Made in Vancouver at VIFF

Credit: ‘Altitude,’ courtesy Alliance Films

Vancouver director and comic book artist Kaare Andrews’s film ‘Altitude’ brings Cthulhu to the sky.

Vancouver filmmakers bring heart, horror and humour to hometown audiences at VIFF

It’s called the Vancouver International Film Festival, but our city’s much anticipated annual cinematic event also showcases an excellent selection of our best local talent, rewarding them with that coveted hometown big screen slot.

Attending the screening of a Vancouver-made flick is an electric experience, with directors, key cast members and other instrumental talent in attendance, basking in the glow of hard-earned applause from a hometown audience.

Below are our picks for films made by Vancouver-area people screening at VIFF this year. Follow the links to learn more about the locals involved.

Altitude

If you think Canadian festival films are all sleepy dramas in the snow, local director (and comic book artist) Kaare Andrews blows this tired cliché out the escape hatch with this Lovecraftian airplane nightmare. Fasten your seatbelts—we’re experiencing a slight bit of Cthulhu… Details

Amazon Falls

Director Katrin Bowen turns a scathing lens on the Los Angeles dream factory in her first feature film, Amazon Falls, exploring a B-movie actress’s harmful obsession with stardom. Starring North Vancouver’s own April Amber Telek. Details

An Ecology of Mind

Nora Bateson directs a tribute to her anthropologist father Gregory Bateson, a multi-facetted luminary whose work continues to inform our ideas about complex societal systems. Details

Fathers and Sons

Festival darling director Carl Bessai returns with a humorous examination of the odd relationships between four sets of fathers and sons. An all-Canadian cast, including Benjamin Ratner, Stephen Lobo, Tyler Labine, Sonja Bennett, Rebecca Jenkins and Tantoo Cardinal, get to exercise their improvisation talents. Carl Bessai’s Repeaters will also screen at the festival. Details

Guido Superstar: The Rise of Guido

Silvio Pollio directs and stars in this slapstick comedy about an Italian Stallion who goes undercover to expose Canadian drug lords. Details

Leave Them Laughing

Musician and comedian Carla Zilbersmith faces the diagnosis of a terminal disease with humour and honesty in this documentary by Vancouver director John Zaritsky. Details

Love Shines

Documentary director Douglas Arrowsmith paints a sensitive portrait of the critically successful but commercially languishing career of musician Ron Sexsmith over an eight-year period. Produced by Paperny Films Inc. out of Vancouver. Details

Love Translated

Vancouver based producer/director Julia Ivanova’s documentary tells the tale of a dating service that connects affluent North American men with aspirational Eastern European women. Details

Mammalian

Director Frank Wolf travels with companion Taku Hokoyama to bring attention to devastating environmental changes in the unique 2,000-kilometre wilderness area between Yellowknife and Rankin Inlet. Details

Mighty Jerome

A documentary directed by Charles Officer that explores the life of African-Canadian track-and-field star Harry Jerome. Details

A Night for Dying Tigers

Writer/director Terry Miles brings an insightful touch to this tale of a dysfunctional family gathering on the eve of one member’s five-year prison sentence. Ensemble cast includes Jennifer Beals, Gil Bellows, Kathleen Roberston, Lauren Lee Smith, Tygh Runyan and John Pyper-Ferguson. Details

Repeaters

A group of addicts are doomed to repeat the same day over and over again in Carl Bessai’s philosophical thriller. Features Canadian cast Dustin Milligan, Richard de Klerk, Amanda Crew and Ben Ratner. Details

Two Indians Talking

First Nation cousins debate their differences while waiting for a roadblock set up in director Sara McIntyre’s humorous feature. Starring Canadians Nathanial Arcand and Justin Rain. Details

When the Devil Knocks

Helen Slinger’s documentary explores a true case of what the movies have dubbed “multiple personality syndrome,” seeking to dissolve stereotypes about this mental illness. Details

Short film programs featuring Vancouver talent

Don’t forget about VIFF’s excellently curated short film programs, where you will discover the engaging work of up-and-coming Vancouver talent. This year, the four Canadian short film programs are grouped around themes of troubling societal ailments: Acquired Trait, Amnesia, Mood Swing and Insomnia.