Vancouver festival films capture music from pop to opera

The Vancouver International Film Festival has released a list of music-related films on its 2012 lineup ranging from classical and opera to world music and including a portrait of Cream drummer Ginger Baker.

Beware of Mr. Baker begins with the legendary, but volatile,drummer cracking filmmaker Jay Bulger on the nose with his cane. The film, which won theGrand Jury Prize at the SXSW festival,includesinterviews with The Polices Stewart Copeland and Rushs Neil Peart about Baker.

Also on the bill are Bobcaygeon, Andy Keens concert movie featuring the Tragically Hip, and My Father and the Man in Black,Jonathan Holiffs documentaryabout his father, who was manager for Johnny Cash.

From the opera world comes the documentary Wagners Dream, in which Canadian Robert Lepage prepares hisotherworldly production of the Ring Cyclefor the Metropolitan Opera in New York. American filmmaker Susan Froemke captures the action behind the scenes at the Met.

There are profiles of conductor Herbert von Karajan, Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki and French singer Serge Gainsbourg.

World music documentaries explore the sounds of Senegal and Algeria, while Jai Bhim Comrade, from filmmaker Anand Patwardhan looks at the rich musicalculture of Indias Dalit underclass.

The Vancouver Film Festival, which runs Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, has already unveiled its animation and Cannes program. The Cannes program highlights selections from the prestigious French festival, including Michael Hanekes Amour,winner of the Palme d'Orand Matteo Garrones satire Reality, which won the grand jury prize.

Animated films featured at VIFF:

• World premiere of Persistence of Vision, a documentary about British filmmaker Richard Williams.
• North American premiere of subversive Hong Kong hit McDull: The Pork of Music by Brian Tse.
• A Liars Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Pythons Graham Chapman by Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson and Ben Timlett, with help from Monty Python alumni.
• A 3D restoration of Chinese classic The Monkey King Uproar in Heaven on its 50th anniversary.

A fulllineup for the festival will be released Sept. 5.