The 30th annual Vancouver International Film Festival got off to a rough start first thing Thursday morning, with buzz in the line-up for tickets that the VIFF administration planned to proceed with the Opening Gala reception at the Rocky Mountaineer Station — even given that Vision Vancouver councillors had raised the profile of Rocky Mountain owner Peter Armstrong’s lockout of 108 onboard attendants after unionized workers had served strike notice, turning the lockout into a hot button political issue.

When the Vancouver Film Festival Director told the Globe and Mail …

“We had used that site several times before and when our staff went to look at it there was no picket line up,” said VIFF director Alan Franey. “We have since learned there was a picket line somewhere else that day … but I didn’t learn about this issue until after working hours yesterday.”

Continue reading VIFF 2011, Day One: Rough, But Rewarding, First Day →

Wish you could hop on a plane to Gotham City so you could catch the heavily juried and prestigious 49th annual New York Film Festival?
Have we got a treat for you. You can have your own NYFF here in town!
Yes, this year, of the 22 films playing this early autumn at the New York Film Festival (which, by the way, kicks off tomorrow), an unprecedented 17 of those films will screen at the 30th annual Vancouver International Film Festival! Wondering why we didn’t include the award-winning films below in our postings the past couple of days, well here’s your answer: we held off til today to bring you this surprise, a listing of NYFFestival films at VIFF30.
Without further ado, then, here’s what’s playing at VIFF and the NYFF.

Continue reading VIFF 2011: The New York Film Festival Brought To Vancouver →

We’re only hours away from the kick-off to the 30th annual Vancouver International Film Festival, 16 days of cinematic glory on our west coast shores, a time when we might immerse ourselves in the best of film from across the globe. With so much to see, how to make sense of the tsunami of cinema that will wash over us between now and Friday October 14th?
Yesterday, we provided some insight into 16 of the films that will screen at VIFF30, the work of talented filmmakers that have garnered accolades and awards on some far distant shore, as well as those buzz films that taken the critics by storm. Today we present 16 more films for your cinematic edification, replete with linked reviews and insight. So, here we go …

Continue reading VIFF 2011: Award-Winning & Festival Buzz Films, Part Two →

With 275 feature films and more than 100 ‘shorts’ from 75 countries across the globe from which to choose, how does the avid VIFF festival attendee know which films to choose for an optimal Festival-going experience?
Of course, each individual festival-goer attending this year’s 30th annual Vancouver International Film Festival establish criteria for determining their personal Festival programme, be it Asian film, U.S. independents, European cinema, films from the Middle East, films with a focus on musical artists, or hard-hitting documentaries. Quite simply, there’s a panoply of films from which to choose. How do you programme your own Festival attendance?
To provide assistance in the ‘chore of choosing’ VanRamblings will provide links, and external reviews, to the 35 or so buzz films arriving at VIFF30, from the award-winning films to the films which have enraptured the critics at other Festivals. Here we go with Part One. Hang on to your hats!

Continue reading VIFF 2011: The Award-Winning & Buzz Films at This Year’s Festival →