More than 100 artworks from top local and international artists such as Tiko Kerr, Holly Armishaw and London-based Emily Carr graduate Andrew Salgado will be up for bids at the 20th Annual Art for Life Fine Art Auction on Nov. 16 at the CBC Studios. Supported by galleries, private collectors and artists, the event hopes to raise at least $200,000 for the Vancouver Friends for Life Society which provides holistic health services, a daily meal program and in-home end-of-life care, for free, to people who face life-threatening illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, cancer and cystic fibrosis. As party-goers view which art theyd like hanging on their wall, theyll be entertained by live performances by DJ Calhoun and Melody Courage of Vivace and Nathalie Heath and Mackenzie Green from So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Tickets to whats always been a magical night are $90 and are available at ArtForLife.net. Tiko Kerrs Friends for a Better Life (pictured) is this years featured painting.
In a year when short stories are getting their due Alice Munros Nobel Prize for Literature and Lynne Coadys Giller the Vancouver Short Film Festival is lauding little gems of cinematic story-telling. Included is Vancouver actor Mackenzie Grays Under the Bridge of Fear, a noir thriller that doubles as a love letter to Vancouver. (Youve got to love characters with names such as Hamilton Drake and Georgia Thurlow.) The 21 short films and four web series episodes run the gamut of human emotions, exposing our strengths, foibles and complexities. Theres also BC All Stars, a selection of notable local films (and this in a city where a lot of great filmes are made.) The festival is November 15 and 16 at Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour.) Tickets are $11 each or $40 for a pass for students/seniors; or $13 each or $55 for a pass for adults. Must be 19 and older to attend.
Cineworks is hosting a film and media showcase featuring three filmmakers Jason Karman, Nathan Boey and Brian Lye who want to engage in a lively discussion. Its Nov. 20 from 7 to 9pm at 1131 Howe (back entrance.) Free.
Filmmaker Todd Haynes (Mildred Pierce, Far from Heaven) will share his insights with The Cinematheques artistic director Jim Sinclair on November 15. The evening starts with a red carpet reception at 6:30, followed by the two in conversation (including a Q&A) at 8pm and a screening of Im Not There, Haynes Bob Dylan biopic starring Cate Blanchett, Bem Wishar, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and Richard Gere at 8:30. $40 for all three or $25 for Todd Haynes in Conversation and the film. 1131 Howe Street;
Malian songwriter Rokia Traoré has a powerful voice both when shes performing her own music and as a human rights activists. Shell be weaving blues, rock and pop with traditional African instruments and sounds when she performs at The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC on November17. Tickets are $36 to $72 and are available at Ticketmaster.ca, 1-855-985-2787, or in person at the Chan Centre ticketoffice, 6265 Crescent Road.
This is banjo playing as youve never quite heard it before. The Nov. 16 concert at the Vancouver Playhouse brings together Evelyn Chang on sanxian (Chinese banjo), Nick Hornbuckle playing bluegrass banjo, Hiroshi Yamaguchi on tsugaru shamisen (pictured.) The emcee is linguist Dr. Jan Wells. Tickets $20 available at VancouverChineseMusic.ca.
This ones more of a heads up than a Week Ahead: Arrival Agency, the team behind the former incarnation of the Waldorf Hotel, is planning a massive New Years Eve party in five ballrooms at the Hotel Vancouver. There will be a Vegas-style variety show, three rooms of dance music, a multi-media installation. Up to 1,000 people are expected to attend, with tickets ranging from $65 to 99. Go to HotelVancouverNYE2014.com for details.
