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The Vancouver South African Film Festival (VSAFF), which runs from March 31 to April 2, first began as a movie night amongst friends at the cinema in South Africa. It was after watching Skin (2008) – a film that tells the story of a girl labeled as ‘coloured’ despite being born to Afrikaner parents during…
Three graduates of Langara College will participate at a Vancouver film festival alongside award-winning international documentaries. Jeff Berg, Amy Psyden, and Mariah Kennedy each directed student films that will be screened at the Just Film Festival taking place at VanCity Theatre between March 30 and April 1. The Just Film Festival is jointly organized by…
What does it mean to be JewAsian? In challenging dominant narratives of intermarriage, sociologists and married Jewish-Asian couple Helen Kiyoung Kim and Noah Samuel Leavitt explore the ways in which they, their children and many Jewish-Asian Americans navigate this crossroads of race, religion and ethnicity. “Our work helps readers to understand how what might at…
Vancouver’s Asian Canadian community will be hosting their annual literary event, literASIAN, from Sept. 21–25. The theme, History and Memory, will be presented through a series of panels, workshops and book launches from 18 knowledgeable and respected authors, including Jean Barman, Paul Yee and Joy Kogawa. Paul Yee, author of many works inspired by growing…
An opportunity has risen in Vancouver to learn and experience the food and culture of the Hakka people of Taiwan. This year’s TAIWANfest (Sept. 3–5), alongside the Vancouver Taiwan Hakka Association, sheds light on a people’s history with their Experience Hakka program. Since 1990, TAIWANfest has been raising awareness to Taiwanese history and building communities…
Carnival is deeply rooted in Latin American culture. Originally, it was meant as a chance to indulge before a prolonged period of fasting in the springtime. Even today there is still a widely felt sense of free-spirited stress release in the air wherever carnival is celebrated. “Carnaval del Sol, it’s where we all shine together,”…
Musician, writer and performer Vivek Shraya will be at this year’s Indian Summer Festival as part of the ‘5 by 15’ panel on July 16, in which five people will speak on various subjects for 15 minutes. Shraya will focus on a photo series recreated from some of her mother’s old photos – nine vintage…
The Sikh faith will be on display in the streets of South Vancouver for the annual Vaisakhi festival on April 16.This tradition is honoured world-wide on different dates to mark the open of the harvest season and the birth of Khalsa. Khalsa is the living text of the Sikh religion. The scripture is recognized as…
Every year, the flowering cherry blossoms signify the arrival of spring, their beauty captivating many. Now in its 10th year, the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival has helped spread interest in cherry blossoms and facilitated community education on the trees. Before the festival officially begins, David Tracey, a community ecologist, leads a group through Oppenheimer Park.…
Vancouver’s Tibetans will celebrate Losar, their culture’s New Year, Feb. 8. This year, the Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling Centre will celebrate Losar with a series of different traditions, including meditation sessions and special Protector Mahakala ceremonies to ring in the Tibetan New Year. Lobsang Tenzin calls himself a dharma believer and teacher who’s immersed in Vancouver’s…
When Lawrence Le Lam heard the story of his father, Lami Lam, a legendary DJ called Blue Jet who played banned anti-war rock and roll music in Taiwan in the 1970s, he thought it would be a great idea for a film. The result was a 16 minute short film entitled The Blue Jet that…
There is a strong Scottish presence in British Columbia. In fact, roughly 15 per cent of British Columbians are of Scottish descent according to Darryl Carracher, general manager of Vancouver’s Scottish Cultural Centre. From the very start of the 20th century and into the 1960s, there was a large number of Scots settling in Vancouver.…
December 10 marks International Human Rights Day. In light of this upcoming event, Audrey Siegl, a Musqueam First Nations member, reflects on local human rights challenges in Vancouver and her role in shining a spotlight on these issues. A menu of words easily describes who Siegl is: Anti-poverty activist. Feminist. Artist. Role model. These words…
