by SARAH ROWLAND

Winnipeg Weirdo

La Cinémathèque québécoise is currently hosting a retrospective of Guy Maddin's work. From now until Oct. 7, you can watch his evolution from imaginative weirdo to full-on creative genius. In 1992's Careful (Friday, Oct. 1, at 8:30 p.m.), Maddin re-creates the feel of a Germanic Alpine village with pop-out cardboard sets, hand-tinted colour effects and deliberate crackling sound. Bursting with repressed sexuality, the story revolves around Johann, an eager butler student who practically creams his lederhosen every time he thinks about his mother's supple breasts. His fiancée Klara is no better; she keeps busting a corset whenever her papa makes eyes at her sister. Creepy, funny and a great place to start on your descent into Maddin's madness.

Slightly less impressionistic and a lot more accessible, his latest feature The Saddest Music in the World (Thursday, Oct. 7, at 8:30 p.m.) illustrates how he has become one of Canada's most original filmmakers. Isabella Rossellini plays a legless beer baroness in Winnipeg during the Great Depression. She invites every nation to compete in her promotional contest to find the most tear-jerking song ever written, while Mark McKinney's character is a slick Broadway producer whose career is in a serious slump. Determined to take home the cash prize, he sets out to win first place the old fashioned way: by banging the maimed judge.

Image + Nation

Among the films screening during the last weekend of the 17th annual gay and lesbian film fest is The Nomi Song (Sunday, Oct. 3, at 5 p.m., at the Parisien.) The German doc chronicles the life, death and dance moves of Klaus Nomi, a Euro cult figure of the '80s new wave underground scene. Famous for combining his operatic vocals with synth pop, Nomi's fanbase included David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve and Morrissey. But before the alien-looking diva could reach the MTV generation, he died of AIDS. Sadly, the most coverage his music receives these days is when Rush Limbaugh mocks it during one of his anti-gay reports.

Toronto International Film Festival

Raise a glass and just give 'er for the cast and crew of It's All Gone Pete Tong, which won best Canadian feature film at the TIFF. Directed by Michael Dowse, the riotous U.K./Canadian production is about a rock star DJ who loses his hearing. This is the Montreal-based filmmaker's second feature effort. His first was none other than Fubar.

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