The 17th annual DOXA Documentary Film Festival kicked off Thursday evening with a raucous and jam-packed sold-out screening of filmmaker Teresa Alfeld’s indispensable chronicle of Vancouver’s most beloved City Councillor ever, the lauded première of Harry Rankin: Legacy of a Radical.
The second DOXA 2018 screening of Harry Rankin: Legacy of a Radical, scheduled for this upcoming Tuesday — sad to report — is also sold-out.
Fortunately, for those who were not able to secure a ticket to Alfeld’s wildly popular DOXA 2018 opening nignt film, the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Vancity Theatre programmer, Tom Charity, has booked two additional screenings of the film, in early June, with tickets available here.
Of course, every cinéaste in town, every person of conscience who knows how critically important it is to support the arts in Vancouver, and to remind ourselves in the most compelling way possible — through film and the window on our world independently-made cinema presents to us — knows how important it is to turn up for the DOXA Documentary Film Festival. All of which means, that if you haven’t booked your tickets, Festival Pass, ticket pack or Industry pass, you’ll want to do so now by clicking right here!
The first question VanRamblings is asked by any filmgoer planning to attend one or another of our town’s many film festivals is: what do you recommend, what’s worth seeing, where do I start?
Well, Shawn Conner — long one of our town’s most-respected arts critics — in an article written for and published on Inside Vancouver, has found five DOXA films that you just shouldn’t miss. Otherwise, DOXA 2018’s incomparable Programme Director, Selina Hammond — one of our town’s very best people, an activist (and lover of cinema) of the first order presents a few stirling ideas for you, as to where you might turn your attention between now, and DOXA 2018’s end date, Sunday, May 13th.
“At DOXA, we pride ourselves on programming independent documentaries and unique voices.
In 2018, I would like to highlight for your readers our FRENCH FRENCH programme, another spectacular programme this year, curated for the fourth consecutive year by Thierry Gorel. This year, DOXA’s Spotlight French Programme is dedicated to the work of Alain Cavalier.
Cavalier, was awarded the Maître du Réel (Master of the Réel) at the Visions du Réel Film Festival last year, as a renowned member of the Nouvelle Vague. At DOXA 2018, we’re presenting six Cavalier shorts, 13-minute beautifully observed mini vignettes of the most elegant and intimate kind, focusing on women and trades, which are paired with his latest film — which, by the way, is a North American première — Six Portraits XL, created from material Cavalier filmed of six different friends over the course of many years.
There are also several new French documentaries by women directors that are amazing. Secret Nest is one of my favourites, The Neighbours is also quite lovely, and very much worth catching. We are fortunate this year to have the directors of both films at DOXA 2018, Sophie Bredier and Ruth Zylberman, respectively, will who will present the screenings of their films, and afterwards engage in a Q&A with the audience.
For many years, Ms. Crammond — who as we’ve written above — loves film, and in consequence has worked with the good folks who bring us the Vancouver International Film Festival each autumn, where a much-looked-forward-to highlight of VIFF’s programme are the “shorts” lovingly curated by Sandy Gow. Such, musta rubbed off on Selina Crammond, cuz …
“As is the case every year, if folks are looking to gain an inside track on filmmakers on the verge of worldwide feature film recognition, DOXA’s shorts programme just can’t be beat, each year and again this year challenging the viewer with groupings of the most humane and provocative films you’ll find inside of a darkened movie theatre.
Shifting Worlds includes some beautiful work, as does Framing Landscapes, and the Rethinking Representation shorts programme.
In Vancouver, we don’t really have a proper venue for filmmakers working in different lengths. The various elements of DOXA’s shorts programme presents an opportunity for the work of great filmmakers to shine, and an opportunity for filmgoers to be blown away, always the best part of attending one of our town’s many film festivals, don’t you think?”
Well more than 100 films, lovingly curated by an activist, democratically-inspired programming group, and the one opportunity that you’ll get this year to attend western Canada’s première non-fiction film festival.
DOXA 2018. Requires your support. Get your tickets now. See ya at DOXA!
