VIFF ready for cinema celebration this month in spite of Hollywood strikes
Vancouver International Film Festival will be launching its highly anticipated 42nd edition in Vancouver later this month.
And though the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) strikes are still ongoing, VIFF said that it is ready to treat audiences to an exciting cinema celebration from September 28 to October 8.
According to Curtis Woloschuk, director of programming for VIFF, the impacts on the festival by the dual ongoing Hollywood strikes have been minimal.
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“In 2022, less than 10 percent of our feature films were American productions. That’s fairly customary for us,” Woloschuk told Daily Hive. “Given that, we were able to proceed with planning our festival film program as usual, knowing that our focus would continue to be showcasing Canadian and Indigenous cinema, along with films produced in dozens of nations other than the United States.”
VIFF 2023 features approximately 140 feature films and 100 shorts from around the world. The festival’s 42nd edition will also include insightful talkbacks, conferences, live performances, and other special events.
VIFF (Svenja Mehmke/Submitted)
“We’ve primarily felt the effects with our Industry programming,” explained Woloschuk. “We would have loved to have hosted some leading American showrunners so they could take us behind the scenes on some major episodic series, but this year won’t be the year to do that.
“Instead, the writing sessions at our Industry Days will primarily be focused on the outstanding homegrown films in our lineup. In terms of our VIFF Talks, it gives us an opportunity to focus on Production Designers and Sound Designers whose contributions are so critical to realizing a director’s vision.”
VIFF Talks events include:
- “Welcome to Barbie Land” on Friday, September 29 with Oscar-nominated production designer Sarah Greenwood and Oscar-nominated set decorator Kate Spencer.
- “Creating Epic Sound Art: From Dune to Mad Max Fury Road” with two-time Oscar-winning sound designer Mark Mangini
- “Canadaland Presents: The Backbench Live!” — a live taping with host and Jeopardy! superstar Mattea Roach
- “Building the Closet of Oppenheimer” with Emmy-winning costume designer Ellen Mirojnick
VIFF Talks (Christopher Edmonstone/Submitted)
“This year’s film program was made possible through the dedication and passion of our largest programming team in years,” added Woloschuk in a release. “With thousands of films in consideration, it was through ongoing conversation and collaboration that we ultimately arrived at our selection.
“We feel our audience understands that the current work stoppage is about pay equity rather than disrupting the appreciation of cinema. Again, the number of films in our lineup produced by struck companies is nominal.”
Check out the full VIFF 2023 schedule online.
Vancouver International Film Festival 2023
When: September 28 to October 8, 2023
Time: Various times
Where: Various locations
Tickets: Single tickets range from $13 to $18, with ticket packs and festival passes also available. VIFF+ Members receive discounts on all VIFF tickets and the free U25 membership offers additional discounts to those between the ages of 19 and 25. Purchase online.
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