The downtown offices of the look a little like the backstage area of a theatre, with props and lights and a team of people running around.
ItB次元官网网址檚 fitting, as the full-time staff that work behind the scenes are about to put on quite the production celebrating the festivalB次元官网网址檚 24th annual film showcase.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e always looking for something thatB次元官网网址檚 a little different,B次元官网网址� executive director Kathy Kay says of the festivalB次元官网网址檚 lineup. B次元官网网址淵ou want to hear a new voice.B次元官网网址�
Kay and her team received more than 800 entries this year and had to whittle those down to 110 selections (70 features and 40 shorts). The films screen Feb. 2 to 11 in venues across the region, including the Victoria Conference Centre theatre, a new addition this year.
Putting it together is like a big puzzle, Kay says, so that underserved populations get the opportunity to see films they may not otherwise.
The festivalB次元官网网址檚 mandate has always been to support Canadian culture and local Victoria filmmakers when possible. Half of the films this year are Canadian and Kay says each year, the festival sees more entries telling womenB次元官网网址檚 stories, with women in the directorB次元官网网址檚 chair.
B次元官网网址淭here are more men in this industry than there are women,B次元官网网址� she says, but when choosing what will make the final cut, she and her team of programmers B次元官网网址� two male and two female B次元官网网址� judge purely based on merit.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not looking is it by a female or a male director,B次元官网网址� Kay explains. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just B次元官网网址� is it a good film? WhatB次元官网网址檚 the new thing that theyB次元官网网址檙e trying to say or the new take on the story?B次元官网网址�
Kayak To Klemtu, a film from Heiltsuk/Mohawk director Zoe Hopkins, explores the impact of oil spills, pipelines and tankers on the West Coast from the perspective of a 14-year-old Indigenous girl. ItB次元官网网址檚 just one of the selections Kay is excited to bring to audiences.
And while more avant-garde films can be a tough sell, itB次元官网网址檚 important to push the traditional boundaries, she says. B次元官网网址淵ou also want to show stuff that is interesting and challenging.B次元官网网址�
Check out that MIND BLOWING, MIND BOGGLING, AMAZING VFF calendar on Do250! It event tells you which are the more popular films! Besides, it's a good place to keep track of the MANY events in Victoria. >>
B次元官网网址� VictoriaFilmFestival (@VicFilmFestival)
The festival takes a look at everything from Brexit and high fashion, to Beau Dick, the abuse of police power, the impact of technology on the trades and why Canada doesnB次元官网网址檛 label genetically modified foods.
B次元官网网址淲e really have tried to program quite a broad spectrum of films,B次元官网网址� Kay says. B次元官网网址淭he documentaries often are just really engaging, because weB次元官网网址檙e looking at documentaries that go beyond what youB次元官网网址檇 see on television.B次元官网网址�
Ask The Sexpert, from Indian director Vaishali Sinha, puts Mahinder Watsa, the Mumbai MirrorB次元官网网址檚 93-year-old sex columnist into the spotlight. Kay says the film puts IndiaB次元官网网址檚 complicated relationship with sex on display, with advice from an unlikely source.
B次元官网网址淪ome of the states wonB次元官网网址檛 allow for sex education in schools, and so people are just really needing the information,B次元官网网址� she says.
A virtual reality workshop, talkbacks, Q and AB次元官网网址檚 and the longtime favourite, Sips and Cinema round out the festivalB次元官网网址檚 events. And of course, thereB次元官网网址檚 the annual gala on Friday, Feb. 2 in the centre court of The Bay Centre. This year itB次元官网网址檚 a Scottish theme, complete with a whisky tasting and bagpipes, a feature film Waterboys (Netherlands, 2016) and dancing to the Slowpokes Ceilidh Band.
Alongside the seven full-time employees, 230 volunteers will keep the festival running for the people who sit in front of the screens B次元官网网址� there were 23,000 audience members last year.
For newcomers, Kay says try something a little different than what you usually sit down to watch, and donB次元官网网址檛 be afraid to explore non-mainstream offerings.
B次元官网网址淪ometimes the foreign films are really quite fun,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淭hey have a different viewpoint, a different sense of humour, which I think a lot of times is universal.B次元官网网址�
For more on the Victoria Film Festival, or pick up a free program now available city-wide. Tickets for the gala can be purchased online or stop by the office at 1215 Blanshard St. in the Capital 6 building.
