ezra winton

David Byrne is rocking my radio world

Svetla and I have been diligently scrubbing and sorting out our newly-floored flat for the past four days, with some last-minute Cinema Politica schedule and finance stuff. While we’ve been keeping uber-busy, we have been listening to the ten volume set that Svetla has called Hotel Costes, as well as the FABULOUS line-up playing at radiodavidbyrne.com. You can listen directly from the site or through iTunes, and it is sure to get your feet moving and remind you that summer is still happening. The all-African set is astounding and reinforces…read more

Aug.31

Letter to the editor: Bulgaria’s environment needs heroes

Posted by ezra in Broadsides, Dispatches

Before I left Bulgaria, I (rather quickly) wrote up a letter on the train trip from Melnick to Sofia concerning the state of Bulgaria’s environment and the need for a strong civil society to step forward and preserve and protect one the most beautiful places on the planet. It was printed in the August 8th edition of the Sofia Echo, an English-language weekly newspaper in Bulgaria. They also published it online here. The photo above is a graphic of what the once-wild, camping-friendly Sunny Beach on Bulgaria’s Black Sea now…read more

Aug.18

Iphone blog

Posted by ezra in Dispatches

This is my first attempt to blog from my new iPhone. I’m currently on the Hasidic bus from Montreal to New York…I can see now that blogging this way is not as convenient as having a keyboard, but I had to try it! New York here I come!

Aug.17

The year of Grant

Posted by ezra in Cinema Politica, Doc Side

Svetla’s friend’s seaside camping neighbours in Bulgaria called me “Hugh” secretly because they couldn’t pronounce my name and I apparently reminded them of Hugh Grant. Well recent news has got me convinced that they should have been calling me “Grant” in keeping with the likeness but also by reflecting this summer’s spat of excellent news. I’m back in Montreal now and yesterday I checked the PO Box for Cinema Politica and found what has ominously lain there twice before: a large white and cream envelope from the Canada Council for…read more

Aug.15

Can advertising become ethical?

Posted by ezra in Advertising

I saw this amazing advert recently (or more correctly, PSA – Public Service Announcement) by Duval Guillaume, commissioned by Medicins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders). It’s called “Human Ball” with the tagline, “Don’t let AIDS gain more ground.” It is a simple concept, with fairly straightforward computer animation, but the lasting effect is superbly moving: what effects one of us, ultimately effects many of us. The video was produced for their campaign against AIDS. Thanks to Alternative Channel for the embedding code and for housing the ACT (Advertising Community Together)…read more

Aug.10

And the Oscar goes to…

Posted by ezra in Personal Travails

To accompany the post below (from August 6th) I’ve uploaded this short trailer video of the recent crazy wedding in Bulgaria that saw Svetla and I joined in ceremony and celebration a third time. The cameraman has done a great job and cut this little ditty to the song “accidentally in love.” If anyone is interested in viewing the feature length version, speak to our agent. The video is password-protected, just type in “Svetzra” and it should work. Enjoy! Svetzra’s BG Wedding (wedding #3) from Ezra Winton on Vimeo.

Aug.07

Bulgarian moments of extreme chaos and extreme chill

Posted by ezra in Dispatches

Wow, where the hell have all the days gone? Let’s see, since I last posted Svetla and I had a wedding in an Orthodox church (quite obviously, pictured above) followed by an amazing party at a huge restaurant nestled in the forested foothills in the mountain range outside of Sofia and oh yes, it also doubled as an all-natural brewery! The wedding ceremony was quite intense yet somehow laid back at the same time. I was expecting one priest and got three, plus a full choir singing from some unseen…read more

Aug.06

Good news in Bulgaria and a christening

Posted by ezra in Dispatches, Personal Travails

I’ve been in Europe for almost two weeks and have yet to find the right time to sit (with wireless) and write a post. Here it finally is (pictured above is me in front of the church I was christened in and me with the priest, my godmother Villy and Svetla’s sister Joanna, who translated the ceremony for me). First the good news: My SSHRC (Social Science and Humanities Research Council) Doctoral Fellowship has been upgraded to a SSHRC CGS Doctoral Award, which means an increase from $60,000 over three…read more

Jul.16

Exxon gets a break

Posted by ezra in World Inc.

Again, score one for the corporations and zero for the people. Today’s broadcast of Democracy Now is providing in-depth coverage of the news that Exxon has been handed a gift by the US Supreme Court: it no longer is required to pay back the $5 Billion in punitive damages that a jury ordered it to pay after its 1989 spill on the Alaskan coastline (1200 miles to be exact). I visited the coast of British Columbia in the winter of 1989 to pitch in and help clean up the oil-soaked…read more

Jun.26

Indigenous culture and media arts in Kelowna

Posted by ezra in Dispatches

The last few days at the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) Conference and Festival in Kelowna have been amazing. Rob and I have met so many incredible artists and media arts people that I’m wondering how I could have been floating around in the media arts for so long without joining this national organization. This edition of the conference is featuring indigenous culture and panels have tackled everything from intellectual property with aboriginal knowledge to First Nations communities and connectivity (or lack of: in BC there are 119 out of…read more

Jun.13