Gnawing bone by MATTHEW HAYS With Bone, local filmmaker Eugene Garcia makes an earnest effort at concocting his own caper movie. "I wanted something simple," the Montreal-based director writes in his director's statement to the film, "but with energy, involving a group of charismatic losers losing their mind." Garcia then acknowledges that the feature, his second after Burnt Eden, is a wee bit rough around the edges. Fair enough, for an indie film done on a shoestring. Bone does have its moments, particularly some very humorous ones in which Garcia skewers his often stupid mob characters. But the plot, which concerns various romantic and criminal hijinks between a stewardess, her lover, his nutty buddy and his girlfriend gets far, far too convoluted for us to follow with any clarity. The end result is a film that's been made with care but doesn't sate our appetite for a small-time mob/caper movie. The film opens this Friday, April 28 at Ex-Centris. See repertory listings for showtimes. Montreal has spawned another film festival, this one highlighting the achievements of Armenian filmmakers. Armenia Yesterday-Armenia Today screens from today (April 27) to May 7 at the Parisien. Films include Atom Egoyan's Felicia's Journey and local hero Arto Paragamian's Because Why. Info: 335-2171 or 333-1609. The second annual gala of the Montreal Chapter of Women in Film and Television will be held this Friday, April 28. This year's theme is "the future is ours" and six local women film types will be honoured for their accomplishments in the medium. The event will be emceed by TV personality Sonia Benezra. The honorees for 2000 are Léa Pool, Monique Champagne, Suzanne Laverdière, Bernadette Payeur, Catherine Bainbridge and Katerina Cizek. Congrats to the deserving six. Info: 274-2025. Established in 1992, Norman Jewison's Canadian Film Centre has proven a solid training ground for those breaking into our national industry. The Centre is now calling for submissions of film scripts, as part of their Feature Film Project. The organization is looking for promising scripts to develop into low-budget movies. For info e-mail jwodlinger@cdnfilmcentre.com or phone (416)445-1446, ext. 262. In 1978, the NFB won an Academy Award for its short documentary I'll Find a Way, Beverly Shaffer's portrait of Nadia DeFranco, a nine year old struggling with a congenital disability. The film won over audiences with its straightforward account of a little girl's courage. Last year, audiences were won over again when Shaffer premiered the sequel, Just a Wedding, at the World Film Fest. The second film chronicles DeFranco's romance and marriage. The films will screen back to back on Friday, April 28 on Vision TV at 8:30 p.m. I strongly recommend these excellent docs. Finally, Ciné-Gael, the Irish Film Fest, will be presenting a celebrated documentary this Thursday, April 27 at 7 p.m. at Concordia's Library Building. A Love Divided chronicles the troubled romance between two people, one Catholic, one Protestant, who struggle to raise a family in a divided Ireland. COMMENTS: matt_hays@babylon.montreal.qc.ca