"Papa Pasquale" festival selections.

"Papa Pasquale", my animated short about the amazing life of Italian-Canadian Pat Folino and his twelve siblings, has been honoured by two more festival selections.

Official film poster with laurels, yay!

The 49th Annual Humboldt International Film Festival has chosen my film in the animation category; it will screen in Arcata, CA, April 20th to 23rd 2016.  I think this festival is cool because not only have they been going since 1967, but they seek films that inspire social and environmental change. AND they have a special award called the Ledo Matteoli Award for Best Film with an Immigration Theme. Hurrah! Fingers and toes crossed for that.

I'm also thrilled to announce that "Papa Pasquale" has been officially selected by the Italian Contemporary Film Festival! It's an annual celebration of Italian heritage, arts and culture, taking place June 9 - 17, 2016 in a number of Canadian cities including: Toronto, Vaughan, Niagara, Hamilton, Montreal and Quebec City. Since I'm half Italian (the top half), this selection means so much to me. I'm excited about the film potentially screening in multiple locations. More people should know about the Folinos' amazing story.

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Finishing my new film, "Papa Pasquale".

Picture-lock. Final mix. Final outputs. After three months of 90 hour weeks, it's time to push this baby out.

"Papa Pasquale" is an animated short about a family of immigrants to Canada from Italy, set in the 1950's. The film will have a private screening gala celebration in Toronto on September 24th (Next week!). There will be some members of the Italian community, some press, and I heard there will also be a few Canadian dignitaries present. I'll be a guest there, but the focus will not be on me; it will be on this incredible family, the subject of the film. Still, I will really enjoy watching their reactions, and meeting them for the first time.

It's a timely release, as we are now in an election in Canada - a country made up of First Nations and immigrants from all over the world - immigration being quite a topical issue at the moment. 

Excitement.

Comments are here.

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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

WARNING: Political cartooning. Also... nudity.

So....this was awkward.

It doesn't matter how loudly the Ford brothers proclaim that this shame-terview on the Jimmy Kimmel Show was a success; Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was as naked as the day that he was born.

Especially the ending.

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Rob Ford is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Space...the final frontier. And Rob Ford is certainly boldly going where no one has gone before. No one seems to know what to do with a Mayor who refuses to resign in the midst of an swirling scandal, and neither can they force him to leave. It's an unchartered galaxy!

I wonder if there's any corner of our planet that hasn't yet heard of the wacky Canadian Mayor of Toronto? Raise your hand if that's you! 

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Ford Nation.

Meanwhile, in a park in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke...

Mayor Rob Ford claims he stands up for the "little guy". But the average little guy in Ford Nation doesn't actually do crack.

My kids wanted to know what was wrong with this strange man. They really can't understand why he's still the mayor of Toronto, where their cousins live. I explained that, yeah he's got a lot of problems that make him act that way, and yeah, it's not fair for all the people who live there, and yeah, the way the city's government works, they can't actually make him leave. And yeah, he's a really good example of what not to be.

The kids suggested everyone should just ignore him; but I pointed out that some people still want him to be mayor.

"But why, mum?"

Maybe they want to hope? I have trouble understanding it myself.

How do you explain something like this to kids?

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Rob Ford and the Future of Toronto.

WARNING: Political cartooning.

Stuck in bed with the flu so I drew this on my iPad last night. Today I saw that Rob Ford had admitted to "probably" smoking crack and that he will not step down. Obviously I can't draw fast enough to keep up with the man.

Rob Ford needs help and the support of his family. Addiction is serious...maybe that's part of why I'm so fascinated by him. He represents so many human foibles all rolled into one package. And lampooning is a coping mechanism: if we don't laugh, we cry.

But his substance abuse problems and atrocious behavior are not what's bad for the people of Toronto. It's his policy of austerity that will do the most damage.

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Toronto's Wrecking Ball.

WARNING: Political cartooning. Also... partial nudity.

Toronto doesn't deserve this.

...and Mayor Rob Ford needs to get help for his addiction problem.

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The dumbing-down of Politics.

WARNING: Political cartooning.

When Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene said of Rob Ford as Mayor of Toronto, "It's like there's a giant baby running the city," this picture popped into my head.

Babies are cute...but they shouldn't be running cities. 

Don't not vote, ever. 

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The Doug and Rob Ford Caption Contest.

WARNING: political tooning.

Resistance was futile; I finally caved and drew Rob Ford, embattled Mayor of Toronto. Of course you can't really draw Rob without his older brother City Councillor Doug Ford.

I do not like the feeling I get when I listen to what this man says about ....well, anything really. The way Doug Ford talks makes me feel intensely uncomfortable; I don't trust him. One gets the idea that he's the one pushing his blurt-happy little brother along and pulling the strings behind the "Ford Nation" ideology. And watch out Canada, Doug Ford has his sights set on the Ontario Premiereship. If what Prime Minister Harper says about the municipal/provincial/national hat trick in this video is anything to go by, I may start to secretly hope Quebec separates because it'll actually be more Canadian here than anywhere.

Anyways, the Rob Ford story has morphed from a crack to a crevasse to a yawning canyon. With stalagmites and pointy shit. And being a Canadian, I can't escape it. Allegations aside, what interests me mainly is the behaviour of these two men, and the people reacting to them, for and against. I find it all at once compelling, hilarious and terrifying.

But never mind all that! Here's a caption contest for you!

Simply leave your entry in the comments below - it can be a single caption, or a couple of speech bubbles between Dougie and Robbie. Have fun. You can enter as many times as you like: just be sure to leave your Twitter handle or email so I can contact you if you win.

How you win - I'll choose the funniest one, that's all there is to it. My decision will be final.
What you win - your choice of either mug or t-shirt with the above design on it.
When you win - contest closes Wednesday, May 29th 2013 at midnight. I'll announce the winner on Thursday between 9 and 10 PM.

Remember the Ultimate Goal here is to have a laugh (yes, at the expense of the Brothers Ford, but that's what you get when you're an insane public official) so please hit the share button.

UPDATE: May 30, 2013 Contest Winner Announced!

We have a winner! Congratulations @IamSauerkraut from Twitter!

Sauerkraut, please let me know if you want t mug or a t-shirt with this fabulous one-of-a-kind artwork and hilarious caption. Thanks to everyone for entering; you are lovely.

And remember folks: if you're lucky enough to live in a democratic society, don't piss it away by not bothering to vote in your next election. Because ROB FORD.

'Nuff said.

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Uh-Oh Canada...

Prime Minister Stephen Harper isn't listening.

He doesn't speak "Canadian".

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JonesCLICK.

This is the job I was asked to do just before flying out to Atlanta to do the NonCon Keynote. I knew that even though it would crush me in time and energy, it was an important project that needed to be made. The job did crush me - but I'll recover.

I'm Canadian. I'm not even American. But I care because my generation, Generation Jones, born between 1955 and 1965, is pivotal in the upcoming US elections. Basically, if you're 55 or younger, you need to protect yourself in terms of your vote. Because your medicare just won't be there if you don't.
 

Or you could just never get sick or have an accident. Ever.

Please share, tweet, blog , embed this video from Youtube; it's the Big Untold Story of the 2012. Election.

Find out more at JonesClick.

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Muppets and MITTens 3.

Warning: Not for kiddies.

Three little films in one day! Big Bird VS Mitt Romney...wow, no contest right? Some people strike me as obviously fake, and Big Bird aint one of 'em.



Watching PBS encourages critical thinking. Squash it and you squash our spirit. But you will have a population that is more easily led to believe anything.

Sesame Street is all over the world in broadcast, interactive and books. So many pre-K children benefit from it - it's an investment in our collective future as human beings.

Two cents from a Canadian!

See part 1 and part 2!

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Muppets and MITTens 2.

WARNING: Not for kiddies.

I hope you enjoyed seeing Big Bird act out of character. Now would you vote for the muppet or the puppet?



If you grew up with Sesame Street, lemmee hear ya say YEAH.

See the next episode!

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Muppets and MITTens 1.

WARNING: Not for kiddies.

A rare political lampoon from me.



Big Bird would never do this; and that's why we need PBS.

See the next episode...

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