Laura Beeston

Toronto women on the future of feminism

It seems that we’re riding yet another wave of the women’s movement. The Women’s March on Washington in January — which inspired an estimated 5 million demonstrators across seven continents in 82 countries, including 60,000 in Toronto — signalled…

Honest Ed’s sign will move to Ed Mirvish Theatre

A portion of the Honest Ed’s sign will be saved and relocated when the former site of the iconic Toronto discount store is demolished in the spring, Mirvish Productions announced Wednesday. The 30-foot-tall by 60-foot-wide sign from the corner of…

What will happen to Honest Ed’s sign?

Amid growing interest in the fate of Toronto’s famous Honest Ed’s sign, developers say a decision will be made as early as Wednesday on what they’ll do with it. Westbank Corp., the luxury real estate developer that purchased the property in 2013, has…

Sonya Lee Atelier has form, function and feminism in the bag

Industrial designers live by one rule: Form follows function. For Stephanie Sonya Ibbitson, a close second might be: support your community. Her leather atelier, Sonya Lee, is inspired, in part, by the city’s female creative class. “I pay tribute to…

Woody Harrelson pulls off his live-streamed movie — but is it any good?

BUFFALO, N.Y.—Well, Woody Harrelson did it. The 55-year-old actor successfully shot and streamed his movie to more than 500 cinemas across the United States in real time on Jan. 19 and it went off (mostly) without a hitch. Harrelson’s theatre/movie…

Hey Bunz! ISO a soak in your bathtub

Ken Ferguson wants to take a bath … at your place. The Toronto-based actor only has a stand up shower, you see, so he went in search of baths on Bunz Trading Zone, an online community and Facebook groupborn in Toronto in 2013, where users trade their…

Honest Ed’s last day is Saturday — ‘We just came to say goodbye’

In its last retail gasp, Honest Ed’s finally showed its age. Before closing for good Saturday, what was left of the once-great titan of the retailing industry in the final week was literally the bottom of the bin: 10-cent dish sponges so old they…

TIFF inherits analog treasures including Hitchcock classics

Analog film isn’t going anywhere. In fact, a bunch of it has found a new home in Toronto. TIFF announced earlier this year that they are the beneficiary of a substantial collection of 16mm and 35mm film prints. Donated by NBC Universal, Mongrel…

Montrealers make pilgrimage to Leonard Cohen’s old haunts

MONTREAL—Leonard Cohen is about as Montréalais as the smoked meat on my plate. But, in fact, the waitress at The Main Deli Steak House says that the enigmatic Montreal poet used to order Baby Back Ribs “presque toujours,” followed by a piece of…

Fans pay tribute in song at makeshift memorial for Leonard Cohen

MONTREAL—Leonard Cohen’s pilgrims came out by the hundreds Saturday evening to gather, mourn, sing and read his poems together in heartfelt appreciation for the artist, who died on Monday. The ad hoc memorial in Parc du Portugal, held just outside of…

Montrealers make solemn pilgrimage to Leonard Cohen’s home

MONTREAL—Montrealers continued to mourn on Friday, as a memorial to the late, great Leonard Cohen grows with each passing day. Swelling and waning all day, crowds made their solemn pilgrimage to 28 Rue de Vallieres, where the famous poet and…

Iceland books and culture in the spotlight this weekend

Iceland is so hot right now. Safe, accessible, small and friendly, more North American tourists than ever are flocking to the tiny Atlantic nation. “Icelanders have a fond regard for Canadians and vice versa,” said Eliza Reid, Iceland’s new Canadian…

Witches aren’t going anywhere after Halloween

Witches are having a cultural moment and not just because it’s Halloween. What is a Witch, an illuminated manifesto on witchcraft, is but one of Toronto’s many occultural offerings that attempts to explain this magic in the air. Illustrated and…

Manitoba director Ryan McKenna’s first French-language film is a leap of friendship and faith

What happens when a heart lives on in another body? Cellular memory – the speculative notion that organs and cells retain personality characteristics and donor history after a transplant – is the cinematic hook in Le coeur de madame Sabali. A similar…

Mr. Robot has made Christian Slater a bit paranoid

Christian Slater isn't allowed to talk about the Virginia shootings. A promotions handler, quick to interrupt a question about the delayed American season finale of Mr. Robot – which finally premiers in Canada on Showcase Sept. 4 – explains that the…

Q&A: Chelsea McMullan on film, fashion and the female gaze

There's a secret language exchanged between women who look at each other. At least this is the premise of Notes on the Gaze, a 16 mm short film shot in Toronto by Chelsea McMullan. Part of a four-part video series on Nowness inspired by the New York…

Disciples of analog film find a home in Winnipeg

A few hours after filmmaker Aaron Zeghers touched down in Montreal last summer, word came that he could inherit a Steenbeck, the titan of analog film editing equipment. A tip from a fellow celluloid enthusiast led Zeghers to the basement of a…

Flower power: A coast-to-coast-to-coast guide to our nation’s most delectable blossoms

With locavore eating as hot as the August sun, urban foraging is definitely on trend. So why not try flowers? Calendulas, nasturtiums, daylilies, or even dandelions: This country is blessed with a bounty of edible blossoms. Flowers can make an…

When our country was built: An exhibit at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre will showcase centennial architecture projects

Roughly 50 years ago, a crop of 900-odd performance art spaces, science museums and rec centres was established coast to coast explicitly to encourage Canada's development. The intention of giving each young province a few public institutions was to…

New production model for Canadian filmmaking seeks different future for CanCon

"We need a more marketable CanCon that people want to see, not these one-room dramas in the prairies." J. Joly is a man who does not mince words. The founder of CineCoup, a filmmaking and marketing incubator, is a national adviser to the Academy of…