In today’s first post in a two-part series on the curated International Shorts series screening at the 34th annual Vancouver International Film Festival, Sandy Gow — a Festival veteran, jack-of-all-trades and VIFF Programmer since 1988 (the first year Senior Programmer PoChu AuYeung joined VIFF, as well) — will provide insight into each of the international series that have emerged as four distinct shorts programmes at VIFF2015.

In My Shoes, five transgender teens talk about what it’s like to be them | Australia | 7 min.

Three notes should be made about the International Shorts programme …

• The International Shorts programme is too often overlooked by VIFF patrons who while striving to see the best in world cinema — those rare gems that will never grace our shores again and must be seen at VIFF and only VIFF — neglect to consider that the birth of the finely-honed features that emerge as life-changing events at VIFF often occur within the realm of the 9-to-15-minute short, a film in the truest sense (despite its length) that garners the necessary attention to allow the novice filmmaker to make a longer form feature film.

• At the Festival, this year or any other year Sandy Gow has curated an International Shorts programme, VIFF offers patrons only one “lock” on filmic quality, one cinematic guarantee, a “you can take it to the bank” surety, and that is: most, if not all, of the films in any given international shorts programme will come to represent the best experience you will have inside a darkened theatre over your 16 days at VIFF. Sandy’s heart, his intellect, and the wisdom of his years are poured into the decisions he makes in choosing from among the 700 entries for consideration of inclusion in his shorts programmes (500 of which films Sandy sees himself), the thirty-seven shorts included in the four curated programmes at VIFF2015 a winsome combination of intimate, humane, thoughtful, provocative, revelatory, and heartbreakingly extraordinary chronicles of the human condition.

• Competition. Take a gander at your Facebook feed, or listen to the conversations in the lineups as passholders “discuss” how many films they’ve seen that day, and what their “count” of films screened is as of any given day — in some sense VIFF is, at times, a “competition” to see the most films (and why not? what a treat to see 100+ films!). Imagine the following: take in a screening of every one of the 37 shorts in the four IS programmes, and your number of films screened will surely come close to or break the magic 100 number! Although a gentle humility defines the approach of the VIFF veteran to her fellow Festival patrons, a bit of boastfulness from time to time surely cannot be out of place. Thirty-seven films added to your list of films seen at VIFF2015, and a glorious and transformative 415 minutes in the cinema! At the Vancouver International Film Festival, we call that bliss.

Now on to the business at hand, the charmingly avuncular Sandy Gow on the first two of the International Shorts programmes up for discussion …

In The Still of the Night, a beautiful and disturbing period piece | Austria | 14 min.

In the Dark Reaches of the Soul
A programme of beautiful, haunting and often disturbing films — though sometimes in these dark reaches we find hope
Friday, October 2nd, at 6:15pm, International Village, Cinema 8
Tuesday, October 6th, at 4pm, International Village, Cinema 8
“An alternative title for this series may well have been “Disturbing Endings,” because there are many films in this programme that have really quite disturbing endings. The intriguing aspect of the eight films in this series is that although the films are often unsettling, the disturbing ending is left until almost the very last moment of the film. The last punch is the last punch; there’s no attempt to contextualize, there’s no addendum, you’re just left sitting there saying, “Holy shit! I didn’t see that coming.”

Soap, the Canadian première of Christopher Brown’s short film | United Kingdom | 16 min.

Great Performances
This programme of shorts highlights stellar acting, and demonstrates how vital this is to the success of a film as a whole, whether a two-hander or an ensemble piece.
Saturday, October 3rd, at 9pm, International Village, Cinema 9
Wednesday, October 7th, at 1pm, International Village, Cinema 8
“Until I make the final selections, I have no idea what any of the themes of the programmes are; there are no preconceptions. Great Performances was a programme that began to emerge when, as I was selecting films, I saw a group of films with terrific performances. Two years ago, I curated a programme titled Two Handers, which was a great way to highlight acting; in 2015, it occurred to me we could do something, although not quite the same, somewhat similar in that it would highlight great acting.”
“Over the course of the year, I often see films where good ideas are let down by less than stellar performances. If the acting doesn’t deliver, all of the other work that goes into making a film goes to waste, a great script, a good director, luminous cinematography, all that can come to nought.”
“Of the four International Shorts series this year, the Great Performances programme is the most diverse: the only criteria for this series was … great acting. You’ve got The Moor, featuring a great many New York actors you’ll recognize almost immediately; it’s such a beautiful ensemble piece.”

“Operator features essentially a solo performance — and is a must-see, the most intense six and half minutes you’ll ever have experienced in a theatre. You walk away from Operator with a newfound respect for the folks who work in emergency services handling the 911 calls — your head is just turned around. Operator is also one of the three films in this series where the offscreen sound is critically important. Injury Time, Operator and Soap — in all three films, offscreen sound is almost like a character in the film.”

Cherry Cake | International Premiere | In attendance: Director Jaine Green | UK | 15 min.

“There are some surprises in this series, as well: Cherry Cake is just a delight, again with two veteran British actors — I don’t want to give it away, but you have to wonder how Eve Pearce was talked into appearing opposite Matthew Kelly in the film. It’ll be a hot topic of conversation at the Q&A afterwards, when director Jaine Green will be taking questions.”

VIFF venue manager extraordinaire, the lovely Brie Koniczek (on the right) with VIFF staff

Brie Koniczek has worked with the Vancouver International Film Festival for a number of years, and during her time with VIFF has taken on the herculean task of managing various of the VIFF venues (we first wrote about Brie in 2011), this year and for the past couple of years, the Cineplex International Village site. Last year VanRamblings wrote about Brie …

“In the centre of an early morning storm at the Cineplex site Brie, and Brie alone, working with volunteer staff, remained calm, always smiling, always genuine (utterly, utterly genuine and humane), always lovely and engaging beyond words, communicative, warming, welcoming and reassuring while assuming the onerous responsibility of taking virtually sole responsibility for overseeing the ingress of three long lines of patrons, distributing the “ticketing chits”, directing volunteer staff quietly, efficiently, and humanely, all the while interacting with and re-assuring patrons in all three lines, and down in the will call / rush line-up, that all was well, Brie’s commitment always to logistically pristine exhibition management, and a most salutary patron experience.”

Of course, Brie does not manage the VIFF Cineplex site all on her own.
In 2015, the good lookin’ and quintessentially organized Peter Quin-Conroy, the ever-wonderful and humane Sue Cormier, among others (and let’s not forget VIFF’s Audience Relations Manager, Mickey Brazeau, quite simply one of my favourite people on the planet), find themselves pulling “management duty” at the VIFF Cineplex International Village site, all to good effect, providing the best possible VIFF patron experience.
Then, along with Mickey, there’s the VIFF team of managers who pulled the whole logistically pristine venue management scheme together for 2015 (and wildly successful it is this year, too): in particular, Faye Parlow, VIFF’s Operations Manager, and Lori Strong, VIFF’s Office & Facility Manager, about whom there has been much positive buzz this year …

“It was Faye and Lori who, along with Mickey, pulled in new managers this year, and it’s the three of them who are in good measure responsible for the success we’ve had at the various venues, in 2015.”

In a future post, VanRamblings will introduce you to the new, 2015 VIFF venue managers, when we’ll write about the returning managers, as well. And, of course, it goes without saying (but should be said nonetheless), that all of us who love the Vancouver International Film Festival are grateful-beyond-words for the invaluable role VIFF volunteers play in helping to keep VIFF an accessible, welcoming & pleasurable experience for patrons.

Given all of the above, there is one reigning intelligence overseeing VIFF venue management this year, as he did for the first time last year as the newly-installed VIFF Exhibitions Manager, the one person about whom everyone VanRamblings has spoken with about venue management in 2015 year speaks about in reverential tones of near awe and amazement, and that transcendent personage of nonpareil accomplishment would be …

Sean Wilson, 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival Exhibitions Manager | VIFF2015

Yes, that would be Sean Wilson above who at VIFF2015 may be found alone, sequestered deep inside a darkened room, almost recumbent and near zen-like in front of the VIFF venue management computer at this year’s glorious, one-of-a-kind, long-to-be-fondly-remembered 34th annual Vancouver International Film Festival, you know, the computer that tracks the whereabouts of volunteers (and whether they’re going to make their shifts), tracks the gloriously structured and structural venue management team, the computer into which streams messages of importance (the emergent kind, the oh-so-don’t let them happen, but gawd it’s going to happen anyway emergency variety, and the not-quite-so-problematical non-emergency kind), and at the centre of this maelstrom of information?
The seer, the one, the only Sean Wilson — you likely won’t see a great deal of Sean this first week of the Festival, but when you do … thank him (and thank Brie, too). And, when you find yourself at The Vancity Theatre, acknowledge the very fine Donna Soares (a find by VIFF Audience Relations Manager Mickey Brazeau, who spotted Donna performing wonderful service at the Push Festival), and the peerless Kaen Seguin, Robyn Wilson and Jennifer Tennant at The Centre, and (once again) Peter, Brie, Mickey, Sue and Mike at VIFF’s Cineplex site, and all of the fine VIFF venue managers at The Playhouse, SFU Woodwards, The Cinematheque and The Rio.

Room | Dir. Lenny Abrahamson | Author: Emma Donoghue | Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay

Every year, there’s a breakout film, usually an independently-produced film, that seemingly comes out of nowhere to take the critics, and appreciative audiences, by storm, emerging as Oscar bait, finally finding itself so ingrained in the Oscar conversation that it goes on to a slew of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominations. In 2015, Room is that film.
Garnering immense positive buzz at the Telluride Film Festival in early September, and going on to win the prestigious People’s Choice award at the Toronto Film Festival — where Room received an unprecedented and wildly enthusiastic 15-minute standing ovation — director Lenny Abrahamson’s adaptation of Canadian-Irish author Emma Donoghue’s acclaimed best-seller (Ms. Donoghue also wrote the screenplay for the film) opens tonight at VIFF2015, at the gorgeous and inviting Centre for the Performing Arts, in what is sure to be a sold-out screening of the probable recipient of Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor (5-year-old local actor Jacob Tremblay will likely become the youngest ever Oscar award nominee), Best Screenplay, and a raft of other accolades, and subsequent Independent Spirit/Gotham and, finally, well-deserved Oscar nominations.

Variety | Justin Chang
The cramped 11-by-11-foot interior of a sealed, sound-proof garden shed isn’t the only thing keeping a boy and his mother prisoner in Room, a suspenseful and heartrending drama that finds perhaps the most extreme possible metaphor for how time, regret and the end of childhood can make unknowing captives of us all.
Indiewire | Eric Kohn, Chief Film Critic | A-
Director Lenny Abrahamson seamlessly translates Emma Donoghue’s masterful work into cinematic terms with his gripping and involving adaptation, the drama owing just as much to its two stars, Brie Larson and newcomer Jacob Tremblay, whose textured, human-scale performances turn distressing circumstance into a credible and tense tale of survival.

Note: Author Emma Donoghue will be in attendance at tonight’s screening of Room to introduce the film, and take part in a Q&A after the screening.
Bring tissues. Get your tickets now. Line up early. See ya tonight, at Room.

Senior VIFF Programmer PoChu AuYeung, and the ever dour and oh-so-weary J.B. Shayne

Well, here we are into Day Four of the 34th annual Vancouver International Film Festival — the most logistically pristine Festival in all of its 34 voluptuously triumphant years — and the films just keep on comin’. And what a great Festival for world cinema VIFF 2015 has proven to be …
Non-Fiction (America) | In Transit

In Transit | Albert Maysles’ visionary new film | VIFF Canadian Premiere | a VIFF must-see
In Transit (Grade: A+): A non-fiction film that revels in the search for the authentic self, celebrated documentarian Albert Maysles’ final film is all at once: groundbreaking, masterful, chillingly powerful, thoughtful, intimate, engaging, philosophical, and an extraordinarily humane chronicle on the narrative power of our everyday lives. As Ronnie Scheib, in Variety, writes, “a fitting farewell to an American ethnographer.” Showtimes: October 5th, 10:30am, Cin8; Oct. 7th, 7pm, Cin10; Oct. 8th, 2pm, Cin10. A must-see.
Canadian / Quebeçois | Ville-Marie

Ville-Marie (Grade: A-): Guy Édoin’s lushly appointed film keenly observes four characters: Pierre (Patrick Hivon), an ambulance driver coping with PTSD, Marie (the luminous Pascale Bussières), an ER nurse at the understaffed Ville-Marie Hospital, Sophie Bernard (Monica Bellucci), a European actress who’s in Montréal to shoot a semi-autobiographical film, and Thomas (Aliocha Schneider), her gay son, who is increasingly insistent that she reveal the name of his father and the circumstances of his birth. Captivating from beginning to end as it comes to focus on the mercies of the protagonists’ past tragedies, Ville-Marie moves from strength to strength to strength, from movie’s outset to its relevatory denouement. Showtimes: October 1st, 9:15pm, Cin10; Oct. 4th, 10:30am, Cin8.
Non-Fiction (Iranian) | No Land’s Song

No Land’s Song (Grade: A): Three years ago, the Iranian singer and composer Sara Najafi came up with the idea of hosting a concert in Tehran, her hometown. It was a plan so audacious, it seemed slightly crazy. The concert would be “a festival of the female voice” featuring solo singers — not just Iranians, but artists from France and Tunisia, too. Nothing like it had been attempted in Iran for 35 years: after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, women were banned from singing solo in public.
No Land’s Song review: Tender, undeniable, deeply affecting (or, as one critic wrote, “incredibly emotional“), provocative, risky, occasionally hugely depressing and, in the end, thrillingly heartbreaking and heart-stoppingly redemptive, No Land’s Song is one of the must-see documentary films at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival. Showtimes: September 29th, 10:30am, Cin8; October 3rd, 9pm & October 5th, 4pm, Playhouse.