Inside Vancouver

Eight movies to see at this year’s European Film Festival in Vancouver

by Shawn Conner in Events on November 17, 2017

A scene from As We Were Dreaming, one of the films screening at this year’s European Film Festival.

The East German Trainspotting, Hungary’s highest-budgeted film, and Romania’s entry for the upcoming Academy Awards are among the films screening at this year’s European Film Festival (Nov. 24-Dec. 4).

Presented by Cinematheque (1131 Howe St.), the Vancouver consulates and the Ottawa embassies of the member states of the European Union and the Delegation of the European Union to Canada, the 20th Annual European Union Film Festival features entries from 25 EU members. Vancouver audiences can experience the culture of these countries without buying a plane ticket, never mind squeezing into those narrower and narrower seats and fighting for space in the overhead bins.

Here are some, but by no means all, of the highlights from this year’s festival.

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Eight movies to see at this year’s European Film Festival in Vancouver

VIFF’s Sea to Sky stream presents the best of BC

by Shawn Conner in Entertainment on September 26, 2017

A still from the documentary Meet Beau Dick.

The 2017 Vancouver International Film Festival starts in just two days. That means hundreds of films from all over the world are coming to Vancouver theatres Sept 28-Oct 13. And there’s a special spotlight on B.C.-made work, too.

The Sea to Sky programming stream documentaries, full-length features, discussions and more from the creative nexus that is British Columbia. Here’s a look at some of what’s on offer.

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VIFF’s Sea to Sky stream presents the best of BC

Canadian picks at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival

by Shawn Conner in Events on September 22, 2017

A scene from the BC-shot Suck It Up.

While the Toronto International Film Festival premieres many of the high-profile, Oscar-baiting Hollywood releases, the Vancouver International Film Festival has carved a niche for itself by emphasizing Canadian and foreign releases. This year’s Canadian slate includes feature films and documentaries in the True North program as well as films by emerging filmmakers in the Future//Present series. Here’s a look at a few of the more notable Canadian releases screening at the fest, which runs Sept. 28-Oct 13 at various theatres in town.

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Canadian picks at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival

Cinematheque announces its summer film noir lineup!

by Shawn Conner in Uncategorized on July 10, 2017

William Gargan and Janis Carter in Night Editor.

In what’s become a Vancouver/Cinematheque tradition, every summer brings a new lineup of classic noir films to the arthouse theatre on Howe. Thanks to some clever sleuthing (i.e. an email request), we were able to procure an early look at the top-secret programme. Herewith, some of the private eyes, femme fatales and evil masterminds coming to the city this August.

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Cinematheque announces its summer film noir lineup!

Never mind La La Land, Frankenstein Created Bikers is coming to Vancouver!

by Shawn Conner in Uncategorized on February 15, 2017

Vancouver actor Tristan Risk in Frankenstein Created Bikers.

Film fans are getting excited about February 26.

Sure, that’s the date we’ll find out by how much the musical La La Land cleans up at the 89th Academy Awards. But it’s also the day that Vancouver gets to see Frankenstein Created Bikers.

Described by screenanarchy.com as a “love letter to exploitation films carved into a bullet -and sent skyrocketing into the air after several beers on the Fourth of July at a biker rally,” the 2016 film is screening as part of the Third Annual Badass Film Festival at the Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway, near Commercial). In all, the one-day festival is screening three full-length movies as well as over 20 short films, and includes an awards ceremony, trailers and live performances.

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Never mind La La Land, Frankenstein Created Bikers is coming to Vancouver!

See the Turkish cat film Variety called “magical and remarkable”

by Shawn Conner in Uncategorized on November 19, 2016

A tense scene from the Turkish documentary Kedi.

A documentary about what it’s like to be a cat in Istanbul is coming to town as part of the Turkish Film Festival.

First screened to three sold-out houses with this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival, Kedi chronicles the lives of Istanbul’s cat population. The acclaimed “furcumentary” (sorry/not sorry!) uses innovative filming techniques to bring audiences eye-to-eye with its four-legged protagonists. Kedi has been described as “a must-see for animal lovers—or simply—anyone who feels like taking a stroll in the nostalgic neighbourhoods of Istanbul.” It’s one of a number of delights screening as part of this year’s Turkish Film Festival (Nov. 25-27 at Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St.). And it’s not even the only cat film!

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See the Turkish cat film Variety called “magical and remarkable”

Pregnancy revenge flick Prevenge, and four more reasons to check out the Rio Grind Film Festival

by Shawn Conner in Uncategorized on October 27, 2016

prevenge-3

Good news, fans of horror, sci-fi and other-types-of-genre movies. The Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway) is bringing back its Rio Grind Film Festival, which features some of the most buzzed-about indie (and occasionally big-studio) flicks from festivals around the world, some of which are screening in Vancouver for the first – and possibly last! – time.

So get some friends together, check the schedule (at riotheatretickets.ca), and block off some time Nov. 4-6 to see these wild, often deranged and definitely not-ready-for-the-multiplex movies, including our picks.

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Pregnancy revenge flick Prevenge, and four more reasons to check out the Rio Grind Film Festival