by SARAH ROWLAND

If you're not familiar with Roy Andersson's work, all you really need to know is his 1970 international success A Swedish Love Story. As part of a homage to the Swedish filmmaker (Feb. 3-6), the Cinémathèque québécoise will screen this visually stunning portrait of a summer romance between two Scandinavian scooter punks. Too self-conscious to rely on direct conversation, 14-year-old Annika and 15-year-old Pär mostly communicate through subtle glances, tender body language and, of course, whispered messages via their best friends.

With minimal dialogue, Andersson explores all aspects of young love, including the crushing pain of getting dissed in front of your school yard posse by the person you think you'll die without. Here we have Pär, who is too humiliated to face Annika because of the very public beating he received days earlier. As Annika nervously waits for him to acknowledge her, she conveys the truest of teenage heartache with her wounded puppy dog saucers. This scene alone justifies the entire four-day tribute. For more info, visit www.cinematheque.qc.ca.

Burlesque benefit

Award-winning filmmaker Lindalee Tracey is probably best known for her powerful investigative docs, most notably Bhopal: The Search for Justice, a disturbing examination of the world's worst chemical industry disaster. But the former Montreal peeler also has a light side. The Anatomy of Burlesque, for example, examines the politics of pasties and other forms of stripped down entertainment. The erotic comedy will screen at NFB on Thursday, Feb 3. Cost of admission will go toward alternative treatment for Tracey, who continues her battle against an aggressive form of breast cancer. For more info, call 283-9411.

CanCon contenders

At least two Canuck filmmakers will have to keep their fingers crossed a couple more weeks until Oscar night (Sunday, Feb. 27). Toronto director Chris Landreth received a nod in the animated-short category for Ryan, a CGI tribute to the rise and fall of Montreal artist Ryan Larkin. And Vancouver director Hubert Davis was nominated in the category of short documentaries for Hardwood, which is an intimate look at his father: former Harlem Globetrotter Mel Davis. Now you can check out both films at the NFB Cinema, Feb. 9-14. For more info visit www.nfb.ca.

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