audiences through new distribution and marketing methodologies — and not just by inviting acquisitions execs to the screenings. A symbiotic and self-empowered relationship needs to form in order for all to survive — one that is built firmly OUTSIDE of the permission-based system in which we currently work.

With all this in mind, this year Slamdance has teamed up with the WorkBook Project and the Open Video Alliance to present the first ever Filmmaker Summit.

From the Summit release, as drafted by Lance Weiler & Peter Baxter:

“The mission of the Filmmaker Summit is to jointly craft a new charter for filmmaking, storytelling and content distribution, with and by the global filmmaking community. Born out of reaction to an independent film industry in a state of turmoil, the summit aims to explore how a global filmmaking community can better understand new DIY distribution strategies, and work towards the democratization of new technologies, tools, story-telling techniques, and processes. We believe that sustainable independent filmmaking is no longer just about production. Instead it is about the ways in which filmmakers must expand their roles and take charge of reaching and engaging worldwide audiences, across all viewing platforms. The topics to be explored at the summit are set through crowd-sourced methodologies (topics voted on and suggested by the independent film community). During the summit itself we will be hearing from filmmakers and strategists from around the world, chiming in on new marketing and distribution techniques they have employed to get their content made and distributed.”

Slamdance believes that we need to help our filmmakers sustain by supporting the self-empowerment inherent in self-distribution. Though this emerging methodology is still, largely, theoretical, we believe that we can all find some working models, together.

I know I'll be tuning in tomorrow!!! read more »

[This post came via web from Qasim Virjee [Connected]]

Phoenix - Lizstomania / One time too many - A Take Away Show

qasim — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:58:44 -0800

via vimeo.com

Love it - both the live performance on a tour bus but the one-shot/single camera approach.
q./

[This post came via web from Qasim Virjee [Connected]]