The 44th annual Powell Street Festival was cancelled this year as a physical gathering, due to COVID-19, but the spirit of the festival lives on in the new online telethon happening August 1, 2020.
Powell Street Festival Telethon
When: August 1, 2020 from 2:00pm to 7:00pm Where: On the Powell Street Festival website. An online pledge campaign will be live on July 1st.
Celebrate Japanese Canadian culture while giving back to your community! Watch live performances, highlights from previous festivals, appearances from festival vendors, and so much more. Tune in with your family and friends to experience the spirit of the festival right from your home.
The Powell Street Festival Society (“PSFS”) produces the annual Japanese Canadian (“JC”) outdoor festival that takes place in the historic JC neighbourhood, Paueru Gai located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Side (“DTES”).
The Powell Street Festival is the largest JC festival in the country and the longest running community arts celebration in Vancouver. The mission is to cultivate Japanese Canadian arts and culture to connect communities. The festival thrives on community engagement, collaboration, and accessibility, offering space to Downtown Eastside Organizations among community booths at the festival.
100% of the telethon proceeds will go toward the year round DTES Community Care program. This program brings the JC community together to create a monthly meal program for people in the DTES in partnership with the DTES Community Kitchen network. The funds will also support existing DTES seasonal celebrations including: the Hanami Cherry Blossom Event, Asahi Tribute Game, and Minori Harvest.
In Vancouver this weekend there are virtual markets, farmers markets, drive-in pop-ups and even the launch of the region’s largest indoor amusement park — all with COVID safety measures in place.
This weekend, Central City Fun Park opens its doors to the public, becoming the largest indoor amusement park in Metro Vancouver.
Central City Fun Park
Location: 11125 124 Street #100A, Surrey (near Scott Rd Station) Tickets: Available online here
The team behind the Fun Park has in the entertainment business for over 30 years and currently operates a small bowling alley in Aldergrove and a couple of playcenters in Surrey and Langley (Funky Monkey & Go Bananas).
“Additionally, we used to operate Central City Arena (former Stardust), where we had public skating every Saturday evening before the building was sold for redevelopment,” owner Glen Vilio told me this week. “When the former Skyzone space became available we jumped at the opportunity to finally open a much larger facility which could be attended by people of all ages.”
They already had a strong following of roller skaters from Central City Arena so the roller rink was their first confirmed attraction followed by the new style bowling alley (10 pins using 5 pin balls and regular shoes). They then added the miniature golf course, arcade/redemption games & Hologate VR.
Due to COVID-19, they won’t be opening up to hundreds at a time, instead they have the following measures in place to ensure everyone’s safety:
Reduced occupancy from 300 to 40 people
Providing free masks (or bring your own)
Spaced out the Arcade to allow for social distancing
Limited Roller Skating to 12 skaters at a time
Reduced the number of Bowling Lanes in half
Enhanced sanitation & cleaning procedures
As an extra precaution, they are enforcing the use of masks (free or bring your own) at this time. Safety precautions will be re-evaluated on an ongoing basis and are subject to change.
All guests must purchase tickets ($20) prior to arrival. Tickets include a designated entrance time & $20 Fun Card. Access is limited to 20 people per hour. Max stay is 2 hours.
With their very limited capacity (and to conform to social distancing guidelines) they also decided that the Hologate VR, pizzeria, and party rooms will remain closed for the time being.
Win Passes
It’s really exciting to see something new – and super fun – open its doors in my old neighbourhood. To celebrate, I have 2 x 4-packs of tickets (value $80 each) to give away so you can enjoy Central City Fun Park with your family/bubble. Here’s how you can enter to win:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win passes for the new #CentralCityFunPark in Surrey – Metro Vancouver’s largest indoor amusement park http://ow.ly/eUPG30qMFiM” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, June 11, 2020. UPDATE The winners are Selina and Noy!
On Saturday, June 13, 2020 three new art exhibitions will open at Burrard Arts Foundation (“BAF”), a local visual arts nonprofit and gallery.
Katie So’s ‘Take Care’
Burrard Arts Foundation Re-Opens
When: By-appointment opening day from 3:00pm to 7:00pm on June 13th.
Then open Tuesday to Saturdays from Saturday, June 13, 2020 to Saturday, August 1, 2020 from 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Where: BAF Gallery 258 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver
Price: Completely free and open to the public!
Free tickets for opening day can be reserved on Eventbrite.
Two of the shows were produced by the latest participants in BAF’s Residency Program, photographer Jackie Dives and painter, illustrator and tattooist Katie So. During the program, the two artists worked side-by-side in the two studios at BAF’s purpose-designed facility in the False Creek Flats.
Also opening is new work from Caitlin Almond in BAF’s Garage; this street facing exhibition window displays art to the public 24 hours a day and showcases early-career artists.
Katie So’s ‘Take Care’ deals with themes, like mental health, self-care, and domestic space, that feel more relevant now than ever. While the concept of self-care is more culturally prominent than ever, the meaning of this term has become both simplified and commercialized. The installations and works on canvas highlight this complexity inviting us into a domestic space inhabited by a figure that engages in self-care in ways that could be seen as both healthy and unhealthy.
With ‘Becoming Not a Mother’, Jackie Dives processes the intense feelings of loss and alienation that followed in the wake of a life altering choice. While Dives’ photography has always been raw, intimate and emotional, here she brings us closer than ever, into a period of personal transformation. As the show uncovers, when you choose not to become a parent there is no word for what you are becoming.
In Crosshatch, Caitlin Almond explores the relationship between form, object, and ornamentation. A selection of handmade screens are displayed on plinths within the Garage, constructed from plaster-coated wood painted in dense patterns. Almond’s use of plaster allows the sculptures to have a highly textured surface, mimicking thickly applied oil paint.
Safety Measures and Innovations
These exhibitions will be the BAF’s first after its temporary closure for COVID-19, and BAF has tailored its programming to the safety measures outlined in Phase 2 of the provincial government’s BC Restart Plan. In addition to required safety and hygiene measures, BAF has taken this opportunity to lead the way and model how arts organizations can make the most of our collective new normal.
This includes replacing printed flyers with digital freebies like smartphone wallpaper, QR codes instead of printed statements, and even a 3-D virtual exhibition tour.
The exhibition’s opening reception has also been adapted, from the traditional busy evening party to a physically distanced late-afternoon event. Attendees will be able to reserve free, half-hour time slots for up to 6 people, experiencing the work and celebrating with the artists in a safe format that promotes connection in smaller groups.
The DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2020 will feature over 60 films (shorts and features) from across Canada and around the world streaming online, as well as special live events this month. Offering an exceptional selection of films, filmmaker Q+A’s and live streaming events, the festival’s films will be available to stream throughout its eight day duration.
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
When: June 18-26, 2020 Where: Online Tickets: $6-10 sliding scale per individual virtual ticket; Festival Passes: $60. Available for purchase online. Films are geo-blocked to British Columbia and virtual tickets will be limited.
Committed, more than ever, to cultivating curiosity and critical thought, DOXA will deliver some of the very best in contemporary documentary cinema.
Originally scheduled to take place May 7-17, DOXA was one of many cultural events interrupted by COVID-19. After weeks of careful consideration and consultation with a variety of partners, the DOXA team decided to launch an online edition of the festival.
Still from the film WINTOPIA
DOXA kicks off their online festival edition with Wintopia, directed by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Wintopia traces the enigmatic footsteps of iconic Canadian documentary filmmaker Peter Wintonick through the lens of his daughter, Mira, as she tries to decipher the map he has left behind. Reverberating with emotion and whimsy, the film guides us on a journey through possible worlds in pursuit of reconciliation, both between artist and family, and between dreams and reality. A live moderated Q+A with Burt-Wintonick and special guests is scheduled for Saturday, June 20th. Audience members are encouraged to stream Wintopia in advance.
A special British Columbia spotlight will feature several Vancouver-based filmmakers including Greg Crompton’s Eddy’s Kingdom which recounts the story of businessman Eddy Haymour, and the extreme methods he used to construct a Middle Eastern-themed amusement park in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley in the 1970s. The world premiere of Tony Massil’s The End From Here profiles three reclusive men who live in the geopolitical anomaly of Hyder, Alaska (which straddles the B.C. border). In addition to the feature documentaries, DOXA also offers a selection of short films including Josephine Anderson’s On Falling (recently premiered at Tribeca Festival in New York City), which profiles three professional women mountain bikers.
Co-presented with DOC BC, DOXA is excited to host a masterclass with renowned cinematographer Iris Ng on Sunday, June 21st. Iris Ng is one of Canada’s most prolific documentary cinematographers, working on multi-award winning films such as The Stories We Tell (2012), Shirkers (2018), Toxic Beauty (2019), Migrant Dreams (2016), Nuuca (2018), and many more, including the popular Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer. This moderated conversation will take a deep dive into the unique creative process of a documentary cinematographer, drawing excerpts from her own work and notes from the field. A must-attend event for directors, cinematographers and all creatives, on the power of visual storytelling.
Films from the International Circuit
My Darling Supermarket, a musical ode to grocery store clerks in Brazil; Elegance Bratton’s
Pier Kids, documenting homeless and queer youth on New York’s Christopher Street Pier; Lucie Viver’s
Sankara Isn’t Dead, an exploration into the backgrounds and landscapes of the rarely depicted African country of Burkina Faso, through the perspective of a young poet named Bikontine;
Softie, which tells of long-time political activist Boniface “Softie” Mwangi, and his decision to run for office in a regional Kenyan election; Sky Hopinka’s
małni – towards the ocean, towards the shore, spoken almost entirely the near-extinct Indigenous language of chinuk wawa and rooted in the origin-of-death myth from the Chinookan people in the Pacific Northwest;
Landfall directed by Cecilia Aldarondo offers a visually striking, kaleidoscopic portrait of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria; and finally, Michèle Stepehenson’s
Stateless takes an unflinching look at the legacy of systemic anti-black racism against Haitians in the Dominican Republic and one lawyer’s fight to protect the rights of citizens.
Select screenings will include pre-recorded filmmaker Q+A’s and extended discussions. Follow DOXA on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more info.
Win Film Passes
I have a pair of film passes to give away for you to enjoy DOXA from home this year. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win @DOXAFestival film passes http://ow.ly/ha6X30qMkt9 #DOXA2020″ quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. UPDATE the winner is Kim!
