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The Eastside Culture Crawl (ECC) is back with extended dates: Nov. 2–9, 12–15 and 19–22. A virtual crawl is also available for the 2020 edition to make art viewing safer for Vancouverites. Among the many artists and artisans taking part in this colourful cultural festival, one perfectly represents the soul of the ECC. Sorour Abdollahi…
Perhaps there is no better phrase to capture the spirit of 2020 than “what’s your 20?” – a film industry vernacular meaning ”what is your location.” Expanding on the meaning of this special theme, the 24th Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) hopes to explore issues related to people’s physical and mental states while shedding light…
After ten successful years, the Vancouver South African Film Festival (VSAFF) returns in a new format. Due to COVID-19 and to constraints around in-person gatherings, VSAFF has partnered with the Toronto South African Film Festival in 2020 to host one online event that spans across Canada. The renamed South African Film Festival runs Nov. 1–12,…
Three musical performances of the works of New Mexico-based composer, sound artist, and visual artist Raven Chacon, including a performance of his composition American Ledger, will be presented virtually on Nov. 20, at the University of British Columbia’s Chan Centre, by the UBC Symphonic Wind Ensemble. “With American Ledger, I’m using the score as an opportunity to…
Elegant and intricate fashion wire sculptures inspired by the aesthetic styles from Korea’s Joseon Dynasty are currently on display at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA). The newly acquired works, Blue JangOt (2015) and Dream in Green JoGoRe (2013) are made by Key-Sook Geum, a well-established Korean artist and scholar with an extensive body of work.…
Author and playwright Anosh Irani will be debuting his new play, Buffoon, at the Granville Island Stage. Viewers can transport themselves into the bigtop and delve into the inner world of the complex and boisterous circus performer. Buffoon will run from Oct. 22–Dec. 6. Buffoon may be Irani’s first one-man show, but he is far from a novice of…
In September, Iranian-Canadian musician and composer Saeid Kooshki joined Tsleil-Waututh filmmaker and poet Rachelle George for an evening of music and poetry at Maplewood Flats in North Vancouver. While George recited the works of her great grandfather Chief Dan George, Kooshki brought to the performance 36 years of experience with the santoor, a traditional Persian…
A girl torn between her curiosity for a young maid and her need to maintain her higher social class; a sister torn between her love for her brother and her duty to herself and to a country that asks too much; a daughter pulled between the love of her quarreling and separated parents. These are…
Most Canadians are somewhat familiar with the history and the plight of the Indigenous people, however, few knew of the struggles of other ethnic groups who had to overcome significant obstacles in a hostile environment in order to make this land their home. An upcoming exhibition Cheap! Diligent! Faithful! at grunt gallery from Sept. 25–Dec. 12 hopes…
B.C.-based francophone singer-songwriter Alisa Blanc performed her brand of moody smooth guitar pop for the Surrey Fusion Festival on Sept. 28, 2020. While she is currently writing music and studying in Japan, Blanc was raised in France before moving to B.C. During that time she has made the most of B.C.’s francophone singer-songwriter opportunities, all…
Set to premiere in Vancouver in 2021, Santiago Farías Calderón’s translation of Mexican playwright Edgar Chías looks at different forms of abuse towards women as it invites the audience to understand sexism as a form of violence. Calderón’s translation of the play El Cielo en La Piel, by Chías, shows that discussions written more than…
Rohit Chokhani, executive director of the Vancouver Fringe Festival, led the shift to all-virtual organizing while he was quarantined in India. He talks about the unexpected benefits of planning the theatre festival remotely, ongoing changes in response to the pandemic and how the festival is supporting its Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) artists…
Summer 2020 may not be the season of traveling and parties we all anticipated, but online readings and workshops (from Sept. 19–27) will be available for those interested in the work of countless Canadian authors and poets. Dakshana Bascaramurty, a Globe and Mail journalist, shares her debut non-fiction book This is Not the End of Me at the…
