·
Film has always been used as a mean of expression. In Polish culture, the medium serves as a window to the past as well as a means to explore contemporary life in Poland. Vancouver Polish Film Festival (VPFF) returns (Oct. 21–23) with a selection of ten unique films. Co-presented by Simon Fraser University’s Woodward’s Cultural…
Eric Chu, film design guest of honour at the upcoming Vancouver’s Premier Science Fiction, Fantasy and Games Convention (VCON), will be talking about his experience working onBattlestar Galactica as well participating in a group panel about a new project, the SF puppet show Gerry Anderson’s Firestorm. The VCON convention will be held at Surrey’s Sheraton…
Leon Lee never expected to become a filmmaker, but an article from an independent Chinese language newspaper started it all. After reading a story in the local media about forced organ harvesting, information he says he could never have learned about in China, he realized that independent media were crucial to a strong and free…
Animation has the ability to provide an experience that is simply impossible in reality. The expansion of Japanese culture around the world, and into Vancouver, was mainstreamed through anime and is described by SFU Anime Club executives, Stephanie Wu and Chris Baek, as “very open and versatile to anyone.” The three main aspects of Japanese…
When filmmaker Mina Shum found out she won the director-writer-producer with Finalé Artistic Achievement Award, she was elated. Women in Film and Television Vancouver notified her of the Spotlight award in March through an email. Last February, Teri Snelgrove at the National Film Board nominated Shum for the award. She attributes the success of her recent…
Cambodia is like a mother. One day she became sick—hurting—dying—she could no longer take care of her children. She had to let them go. “One day I’ll call you back.” And now—today—right now—She’s calling us. So begins the trailer for Cambodian street art documentary The Roots Remain (2015). It was 2012 when Montreal-based graffiti artist…
Zeina Zahreddine has been working in the independent Lebanese film industry for more than 10 years. She’s managed different projects to bring new ideas and perspectives from the Arab World to audiences. She is focused particularly on the Arab Spring movement and tried to give voice internationally to that huge political and social change. As…
As the head of the Vancouver Turkish Film Festival Selection Committee, Eylem Sonmez has assembled an intriguing selection of Turkish movies with the help of the Turkish Canadian Society. All proceeds go the Turkish Canadian Society and all the people involved in the festival work for free. When Sonmez was growing up in Istanbul, her…
The Vancouver Web Fest, now on its third year, showcases creative web content from all over the world. On March 18, the three-day event will screen Canadian and international work from 16 different countries with a variety of workshops, talks and keynote speakers. The festival begins with a number of workshops taking place on Friday,…
When filmmaker Charles Mudede read Russian novels, one key question stuck with him – the question of morality, a predominant theme in this type of literature he studied. Today, he is merging political philosophy and film to engage people to think about the nature of human morality. On Feb. 18, Mudede will lead, The Cinema…
Ann Shin’s op doc, My Enemy, My Brother, is a story about Zahed and Najah, two former enemies in the Iraq and Iran war. After Zahed found Najah injured in a bunker during a raid, he risked his own life to save him. Years after the separation, both men miraculously found each other in Vancouver,…
Can beauty be found in revolution? Tyler Russell, curator of Centre A, Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, says yes, it can. Centre A hosted an afternoon discussion on Dec. 5 in response to Abounaddara. The Right to the Image, an exhibition and conference put on by the Vera List Centre for Art and…
When two film artists put their heads together, it produces a ‘franken-baby.’ In a project entitled The Pit: A Study in Horror, seven artists deconstruct the horror genre and explore the creation of the uncanny space as part of New Westminster’s New Media Gallery that features The Scary. “When we were brainstorming, the idea of…
