During a month filled with avant-garde theatre and exceptional lectures, a national program called Advertising Week is reaching out to our neck of the woods with a very special event. On Wednesday January 27th, the Calgary rendition of Advertising Week will host a special showing of the highly acclaimed documentary Art & Copy at the Uptown Theatres.

In the same vein as the widely popular Helvetica documentary, Art & Copy is an exceptional look into the world of design and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray (of HYPE and SCRATCH fame), Art & Copy explores the radical advertising campaigns, such as Just Do It, Got Milk? and many others, which have altered the way we ingest the corporate message.

This was easily one of the most anticipated films during the Calgary International Film Fest in September and won over the crowds at the Toronto Film Festival. Art & Copy is a movie that will entertain both sides of the spectrum. It provides in-depth insight into the campaigns that transformed the Advertising industry for those engaged in the business, while still providing plenty of great anecdotes for those not involved in the Industry or who have never really given the creative thought process of advertising a second glance.

To leverage a worn out advertising cliché – Art & Copy is a Documentary where there is definitely something for everyone.

To celebrate the 10th Annual Calgary International Film Fest, the team at GetDown.ca have decided to publish a series of articles showcasing the films you need to see. We’ll be posting the top four films from each of our writers throughout the week so check back each day. Next up is Connor Turner.

All Tomorrow’s Parties

I’m a sucker for musical documentaries. So when you cram Battles, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear, and Iggy and the Stoges into one guerrilla/DIY collage of chaos, of course I’m going to be there. More importantly, so should you. | More Information

The Damned United

Staring Michael Sheen (of Frost/Nixon and The Queen fame) as the doomed manager for Leeds United; you know this is going to be one of those great feel good sporting movies that leaves you walking out the door with an awkward and satisfying smile on your face. Think Bend it Like Beckham, but replace superstar hotties Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers with the awkward guy who played Tony Blair. | More Information

The Children

Ahh yes, the Children. Another submission from across the pond, but unlike the heart warming fun of The Damned United this one sounds about as warm and fuzzy as a midnight viewing of Pet Cemetery. The description on this one alone brings to mind Stanley Kubrik’s The Shining mixed in with the campy cheese of the Children of the Corn franchise. The last movie that made me squeal like a little girl was The Decent, another British horror movie, so I’m looking forward to this one. | More Information.

Dead Snow

It is this exact same scenario that convinced me to quit boy scouts some 14 odd years ago.

Okay… okay…okay, maybe not the ‘exact’ same scenario. But it would have been if you replaced Nazis, Zombies, Isolated Norwegian Mountains with Grizzly Bears and Frost Bite. | More Information

As part of the Cultural District’s First Thursday’s program, On July 2nd,  Stephen Avenue was transformed into an outdoor runway.

The reason? For The CORE’s annual Stampede Fashion show. Did you miss it? Well, Lucky for you, BizBOXTv was on hand to capture the entire show and we’ve embedded it below for those who missed out.

For more of BizBOXTv’s reels check out their YouTube Channel.

The week of June 22nd–28th saw the downtown core bursting at the seams with music. In what many will consider a musical anomaly, both the Calgary Jazz Festival and the upstart independent music festival Sled Island invaded the streets of our city with a full line-up of shows, culminating in one of the most diverse music-filled weekends in the city’s history.

On one side of the spectrum, you had the 30th annual Jazz Festival engaging Calgarians in some of the world’s best jazz music. On any given night throughout its six-day run, you could see pianist Allen Toussaint enthralling the crowd at the Jack Singer or guitar legend Gary Wolf gracing the quiet basement confines of the Beat Niq Jazz & Social Club. From the Auburn Saloon to The Grand Theatre down to Olympic Plaza the enticing sounds of the Jazz Festival could be heard throughout the each corner of the downtown core.

Then at the opposite end of the spectrum, the 3rd rendition of the up and coming Sled Island Festival roared into town from the 24th–28th. With shows at Dicken’s Pub, the reopened Distillery, Central United Church and The Palomino Smokehouse, Calgary’s downtown core was alive with some of North America’s finest independent music. Friday night’s main stage show at Olympic Plaza saw The Breeders, Biz Markie and the Liars playing to a riveted and energetic crowd.

With so many unique venues and such a diverse spectrum of live music, the downtown core was truly alive with music. Make sure you circle the end of June 2010, because next year looks to be an even better year for music.