Year in, year out the International Shorts programme emerges as one of the most overlooked aspects of the Vancouver International Film Festival. Attendance at screenings is sparse, buzz is muted, if present at all, and very few VIFF patrons — amidst what seems to be at times almost a cacophony of films — allow themselves to have the films in the shorts programme wash over them and change their lives forever going forward.
Early on Tuesday evening, in Theatre 5 at the Granville 7, VanRamblings took in a screening of the International Shorts programme, Teen Tales, a cinematically lovely and moving, curated programme of six international short films, five of which we are over the moon about, films as well-crafted as the most accomplished films at this year’s Festival, the collective work of a group of young directors whose films we will come to admire for decades into the future, the skill of these shorts auteurs, simply peerless and embodying always a filmic intelligence, a love of the craft of filmmaking, with an absolutely shattering and utterly original presentation of narrative.

Continue reading VIFF2012: Three Young Actresses Create Film Success →

More Inside the Beltway Coverage of VIFF 2012
VanRamblings feels quite disappointed in ourselves on having focused so much attention in the early VIFF posts on various VIFF ‘glitches’ this year (and let’s face it, in every other year of VIFF’s existence, and to be perfectly honest — in every other Film Festival anywhere on this planet) that has dogged the opening days of Vancouver’s annual exhibition of world cinema.
Still and all, as a journalist, one supposes that it is our duty to report out in order that you have information you can work with. This has been the oddest year for VanRamblings VIFF coverage, though, pretty much bereft of our tried-and-true capsule reviews, focusing instead on the day-to-day machinations on the periphery of VIFF, rather than films? Odd that. Oh well.
Anyway, the above said, here we go again for today …

• Our Children: VanRamblings attended a 1pm, Monday, Vancity screening of Our Children, only to be told minutes before the screening that VIFF had been able only to acquire a degraded, time-coded production screener of the film, rather than the promised DCP ‘print’. The New York Film Festival, whose Fest is running simultaneously with ours, has both a DCP ‘print’, as well as an appearance by the film’s director, Joachim LaFosse. NYFF50 probably has in its possession the only English-subtitled DCP on the continent. New York will screen Our Children this Friday and Saturday evenings. Will VIFF find a way to acquire / have shipped the DCP of Our Children currently residing in the big smoke? And what does the snafu mean for VIFF filmgoers?

  On Monday afternoon, VanRamblings spoke with VIFF Print Traffic Co-ordinator Kathy Evans about the matter. We expressed a concern that the screener currently in VIFF’s possession — in addition to degradation of film quality — is also missing 2 minutes of content, involving a crucial scene establishing the lead character’s state of mind and her consequent inexorable decline into tragedy. For VanRamblings, we would have stayed to watch Our Children; even a degraded, time-coded DVD screener — but a screener missing crucial footage?

  Here’s what VIFF’s Kathy Evans told us about the matter: the producers of Our Children have let her know that they are anxious to get a DCP version of the film to us in time for next Monday’s and Thursday’s VIFF screenings. The producers have every incentive to do so, given that Our Children is Belgium’s Best Foreign Film Oscar nominee, and any buzz the film could garner at our VIFF Fest would only serve to help the film’s chances to gain entry as one of the five finalists in contention for an Oscar. On a concluding note: Ms. Evans assures VIFF filmgoers that she and her team are “working diligently” to ensure that VIFF acquires a DCP ‘print’ of the film as it is meant to be seen, assuring us as well, that she will keep VanRamblings apprised on any developments in the matter, so that we can keep you informed.

  Note should be made that in the 31 years that VanRamblings has attended VIFF, print acquisition problems has, annually, proven a concern, as it does for each and every Film Festival in every jurisdiction across our planet. In VanRamblings’ experience, VIFF administration conducts itself always with diligence, fortitude, integrity, sincerity and strength of purpose in serving the needs of VIFF patrons. If there’s a resolution to the matter involving Our Children to be had, senior VIFF admin, and Ms. Evans and her team, will find the resolution satisfactory to the needs of VIFF patrons.

Continue reading VIFF2012: Vancouver’s Film Festival Approaches Its Midway Point →

Most casual filmgoers attending a VIFF screening feel pretty darn good about the experience. What one sees up on screen is paramount, and the politics of the Festival remains of not even blithe concern.
Not so for the passholders.
Yes, those folks who hold a Festival pass ($400 for unlimited filmgoing, $325 if you’re a senior or a student), including the media, volunteers and Festival guests are a kvetchin’ and a moanin’ and a whinin’ this year. Who likes change? So, as part of today’s post we’ll address the early concerns that have plagued passholders, and see if we can’t put rumours to rest by getting the facts out for public consumption.

1. VIFF adopted a new, $64,000 ticketing system this year which, on the first day, proved to be slow, inept, frustrating, not particularly well thought out, and of great concern to diehard Festival passholders. Throughout Thursday all VanRamblings heard (and we spoke repeatedly with senior VIFF staff) was that VIFF was “wedded to” the new system, and it would remain in place Friday. Apparently, at some point during the VIFF opening gala, someone (one would have to think Alan Franey, Festival Director) made the decision to scrap the new VIFF ticketing system, and on Friday morning VIFF returned to distributing tickets by hand. VanRamblings sorta liked the new system, and thought it could work if the bugs were worked out. But, alas, the bugs weren’t gonna get worked out (for instance, when taking passholder film info, staff had to scroll through all films to find the specific passholder request(s) — a cumbersome at best process). At any rate, all that is old is new again.

2. When VISA pulled out as a VIFF sponsor this year, VIFF senior staff changed a passholder entry system that had long been in place. Passholders are the bread-and-butter of VIFF, the passionate movie catholics who give VIFF ‘meaning’ (not to mention a great deal of money, and much enthusiasm for the work VIFF staff perform throughout the year). VISA, as part of their sponsorship arrangement, demanded that their ‘VISA passholders’ receive “early entry”; VIFF staff extended that to all passholders. So, for years, passholders were pulled out of line to gain early entrance to screenings, followed by ticket holders, a de facto recognition of the value of the passholder contribution to the Festival. This year, with VISA gone, and no preferential demand by VISA on the table, VIFF adopted a new system, which VIFF accounts/business manager Mickey Brazeau refers to as “the new egalitarianism”, in which all those in the passholders / ticket buyers lineup gain entrance at the same time. My oh my, has this created a kerfuffle. VIFF Exhibitions Manager Teresa Weir relented on Friday night, and gave advance entrance to passholders for the 9:30 p.m. screening of Nameless Gangster. Apparently the passholder advance entry decision taken on Friday night represented a one-off; we’ll see.

Of course the kvetchin’ wasn’t limited to the two items above: concerns have been raised about what many consider to be the failure of the online ticketing system, the snail’s pace system for ordering 20/30 ticket packs, the website (e.g. one can’t search by actor any more, and when placing a title into the search engine, more often than not you’ll come up with two dozen responses), the VIFF app (film lengths are not listed), ad nauseum.

Continue reading VIFF2012 Is Well Underway, and the Moanin’ Will Out →

Each year for many, many years now, the esteemed and prestigious New York Film Festival has kicked off its run on the Friday, following the Thursday kick-off of our very own and much-looked-forward-to international film festival by the sea. And each year for many, many years, the number of films crossing over between the two festivals — meaning the number of films playing both Festivals simultaneously — has been quite substantial, a feature of both film festivals which continues on to this day.
In 2012, there are 14 films which will screen at both VIFF and the NYFF (New York’s is a much smaller, heavily-juried Festival).
Can’t make it to New York this autumn for the NYFF, well folks not to worry cuz here’s what VIFF has on tap in 2012 that the folks in the big smoke will be viewing the same time as us west coast denizens (note should be made that there are a number of films which you’ll find listed below to which VanRamblings has not made previous reference, which is all to the good for VIFF filmgoers who are still putting their VIFF film schedule together).

Aquí y allá (Here and There)
Antonio Méndez Esparza 2012
Mexico/Spain/USA | Spanish with English subtitles | 110 minutes
Pedro returns home to a small mountain village in Guerrero, Mexico after years of working in the U.S. His daughters feel more distant that he imagined, but his wife Teresa is delighted he’s back. With the money he’s earned he can create a better life for his family, and maybe even start the band with his cousins he’s dreamed about for years. But work back home remains scarce, and the temptation of heading back north of the border remains as strong as ever. Antonio Mendez Esparza has made a most remarkable début; rarely, if ever, has a film about US/Mexican border experience felt so fresh or authentic. Using non-professionals, Mendez Esparza gets remarkably nuanced performances that gives a richness of nuance and detail to each of his characters that goes way beyond cliché and stereotype. Winner of the Grand Prize at this year’s Critics Week in Cannes.

Amour
Michael Haneke 2012
France/Austria/Germany | French with English subtitles | 127 minutes
The universally acclaimed winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Amour is arguably Michael Haneke’s crowning achievement to date, a portrait of a couple dealing with the ravages of old age that is as compassionate as it is merciless. The great veteran French actors Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva are staggering as Georges and Anne, long-married music teachers living out their final years surrounded by the comforts of books and music in their warm Paris apartment. After Anne suffers a stroke, Georges attends to her with firmness shot through with love. The underlying unease, as well as some abrupt surprises, are hardly unexpected from Haneke, who challenges the viewer to confront the experience of his characters as directly as he does. But he rewards the effort with a film that is all the more moving for its complete avoidance of sentimentality. An unquestionable masterpiece.

Continue reading The 50th Annual New York Film Festival and Our VIFF →