Photo: I Am Not A Rock Star (Dir: Bobbi Jo Hart, Canada)
Every year VIFF classifies a selection of films for youth and families to attend. There is so much more to see beyond the traditional Hollwood fare. We encourage young audiences to come experiece the best that international cinema has to offer. For a complete list see our latest FOCUS ON YOUTH EMAIL or check out our Films For Youth + High School page.
Check out VIFF's Galas, Special Presentations and a list of films not in the Sneak Preview Guide.
The 27th Annual Vancouver Film & TV Forum is just around the corner! Our four days of seminars, master classes, and Telefilm Canada Tête-à-tête appointments are scheduled for presentation at the Vancouver International Film Centre from Sept 26 - Sept 28, plus New Filmmakers' Day, September 29. And don't forget the networking opportunities: speed dating sessions and Industry Hour receptions!
Last chance to buy a Forum Early Bird Pass is Friday, September 14th!
Cinematic storytelling continues to evolve along with global access to entertainment. Crossing borders, boundaries and communities, key creatives across all genres and styles are providing a road map to excellence. Let's hear from our guest speakers who are creating exciting new work in web series, gaming and international animation and altering the future of screenwriting as we know it. Guest Speakers: John Cabrera, Head Writer, H+, Matt MacLennan, Writer, Splinter Cell and Rita Hsiao, Screenwriter, Toy Story 2
Today's 'bad guy' is a different breed of cinematic nemesis. From Colonel Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds to Loki in The Avengers, every story needs its jaw-dropping antagonist. In today's been-there-done-that story-telling world, what are the character traits that every nemesis must have? How evil is evil when you're writing for a global market? Our guest screenwriters will take us inside the process of crafting a good 'bad' guy! Guest Speakers: Glenn Berger, Writer, Kung Fu Panda and Rhett Reese, Writer, Zombieland
The hook. That's the strongest element within a series that needs to stand out in an increasingly competitive TV marketplace. It's that element of the story that sets up the pilot and carries the series through from week to week and into the hearts of audiences and beyond. Meet our hit series writers from Dexter and The Good Wife who have found their unique hook and maximized the potential to make their water cooler TV shows. Guest Speakers: Leonard Dick, Writer, The Good Wife and Tim Schlattmann, Executive Producer, Dexter
This session will focus on the inner workings, creative choices and artistic motivations behind our featured award-winning and critically acclaimed directors. Let's find out: what inspires the stories they choose to tell; the decisions behind their casting choices; working with key creative partners; and the realities of making 'their' films in today's marketplace. Guest Speakers: Deepa Mehta, Director, Midnight's Children and Terry Zwigoff, Director, Bad Santa
The indie feature market appears to be on the re-bound with more films than ever attaching stars and finding financing. What types of stories, characters and partnerships can help attract onscreen talent? How do you work around intense schedules to ensure you get the rehearsals, character development and story meetings needed to deliver your best film? Our directors will walk us through the realities of turning today's low budget movies into career building successes. Guest Speakers: Robert Byington, Director, Somebody Up There Likes Me and Tanya Wexler, Director, Hysteria
Co-productions are integral to film financing as motion picture financing continues to rebuild. With box office, ancillaries and pre-sale values under pressure in traditional markets, will the new frontiers of China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Korea, Brazil and Russia change the international landscape? The Asian markets in particular are growing rapidly and many western companies need the capital and the growth. This session will focus on China, Hong Kong and India and look at where the potential exists for co-ventures/co-productions with Canada. Guest Speakers: David Hamilton, Midnight's Children, Hamilton Mehta Productions Inc., Nansun Shi, Producer, Film Workshop and Nicolas Chartier, CEO, Voltage Pictures
With Vancouver being home to two of the best known reality franchise brands, Bachelor Canada and The Real Housewives of Vancouver, we're getting a sneak peek into how these US made series were brought across the border. Find out: how the producers secured the franchise in the first place; when the Canadian network was brought into the picture; how the producers worked with the series originators to create a uniquely Canadian version of the brand; what rights are retained by Canadian producers- if any; and what the key is to getting through the door of the US partners and networks. Guest Speakers: Rob Bromley, President, Force Four Entertainment Inc. and Executives from The Real Housewives of Vancouver
Presented by Dae Mellencamp, President, Vimeo and Jeremy Boxer, Creative Director, Vimeo Festival + Awards.
Countdown is on for Speed Dating Sessions! Book your appointment now.
Your chance to pitch projects, forge new relationships and, hopefully, do some business!
Participating companies include: Telefilm Canada, Make Believe Media, Force Four Entertainment, Omni Film, True West Films, Blake Corbet Productions, Odyssey Media, National Film Board of Canada, Super Channel, Screen Siren Pictures, Film Workshop, Voltage Pictures, eOne Films, Visit Films and Pacific Northwest Pictures.
P: 604.685.3547 | F: 604.688.8221 | E: forum@viff.org | Website
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For Immediate Release: |
Media Contact: Rory Richards |
Vancouver, BC -- The script is where it all begins. It's what makes or breaks a project. That's why the VIFF's Film & TV Forum has invited some of the top writers from the realm of film, TV, and digital media to participate in the 27th edition of The Forum, Sept. 26 - 29th at the Rogers Industry Centre.
Whether you're writing for the big, small or handheld screen, this year's Forum has it covered. On Global Trends Day, John Cabrera, Head Writer of Bryan Singer's new digital series, H+, brings a fresh and innovative perspective to the session, THE NEXT GENERATION OF STORYTELLERS. Along with fellow panelists Rita Hsiao (Mulan) and Matt MacLennan (Splinter Cell) the session will focus on writing for a global audience, from gaming to animation to web series.
Feature film screenplays get a specific focus on the session THE ART OF THE ANTAGONIST with Glenn Berger (Monsters vs Aliens and the new Paul Feig comedy Wish List) and Rhett Reese (Zombieland).
Once the brilliant script is ready, it's time for a director to step in. SUCCESS STORIES will focus on new filmmakers who have attracted both movie stars and financing to their indie films. Directors Tanya Wexler (Hysteria starring Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Robert Byington (Somebody Up There Likes Me starring Parks & Recreations' Nick Offerman) will be welcomed by moderator Kris Elgstrand (co-director/screenwriter, Doppelgänger Paul) to discuss securing talent and getting unique movies made in today's competitive marketplace.
"This is the year to see and be seen at the Forum. With more guests than ever in the history of this 27-year Vancouver film industry tradition, the 2012 VIFF Forum is where your career can expand into the global career you want it to be," says Creative Director Kellie Ann Benz. "Don't leave home without your business cards - or QR codes or BBM Pins!"
On-line ticket or pass purchase is available at viff.org/forum or by phone at (604) 685.3547
Follow the Vancouver Film & TV Forum on Twitter @VIFForum and use hash tag: #VIFForum12
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P: 604.685.3547 | F: 604.688.8221 | E: forum@viff.org | Website
September 6th, 2012
The 27th Annual Vancouver Film & TV Forum is open for business! Our four days of seminars, master classes, and Telefilm Canada Tête-à-tête appointments are scheduled for presentation at the Vancouver International Film Centre from Sept 26 - Sept 28, plus New Filmmakers' Day, September 29. And don't forget the networking opportunities: speed dating sessions and Industry Hour receptions!
The hook. That's the strongest element within a series that needs to stand out in an increasingly competitive TV marketplace. It's that element of the story that sets up the pilot and carries the series through from week to week and into the hearts of audiences and beyond. Meet our hit series writers from Dexter and The Good Wife who have found their unique hook and maximized the potential to make their water cooler TV shows. Guest Speakers: Leonard Dick, Writer, The Good Wife and Tim Schlattmann, Executive Producer, Dexter
Typical half hour comedies excel when episode A, B and C plots meld beautifully together. While A usually gets all the glory (and the star), and B always enjoys a supportive role, it's the C plot (aka The Runner) which often delivers the funniest moments. Though it might seem to just be bringing up the rear, the runner should never be an afterthought. The best runners are the through lines that drive story points and provide the final comedy button in an episode. Meet with our comedy writers from The Simpsons and Community who have worked their runners to perfection, and in doing so, created some of the most memorable comedy moments in recent TV history. Guest Speakers: Al Jean, Writer/Exec. Producer, The Simpsons and Chris McKenna, Exec. Producer/Writer, Community
The digitization of filmmaking also affects the artistic process. Let's examine some trends and experimentations that are advancing our industry - from SFX and VFX to sound design - and see how story and spectacle will co-exist in creative image-making. Guest Speakers: Craig Berkey, Sound Designer, X-Men: First Class, Phil Tippett, VFX guru, Tippett Studio and Bradley Goodman, Post Production Supervisor, Elysium
Co-productions are integral to film financing as motion picture financing continues to rebuild. With box office, ancillaries and pre-sale values under pressure in traditional markets, will the new frontiers of China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Korea, Brazil and Russia change the international landscape? The Asian markets in particular are growing rapidly and many western companies need the capital and the growth. This session will focus on China, Hong Kong and India and look at where the potential exists for co-ventures/co-productions with Canada. Guest Speakers: Nicolas Chartier, CEO, Voltage Pictures, David Hamilton, Producer, Midnight's Children and Nansun Shi, Producer, Film Workshop
Undeniably, the buzz-phrase of the year is 'brand integration'. With online accessibility allowing even the smallest of productions to find a big audience, brands are now looking to original web-based content to attract and maintain consumers. Join the producer of the award-winning Guidestones and an international brand integration specialist as they discuss the financial benefits, potential pitfalls, concentrated effort and terrific rewards of incorporating brand integration into your original web series production plan. Guest Speakers: Jonas Diamond, Producer, Guidestones and CJ Yu, VP, Branded Entertainment & Integrated Media, Carat
Today's savvy TV producers are well aware that a multiplatform approach is essential to audience building for new or existing TV series. Led by Smokebomb Entertainment, the digital division of Shaftesbury, let's meet the team behind a series of successful convergent extensions and companion web series to the popular Murdoch Mysteries TV series. Find out how the team's willingness to 'play', their ability to work within budget constraints and their capacity to develop creative techniques resulted in some award-winning on-line campaigns for the extensions Murdoch Mysteries: The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs, The Murdoch Effect and the yet-to-be-released transmedia experience to support Season VI of the series. Guest Speakers: Jay Bennett, Creative Director, SmokeBomb, Cal Coons, Writer, Murdoch Mysteries and Michelle Ricci, Writer, The Murdoch Effect
Plus...
Your chance to pitch projects, forge new relationships and, hopefully, do some business!
Visit viff.org/forum for details
Check back regularly for guest updates
Connect with us...
Contact Information
P: 604.685.3547 | F: 604.688.8221 | E: forum@viff.org | Website
All sessions take place at the Rogers Industry Centre, located at 1181 Seymour Street. The Vancouver International Film Festival acknowledges the generous support of Telefilm Canada and our major corporate partners Rogers Communications and Fidelity Investments Canada.
Opening Gala, September 27: MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN - Deepa Mehta, Dir (Canada)
Canadian Images Opening, September 28: MOVING DAY - Mike Clattenburg, Dir (Canada)
Dragons & Tigers Awards Gala, October 4: MYSTERY - Lou Yi, Dir (China/France)
Sponsor Gala, October 6: I, ANNA -Barnaby Southcombe, Dir (UK/Germany/France)
Closing Gala, October 12: HOLY MOTORS- Leos Carax, Dir (France)
Rogers People's Choice Award
VIFF is a not-for-profit charitable organization whose mandate is:
A) to encourage understanding of the world's cultures through the art of cinema, to foster the art of cinema, to facilitate the meeting in British Columbia of cinema professionals from around the world, and to stimulate the motion picture industry in British Columbia.
B) to operate an annual Vancouver International Film Festival, a festive public celebration bringing to British Columbia the best in contemporary Canadian and international cinema and retrospective programs.
C) to operate the Vancouver International Film Centre, providing the public and film community with an excellent facility for the appreciation of cinema and related art forms throughout the year.
Film lengths: Features = over 60 minutes long; mid-lengths = between 20 and 60 minutes; shorts = under 20 minutes
Media Office
T: (604) 646-4770
F: (604) 688-8221
E: media@viff.org
Publicist (Cinema of Our Time & Spotlight on France)
Publicist (Nonfiction Features)
Publicist (Dragons & Tigers)
Publicist (Canadian Images)
Media Office Coordinator
Above photo from OCCUPY LOVE (Canada | Dir: Velcrow Ripper)
Vancouver, BC (September 5th, 2012) – Travel the world with a uniquely Canadian perspective at the Vancouver International Film Festival!
The festival’s Canadian Images section is a pillar of the overall VIFF 2012 program. This year's eclectic line-up includes feature films lensed in India, Africa and the Middle East, while the documentaries probe even further afield, taking viewers to the moon and beyond—into the fourth dimension... time.
Opening the Canadian Images program is Mike Clattenburg’s MOVING DAY, a raucous comedy set in Halifax and starring Will Sasso and Canada’s Sweetheart, Gabrielle Miller. Atlantic Canada features prominently in the program this year, with three more films from Nova Scotia: Michael Melski’s crime drama CHARLIE ZONE and two superb feature directorial debuts: Jason Buxton’s BLACKBIRD, and Shandi Mitchell’s THE DISAPPEARED.
“Atlantic Canadian filmmakers are really coming into their own, as these four very different, but very strong films demonstrate,” says Terry McEvoy, Canadian Images Programmer. “In fact, I was impressed across the board with the quality and diversity of Canadian films this year.”
Quebec and Ontario contribute significantly to the program, from Kim Nguyen’s stunning war tale REBELLE to Andy Keen’s riotous concert doc BOBCAYGEON, featuring Canuck darlings the Tragically Hip. Also from Ontario, Nisha Pahuja's THE WORLD BEFORE HER, garnered Best Documentary Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival and Best Canadian Documentary at this year’s Hot Docs. The best of BC this year includes feature films directed by Mark Sawers, Katrin Bowen and Bruce Sweeney. On the documentary side, Nimisha Mukerji’s revealing BLOOD RELATIVE and Julia Ivanova’s moving look at international adoption, HIGH FIVE: AN ADOPTION SAGA are original and insightful.
“This year's selection of films reflects the curiosity, intelligence and passion of Canadian filmmakers and their distinctive worldview. With a wide range of subject matter and points of view, there's something for everyone,” says McEvoy.
Prizes available to Canadian filmmakers at the Vancouver International Film Festival include the $10,000 Prize for Best Canadian Feature Film, the $2,000 Prize for Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film, and the Rogers People’s Choice Award.
The Canadian Images opening celebration on September 28th, 2012 is sponsored by landmark Vancouver restaurant CinCin.
780 Canadian submissions
63 Films in Canadian Images
28 Feature-length (15 dramatic, 13 documentary)
35 Short & mid-length
21 BC Productions (7 features, 14 shorts)
MOVING DAY Mike Clattenburg, NS
Hilarious and heartwarming, Mike Clattenburg’s film tells the story of four working-class stiffs. Our hero (Will Sasso), is a put-upon father with dreams of something bigger...
Brandon Cronenberg's (yes, son of that Cronenberg) debut is set in a dystopian near future in which obsession with celebrity has reached such neurotic levels that fans get themselves injected with viruses and diseases that once lived inside their idols... Amazingly controlled and confident for a first film, Antiviral marks Cronenberg the younger as one to watch.
Director Xavier Dolan (I Killed My Mother, VIFF 09) delivers a stunning love story set in 90's Montreal. Over a decade, transsexual Laurence (Melvil Poupaud) and his girlfriend Fred (Suzanne Clément) struggle to hold on to each other. Rendered with Dolan's irresistible panache, this is an epic tale about love and identity.
In this light-hearted tale set in the 60s, Jesse James Miller (Uganda Rising, VIFF '06) introduces us to the tumultuous world of 11-year-old Redwood, who is only one shot away from defeating Jack Nicklaus at the Masters, freeing his father from jail and reuniting his parents forever. Or so he thinks.
Director Denis Côté weaves together beautiful, haunting and disquieting images in this filmic essay. Close, lingering observations of animals in an open-air zoo are both heavy with emotion and intriguing to watch. The result is a fascinating meditation on nature, civilization and human perception.
Jason Buxton's film concerns a troubled teen, Sean Randall, who is falsely accused of planning a Columbine shooting scenario. Sean's only hope is to overcome his dark image and prove his innocence to both his unlikely love and to his community.
Director Nimisha Mukerji's (65_RedRoses, VIFF 09) documentary follows an activist fighting to save two young adults dying from Thalassemia, a rare blood disease. Suffering stunted growth and without access to medication, they remain trapped in the bodies of children. Chronicling one man's battle, the film exposes modern India's broken healthcare system.
Director Andy Keen shot a movie once, in somebody's hometown. The Tragically Hip wrote a song about that town, and it became an anthem. This well-paced Tragically Hip concert film brings you to the farmer's field in Ontario cottage country where everybody sings along...
A skewed reflection on public and private life, Mark Sawers' black comedy features a corrupt Vancouver city councillor, the rare psychological disorder he’s been diagnosed with, and a mysterious cameraman who won’t leave him alone.
Rafaël Ouellet’s exquisite film, set in rural Quebec, follows a veteran truck driver named Germain. After the tragedy that ends his career, Germain's sons join him at their family home. They share a familial malaise of loss, but, quietly, hope arrives. Winner, Best Director, Karlovy Vary 2012.
Director Amy Miller investigates threatened ways of life in Panama, India and Honduras, exposing projects that claim to be sustainable and purport to offer innovative solutions to climate change, but seem to create more problems than they solve. Preceded by UNINTERRUPTED Nettie Wild, BC A meditation on clean, flowing water and the fish that inhabit it.
A dockworker and part-time pro street fighter is contracted to rescue a drug addict from her life of degradation. His actions will unleash murder, torture and betrayal in director Michael Melski's gripping Halifax crime drama.
Bruce Sweeney’s (Dirty) moody mystery is a rich, moving thriller in which character psychology and suspense are seamlessly merged. Watch for very strong performances from Vancouver’s Gabrielle Rose and Nicholas Lea.
Six men in two rowboats. The middle of the ocean. Limited food and drink, no bearings, the threat of slow death. From this spare premise director Shandi Mitchell has crafted a superb film. Lost at sea, the hearts of men are in conflict with implacable, indifferent nature.
In the years since the transcendental epic Gambling, Gods and LSD (2002), Swiss-Canadian filmmaker Peter Mettler has once again travelled the world amassing mind-blowing images and sensations, which take form in this meditation on a subject we experience daily but rarely take the time to ponder: time itself.
After their plans to adopt a baby are thwarted, Cathy and Martin decide to adopt five Ukrainian siblings--at any cost. The real journey begins when, after several years, they succeed. Director Julia Ivanova confronts the complicated aftermath of an international adoption in this moving documentary.
At an age when most people are clueless and carefree, talented young Marika Bournaki was embarking on a prestigious career as a concert pianist. But was this wunderkind truly born to perform? Director Bobbi Jo Hart follows Marika over eight years of adventure and self-discovery.
Suspended in post-adolescence, twenty-something Sarah alternates between hedonism and ennui. Urged on by her newlywed sister, Sarah awakens to the possibility that life could be different. Directors Terry Miles (A Night For Dying Tigers, VIFF 10) and Kristine Cofsky achieve a pitch-perfect portrait of a quarter-life crisis.
James Cullingham's compelling biographical documentary expresses the "blind" vision and phenomenal talent of the steel-string guitar virtuoso and iconoclast John Fahey. Pete Townshend calls him the folk guitar equivalent of William Burroughs or Charles Bukowski. You decide.
Director Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette and the producers of Incendies and Monsieur Lazar take on the extremely sensitive emotional and political landscape known variously as Israel, Palestine or the Holy Land. Évelyne Brochu as Chloé captures the torment of deeply conflicted sympathies and loyalties as we follow her vertiginous moral thrill ride.
In 1965, Paul Saltzman drove to Mississippi and, after joining the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee as a civil rights worker, was assaulted by a young KKK member. In this film, director Saltzman returns to find the Klansman and assess the state of the integrated South.
Manon Briand mixes 60s style with Internet-era activism in this romantic comedy/thriller about Émilie, a coat-check wallflower in a popular nightclub, and Thomas, a computer nerd hampered by an inability to interact in the real world...
What do you see when you look at the Moon? A man? A woman? A business opportunity? An outpost for future space exploration? Or the portent of all that’s sinister? Simon Ennis documents humanity’s always fascinating, and often bizarre and hilarious, obsession with our lunar neighbour.
In early 2011, inspired by the massive demonstration in New York City, people the world over came together to demand an inclusive redistribution of social and economic power. Going straight to the heart of the Occupy movement, Velcrow Ripper's hopeful documentary chronicles this global paradigm shift.
Katrin Bowen (Amazon Falls, VIFF 2010) returns with a feature comedy about the crazy and obsessive behaviours that spring from that thing called love. The story is punctuated by moments of uncomfortably illuminating hilarity, as characters confront the brittleness of relationships.
Rachel Mwanza plays Komona, a young African girl forced to wage war as a child soldier. In the midst of inconceivable violence and hatred, Komona finds comfort in an albino boy she calls Magicien. Kim Nguyen directs this heartfelt and enthralling drama about the remarkable endurance of the human spirit. Winner, Best Narrative Feature, Best Actress, Tribeca 2012, Best Actress, Berlin 2012.
Timothy Wolochatiuk’s film explores not just the individual experiences of children forced into Aboriginal residential schools but also the impact that the schools have had on the lives of survivors and Aboriginals as a whole.
This energetic doc follows two young Indian women: a Hindu fundamentalist and a beauty pageant contestant. While each vies for her place in a male-dominated society, both are circumscribed by the very life-paths that claim to liberate them. Director Nisha Pahuja asks: What does the future hold? Winner, Best Documentary Feature, Tribeca; Best Canadian Documentary, Hot Docs.
Salman Rushdie did not just give Canada's Deepa Mehta (Water) permission to adapt his epic novel—he wrote the screenplay and supplied the first-person narration! The story of Muslim and Hindu babies—born at midnight on Aug. 15, 1947, the day of India's independence from Great Britain—switched at birth conjures images and characters as rich and unforgettable as India herself.
Videomatica's Graham X Peat pulls four films from the CBC Vancouver vault. Each mirroring the grit and glory of our city, with imaginative visions when darkness falls, fuelled by jazz and neon: The Seeds, PNE Midway, The Outcast, and City Patterns—in glorious black & white!
Has something like this ever been done before? Take Canadian legend Nell Shipman's silent Klondike adventure film The Grub-Stake, create dialogue completely taken from the works of William Shakespeare and write a new musical score. And then have a cast of actors and musicians speak the words and play the notes as live accompaniment to the film! First performed at the Available Light Film Festival in Whitehorse, Yukon, this is truly a Special Presentation.
This documentary mines new territory as director Jonathan Holiff reflects on his father--the manager of, and the man behind, Johnny Cash. Estranged from him for some 20 years, Holiff navigates the missing decades in the life of the father he never really knew and the musical legend he understood even less.
Newly released from prison, Francine (the restrained yet devastating Melissa Leo) remains isolated and detached, incapable of easing back into society. Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky craft "a minimalist, image-based character study that is almost impossibly fragile and yet emotionally robust... Raw, intimate and observed with penetrating acuity."—Hollywood Reporter
Returning to the home he abandoned 15 years earlier, Emilio is met by scorn and resentment from his wife and son. Having frequently centred his minimalist films on Mexico’s many fatherless families, Nicolás Pereda now ambitiously and inventively explores how a household's delicate equilibrium is destroyed when one of these men comes crawling back.
Stupendous! After toiling on his masterpiece The Thief and the Cobbler for 28 years, top British animator Richard Williams—famous for Who Framed Roger Rabbit--saw it wrested from his control and savagely recut. Pairing unreleased scenes from Williams' virtuoso fairytale with horror stories of creativity falling prey to commerce, Kevin Schreck takes us inside "the greatest animated film never made."
The true-life adventure of Rob Stewart, this follow-up to his acclaimed Sharkwater takes him through 15 countries over four years, where he'll discover that it's not only sharks that are in grave danger—it's our oceans and, indeed, humanity itself.
As Haida Gwaii's residents strive to harvest sufficient food for winter, Benjamin Greené celebrates their sacred relationship with the land and praises their vital environmental stewardship. Rhythmic and reverential, Greené's film gradually assumes the form of a ceremonial prayer: poetic, lilting and magical. With Nangchen Shorts, three new short films by Bari Pearlman documenting life in Tibet—at elevation 14,000 feet.
BREAK EVEN Calamity meets tragedy meets comedy in these often hilarious, always enlightening shorts. Includes BAREFOOT (Danis Goulet, ON), PEACH JUICE (Brian Lye, Callum Paterson, Nathan Gillis, BC), OMG (Siobhan Devin, BC), LIAR (Adam Garnet Jones, ON), FIRST SNOW (Michaël Lalancette, QC), CANOEJACKED (Jonathan Williams, ON), HOLLOW BONES (José Lourenço, ON), WITH JEFF (Marie-Ève Juste, QC) and THE WORST DAY EVER (Sophie Jarvis, BC).
BREAKING POINT In this stunning lineup of shorts, a host of heroes must abandon their comfort zones. Includes FROST (Jeremy Ball, ON), WINTERGREEN (Joëlle Desjardins Paquette, QC), MY LITTLE UNDERGROUND (Elise Simard, QC), FACE DIVIDED (Adriano Valentini, QC), BINNER (Jay Fox, Steven Deneault, BC), FLUTTER (Philip Riccio, ON), and CORVUS (Darcy van Poelgeest, BC).
CLEAN BREAK Individuality takes centre stage as our protagonists march to the beat of their own dreams. Includes HERD LEADER (Chloé Robichaud, QC), PIRANDELLO (Bojan Bodruzic, BC), A RED GIRL’S REASONING (Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, BC), THE FRAME WITH ADRIENNE CLARKSON (Nadia Litz, ON), A+ (Nobu Adilman, ON), TO SCALE (Ken Tsui, BC), BIG MOUTH (Andrea Dorfman, NS), ASSEMBLY (Jenn Strom, BC), and LEAF (Kevan Funk, BC).
HEARTBREAK Take a journey into the infinite--and intricate--depths of the human heart in this beautiful collection of shorts. Includes BROKEN HEART SYNDROME (Dusty Mancinelli, ON), YELLOW FISH (Andrew Cividino, ON), THE SUN DOESN’T SHINE (Xavier Beauchesne-Rondeau, QC), WHERE ARE THE DOLLS? (Cassandra Nicolaou, ON), FLOAT (Juan Riedinger, BC), PORDIS (Adrian Buitenhuis, BC), EDMOND WAS A DONKEY (Franck Dion, QC), and LATE (Jason Goode, BC).
The Vancouver International Film Festival acknowledges the generous support of Telefilm Canada and major corporate partners Rogers Communications and Fidelity Investments.
Vancouver International Film Festival | VIFF 2012
September 27 - October 12, 2012 | Film Info: 604.683.FILM (3456) | VIFF Office: 604.685.0260
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For Immediate Release: |
Media Contact: Rory Richards |
Vancouver, BC -- There's no doubt that when it comes to the film and television industry, business and creative are inseparable. It's like Yin and Yang. That's why the 27th Annual Vancouver Film & TV Forum is bringing together some of the industry's savviest business minds along with its most creative talent for some engaging and provocative sessions at the Rogers Industry Centre, September 26-29.
"We're really excited to have the caliber of talent and expertise that the Forum brings this year – and proud that many are accomplished Canadians," says Kellie Ann Benz, Creative Director of the Forum, "We're thrilled to be able to offer our local film and television community such unique access to fellow creators from around the world.”
On the creative front, guests include such high profile names as Leonard Dick (writer, The Good Wife), Chris McKenna (exec producer/writer, Community), and Tim Schlattman (exec producer/writer, Dexter) who will share their expertise in finding the perfect "hook" and “making the most of your C plot”.
Meanwhile, three-time Oscar nominated sound designer, Craig Berkey (X-Men: First Class, True Grit, No Country for Old Men) and Oscar-winning VFX guru Phil Tippett (Twilight Saga, Star Wars: Episode IV, Jurassic Park) will discuss the digitization of filmmaking and how it also affects the artistic process on the session Innovation and Advancement in Technologies.
Homegrown talent features strongly on the session, The Working Actor – Creativity across all Mediums! Guests include Joely Collins (actor/producer, Becoming Redwood), Aleks Paunovic (actor, This Means War), Julia Benson (actor/writer/producer, Death Do Us Part) and John Cassini (actor, Three Days in Havana). Our featured actors have all leveraged their talents in a variety of roles including producing, writing, and directing.
On the business side, Global Trends Day will explore emerging markets and international financing. Nicolas Chartier, president of Voltage Pictures, producer David Hamilton (Midnight's Children), and Nansun SHI of Film Workshop will focus on China, Hong Kong and India and look at where potential exists for co-ventures/co-productions with Canada.
The session CineCoup: Disrupting the Packaging, Marketing and Financing of Independent Films will feature digital media maven J. Joly, President, CineCoup and Michael Kennedy, Executive Vice President of Filmed Entertainment, Cineplex Entertainment Corporation. CineCoup is a born-in Canada platform-as-studio model that is set to change how independent films are packaged, marketed and financed. Join us for the official unveiling of this game-changing platform that will ultimately option the top projects for development and finance one project for production and guaranteed release in Cineplex theatres in Fall 2013.
Mastering the Micro Budget takes some work. Luckily, the Forum will have producers Steven Schardt (Your Sister's Sister), Jay Van Hoy (Keep the Lights On), and Sean Baker (Starlet) on hand for a frank discussion about the real market place for mumblecore and micro budget – and if your project belongs there!
TV Day shifts the focus to the growing trends in brand integration where CJ Yu (Carat) and Jonas Diamond (Guidestones) will discuss the financial benefits, potential pitfalls, and terrific rewards of incorporating brand integration into your original web series production plan. Meanwhile, over on the session Companion Series in a Digital Universe, our featured guests will discuss how a multiplatform approach is essential to audience building for new or existing TV series.
An incredible value, the Forum Early Bird delegate pass is $300 until Sept. 14 and $325 thereafter. Delegate pass includes all Forum sessions on Sept. 26 – 28th with the exception of Telefilm Canada Tête-à-tête meetings and Speed Dating sessions. New Filmmakers’ Day pass is $85 for the full day and includes end of day reception.
On-line ticket or pass purchase is available at viff.org/forum or by phone at (604) 685.3547
Follow the Vancouver Film & TV Forum on Twitter @VIFForum
and use hash tag: #VIFForum12
All sessions take place at the Rogers Industry Centre, located at 1181 Seymour Street. The Vancouver International Film Festival acknowledges the generous support of Telefilm Canada and our major corporate partners Rogers Communications and Fidelity Investments Canada.
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Contact Information
P: 604.685.3547 | F: 604.688.8221 | E: forum@viff.org | Website
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Development & Sponsorship contact: Trish McGrath, Director | 604-685-0260 | trish@viff.org |
Vancouver, BC (September 5, 2012) – The Vancouver International Film Festival announced this morning that Fidelity Investments Canada has signed on as a Major Partner in a multi-year, six-figure deal, joining longstanding sponsors Rogers Communications and Telefilm Canada.
Fidelity Investments Canada will be the presenting sponsor of VIFF’s Closing Gala on October 12, 2012, featuring the film festival’s awards celebration and closing film, HOLY MOTORS, by director Leos Carax. As part of its sponsorship, Fidelity will also host two client events during the Vancouver International Film Festival this year.
VIFF kicks off on September 27, 2012 with the Opening Gala, featuring MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN by director Deepa Mehta, with the screenplay by Salman Rushdie adapted from his Booker Prize- winning novel. The Opening Gala is sponsored by Rogers Communications, which also sponsors the Rogers People’s Choice Award where audiences vote for their favourite festival film.
Telefilm Canada continues to underline its commitment to promoting Canadian film talent by supporting VIFF’s Film & Television Forum, including the Telefilm Canada International Tête-à-Tête Meetings, the Film & Television Forum Speed Dating sessions, and for the first time, Telefilm’s popular Talent to Watch Q&A series, as well as VIFF’s Canadian Images program, one of the film festival’s flagship programs and the largest presentation of Canadian film anywhere in the world.
Trish McGrath, director of development for the Vancouver International Film Festival, also announced new financial commitments by the federal and provincial governments. Earlier this year, the Province of British Columbia - Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development’s Community Gaming Grants program provided a total of $250,000 towards festival programming, marketing, and operations, including one-time funding to modernize the film festival’s ticketing and database system. The new ticketing system is being implemented for this year’s festival and will streamline festival operations, provide efficiencies, and support a better customer experience.
For the first time, The Department of Canadian Heritage’s Building Communities through Arts and Heritage (BCAH) program has also awarded the film festival up to $119,400 in funding to support programming, citizen engagement, and volunteer programs. As one of the top five film festivals in North America, and one of the Lower Mainland’s largest, best attended cultural events, with a record-setting 152,000 admissions last year, VIFF relies on more than 750 volunteers to help run the festival each year. Volunteers work in every festival department from film screenings and programming, to marketing and program guide distribution, to box office and galas, to office and administration.
Trish McGrath said, “We are incredibly pleased at the level of investment being made in the Vancouver International Film Festival by our major partners Rogers Communications, Fidelity Investments Canada, and Telefilm Canada, as well as the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the City of Vancouver. We continue to describe for our current and prospective partners a number of plans and strategic investments the film festival is undertaking in order to ensure a vibrant, successful, sustainable future. It is deeply gratifying that our sponsors and funders have responded in such a committed way to help ensure that Vancouverites will be able to enjoy the highest quality films and film-related programming for many years to come.”
The Vancouver International Film Festival is deeply proud to partner with the following companies, organizations and donors:
VIFF’s enjoys the extraordinary support of Vancouver’s leading restaurants:
VIFF appreciates and acknowledges the Consulates and cultural organizations for helping to facilitate international guest travel to VIFF and film presentation assistance:
VIFF achieves approximately 40% of its annual $3.5 million budget from ticket sales, concessions, rentals and other festival income. The balance must be raised each year through corporate sponsorships, public sector investments, and individual donations from philanthropists, foundations, and VIFF’s most dedicated and enthusiastic audience members.
Donations to VIFF help support one of the world’s great film festivals by bringing the best in world cinema to Vancouver each year, enable VIFF to organize filmmaker Question & Answer sessions with audiences, and acquire state-of-the-art equipment to keep pace with rapidly changing film technologies.
The Vancouver International Film Festival is a registered charity (BN 11894682RR0001). Audience members and individual philanthropists are invited to make donations online (viff.org) or by telephone (604-685-0260) by Visa or MasterCard. Cheques may be mailed or dropped off in person to the VIFF office at 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3M7. Official donation receipts for income tax purposes will be automatically provided for donations of $20 or more.
One of the top five film festivals in North America and the largest in Western Canada, VIFF also contributes significantly to Vancouver’s economy. VIFF warmly welcomes filmmakers and other special guests to Vancouver, working in partnership with Vancouver’s hotels and restaurant partners to showcase our beautiful city, while contributing significant employment and economic impact benefits. Credit and debit card spending on hotels increases by approximately 21%, restaurant spending by 18%, and personal services spending by 13% during VIFF each year (Moneris Solutions, 2010). For these and other ongoing contributions to the downtown area, the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) presented VIFF with a special award in 2011.
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For more information, please contact:
Trish McGrath, 604-685-0260 | trish@viff.org