From June 21 to 23, Cinematheque will be screening a host of films by members of l'Atelier national du Manitoba. In three programs, Beefs & Bouquets collects everything from controversial found-footage film Death by Popcorn to shorts such as Night of the Living Livers.

As our film critic is also a member of l'Atelier, we thought it appropriately inappropriate that Walter Forsberg interview colleague Matt Rankin about the upcoming screenings.
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Walter Forsberg: Hey, pal, how are you feeling about curator Brett Kashmere's dangerous decision to screen Death By Popcorn: The Tragedy of the Winnipeg Jets this coming weekend?

Matt Rankin: Well, as you remember, CKY very kindly gave us its benediction for non-commercial screenings such as this one - but collage art is dangerous these days, and I'm frightened. I don't think I'll attend that screening. You and Mike Maryniuk can go down with that ship. I've moving to Argentina, where a new identity awaits me, untainted by any history as an art criminal.

WF: Is your new name Ricardo Klement, like that other great coward, Adolf Eichmann?

MR: No, but speaking of Ricardos, St. Vital design genius Ricardo Alms is set to attend the screenings. He built Blizzard-calibre sets for Maryniuk's Night of the Living Livers as well as Où est Maurice? Local bon vivant Alek Rzeszowski, who stars in Maurice? with Eve Majzels, recently took the film to Cannes, where he reportedly introduced himself to Carole Vivier as the "Roy Dupuis of Winnipeg." What about your Expo 67 movie, Walter? Though I see you every day, you've kept this film hidden from me for nearly three years.

WF: Sometimes it seems like I've been working on Man and His World since the world's fair itself, but I promise to have a first draft ready for Saturday, hoping that the audience will voice their critiques in the form of either beefs or bouquets like I'm former CJOB radio pioneer Red Alix.

MR: I suspect there will be bouquets all around for Darryl Nepinak and his Bigfoot mockumentary, along with The Best of Good Morning Native America, the much-anticipated sequel to his hilarious faux talk show, Good Morning Native America. Very soon, Neeps will be recognized as Manitoba's greatest satirist.

WF: BTW, have you seen Maryniuk lately? He's not answering his phone.

MR: Maryniuk's been hiding out, but when last I saw him he said he had a six-pack of new films to show this weekend. I've only seen his segment of our Super 8 music video challenge Give Beef a Chance. That's a beef that begets a bouquet!

WF: For the sneak peak of our new documentary Negativipeg, I wonder whose portrayal of Burton Cummings will get the most bouquets. Will it be that of former Uptown editor Chuck Molgat or Weimar-priced Sound Exchange proprietor Jefferson Bishop?

MR: Probably Bishop's, because he's such a good friend of Burton's. But there will be many Burtons to choose from: everybody who talks about Burton in the interviews must also play Burton in the re-enactments. In Winnipeg's relationship with Burton Cummings, I see the perfect metaphor of our city's hopes and dreams and ironies. It is my hope Burton himself will come on Saturday night and that he will love the film.

WF: Most of all, I'm pumped for the Winnipeg premiere of teenage wunderkid Deco Dawson's Id, Ego, Video: The Peter Vesuwalla Movie, which memorializes new Calgarian and former Uptown film guy Peter Vesuwalla. I can't tell you the life challenge it's been living up to the high standard of film criticism that he set for this town.