With 135 feature films and 102 shorts on offer across seven Vancouver venues, the 41st edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) will kick off on Sept. 29 this year and run till Oct. 9. The festival will open with Bones of Crows by Métis filmmaker Marie Clements, an epic tale of Aline Spears, a Cree…

The United Nations (UN) has declared September 8 International Literacy Day and in British Columbia, the entire month is dedicated to literacy. Literacy is crucial for people to operate in society at the most basic level for everyone every day, in almost every aspect of life. Everyone who enters a shop to buy a carton…

In recent years, more and more languages have begun to be added to the BC language curriculum. The newest of these is Farsi, and part of its successful introduction can be attributed to the Farsi Dar campaign. Up to now, the Education Ministry had nine additional languages curricula for French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin,…

With many summer music festivals making their in-person return this year, audiences will discover a host of artists pulling from various styles, and making them all their own. Expect a whole new sound from Canadian artists, with international roots, such as: Yvonne Kushe, Pantayo, and Lache Cercel. Kushe adds her own flair to a mix…

As part of the Greek Heritage Month, which runs from June 3 to June 26, the Hellenic Canadian Congress of B.C. and The Cinematheque will launch the city’s inaugural Greek Film Festival (VGFF) slated to run from June 16 to 19. The festival was co-founded by film director Harry Killas and artist Christos Dikeakos, who…

As June 8 marks the annual World Ocean Day, one is called to pay more attention to the sorry state of our blue planet, which is facing a cocktail of assaults from human pollution to climate change. “The ocean is getting tired – it is not going to solve our problems, it cannot assimilate all…

Celebrating North America’s Asian Heritage, a plethora of Asia-related events are on offer this month ranging from art, music, literature, to talks and workshops. ExplorASIAN Festival, being the main festival in town, alone is presenting a program of more than 60 virtual and in-person events for the public. “We are really happy to see so…

With a theme of “Finding our voices, telling our stories,” this year’s LiterAsian Festival will present a number of talented Asian storytellers who have mastered multiple mediums from books to screenplays. Running from May 7 to May 15, the festival will feature panel discussions, writing workshops, literary book talks, manuscript development sessions and will end…

Just in time to celebrate its 15th anniversary, Coastal Dance Festival will resume in-person performances at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster from April 20–24. “It is going to be special this year, and people are really looking forward to it. As we are preparing, it just feels like it’s going to be a very…

It is time to revive all your senses with a taste of “Frenchness” at the 33rd annual Festival du Bois. After so many protocol changes within artistic communities, this weekend festival – which runs Apr. 1–3 – promises to entice you back onto the dance floor with its in-person return to Coquitlam’s Mackin Park. “Our…

Francophones across the globe, celebrate International Francophonie Day on March 20. The Francophone presence in British Columbia, and the vitality of Francophone communities has shaped not only Canada’s history, but its cultural and linguistic diversity as well, says Nicolas Kenny, a professor of history at Simon Fraser University (SFU). “Rallying under a flag that brings…

Pamphinette Buisa is a force to be reckoned with, both as a top-performing Rugby player and as a young female leader who is passionate about social justice. Born in Canada to immigrant parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Buisa made her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020 after joining the Canadian national team in 2014.…