The race for the 2015 Leo Awards begins this September at the 2014 Vancouver International Film Festival, where 13 BC-made feature films will screen as part of a special Spotlight on BC showcase.
VIFF launched the series last year in an effort to bolster the local industry after it had been wracked by a perfect storm of difficult challenges (remember #SaveBCfilm?), to overwhelming success: The showcase earned the highest audience ratings in VIFF history.
The 13 features confirmed for the 2014 Spotlight on BC run the gamut from comedy to thrillers, drama to documentaries. There are new docs from celebrated filmmakers Vic Sarin (The Boy from Geita) and Julia Kwan (Everything Will Be), and daring features from emerging directors Soran Mardookhi (Turbulence) and Jason Bourque (Black Fly).
Vancouver actress Sonja Bennett makes her screenwriting debut with Preggoland, in which she stars alongside James Caan and Danny Trejo, and We Are the City drummer Andrew Huculiak introduces himself as a director in Violent, an atmospheric flick shot in Norway and inspired by his band’s latest album.
Rounding out this baker’s dozen of BC films:
• Bloody Knuckles (Matt O’Mahoney)
• Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story (Grant Baldwin)
• Martin’s Pink Pickle (Rene Brar)
• The Pristine Coast (Scott Reynard)
• Sitting on the Edge of Marlene (Ana Valine)
• Songs She Wrote About People She Knows (Kris Elgstrand)
• and Two 4 One (Maureen Bradley)
Also on the schedule: A 25th anniversary screening of Anne Wheeler’s Bye Bye Blues.
In addition, VIFF will hand out two cash awards to BC filmmakers: A $10,000 Best BC Film award, and a $7500 BC Emerging Filmmaker award.
VIFF runs Sept. 25 to Oct. 10 at an array of local venues, and WE Vancouver will have plenty of film fest coverage in upcoming issues. Watch this space for filmmaker interviews, red carpet photos, and reviews.
