Last week, the 38th Vancouver International Film Festival (“VIFF”) kicked off its 16-day program of films and events with Atom Egoyan’s Guest of Honour, which was the opening gala film. I also have a special offer (below) for the VIFF Closing Gala film and party.
Over the next two weeks, you can catch 47 films from 28 countries (Contemporary World Cinema), 41 Canadian feature films (including 10 from BC), entertainment from leading XR – Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) – creators, and enhanced live program and much more. If you’re looking for more galas, you’re in luck – there are two more coming up!
VIFF Galas
BC Spotlight GALA – October 5, 2019 Daughter (director Anthony Shim), Canada – World Premiere Set in Vancouver, Shim portrays the power that tragedy wields in distorting the realities of relationships as Jim, played by John Cassini, wanders the streets looking for solace in whatever intimacy he can afford.
VIFF Closing GALA – October 11, 2019 La Belle Époque (director Nicolas Bedos), France A dramatic comedy that takes the sci-fi concept of time travel and brings it down to earth. Daniel Auteuil plays Victor, a cynical 70-ish cartoonist who chooses to make use of a new “Time Travellers” business enterprise, going back to the day in 1974 when he met his wife, Marianne, in a raucous Lyon bistro. Sparks fly, but not where we expect.
Win Passes
I have a pair of tickets to give away to the Closing Gala film and the Closing Gala party. Here’s how you can enter to win:
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Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to the @VIFFest Closing Gala film and party #VIFF2019 http://ow.ly/389C30pDBmQ” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 5:00pm on Sunday, October 6, 2019. Follow VIFF on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about the festival, its events, special guests, and films.
British Columbia is the third largest producer of cranberries in the world, and to celebrate, the annual Fort Langley Cranberry Festival is happening on October 12th just ahead of Thanksgiving.
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival 2019
When: Saturday, October 12, 2019 from 10:00am to 4:00pm Where: Fort Langley Village & Fort Langley Historic Site Admission: Free admission!
In the Village
Presented by Ocean Spray, this one-day only event kicks off with a pancake breakfast at 8:30am. Contests, live music, cooking demos, a fashion show and much more continue form 10:00am onward. Throughout the day over 100 marketplace vendors line Glover Road displaying their wares, 16 popular food trucks offer something for everyone.
There is a schedule of live entertainment and more then 20 teams participate in the Cranberry Festival Regatta. The children’s area, stationed at the Fort Langley Community Hall, includes face painters, balloon artists and the Creative Cube, all providing plenty of fun for the kids. There are also fun exhibits nearby at the Langley Centennial Museum, BC Farm Museum and the National Historic Site.
One of the highlights of the festival is the outstanding selection of products from the 90+ market vendors located throughout the village. From jewelry, specialty candy, organic coffee, fresh local produce to hand-made crafts, there is something for everyone.
At the Fort
Inside Fort Langley National Historic Site, you can learn the history of local uses of native cranberries by Indigenous people. Put on rubber boots and jump into the popular cranberry stomp, as well as other farm-related games. The village festival ends at 4:00pm but the Fort will be open until 5:00pm.
For more information follow the Fort Langley Cranberry Festival on Instagram and Facebook.
He’s Vancouver’s very own legendary music historian, he’s been a staple of Canadian TV and radio for decades, and now he’s taken YouTube by storm. To celebrate Nardwuar‘s induction into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, and his shiny new Starwalk star on Granville, he’s hosting a free, all ages gig on Sunday at The Commodore.
Nard Gets a Star
When: Sunday, September 29, 2019 doors at 12:00pm, show at 1:00pm Where: The Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville St, Vancouver) Admission: Free
This event will feature a performance by The Evaporators plus Nardwuar’s Video Vault and a Nardwuar Meet ‘n Greet.
“… his destabilizing zeal and musical knowledge operate as a merry infection. Somehow he gets media-savvy entertainers to switch off their autoresponders, to abandon their publicist’s advice about composure. No wonder the interviews are billed as title fights or Godzilla movies: “Nardwuar vs. Flying Lotus.” “Nardwuar vs. Snoop Dogg.” “Nardwuar vs. Lady Gaga.” Nardwuar wins if he can hammer his subject into a state of unguarded glee.”
Nardwuar is a living legend, a Vancouver icon! From volunteering with CiTR radio since 1986 to millions and millions of YouTube views, nowadays celebrities across the planet covet a Nardwuar interview.
“A maestro of the extensively-researched interview, Nardwuar simultaneously dazzles, impresses, disarms and scares his subjects when he presents them with meaningful gifts, precious ephemera from their past, or dishes out obscure facts about the individual’s former life before stardom struck.”
The season opens with the well-loved classic, La Traviata, in a sumptuous new production followed by another opera fan pleaser, The Barber of Seville. The West Coast premiere of Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera, based on the lyrics and music of Roger Waters, opens the 4th annual Vancouver Opera Festival.
Vancouver Opera Presents La Traviata
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton St, Vancouver) When: October 17-27, 2019 with evening and matinée performances Tickets: Available online now or by calling (604) 683-0222
La Traviata, a glorious work that deserves to be revisited time and again, was last performed eight years ago at Vancouver Opera. This perennial favourite has been given a brand-new look and features a terrific cast. In an unprecedented collaboration, five Canadian opera companies have joined forces to produce lavish sets and costumes inspired by the decadent music hall scene of 1920s Paris. The production, directed by Alain Gauthier and designed by Christina Poddubiuk, has already made stops in Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Victoria and will go on to Montreal after Vancouver.
The Vancouver Opera cast includes Canadian Emily Dorn as Violetta, a famous Parisian courtesan who is consumed both by love and a life-threatening illness. Tenor Andrew Haji, who delighted audiences as Nemorino in last year’s production of L’Elisir d’amore, is the love-struck Alfredo. Canadian conductor Yves Abel, whose international career spans more than twenty years–including appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House and the Vienna State Opera–makes his Vancouver Opera debut.
Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™ projected above the stage
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away to opening night of La Traviata on October 17, 2019 — here’s how you can enter to win:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to opening night of #TraviataVO @VancouverOpera http://ow.ly/2Ec330pBDAM” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, October 2, 2019. Follow Vancouver Opera on Twitter and Facebook for more information about the season and festival.
