You may know Paul Bellini as the writer from Kids In The Hall and his infamous reoccurring towel skit, however you may not know that he’s also a comedy teacher, and an accomplished musician and writer, including his regular “Bumble-ini” column right here in theBUZZ.  He also recently re-released an updated edition of the Buddy Cole memoirs, compiled with comedian and bestie Scott Thompson. However, it’s his work as a filmmaker that turns storytelling on its ear, leaving the viewer to unravel and make sense of it all.

And so begins the inaugural Paul Bellini Film Festival! Come for the thrill of watching a Bellini film with an eager audience, then stay for the surreal experience you’ll have alongside some of the eccentric cast from the films. Add to this the many opportunities to be scouted for a role in one of his upcoming films, and you’ll start to appreciate why Bellini screenings are so memorable.

The real gem of each festival night will be the blurred memories and sharp hangovers caused by an overindulgence in the irreverent, hedonistic, and creatively insane. The show is produced by veteran actor and comedian Amy J. Lester, who’ll be spearheading the evenings programming, along with Paul himself providing a nightly introduction to the screenings.

The first screening of the festival, Christmas Sucks, is much like this. Billed as “the world’s first Christmas movie for Grinches”, its charm is in it’s blending of rationale-on-the-surface stories that fold onto one another revealing the characters true inner workings.

Combining hand-held cameras, smartphone footage, bizarrely original green screen moving collages, Bellini films use gritty reality-based scenes as an anchor to some of the more conceptual Monty Python-meets-South Park in a back alley skits. His films are always funny because they’re based on life truisms, but exploited to the point of ridiculousness, which can push an audiences reality threshold to new heights. This festival is a much-needed reality break during the franticness that comes with preparing for the holidays.

2019 FILM SCHEDULE

FRIDAY DECEMBER 6
7:30 PM    Christmas Sucks
9:00 PM    The Eplet Triplets

FRIDAY DECEMBER 13
7:30 PM    Christmas Sucks
9:00 PM    An Irrelephant

FRIDAY DECEMBER 20
7:30 PM   Gone, With The Wind
9:00 PM   Christmas Sucks

Paul Bellini Film Festival
Eyesore Cinema
1176 Bloor Street West
TICKETS: $10 at the door
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About the Author

Raymond Helkio is an author, director filmmaker, and graduate of Ontario College of Art & Design. He currently lives in both Toronto and New York. His most recent play, LEDUC, is now available in paperback. www.raymondhelkio.com