2008 Program guide - Victoria Film Festival

VICTORIA 

FILM 

FESTIVAL 

FEBRUARY 

1-10, 2008

MAP AND ADDRESSES 

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VICTORIA FILM FESTIVAL OFFICE 

808 View St, Victoria, BC, (V8W 1K2) 

p. (250) 389 0444 

e. festival@victoriafilmfestival.com 

w. www.victoriafilmfestival.com 

Cineplex Odeon Theatre, 780 Yates St. 

Community Arts Gallery, 6G – 1001 Douglas St 

(Sussex building courtyard) 

Empire Theatre, Capitol 6, 805 Yates St. 

Fairmont Empress Hotel, 721 Government St. 

Artisan Wine Shop, 1007 Government St. 

Plan B, 1318 Broad St. 

Jellyfish Lounge, 1140 Government St. 

Platinum Restaurant, 757 Yates St. 

NOT ON MAP: 

Caprice Theatre, 777 Goldstream Avenue, Langford 

Satellite Box Office: Bolen Books, Hillside Mall 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Map of Venues ..................................................... 1 

Festival Personnel .................................................. 3 

Programming Committee ...................................... 3 

Ticket Information ................................................ 5 

Membership Information ...................................... 5 

End of Festival Bash .............................................. 5 

Welcome .............................................................. 9 

Sponsors .......................................................... 9/11 

Messages of Welcome ................................ 9/13/15 

Opening Gala ..................................................... 18 

Feature Films ....................................................... 19 

Film Schedule Grid ......................................... 38/39 

Short Films .......................................................... 51 

My Victoria ......................................................... 53 

Family Programming ........................................... 65 

InVision: Student Work ....................................... 67 

FilmCAN: Student Work ...................................... 67 

Art Exhibit ........................................................... 69 

Victoria Film Producers Association Screening...... 71 

Sips ‘n Cinema .................................................... 73 

Empire Theatres Lounge at Platinum .................. 73 

Festival Events Throughout the Year .................... 75 

Index by Film Title ............................................... 76 

WWW.VICTORIAFILMFESTIVAL.COM 

CHECK WEBSITE FOR UPDATES 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

01

Telefi lm Canada, 40 years of stories 

and so many more to tell 

I feel incredibly blessed to be working in a country 

that supports its artists. Without public funding from 

agencies like Telefi lm, I would have never gotten my 

small, personal fi lm made. I can appreciate it all the 

more when I travel to festivals in the U.S. and I see how 

privileged I am. I’ve met so many U.S. fi lmmakers who 

want to move to Canada! 

JULIA KWAN 

Writer, director 

TF07123 pubCorpo_VFF07.indd 1 11/27/07 10:05:42 AM

FESTIVAL PERSONNEL 

Festival Director: ...................................................................Kathy Kay 

Operations Manager: ............................................................ Jill Moran 

Head Programmer: ....................................................Donovan Aikman 

Communications: .........................................................Sandra Dukarm 

Graphic Designer / Communications: ................................. Paul Wilson 

Volunteer Coordinator: ......................................................Sarah Facini 

Event Coordinator: .................................................... Nathalie Vigeant 

Advertising Sales: ..................................................Rosalinde Compton 

Transportation / Distribution: ........................................ Soyna Teuwen 

Program notes by Programming Committee 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

President: ...................................................................David Simmonds 

Vice President: .................................................................Wendy Floyd 

Secretary: ....................................................................Jo-Ann Richards 

Treasurer: ............................................................................Alan Penty 

Directors at Large: ......... Pat Ferns, Richard Gray, Sheena Macdonald 

PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE 

Scott Amos is an internationally screened, award winning fi lmmaker who 

incorporates found footage and a range of media into his narrative work, 

including animation and experimental techniques. He recently completed a 

Bravo! funded short fi lm as well as a silent fi lm for the Victoria Symphony’s 

Reel Music, and is now working on a music video with Hank and Lily. 

Maureen Bradley, originally from Montreal, is a media artist, fi lmmaker 

and writer living in both Saskatchewan and BC. She has directed 27 

shorts, three video installations and two web art projects. Her award 

winning productions have screened at festivals in North America, South 

America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. 

Shirley Goldberg began teaching at Malaspina in 1972. Shirley is 

hooked on the potential of alternate, international, independent 

fi lm as contemporary art form and medium for social and political 

communication. She has experience programming, serving on fi lm juries, 

and writing regular columns for Humanist Perspectives. 

David Lemieux has been the audiovisual archivist for the San Francisco 

rock group the Grateful Dead since 1999, where he produces archival 

releases from the band’s extensive archives. Lemieux completed his BFA 

in Film Studies from Concordia University in Montreal in 1997. He curated 

the Philip Borsos Tribute at the VFF in 1999. 

Brian MacDonald fi nds language, narrative, fi lm conventions, and live 

performance are concepts that he continues to explore through video. 

His work has screened at many fi lm and media art festivals internationally, 

including a solo program, Volte-Face, at the 2007 FIFA - International 

Festival of Films on Art in Montreal. 

Pamela Madoff has enjoyed a fi lm addiction from a very early age. She has 

written fi lm reviews, program calendars, worked and managed repertory fi lm 

theatres in Vancouver. Pamela currently serves on Victoria City Council where 

she holds the Arts & Culture portfolio. Regrettably this does not leave as 

much time as she would like to indulge in movie marathons. 

Rachel Moore has been an active member of the animation community, 

teaching children’s animation workshops, directing, and animating a 

handful of shorts that have won awards and screened to an international 

audience. She currently is working with a story teller adapting a story 

called the Jackal’s Lawsuit for screen. 

Programming Committee includes 

Festival Director & Head Programmer 

FESTIVAL PERSONNEL 

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TICKET INFORMATION 

ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE BEGINNING: 

Thursday, January 11, 2007 on-line only. 

Regular box office opens Monday, January 14. 

Advance tickets cannot be bought on the day of the show. 

Same day tickets will be on sale at the door thirty minutes before the show 

(subject to availability and cash only). Please note that some rush seats are 

always available at the door for all screenings. 

LOCATIONS & TIMES: 

FESTIVAL OFFICE 

808 View St. 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday – Saturday 

BOLEN BOOKS 

Hillside Mall 11:30 AM – 5:30 PM Monday – Saturday 

BY PHONE 

250 389 0444 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday – Saturday 

ONLINE AT WWW.VICTORIAFILMFESTIVAL.COM 

Visa and MasterCard accepted for advance tickets. 

Cash only accepted at the door. 

FILM: 

Film Festival Membership (mandatory for entrance to fi lms) ..........$2.00 

Feature Films .................................................................................$9.00 

Shorts ............................................................................$7.00/program 

5 Feature Film Tickets ..................................................................$43.00 

10 Feature Film Tickets ................................................................$82.00 

PASSES: 

Film Pass: .......................................................................................$120 

Admits holder to all regular fi lm screenings (excludes Opening Gala & special event fi lms) 

VIP pass .........................................................................................$195 

Admits holder to all fi lm screenings, Opening Gala & End of Festival Bash 

Please note: A generous allotment of seats at every screening is reserved for 

passholders. While a pass does not guarantee seating, passholders are allowed 

priority entry up to 20 minutes before showtime or until the passholder seat 

allotment has been reached. Passholders are strongly encouraged to arrive 30 

minutes before showtime. All passes are strictly nontransferable and photo ID 

must be shown at the theatre. 

SPECIAL EVENTS: 

Empire Theatres Lounge at Platinum (entry with any VFF fi lm ticket) .. Free 

End of Festival Bash ....................................................................$15.00 

InVision Screening .........................................................................$9.00 

Opening Gala Reception .............................................................$25.00 

Sips ‘n Cinema ............................................................................$20.00 

Family Programming .....................................................................$7.00 

Victoria Producers Association Screening .......................................$9.00 

Ticket prices include GST. GST #883954026RT0001. All sales are fi nal, no refunds. 

END OF FESTIVAL BASH & AWARDS 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH 9:00 PM JELLYFISH LOUNGE 

The Festival fi lms are juried and, of the works accepted to the Festival, 

several are selected to receive an award. These will be announced 

at the End of Festival Bash. 

The Categories are: 

Star!TV Best Feature Film 

Yellow Pages Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film 

Best Documentary 

Best Short 

Cineplex Entertainment Award for Best Short Animation 

Audience Favourite 

FILM FESTIVAL MEMBERSHIP 

Membership has its privileges. Do you know that all the movies you 

normally see at the theatre have been classifi ed?. You know – rated PG 

or R or G by the B.C. Film Classifi cation board. In British Columbia the 

only way to view unclassifi ed fi lms is to be a member of the Society 

showing the fi lms and over the age of 18 – that’s the law. 

The Victoria Film Festival screens unclassifi ed fi lms. 

That’s why you have to have a membership, which costs $2. 

Once you’re a member of the Festival Society, you can get in to see any 

of the fi lms at the 2008 Victoria Film Festival. 

TICKET INFORMATION 

05

Global Rhythms Concert Series 

Coming in Winter 2008! 

Le Mystère 

des Voix Bulgares 

“Gorgeous 

Ethereal 

Otherworldly” 

THURSDAY JANUARY 31 8pm 

A Compás! 

Primal Pulse 

Paco Peña 

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 10 7:30pm 

Angelique 

Kidjo 

Africa’s 

passionate 

diva! 

SPECIAL GUEST ALEX CUBA 

Flamenco Dance Company 

presents 

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23 8pm 

UVic Centre, Farquhar Auditorium 

UVic Ticket Centre 250-721-8480 

www.auditorium.uvic.ca 

See all 3 concerts for a series price of only $94.50* 

Single show tickets also available 

*plus service charges and tax 

www.globalartsconcerts.com 

This is one of Victoria’s most popular 

spots! Whether it’s seafood, burgers or 

chicken, relax and enjoy the Olde English 

pub ambience of Bartholomew’s, with an 

upbeat atmosphere, live entertainment — and 

outdoor patio dining all summer long! Or 

enjoy the cosy setting of Doubles Oyster Bar. 

Complimentary appetizers during Appy Hour. 

388-5111 

In the Executive House Hotel, 

777 Douglas Street, Victoria, B.C. V8W 2B5

WELCOME TO THE 

14TH ANNUAL 

VICTORIA FILM FESTIVAL. 

Welcome to the 14th annual Victoria Film Festival. Yes we dropped 

the ‘Independent’ and ‘Video’ because… well we’re getting old; life is 

short and who has time to spend on that tongue twister. Yes we can all 

breathe a sigh of relief. The fi lms are still independent and yes we still 

show some on video and DVD. 

It’s a fast paced world and as we bring you the best new fi lms it just 

seems to be getting faster. More fi lms to see from out of the way 

sources and remember if you don’t decide to leave the couch for the 

night you may never get to see them again. 

And to make the Festival even more fun, we’re continuing with our 

lounge where you can stop by and have a coffee, martini or a little food 

before or after the fi lms. Film Festivals come alive when people have the 

chance to meet others and chat about the fi lms. There will be live music 

from 8 - 10 PM. We’re calling our venue Empire Theatres Lounge at 

Platinum and yes it’s in Platinum Restaurant on Yates by the theatres. 

FESTIVAL SPONSORS 

PLATINUM 

GOLD 

SILVER 

BRONZE 

New this year is our launch into the Westshore. It’s such a growing 

community and we’re such a growing Festival how could we not want 

to pair up with the Caprice Theatre. Some of the wonderful people 

helping us fi nd our feet are Langford Mayor Stewart Young, councilors 

Lillian Szpak and Matt Sahlstrom, Economic Development CEO Peter 

Fibiger, Chamber leads Rosalind Scott and Angela Pollock, Brian Jupp 

and James Evans both with the Caprice, and arts afi cionado Cindy 

Moyer. What a pleasure it’s been to work with all of you! 

I want to thank Sheena Macdonald and Phil Schmitt for their incredible 

generosity – yet again – and Victoria Taxi for their continued support 

with Festival transportation. 

Enjoy your travels with the Film Festival this year. Indulge in the world’s 

best new fi lms for the short time they are here. 

Kathy Kay 

Festival Director 

PATRON VENUE 

WELCOME & SPONSORS 

09

CELINE STUBEL IN MY CHERNOBYL / PHOTO BY JO-ANN RICHARDS, WORKS PHOTOGRAPHY 

FEBRUARY 26 – MARCH 1, 2008 

ANY NIGHT 

LÉO 

PREMIERE 

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY Daniel Arnold AND Medina Hahn 

MARCH 4 – 8, 2008 

08 

FESTIVAL 08 

supported by 

WRITTEN BY Rosa Laborde 

MARCH 26 – APRIL 5, 2008 

MY CHERNOBYL PREMIERE 

WRITTEN BY Aaron Bushkowsky 

“LÉO IS A SMALL JEWEL... 

ONE THAT DESERVES TO 

BE TREASURED BY ANYONE 

LOOKING FOR SUPERB 

THEATRE.” TORONTO STAR 

A GREAT PLACE TO SEE GREAT THEATRE 

Belfry 

Theatre 

TICKETS 385-6815 from $18 – $21 Student discounts available 

1291 Gladstone at Fernwood www.BELFRY. BC.CA

MEDIA 

GOVERNMENT 

BENEFACTOR 

GreaterVictoria.com 

FRIEND 

HOSPITALITY 

IRISH TIMES 

SPONSORS 

11

MESSAGE FROM TELEFILM 

From urban life and dramatic landscapes to inspiring heroes and 

personal struggles, all this – and more – makes for distinctive Canadian 

storytelling. Fittingly, the Victoria Film Festival has put together a 

diverse program of works that spotlights Canada, and other cultures 

from around the world. 

Part of celebrating outstanding Canadian productions is also 

recognizing the talent behind them, and the Victoria Film Festival plays 

a valuable role in showcasing Canada’s creators and their productions. 

Canadian cinema continues to evolve as an art form that remains vibrant 

and alive by relying on the energies and ingenuity of a new generation. 

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of Telefi lm, I would like 

to extend a warm welcome to you and invite you to discover what the 

2008 edition of the Victoria Film Festival has to offer. 

Congratulations! 

S. Wayne Clarkson 

Executive Director, Telefi lm Canada 

WELCOME 

13

C A P I L A N O 

Capilano 

Film Centre 

Film instruction by industry professionals 

Motion Picture Production 

One-, two- and three-year programs for independent 

filmmakers. Focus on all creative and business 

aspects of filmmaking, including screenwriting, 

directing, producing and entrepreneurship. 

Film Crafts 

Costuming for Stage and Screen Programs 

— the only program of its kind in Canada 

Cinematography 

— 1 year Certificate 

Documentary Film Program 

Unique program offering intensive project-driven 

instruction in documentary filmmaking. 

FILM CENTRE 

OPEN HOUSE 

Saturday, March 8, 2008 

Noon to 4 p.m. 

Capilano College, North Vancouver Campus 

Join us for a Film Centre tour: 

• Meet the Faculty 

• See a studio shoot in action 

For more information: 

604.990.7868 

film@capcollege.bc.ca 

capcollege.ca/film 

Capilano College 

2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, BC 

GREAT TEACHING. GREAT PROGRAMS. GREAT FUTURE. 

FAMILIES AND MEMORIES 

ARE FOREVER 

BRING YOUR FAMILY TO 

THE GATSBY MANSION 

FOR A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE 

Award Winning Restaurant 

Historic Houses in period fashion 

Wine & Beer Store and Spa On-site 

Short walk to Downtown Shops and Sightseeing 

Across the Street from the Clipper & Coho Ferries 

GATSBY MANSION HOTEL & RESTAURANT 

Overlooking Victoria’s Spectacular Inner Harbour 

309 Belleville St., Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X2 • 800-663-7557 

reservations@bellevillepark.com • www.bellevillepark.com

MESSAGE FROM 

MAYOR ALAN LOWE 

On behalf of the citizens of Victoria, I would like to welcome you to the 

14th annual Victoria Film Festival. It is truly a pleasure to host fi lmmakers 

and industry players from around the world to join us for a fi lm event that 

blends local vision with international exposure in a unique showcase of 

artistic talent. 

This event provides attendees with an opportunity to exchange ideas, 

share information and work with others in the fi eld of fi lmmaking. 

The youth in Greater Victoria benefi t from the opportunity to access 

equipment and knowledge to create their own fi lms and express their 

own visions through the magic of movie making. This year’s array of 

screenings ensures that a new generation of fi lmmakers will be inspired to 

pursue their passion. 

Victoria is proud to host such a prestigious festival and I invite all attendees 

to take advantage of our city’s unique cultural offerings. 

See you at the movies! 

Sincerely, 

Alan Lowe 

MAYOR 

MESSAGE FROM 

STAN HAGEN 

As the Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, it is my honour to welcome 

you to the 2008 Victoria Film Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. 

This will be the 14th year for the festival, and with a new name and a new 

line-up of fi lms, we are looking forward to a world class event. During 

these next ten days we can expect to see 150 incredible fi lms, videos, 

shorts and documentaries from national and international participants. 

The government is pleased to support up and coming fi lmmakers from 

around the world, and we hope that their experience here will add to their 

repertoire and will be the launching pad into a fulfi lling career in the arts. 

It is our vision that fi lm remain a key component in British Columbia’s 

culture and that the arts be embraced as an important part of life for all 

British Columbians. 

I would like to thank everyone who had a hand in co-ordinating this 

festival and for making this event a success. The ongoing commitment 

demonstrated by the Victoria Film Festival organizers and volunteers and 

participants serves as a model and inspiration to us all. 

I wish the best of luck to all of the people who submitted their fi lms for 

viewing. The audience in Victoria is enthusiastically waiting to view them. I 

hope you will enjoy your stay in beautiful British Columbia, and I invite you 

to explore the province while you are here. 

Sincerely, 

Stan Hagen 

Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts 

WELCOME 

15

Greetings from your South Island Opposition MLAs 

We applaud the staff, volunteers and fi lmmakers 

that make the 2008 Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival possible. 

Maurine Karagianis, MLA 

Esquimalt-Metchosin 

David Cubberley, MLA 

Saanich South 

Carole James, MLA 

Victoria-Beacon Hill 

John Horgan, MLA 

Malahat-Juan de Fuca 

Rob Fleming, MLA 

Victoria-Hillside

One night only! 

bODY_rEMIX/gOLDBERG_vARIATIONS 

Compagnie Maire Chouinard 

TUESDAY, APRIL 29 • 8 PM 

ROYAL THEATRE 

Tickets: 386-6121 or online at DanceVictoria.com 

“A hurricane of unbridled 

imaginativeness… a blend of 

the sensual and the cerebral” 

NY TIMES 

Warning: Not suitable for children 

SEASON SPONSOR

OPENING GALA 

18 

MOTOWN HIGH 

DIRECTOR: BARBARA HAGER 

VICTORIA 

2007 70 MINUTES BETASP 

PRODUCER: BARBARA HAGER 

World Premiere 

This is truly a made-in-Victoria fi lm not to be missed. The Victoria 

High School band is profi led in this outstanding documentary about 

the band’s growth, its many personalities, and its remarkable journey 

to the heart of Motown to learn from the source. When the band 

travels east to play for a Detroit high school, it turns out that they’ll be 

performing for not only their American peers, but for Motown royalty: 

Martha Reeves, of Martha and the Vandellas, one of the defi ning 

voices of the Motown sound. After the performance, the Victoria 

musicians are treated to a talk by Ms. Reeves in which she reminisces 

about her days in the recording studio and at the top of the charts. 

However, the best was yet to come: a visit to Victoria by Reeves, during 

which the superstar would perform with the Victoria High School band 

backing her up. 

With excellent concert footage from the Royal Theatre performance, 

interviews and candid takes of the student musicians and their 

teachers, it becomes hard to believe these are high school students. 

Not only did the band win the respect of their Detroit student peers 

and Martha Reeves, but they’ll also gain it from anyone who sees this 

amazing document of some of the most talented young R&B musicians 

out there today. 

Thursday • January 31 • Caprice • 7:15 PM 

Friday • February 1 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 6:45 PM 

OPENING GALA 

The Victoria Film Festival is delighted to hold two Opening Galas 

for the very fi rst time, one in Victoria and one on the Westshore. 

There will be food, drink and dancing so bring out your party 

wear and get ready to boogie! 

Thursday, January 31 

7:15 PM - Caprice Theatre, 777 Goldstream Avenue 

9:00 PM Party - Location TBA 

Friday, February 2 

6:45 PM - Capitol 6 Theatre 6, 805 Yates 

9:00 PM Party - Victoria Conference Centre 

Included as a Special Presentation 

Westshore Opening Gala Only: 

LANGFORD 701 

Rob Kettner Victoria 15 minutes 

In 2004, Langford’s Fire Chief Bob Becket went to Afghanistan with 

two other fi remen, armed only with humanitarian aid and the need to 

educate and re-build. But what they have brought back is a standard for 

making change happen, one small action at a time.

FEATURE FILMS 

OPENING GALA ___________________________________ 18 

CANADIAN WAVE _________________________________ 20 

Our voices, our hearts 

WORLD PERSPECTIVE ______________________________ 25 

Step outside the Canadian-centric 

DOCUMENTARY __________________________________ 41 

The fun, the sadness and concerns of life

CANADIAN WAVE 

20 

THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS ALL HAT 

DIRECTOR: BRUCE MCDONALD 

ONTARIO 

2007 78 MINUTES 35MM 

PRODUCER: SARAH TIMMINS 

WRITER: MAUREEN MEDVED, BASED ON HER NOVEL 

Canadian maverick Bruce MacDonald has returned to the silver screen 

after three years with a fi lm that is completely unlike anything you 

have ever seen in theatres before. Shown almost exclusively in multiple 

split screens that shift and swirl like a kaleidoscope with a personality 

disorder, his newest vision is a surprisingly stylish, accessible and yet 

still a troubling look at teenage alienation that owes as much to the 

fresh nouvelle vague energy of the 1960s as it does the modern 

technology that makes his visuals so fascinating to watch. 

Tracey (played by amazing up-and-comer Ellen Page) is just your 

average naked teenager wrapped in a shower curtain on a bus circling 

the city. Granted, she may be responsible for the disappearance of 

her younger brother by hypnotizing him and convincing him he was 

a dog, but it wasn’t like her parents were ever really there physically 

much less mentally to stop her. And her natural response to imminent 

punishment was like that of any small-town girl with misplaced goals: 

she makes her way to Winnipeg for her “grand escape”. 

Now at the mercy of people much smarter and bitter than she is, 

things have naturally gone from bad to wrapped-in-a-shower-curtain. 

But Tracey still has her reasons and that fl eeting fl ickering shadow of 

her brother is somewhere just at the edge of the fragments that follow 

her everywhere she goes. 

Screened with 

PLAYGROUND 

Eve Spence Australia 21 minutes 

Struggling to balance their loyalties, three boys have come to play in 

the atmospheric surrounds of a building site. Our hero Milton draws 

upon the lessons learnt from his parents while Floyd, neglected by his, 

always fl ounders. However, somewhere in between lies the delicate 

roots of aggression, just waiting to burst through on them all. 

Wednesday • February 6 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 6:45 PM 

Saturday 

PRESENTED BY 

DIRECTOR: LEONARD FARLINGER 

ONTARIO 


PRODUCER: JENNIFER JONAS 

WRITER: BRAD SMITH, BASED ON HIS NOVEL 

Old fl ames and old feuds fl are up in Farlinger’s screen adaptation of Brad 

Smith’s neo-Western novel, gorgeously fi lmed in Ontario’s horse country. 

The fi lm opens on the suitably laconic hero, Ray Dokes, as he is released 

from prison after doing time for assault. He is picked up by lifelong 

friend Pete Culpepper (Keith Carradine), who’s as garrulous as Ray is 

taciturn (he’s addicted to wise pronouncements that even he doesn’t 

take too seriously). Returning home, he discovers the countryside of his 

youth transformed. Urban development crawls across the pastoral fi elds 

like a rash. 

Sonny Stanton (Noam Jenkins), the heir to a thoroughbred dynasty, is 

buying the entire concession of farmland to build a golf course. One 

of the farms he’s after belongs to Etta Parr (Lisa Ray), Ray’s old fl ame. 

Seems she’s the only one brave enough to stand in Sonny’s way. So 

before Ray knows it somehow he’s caught up in sneaky land deals, 

family farm problems and high-stakes horseracing shenanigans. 

This is a classic fi lm about the family farm and the values that go hand in 

hand with it yet also manages to be a comic fable about growing up. 

All Hat is a refreshing and much-needed glimpse of the world outside 

urban centers, a lifestyle that’s often ignored. Shot by cinematographer 

Paul Sarossy (Affl iction, The Sweet Hereafter), it features a musical score 

by Grammy award-winning jazz guitar legend Bill Frisell. 

Screened with 

BURGEON & FADE 

Audrey Cummings Ontario 15 minutes 

An attractive middle-aged woman comes out of social seclusion to 

attend her best friend’s 25th wedding anniversary, but her insecurities 

have another agenda. 

• February 2 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 6:45 PM 

Sunday • February 3 • Caprice • 7:15 PM

HANK & MIKE 

DIRECTOR: MATTHIEW KLINCK 

ONTARIO 

2007 82 MINUTES DIGIBETA 

PRODUCERS: THOMAS MICHAEL, NICHOLAS D. TABARROK, PIERRE EVEN 

WRITERS: PAOLO MANCINI, THOMAS MICHAEL 

Hank and Mike are best friends – and bunnies. Not just any bunnies, 

Easter bunnies! They’re a kind of yin-and-yang, Felix-and-Oscar duo. 

If Felix-and-Oscar made cameos on Jerry Springer, that is. 

Sure, they hand deliver baskets of Easter eggs to unsuspecting families 

and they have long standing positions at Pan Enterprises, a 

multi-national corporation that owns all holidays. But they’ve become 

a little too comfortable in their bachelor lifestyles, a quality not 

desirable in this job or even at home. So when there’s a corporate 

need to increase profi ts and “think outside the box”, the fi rm’s board 

of directors calls in Mr. Hubriss to trim the fat and get the company’s 

profi ts back in order. And before they know what’s hit ‘em, Hank and 

Mike are just former “tier 2 holiday” employees going where no Easter 

Bunny has gone before: the Welfare Offi ce. 

Hank and Mike is a refreshing change in the Canadian fi lmscape. Never 

afraid to offend, it’s a comedy that can be alternately raunchy and 

sweet without ever needing to be stupid in between. Its often caustic 

dialogue is never an excuse to skimp out on some witty scenarios, 

great set designs, and moments of cinematic purity. 

Screened with 

A LETTER TO COLLEEN 

Andy London, Carolyn London USA 9 minutes 

Andy London has been haunted by the events of his 18th birthday for 

years. In this short animated fi lm set in the early 90’s, he writes a letter 

to Colleen in an attempt to put his demons to rest. 

AMAL 

DIRECTOR: RICHIE MEHTA 

ONTARIO 


PRODUCERS: DAVID MILLER, STEVEN BRAY 

WRITERS: SHAUN MEHTA, RICHIE MEHTA 

Named in the Top Ten Canadian Films for 2007 

In chaotic New Delhi, an aged and irascible man cheats everyone he 

meets. Amal, Rupinder Nagra an auto-rickshaw wallah, generously 

allows him to dodge his fare. When a beautiful client has her bag 

stolen from Amal’s auto-rickshaw, Amal chases after the young 

thief, but the little girl runs into traffi c and is struck by a car. Amal 

takes her to the hospital and assumes responsibility for her care – an 

expense he cannot afford. 

Meanwhile, the irritable old cheat has died, and his funeral reveals 

he was in fact the patriarch of a wealthy family. Disillusioned with his 

grasping children, he has willed his fortune to Amal. Now, within thirty 

days, the estate’s executor must fi nd one anonymous man in this city 

of fourteen million. Familial machinations descend to vicious levels as 

the search goes on. 

A delightful rags-to-riches-to-rags story: this is a very grown up and 

sophisticated fi rst fi lm. Amal deftly manages to play around with ideas 

about fate and free will (plus class and status), without ever leaving 

the characters fl oating in inertia. Now that’s a tricky balance! It’s a 

rich, fully populated story – full of affectionately drawn and cleverly 

portrayed characters. Amal has always known something that the rich 

man only just learned; we are defi ned as much by what we sacrifi ce as 

we are by what we possess. 

Saturday • February 2 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 2:30 PM 


Friday • February 8 • Odeon • 7:00 PM Sunday • February 10 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 9:00 PM 

21 

CANADIAN WAVE

CANADIAN WAVE 

22 

COWARDICE (LA LÂCHÉTE) EGG FACTORY 

DIRECTOR: MARC GISAILLON 

QUEBEC 


PRODUCER: CHRISTINE FALCO 

WRITER: MARC GISAILLON 

BC Premiere 

Conrad is a gravedigger and family man who’s badly married. When he 

meets a beautiful woman by chance at a dance hall, his life is fl ipped 

upside down, and he fi nds himself at the center of a reprehensible act 

that involves abducting the young daughter of a local businessman. 

Liberally inspired by a real event that shook Quebec in the 1960’s, 

Cowardice recounts how a man, who could have had a quiet life, 

slowly slips into a dark world due to lack of courage and remorse 

that leave him overwhelmed. Extremely well written and acted, and 

shot beautifully in rural Quebec, Cowardice is a dramatic feature that 

delves deeply into one man’s soul and conscience. Set during the Quiet 

Revolution in 1962, it features characters with depth and history, and 

this terrifi c Quebecois fi lm is a worthy addition to the abundance of 

high quality feature fi lms emanating from the province. 

Screened with 

JEU 

Georges Schwizgebel Canada / Switzerland 3.5 minutes 

A metaphor for modern life’s non stop hustle and bustle and a series 

of shapes trick the senses again as they swirl and twist a playful 

dance. All the world is a stage and everyone a player, including the 

fi lmmaker himself. 

Sunday • February 3 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 2:15 PM 

DIRECTOR: WILLIAM FRUET 

VICTORIA, BC 

2008 90 MINUTES DIGIBETA 

PRODUCERS: PAUL RAYMAN, DON ENRIGHT 

WRITER: RAY HARTUNG 


When boy genius Matt Hanson comes across two plots that can both 

be used for evil, and that will put his girlfriend in harm’s way, he teams 

up with his uncle, a former football great, to create one of cinema’s 

fi nest brain-and-brawn combinations. Working as a fellow at the world’s 

foremost research facility, Matt is on to something big, and he and his 

uncle must foil the plot to steal young Matt’s research before it is too 

late. Up against an equally dire deadline, Matt and his uncle must save 

the girl and get her and her family out of harm’s way for good. 

This thriller from Canadian director William Fruet, who wrote the 

seminal Canadian fi lm Goin’ Down The Road, is fi lled with plot twists 

and comedic elements, while never losing focus on the two primary 

goals of the protagonists. Shot in and around Victoria, the fi lm has 

plenty of familiar images, and features several established and 

up-and-coming Canadian actors. 

Thursday • February 7 • Odeon • 9:30 PM

SLINGSHOT (TIRADOR) THE DEAD SLEEP EASY 

DIRECTOR: BRILLANTE MENDOZA 

CANADA / PHILIPPINES 


PRODUCERS: RENATO ESGUERRA, ANTONIO DEL ROSARIO 

WRITER: RAISTON JOVER 

A tribute to the real potential of digital cinema, Slingshot is a slum 

epic on steroids. It weaves stories left and right into a shocking tableau 

about life for the lowest of the low in the Philippine’s poorest and most 

crime-ridden districts. 

National elections are coming up so in the usual attempt to appear 

“tough-on-crime”, The Big Boys have been sent in to crack down 

on the local squatters, thieves and miscreants who litter the fi lm 

like broken bottles. And since no sweep is ever a clean sweep, the 

cops’ brutal shock-force tactics quickly ripple outwards with jagged 

repercussions. Starting from the fi lm’s amazing night time raid and 

climaxing with a candle-lit vigil by those insulted by the empty words 

of the politicians, director Brillante Mendoza uses the camera’s 

apparent attention defi cit disorder to maximum effect, investigating 

lives at every turn and blending their true fi ctions right onto the city 

streets of Manila for a rich and incredibly immersive feel. 

Much of this effect might have been entirely impossible to capture if 

not for the ease of shooting made possible today. Mendoza is not only 

clearly aware of the technological revolution happening in his hands but 

he is able to seize it so well that he brings back to life the ensemble-cast 

movie on a level not seen since Robert Altman’s fi nest fi lms. 

Saturday • February 9 • Odeon • 1:15 PM 

Sunday • February 10 • Odeon • 7:00 PM 

DIRECTOR: LEE DEMARBRE 

CANADA / MEXICO 


PRODUCER: ROBERT MENZIES 

WRITER: IAN DRISCOLL 

BC Premiere 

They call him “the Champ” and he once was the king of the Mexican 

Lucha Libre wrestling ring. But “once” was a very long time ago, on 

the other side of a debt he can never repay and down too many lines 

of coke to count. Nowadays, the Champ is just a deadly errand boy for 

a boss named Tlaloc who’s even married Maya, the Champ’s old fl ame. 

With nothing left to believe in, the Champ has all but given up on 

living and has taken to the world of the dead and its pale ghosts. 

However, the gang’s got a new interest that they’ve neglected to 

tell the good ol’ Champ about: pollero… AKA human smuggling. 

Now, one deal gone wrong and he’s trapped between overzealous 

Minutemen, his old boss, and his old love. But when you’re south of 

the border, sometimes it is better to be dead than alive. 

From the team that brought you the cult hit Jesus Christ Vampire 

Hunter, comes this surprisingly serious bright-light noir with a Mexican 

twist. More surprising is some of the true-to-life casting including 

Canadian born wrestling superstar Vampiro busting heads on the left 

as the Champ and world-renowned gangster-celeb Dave Courtney 

busts heads on the right. Talk about your method actors! 

CANADIAN WAVE 

Friday • February 8 • Odeon • 9:30 PM 

Sunday • February 10 • Odeon • 9:30PM 23

CANADIAN WAVE 

24 

ASWANG PORTAGE 

DIRECTOR: JORDON CLARK 

VICTORIA, BC 

2007 81 MINUTES DVCAM 

PRODUCER: JORDON CLARK 

WRITER: JORDON CLARK 


When do myth and reality meet? How much can spiritual myths affect 

this reality? Aswang offers a unique perspective on the search of the 

past’s effect on how history is viewed in hindsight. This challenging, 

yet accessible, work of art explores this link, with a story that is, 

literally, right in our back yard. Writer Maria Villanueva is intrigued 

by the existence of ghosts, and upon returning to her hometown of 

Victoria, she becomes intrigued with the city history of prostitution 

in Chinatown. Maria proceeds to document the presence of 

apparitions at any cost, and her fi ndings validate her long-standing 

belief in the afterlife. 

Aswang brings together two elements of particular interest to Victoria 

fi lmgoers: an exploration of a little-known aspect of our city’s history, 

and an examination of a unique moment from our past that relates 

to the city’s sizeable Filipino community. Shot throughout Victoria’s 

downtown, as well as in the Philippines, the fi lm offers a terrifi c view 

of the melding of myth and reality, and how the two, when combined, 

reveal a greater truth than either can refl ect on their own. Shot by 

Victoria fi lmmaker Jordan Clark, who produced the 2005 VFF fi lm 

Bangkok Girl, Aswang is a narrative accompaniment to the disturbing 

history of the exploitation of Asian women through prostitution. 

Thursday • February 7 • Odeon • 7:00 PM 

DIRECTORS: EZRA KRYBUS, MATTHEW MILLER, 

SASCHA DREWS 

ONTARIO 


PRODUCERS: JATY TAM, MATTHEW MILLER, NICHOLAS TABARROK 

WRITER: SASCHA DREWS 

Teenaged Stephie is sent camping in beautiful Ontario lake country 

with her big brother Jonah and her three best friends, the Juniper Girls, 

as a way to get past her traumatic fear of water. On the canoe trip, 

Jonah crosses a line he should not have, and in the ensuing mess, he 

dies. The four girls, divided by the transgression, must come together 

to deal with this tragedy under terribly diffi cult conditions as Stephie 

refuses to leave his body behind. 

This coming of age story is shot beautifully in remote, ragged 

Ontario, and the challenge of coping with the tragedy that befalls 

Jonah is heightened by the challenges wrought by this unforgiving 

environment. Through the experience, Stephie overcomes her fear of 

the water, reconciles with the past that haunts her, and becomes a 

strong young woman who fl ourishes under pressure and escapes the 

oppressive fear she has lived with for years. 

Wednesday • February 6 • Odeon • 9:30 PM 

Saturday • February 9 • Odeon • 3:30 PM

INTERVENTION 

DIRECTOR: MARY MCGUCKIAN 

UK 


PRODUCER: JEFF ABBERLEY 

Set in an exclusive and fashionable celebrity rehab clinic in New 

Mexico, Intervention explores the world of ‘relationship therapy’, 

pushing into the light those painful moments of our lives normally 

locked behind closed doors. Taken from a short story written by 

director Mary McGuckian who, collaborating with an amazing cast, 

creates a surprisingly eclectic group of people who fi nd themselves 

trapped under one roof with only one thing in common – addiction. 

Enter Mark (Rupert Graves), a former porn star-turned-producer, 

addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling and sex; Joe (John Sessions), a Kiwi 

comedian with a drinking problem; Sara (Sara Stockbridge) a former 

model, muse and recovering heroin addict with anger and food issues; 

and Harry (Ian Hart), a prescription drug addict from a privileged family. 

But under the treatment of counselors Bill (Colm Feore) and his wife 

Kelly (Andie MacDowell), friends, family and signifi cant others join 

the ‘inmates’ for the family weekend program, where reality and 

reconstruction really begins. When Jane (Jennifer Tilly) – Mark’s wife, 

Pamela (Donna D’Errico) – Mark’s lover and Kate (Kerry Fox) – Joe’s 

best friend, arrive the process of group therapy, rebuilding and 

resolving confused relationships becomes all-consuming, taking their 

personal meltdowns to the rock bottom before anyone can even hope 

to begin again. 

Screened with 

SHUTTER 

Jessica Joy Wise Ontario 16 minutes 

The story of a dysfunctional need for love between two photographers 

with very different occupations, despite a creeping dread that 

humanity is not inclined to love one another. 

Monday • February 4 • Odeon • 7:00 PM 

UNDER THE SAME MOON 

DIRECTOR: PATRICIA RIGGEN 

MEXICO / USA 


PRODUCER: PATRICIA RIGGEN 

WRITER: LIGIAH VILLALOBOS 

As evidenced by the rapturous standing ovation the fi lm received 

at its Sundance world premiere, director Patricia Riggen and writer 

Ligiah Villalobos touch some mighty powerful chords with their 

highly accessible story of a woman and her son separated by the 

U.S.-Mexico border. 

Under the Same Moon tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old 

Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better 

life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother 

cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. When his grandmother passes 

away Carlitos embarks on a journey in a desperate attempt to reunite 

with his mother. 

As Carlitos makes his way from Texas to California, Rosario – unaware 

that anything has gone wrong -– continues to mope about her 

dead-end situation, entertains the idea of marrying a hunky Chicano 

named Paco for green-card privileges, and is treated most unjustly by 

her rich, snooty (and not coincidentally, white) employer. 

This fundamentally simple, earnest tale about the love between a mom 

and her little boy is told in a fresh, unadorned way. The warm and 

appealing performances are absolutely absorbing, and the fi lm builds 

momentum and emotional heft as mother and son’s tales unfold. 

Riggen’s fi lm is not only a heartwarming story; she also offers subtle 

commentary on the much-debated issue of illegal immigration. 

WORLD PERSPECTIVE 


Tuesday • February 5 • Odeon • 9:30 PM 25


26 

THE COUNTERFEITERS 

(DIE FÄLSCHER) 

DIRECTOR: STEFAN RUZOWITZKY 

AUSTRIA/GERMANY 


PRODUCERS: JOSEF AICHHOLZER, NINA BOHLMANN, BABETTE SCHRÖDER 

WRITERS: STEFAN RUZOWITZKY FROM ADOLF BURGER’S BOOK 

Operation Bernhard was the Nazi plan to forge millions of British 

pounds and US dollars, with which to fl ood their enemies’ 

economies while fi lling their own fl agging war chest. In the biggest 

counterfeiting scam ever, Jewish printers, typographers and others 

in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp forged £130 million. But 

their work in the so-called ‘golden cage’ of Sachsenhausen presented 

these prisoners with a terrible moral dilemma: the more money they 

produced, the longer they stayed alive - and the more they bolstered 

the Nazi war effort. 

The fi lm is told as the reminiscences of gaunt yet spirited Salomon 

“Sally” Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics), who looks back on the Second 

World War while on a gambling binge at Monte Carlo. In the Weimar 

era, he was a libertine living the good life thanks to his considerable 

counterfeiting abilities, but he was eventually arrested and sent to the 

Mauthausen concentration camp. Always looking out for number one, 

Sorowitsch keeps his nose clean and even becomes the camp’s resident 

artist. Years later, he is unceremoniously sent to Sachsenhausen, where 

it is announced that he is to forge bills with a group of inmates. 

Played with extraordinary subtlety by Markovics, Sorowitsch is a 

complex fi gure: a bona fi de artist who would rather forge than paint; 

a pragmatist whose willingness to do whatever it takes to stay alive 

belies a genuine compassion. Ruzowitzky’s direction is equally subtle. 

Just as the conspirators are shielded from the full cruelty of the camp, 

so too is the audience. Yet we know full well it’s right outside their 

cushioned existence. 


CALIFORNIA 

DREAMIN’ ENDLESS 

DIRECTOR: CRISTIAN NEMESCU 

ROMANIA 


PRODUCER: ANDREI BONCEA 

WRITERS: TUDOR VOICAN, CRISTIAN NEMESCU 

In the early summer of 1999 the Kosovo War is in its last stages. 

Aboard a train that transports NATO equipment and army personnel 

through Romania, US army Captain Doug Jones (Armand Assante) is in 

charge. One of their stops is at an apparently insignifi cant train station 

not even worthy of that name, though local station agent Doiaru 

(Razvan Vasilescu) might disagree. 

Though orally authorized by Bucharest offi cials, Doiaru insists on 

receiving all the necessary export documentation on paper before 

letting the convoy pass. “Rules are rules” seems to be his mantra, 

though his own bending of them in order to advance his activities as 

a shopkeeper of products that “fell off the wagon” shows that he is 

really only after massaging his ego and fi lling his pockets. 

As the hours become days, the soldiers are invited by the local mayor 

to attend a celebration, where he tries to rally them for his cause, 

as much as local workers at a factory try to attract the foreigners’ 

attention for a proposed strike. The local girls, including the daughter 

of Doiaru also seem rather interested in the train full of fi t lonely men 

with barely a thing to do. 

California Dreamin’ Endless is chock-full of characters, incidents and 

themes, including a larger exploration of the relationship between 

Romania and the USA. The debut of Romanian director Cristian 

Nemescu who died, at the age of 27 in a car accident, while the fi lm 

was in postproduction won the top prize of the Un certain regard 

section at the Cannes Film Festival. 


Monday • February 4 • Odeon • 9:30 PM

FIERCE PEOPLE STARTING OUT 

DIRECTOR: GRIFFIN DUNNE 

IN THE EVENING 

USA 


PRODUCERS: GRIFFIN DUNNE, NICK WECHSLER 

WRITER: DIRK WITTENBORN, FROM HIS BOOK 

PRINT: COURTESY OF MAPLE PICTURES 

A mock-anthropological context is the vehicle for this deliciously 

dark, cutting satire that poses the notion that perhaps how we defi ne 

savages should have less to do with the third world than it does with 

America’s rich and famous. 

Trapped in his mother’s Lower East Side apartment, sixteen-year-old 

Finn (Anton Yelchin) wants nothing more than to escape New York and 

spend the summer in South America studying the Iskanani Indians, or 

“Fierce People,” with the anthropologist father he’s never met. But 

Finn’s dreams are shattered when he is arrested in a desperate effort to 

help his drug-dependent mother, Liz (Diane Lane). Determined to get 

their lives back on track, Liz moves the two of them into a guesthouse 

on the vast country estate of her ex-client, the aging billionaire, 

Ogden C. Osbourne (Donald Sutherland). In Osbourne’s close world 

of privilege and power, Finn and Liz encounter a tribe fi ercer and 

more mysterious than anything they might fi nd in the South American 

jungle: the super rich. While Liz battles her substance abuse and 

struggles to win back her son’s love and trust, Finn falls in love with 

Osbourne’s beautiful granddaughter, Maya. When a shocking act of 

violence shatters Finn’s ascension within the Osbourne clan, the golden 

promises of this lush world quickly sour. 

Fierce People also derives added fascination from the fact that 

screenwriter Dirk Wittenborn based this scornful exposé on his own 

experience living on the Johnson and Johnson palatial Jersey estate. 

The public record of that notorious dynasty is rich with eccentricity 

and scandal. 

DIRECTOR: ANDREW WAGNER 

USA 


PRODUCERS: GARY WINICK, JOHN SLOSS, NANCY ISRAEL, JAKE ABRAHAM 

WRITER: ANDREW WAGNER, FRED PARNES (NOVEL BY BRIAN MORTON) 

PRINT: COURTESY OF MAPLE PICTURES 

A mutually dependent relationship unfolds between Leonard Schiller, 

an old-school writer of the Bellow-Roth-Howe generation of realists, 

and Heather, the eager-beaver Brown University grad who worms 

her way into Leonard’s life, and tries to persuade him that her 

forthcoming master’s thesis on his work will put a new shine on the 

old man’s dusty reputation. 

Intelligent, involving and conspicuously adult, Starting Out in the 

Evening is almost shocking in its distinctiveness, and its ability to create 

high drama from an unlikely source. 

Making this happen is the presence of a trio of top actors, Frank 

Langella, Lili Taylor and Lauren Ambrose as the half-forgotten writer 

Leonard Schiller, his daughter, Ariel, and the ambitious graduate 

student Heather Wolfe. You won’t see more convincing acting by a 

committed ensemble anywhere this year. 

Determined to avoid distractions, Schiller is initially cautious, telling 

the young woman, “You have embarked on a project of questionable 

merit.” You feel Schiller’s dignity, his uncertainty, but until he keeps 

a breakfast appointment with Heather Wolfe, you don’t sense his 

vulnerability. But Wolfe, who in addition to everything else is a wily and 

persistent manipulator, simply will not rest until the writer agrees to be 

interviewed about his work. 

Though Langella’s acting will deservedly get the lion’s share of the 

attention, Heather Wolfe is the fi lm’s trickiest role, and Ambrose, 

Emmy-nominated for her work in Six Feet Under, expertly brings out 

the young woman’s unsettling mixture of sincerity and connivance. 



Wednesday • February 6 • Caprice • 7:15 PM Monday • February 4 • Caprice • 7:15 PM 27 

WORLD PERSPECTIVE


28 

THE SUBSTITUTE THE HAMMER 

DIRECTOR: OLE BORNEDAL 

DENMARK 


PRODUCER: MICHAEL OBEL 

WRITERS: OLE BORENDAL, HENRIK PRIP 

BC Premiere 

An alien - with the body of a tall blonde and the bedside manner of 

a Nazi - barks up a storm, indulges in mind control and sadistically 

taunts her students in this thrilling new black comedy by Danish 

director Ole Bornedal. 

Carl (Jonas Wandschneider) has been severely affected by the death 

of his mother, though he tries to keep his spirits up for the sake of his 

little sister and his anthropologist father. When Ulla Harms (Paprika 

Steen), shows up to teach Carl’s sixth-grade class, she makes an 

immediate impression. 

Ulla quickly sets about whipping the children into shape for a 

mysterious international competition in Paris. Not only is she cold and 

disparaging to her students as she puts them through a merciless 

battery of tests, but it appears that she can read their minds as well. 

No matter how vigorously the kids try to explain to their parents that 

something is fi shy about Ulla, the adults won’t believe a word of it. 

Clearly the children’s minds have been pickled by too many video 

games and television shows if they cannot tell that Ulla is the best 

teacher in the world. The adults fail to grasp the truth of the matter, 

however: Ulla Harms is on a mission from outer space, and she needs 

something that only earthlings can provide. 

Paprika Steen gives a wickedly over-the-top performance in the title 

role, pumping diabolical energy into this thriller. The fantastic elements 

of the story are only cosmetic, and the fi lm isn’t about aliens with 

strange powers, but rather about what our society is changing into. 



DIRECTOR: CHARLES HERMAN-WURMFELD 

USA 

2007 90 MINUTES HDCAM 

PRODUCERS: ERIC GANZ, HEATHER JUERGENSEN, EDEN WURMFELD 

WRITER: KEVIN HENCH, ADAM CAROLLA 

Canadian Premiere 

Star and co-writer Adam Carolla, may be known for a lot edgier fare 

like Comedy Central’s trampoline and hop-fueled The Man Show but 

he’s striking a very different note here with The Hammer. Based in 

part on his own life, he had this project made independently from his 

normal Hollywood connections and it shows. It glows with moments 

of real humanity and quirky wry humour that you’re just not going to 

fi nd in his more mainstream work. 

Jerry Ferro’s 40th birthday has brought his life into sharp relief and it’s 

not a pretty picture. A once-promising amateur boxer - who quit so he 

wouldn’t risk his perfect record of underachievement - Jerry has been 

knocking around in meaningless jobs and relationships, just waiting to 

eventually getting his life together. 

His last connection to the fi ght game is the evening boxing class he 

teaches to middle-aged, middle class, middle management types 

at a gym in Pasadena, where he also works as a handyman. When 

venerable boxing coach Eddie Bell asks Jerry if he’d like to spar a 

couple of rounds with Malice Blake, an up-and-coming pro, Jerry 

reluctantly steps into the ring. Despite a bad near-beat-down, a 

one-punch knockdown of Blake convinces Jerry that it’s time to make 

his return to competitive boxing. Thus ends a 20-year layoff and begins 

an off-beat fi sh-out-of-water quest for Olympic gold. 

Screened with 

HEAD, HEART AND BALLS 

Peter Foldy USA 15 minutes 

Smoking pot may not be the best way to overcome your anxieties but 

for one Woodstock-era teen, it is going to make sure his anxieties can 

get him where it really counts. 


Saturday • February 2 • Caprice • 7:15 PM

BAB’AZIZ MILKY WAY (VIA LACTEA) 

DIRECTOR: NACER KHEMIR 

TUNISIA 


PRODUCERS: CYRIAC AURIOL, ALI REZA SHOJA-NURI 

WRITERS: TONINO GUERRA, NACER KHEMIR 

BC Premiere 

Young Ishtar is traveling across the desert with her aged grandfather 

Bab ‘Aziz en route to a ceremony of dervishes. On their journey, the 

delight is not just in the interesting people who cross their paths but 

in the stories Bab ‘Aziz tells his young angel, including one of a Prince 

who abandons everything to contemplate his soul. Through their 

journey, the young, impatient Ishtar learns about others, how to have 

patience and about independence. In order for Ishtar to reach the 

destination, Bab ‘Aziz makes a sacrifi ce to ensure his granddaughter 

will arrive at the event she’s so eager to attend. 

This wonderful Tunisian epic fi lm is shot mostly in the desert, and in 

towns with bazaars and ceremonial spaces. The imagery is visually 

stunning throughout, whether it’s the expansive desertscape or the 

interior of the tents in which the dervishes twirl and meditate. This fi lm 

is one of the grandest to grace the screen at the VFF. With so many 

layers of the present, the past and myths, the fi lm offers a depth of 

perspective on another culture not regularly seen in cinema. 

DIRECTOR: LINA CHAMIE 

BRAZIL 


PRODUCER: LINA CHAMIE 

WRITERS: ALEKSERI ABIB, LINA CHAMIE 

BC Premiere 

After Heitor has a fi ght with his girlfriend Julia, he drives the streets 

of Sao Paolo, a drive that fi nds him stuck in traffi c. This allows Heitor 

to refl ect on the fi ght, his relationship with Julia, and his love for his 

young, beautiful girlfriend. Through Heitor’s thoughts and memories, 

we learn the history of their relationship, seemingly doomed from the 

start. Julia, the young performance artist/actress, lives and works in a 

world of other men, and Heitor’s jealousies soon take over all aspects 

of their lives. 

With an ambiguous ending that reveals that Julia’s love for Heitor 

is real, the fi lm is an excellent Brazilian feature that examines the 

inner struggle that love can create. Heitor’s emotions are wonderfully 

portrayed by Marco Ricca, and the rest of the cast is pitch-perfect. 

Screened with 

SUNDAY AFTERNOON 

Kaveh Nabatian Quebec 15 minutes 

It’s Sunday afternoon in the universe when a mysterious musical force 

causes scorching heat, tornadoes, and raging fi re that devastate our 

planet. But it’s hard to get a global perspective on impending disaster 

from the local corner store. 


Saturday • February 2 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 12:00 PM Saturday • February 2 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 4:30 PM 29 

WORLD PERSPECTIVE


30 

FALKENBERG FAREWELL THE CLASS (KLASS) 

DIRECTOR: JESPER GANSLANDT 

SWEDEN 


PRODUCER: ANNA ANTHONY 

WRITERS: JESPER GANSLANDT, FREDRIK WENZEL 

BC Premiere 

The town of Falkenberg is dying. 

But it is dying a poet’s death unlike any other: gorgeously and without 

ceremony. Its only citizens are the vacationers who can’t be bothered 

to stay year-round, the senior citizens who have forgotten how to 

leave and the miscellaneous few who were born there on the tail end 

of an echo. 

For Jesper, David, John and Helger, the death of the town couldn’t 

have been more timely or metaphoric. Fresh from high school, young, 

virile and handsomely masculine in every believable way, their teen 

years are fading behind them more rapidly than they can admit to each 

other. Each of them is now only too aware that they are only one short 

summer away from having to face a drastic choice they’ve delayed 

their whole life: stay or go. Stay and you’re forever trapped in a dying 

town. Go and you betray everything you ever were. 

First time director Jesper Ganslandt owes a huge debt to his 

cinematographer Fredrik Wenzel for Falkenberg Farewell’s stunning 

visuals. Gansladt’s work here with non-professional actors on a largely 

improvised script is solid, deeply engaging and incredibly thoughtful, 

but Wenzel’s cinematography is utterly AMAZING and raises 

Falkenberg to otherwise impossibly lyrical levels. Fans of American 

photographer William Eggleston should not miss this. 

Screened with 

NO BIKINI 

Claudia Morgado Escanilla BC 9 minutes 

Not up for uncomfortable swimwear? Gender-bending is a lot easier 

and more fun than you might think. 


DIRECTOR: ILMAR RAAG 

ESTONIA 


PRODUCERS: ILMAR RAAG, RIINA SILDOS 

WRITER: ILMAR RAAG 


TV has taught us certain things about high school: impossibly gorgeous 

young things will always bumble their way through a series of usually 

inconsequential hijinks only to be saved in the end by a well-timed 

musical montage. That’s just the way it is. 

Well, not really, but it’s much nicer to believe that than to remember 

high-school for the nasty, brutish and devastatingly long hook-to-thegroin 

that it is. Thankfully, Ilmar Raag is here to set us straight with The 

Class, a surprising and refreshingly raw look at teenage reality that you 

just won’t be able to take your eyes off of. 

Joosep is the awkward and unwanted outcast from frame one. Kaspar, 

on the other hand, is a seemingly uncomplicated jock until a soft spot 

for a girl named Thea leads him to do something that almost, sort-of, 

kinda looks like standing up for Joosep. Bad move for Kaspar. Now, 

neither friends nor enemies, the two are marked as together in a 

dangerously petty gauntlet of violence and rumour that’s all the more 

frightening for how it manages to sidestep the radar of even the most 

aware and intelligent adults. 

It’s an easy movie to compare to Gus Van Sant’s devastating Elephant 

but The Class has far more power and emotion as it builds towards its 

complex conclusions. 


Saturday • February 9 • Capitol 6 - 6 •4:30 PM

THE BOTHERSOME MAN 

(DEN BRYSOMME MANNEN) 

DIRECTOR: JENS LIEN 

NORWAY 


PRODUCER: JØRGEN STORM ROSENBERG 

WRITER: PER SCHREINER, FROM HIS RADIO PLAY 

Forty-year-old Andreas arrives in a strange city with no memory of how 

he got there. He is presented with a job, an apartment - even a wife. 

But before long, Andreas notices that something is wrong. 

The antiseptic metropolis’ stark, desert environs are a perfect match 

for the personalities of its emotionally barren inhabitants. This carefully 

planned utopia is a world without kids where food has no taste and 

alcohol can’t get you drunk. In fact, you can’t even hurt yourself, as 

Andreas learns when he accidentally chops off a fi nger only to have it 

magically grow back. 

Surrounded by somber automatons who appear content with 

their zombied lifestyle, Andreas feels isolated, despite an arranged 

relationship with a cute, if cold, interior decorator (Petronella Barker) 

with not much of a personality. Then, when he can’t generate any 

passion in a co-worker (Birgitte Larsen) who’s a little too willing to be 

his mistress, our frustrated fi sh out of water gets fed up and simply 

wants out of his harrowing nightmare. 

But that is easier said than done in this surreal dystopia, where even 

if a Norwegian would, he couldn’t commit suicide. A deliberate, 

thought-provoking, existential meditation on the curse of creating a 

never-ending heaven on Earth. 

Screened with 

OVERNIGHT, A ROSE 

Ching-Yao Koh Taiwan 17 minutes 

A Taiwanese teenager, Xiao Mei, and her youthful but spirited 

grandmother struggle to co-exist through the series of lies that every 

family makes. But love, above all else, shines through, however quietly. 

THE VANISHED 

(AME NO MACHI) 

DIRECTOR: MAKOTO TANAKA 

JAPAN 

2006 95 MIN. 35MM 

PRODUCER: TSUYOSHI MATSUURA 

WRITERS: HIDEYUKI KIKUCHI, MAKOTO TANAKA 


Thirty-fi ve years ago, a group of young school children disappeared 

in the Japanese woods. In present day Japan, a lazy young reporter is 

tasked to write a story on a child who is found dead with gory injuries 

and inexplicable missing organs. Suddenly, the child rises from the 

dead, and takes the journalist on a journey into the woods to unravel a 

decades-old mystery of what happened to these missing children. With 

the help of a beautiful young city offi ce clerk, he soon discovers that 

the children are undead, and have not aged in the 35 years since their 

disappearance, haunting their families who are intent on ending this 

cycle of violence. 

In the tradition of the Japanese horror fi lms of recent years, The 

Vanished is shockingly scary from its opening sequence, in which 

an adult attempts to do away with one of the undead children. As 

the fi lm moves forward, a unifying vision is kept intact, as the fi lm is 

grounded in a realistic story, with a horrifi c undertone that is so typical 

of the best Japanese horror and monster fi lms. Truly a perfect fi lm for 

horror fi lm fans, as well for fans of Japanese cinema. 

Screened with 

HARRACHOV 

Matt Hulse & Joost van Veen Netherlands/UK 10 minutes 

A strange and ominous machine assembles itself. 

Tuesday • February 5 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 9:00 PM 

Thursday • February 7 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 9:00 PM 

Sunday • February 10 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 12:00 PM Sunday • February 10 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 4:30 PM 31 

WORLD PERSPECTIVE


32 

VANAJA ADAM’S APPLES 

DIRECTOR: RAJNESH DOMALPALLI 

USA / INDIA 


PRODUCER: LATHA R. DOMALAPALLI 

WRITER: RAJNESH DOMALPALLI 

In rural Southern India, where social barriers stand stronger than fort 

walls, Vanaja explores the chasm that still divides classes as a young girl 

struggles to come of age. 

Vanaja is the 14 year-old daughter of a poor fi sherman being crushed 

by mounting debt. When a clairvoyant predicts that she will be a great 

dancer, her father gets her work in the house of the local landlady, 

Rama Devi, in the hopes of her learning Kuchipudi dance while still 

earning him a keep. 

Vanaja’s liveliness soon catches the landlady’s eye and she begins to 

climb socially inside the house of Rama Devi. But it winds up being 

the game board rather than the social ladder that secures her the 

landlady’s mentorship for dance and music once and for all. Finally, 

given the chance to sway on the dance fl oor for the fi rst time, Vanaja 

quickly grows into her own with the art and seems to be dead set 

for fame when Shekhar, Rama Devi’s 23 year old son returns home 

unannounced. Shekhar is as ripe with insecurity from his unearned 

entitlements as the teenage Vanaja is blooming with talents and 

sexuality. Their lives quickly intertwine but not for the better. 

Not your typical Bollywood blockbuster despite its musical moments, 

Vanaja is instead a thoughtful piece of social drama that will move 

you deeply. 

Tuesday • February 5 • Odeon • 7:00 PM 

(ADAM’S ÆBLER) 

DIRECTOR: ANDERS THOMAS JENSEN 

DENMARK 

2006 89 MINUTES. 35MM 

PRODUCER: TIVI MAGNUSSON 

WRITER: ANDERS THOMAS JENSEN 

BC Premiere 

All neo-Nazi Adam (Ulrich Thomsen) wants to do is fi nish his 

community service as soon as possible and get back to his job 

terrorizing the Danish populace. But Ivan (Mads Mikkelsen), the 

minister whose job it is to supervise his rehabilitation, insists that 

Adam will have to pull his weight. When Adam jokingly suggests that 

he bake a pie, Ivan puts him in charge of taking care of an apple tree 

until the fruit is ripe for the baking. From that slim setup, a marvelous 

black comedy from the pen of the great Anders Thomas Jensen 

(Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself) arises. 

Ivan’s goodness and his imperturbability drive Adam bonkers; the 

whole set up in the rectory makes him crazy. He fi nds himself sharing 

a house with the reverend; Gunnar, a fat and cheerful sex offender; 

and most repugnant to him, Khalid, an Afghan thief given to holding 

up gas stations. The situation is lunatic, and Adam gets angrier and 

angrier as he realizes that he is the only one who sees it that way. His 

plan is simply to bolt but when he discovers that Ivan has not been 

strictly honest with him, he decides to embark on a new project and 

break the man physically and emotionally. 

Jensen has a real gift for black humour but he’s never simply 

interested in getting laughs, and for all the black humour, he has a 

warm heart. He is fond of these characters and wants to see them 

redeemed, and not just the blackguard Adam, but the pious Ivan as 

well who is almost spooky in his serene cheerfulness. 


Sunday • February 3 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 4:30 PM

OWL AND THE SPARROW THE GOODTIMESKID 

DIRECTOR: STEPHANE GAUGER 

VIETNAM / USA 


PRODUCERS: QUAN VAN NGUYEN, NAM NHAT DOAN 

WRITER: STEPHANE GAUGER 

BC Premiere 

A beautiful and touching story of love blooming on the streets of 

modern-day Saigon, where most people are just trying to keep up with 

the pace. 

Young and attractive, Lan is a fl ight attendant who appears to live 

completely alone, only ever touching her feet on the ground for the 

small comforts of a family-run hotel. Quiet and thoughtful, Hai is 

an elephant-caretaker living inside the heart of the city’s zoo. While 

Lan is wasting away her time being both distant and “complicated”, 

heartbroken Hai is recently fi ancé-less and has all but given up 

venturing into the city that surrounds him. It is Thuy, a fearless 

10 year-old runaway and postcard salesgirl, who will draw Lan and Hai 

from the delicate shells in which they’ve cocooned themselves and out 

into Saigon’s ever-lit and noisy street life together. That is, if Thuy can 

stay out of the way of her uncle’s wrath and the authorities who see 

her only as a nuisance to be fi led away in the city’s orphanage. 

Owl and the Sparrow is a rare delight in the Asian cinemascape that 

makes it to North America. It is a movie almost completely free of 

Vietnam’s weighty history and instead just revels in the very 

extra-ordinariness of ordinary people. 

DIRECTOR: AZAZEL JACOBS 

USA 


PRODUCER: RICHARD ABRAMOWITZ 

WRITERS: GERARDO NARANJO, AZAZEL JACOBS 

BC Premiere 

Normally, stealing from Hollywood is just a bad idea for any 

independent fi lmmaker. But for director Azazel Jacobs, stealing fi lm 

from a Hollywood blockbuster’s truck to make a movie about stolen 

identities and stolen hearts, couldn’t have been a more perfect allegory 

for The Goodtimeskid. 

Filled with some of the most endearing deadpan humour since Peter 

Sellers and Buster Keaton, this is the story of two Rodolfo Canos. One 

Rodolfo Cano lives alone on a sailboat by the docks and the other 

lives with his soon-to-be-estranged girlfriend. Neither knew the other 

existed until one day the army misdelivers a Call-for-Service letter 

for Rodolfo-with-a-girlfriend to Rodolfo-with-a-boat. Thinking he 

only needs to explain the mistake to the offi ce, Rodolfo-with-a-boat 

accidentally crosses paths with an oblivious Rodolfo-with-a girlfriend 

at the recruitment offi ce. Intrigued and confused, he follows his 

unknowing namesake back home, only to stumble awkwardly into the 

lovelorn life of a woman that’s about to be left behind. 

Leave your conceptions behind about what a comedy can be and The 

Goodtimeskid will deliver. Its characters are deep and complicated 

without ever needing to over-explain them. Its setups are sometimes so 

perfect you never see a laugh-out-loud moment coming until you’ve 

already spilled your popcorn on your date. 

Monday • February 4 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 6:45 PM 


Sunday • February 10 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 2:15 PM Monday • February 4 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 9:00 PM 33 

WORLD PERSPECTIVE


34 

BEAUTY IN TROUBLE THE BAND’S VISIT 

DIRECTOR: JAN HREBEJK 

CZECH REPUBLIC 

2006 110 MININUTES 35MM 

PRODUCER: ONDREJ TROJAN 

WRITER: PETR JARCHOVSK 

In Prague, a series of events leads to a chance meeting between 

Marcela and the much-older Mr. Benes. Marcela is in a troubled 

marriage made worse by sudden fi nancial problems. When Marcela’s 

husband Jarda is arrested while running a stolen car ring she moves 

in with her mother and her mean-spirited, strict husband Risa (one 

of the greatest characters seen on screen in a long time). Jarda’s last 

victim, Mr. Benes, soon falls for Marcela, and takes her and her kids 

away to his Italian villa. Back in Prague, Marcela must still contend with 

her mother’s husband’s boorish ways, and Mr. Benes must deal with 

extortion attempts at the house he owns in Prague. Both deal with 

their respective problems with an understanding of human nature and 

the need to take a fi rm hand when push comes to shove. 

As good as the best Eastern European cinema of recent years, 

Beauty in Trouble focuses on characters, and not action or plot. 

While there most certainly are several compelling stories to follow in 

this remarkably confi dent fi lm, the focus is on the characters, each 

of whom has depth not typical of a narrative fi lm with such strong 

plotlines. With a uniquely Eastern European sensibility, Beauty in 

Trouble is a well-crafted fi lm that leaves a powerful impression due to 

mastery of a tone that is perfectly suited to the story being told. 



DIRECTOR: ERAN KOLIRIN 

ISRAEL 


PRODUCERS: EILON RATZKOVSKY, EHUD BLEIBURG, YOSSI UZRAD, 

KOBY GAL-RADAY, GUY JACOEL 

WRITER: ERAN KOLIRIN 

Once, not long ago, a small Egyptian Police band arrived in Israel. 

They came to play at an initiation ceremony but due to bureaucracy, 

bad luck or bad organization, they were left stranded at the airport. 

They try to manage on their own and head off on a bus but that 

leads to the problem of well... going in the wrong direction. Soon 

the band fi nds themselves in a desolate almost forgotten Israeli town, 

somewhere in the heart of the desert. A lost band in a lost town. Two 

of the members stay with the self-assured and witty café proprietress, 

Dina (Ronit Elkabetz), whose casual sensuality can’t help but challenge 

the men’s ideas about womanhood. Through the connections 

they forge, the band members and the villagers fi nd their cultural 

assumptions shaken – with one especially memorable scene taking 

place in a roller disco. 

The Band’s Visit is easily the most charming and delightful movie ever 

to come out of the Egyptian-Israeli confl ict. That may seem like an easy 

task given how little competition there’s been but don’t let that fool 

you. The Band’s Visit sets a high standard that all others who come 

after will have to work hard to reach. Kolirin has a playful eye for detail 

and an ear for real dialogue. He elicits wonderful performances from 

his ensemble cast – a mix of newcomers and veterans. 

Screened with 

COME AGAIN IN SPRING 

Belinda Oldford Canada 12 minutes 

Old Hark is a creature of habit. He enjoys living in his weather-beaten 

house set down amidst the meadows. His greatest joy is feeding the 

birds that have wintered over and have come to depend on him. One 

day, a black-robed spectre materializes out of the fi elds, brandishing 

the Book of Time. But it’s too soon. 

Thursday • February 7 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 6:45 PM

LET OTHERS SUFFER HINDSIGHT 

DIRECTOR: TODD PETERS 

USA 


PRODUCERS: MATTHEW GOSSIN, SCOTT SHELLEY 

BC Premiere 

When aspiring fi lmmaker Todd looks for inspiration, he turns to 

Eastern European fi lmmaker Ivan Libragi and his many fi lmmaking 

how-to books. Todd soon decides to make a fi lm, and hires Ivan to 

fi lm a documentary about the making of an independent fi lm in 

America today. Ivan and his crew follow Todd and his crew through 

the fi lmmaking process. Todd’s fl awed hiring process is shown through 

a series of hilarious encounters with barely-competent crewmembers. 

Soon, heartache, fi rings, family drama, abandonment and apathy set 

in to destroy the fi lm Todd set out to make, while creating a new work 

of art and opening doors for all of the crew members. 

This remarkably adept mockumentary on the fi lmmaking process 

features a terrifi c ensemble cast that emulates the dynamics of many 

typical low budget independent fi lms; anyone who has been on such 

a fi lm crew or set will recognize these characters very clearly. With a 

running commentary by the jaded Ivan Libragi, who rejoices in ripping 

Todd’s fi lm apart, Let Others Suffer offers a wonderful depiction of the 

near-impossibility of getting a low budget indie made today. 

Screened with 

THE NAUTICAL EDUCATION 

Christian Laurence Ontario 2.5 minutes 

The sea-life is not for everyone. You need training. No, not that kind. 


Saturday • February 9 • Odeon • 9:30PM 

DIRECTOR: PAUL HOLAHAN 

USA 


PRODUCERS: JULIE SANDOR, FRANCEY GRACE 

WRITER: BROOKE PURDY 


Desperate for cash but unwilling to earn it, Ronnie and Dina have 

the one thing they can easily turn into money, a baby on the way. 

Paul and Maria have plenty of what it will take to get the baby they 

so desperately want but are unable to have themselves. What seems 

like a perfect match soon turns into a nightmare for both couples, as 

greed, ulterior motives, petty jealousies and distrust lead to unalterable 

consequences. Both couples will stop at nothing to get what they 

want on their own terms. With a mix of cunning, strength and 

determination, both couples fi ght to the bitter end to come out on top 

of this dangerous game. 

Shot in southern California and told mostly in fl ashback by Dina, who 

is befriended by a kindly older gentleman who patiently and quietly 

listens to her tale of how she got to this point, Hindsight is a very taut 

thriller that boasts strong characters with substantial depth and history, 

and an extremely well-written script. As the plot, and the scheme, 

develop, we learn the motivations and strategy of Ronnie and Dina as 

they attempt to sell their unborn child to a couple largely blinded due 

to their singular obsession. Maria refuses to see beyond the scheme, 

but ultimately proves to be the most resolute of the bunch. 



Sunday • February 10 • Odeon • 1:15 PM 35


36 

HOLLYWOOD DREAMS THE WALKER 

DIRECTOR: HENRY JAGLOM 

USA 


PRODUCER: ROSEMARY MARKS-CARR 

WRITER: HENRY JAGLOM 

From critically acclaimed director Henry Jaglom comes Hollywood 

Dreams, an inside look at the nature and façade of fame in Hollywood. 

With one of the most neurotic and manic performances on screen 

since Gena Rowlands starred in A Woman Under The Infl uence, 

Tanna Frederick plays aspiring starlet Margie Chisek. Margie’s 

unapologetic social climbing pays immediate dividends when she is 

taken under the wing of Hollywood producer Kaz and his partner 

Caesar (a magnifi cent, at times tortured, performance by David 

Proval). Tanna enters their world like a hurricane, and in the process 

meets gay Hollywood icon Robin (Justin Kirk, Weeds). She falls for this 

unattainable object, although not everything is as it seems. 

Tanna Frederick gives a stunning performance in her fi rst leading role. 

Her discomfort with her surroundings is parlayed to the audience, 

to truly exceptional cinematic effect. At the same time, she ably slips 

into any situation in order to achieve her goals of making it to the top 

of the Hollywood pecking order. With a supporting cast of Seymour 

Cassel, Eric Roberts, Proval, Kirk, and Karen Black, Hollywood Dreams 

is a magnifi cent portrayal of the Hollywood star-making machine. 

Jaglom’s honest writing and his characters’ half-hearted deceptions 

make this one of the fi nest inside looks at Hollywood and the people 

who populate tinseltown since Altman’s The Player. 


DIRECTOR: PAUL SCHRADER 

USA / UK 


PRODUCER: DEEPAK NAYAR 

WRITER: PAUL SCHRADER 

PRINT: COURTESY OF THINKFILM 

Embarking on his 1993 adaptation of The Age of Innocence, Scorsese 

insisted that the tea-set terrain of Edith Wharton was really just as 

vicious as the badlands of GoodFellas, the only difference being that 

they killed you with a smile as opposed to a gun. You get a similar 

impression from The Walker’s reactionary Washington backdrop. 

Society ladies have very busy husbands and very busy schedules. So 

sometimes a gentleman of taste, distinction and proper breeding 

who poses no romantic threat is called on to accompany the rich and 

powerful to must-attend events. Witty conversationalists, snappy 

dressers and etiquette snobs, these “walkers” have old-fashioned 

scruples – which, in the case of Carter Page III (Woody Harrelson), lead 

to an accusation of murder and the potential ruin of his family’s honour. 

Page, all southern-gentry drawl, surrounds himself with the smartest 

women of a certain age, who are themselves married to the most 

powerful men in Washington, D.C. Natalie Van Miter (Lauren Bacall), 

Abigail Delorean (Lily Tomlin) and Lynn Lockner (Kristin Scott Thomas) 

protect and scold him at weekly card games and various parties. 

However, Page’s idle life is thrown into turmoil when Lockner fi nds her 

lover stabbed to death. The chivalrous Page agrees to report the murder. 

In this whirl of backslapping cocktail receptions and rapier-duel canasta 

parties, the weak and vulnerable are always doomed to fl ounder. 

Thursday • February 7 • Caprice • 7:15 PM 

Saturday • February 9 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 2:15 PM

FILM SCHEDULE 

SCREENING TIMES 

CAPITOL 6 

THEATRE 6, 

805 YATES STREET 

CAPITOL 6 

THEATRE 1, 


ODEON 

THEATRE 2, 


PLAN B 

PLAN B LOUNGE, 

1318 BROAD STREET 

CAPRICE 

THEATRE, LANGFORD 

127-777 GOLDSTREAM AVE 

FILM SCHEDULE 

SCREENING TIMES 

CAPITOL 6 

THEATRE 6, 


CAPITOL 6 

THEATRE 1, 


ODEON 

THEATRE 2, 


PLAN B 

PLAN B LOUNGE, 

1318 BROAD STREET 

CAPRICE 

THEATRE, LANGFORD 

127-777 GOLDSTREAM AVE 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 

Motown 

High 

(GALA) 

6:45 PM 

70 Min 

Page 18 

Bab 

‘Aziz 

7:15 PM 

96 Min 

Page 29 

Fierce 

People 

7:00 PM 

107 Min 

Page 27 

Siberian 

Dream 

7:15 PM 

65 Min 

Page 42 

California 

Dreamin’ 

Endless 

9:30 PM 

155 Min 

Page 26 

Under 

the Same 

Moon 

9:30 PM 

109 Min 

Page 25 

Bab 

‘Aziz 

12:00 PM 

96 Min 

Page 29 

Hollywood 

Dreams 

12:15 PM 

100 Min 

Page 36 

Siberian 

Dream 

1:15 PM 

65 Min 

Page 42 

Mosquito 

Problem 

and Other 

Stories 

2:15 PM 

100 Min 

Page 44 

Hank & 

Mike 

2:30 PM 

82 Min 

Page 21 

Autism: 

The 

Musical 

3:30 PM 

94 Min 

Page 48 

Opening Gala Canadian Wave World Perspective Documentary MyVictoria Short Films Special Programming 

The Tracey 

Fragments 

6:45 PM 

77 Min 

Page 20 

My 

Victoria 

7:15 PM 

70 Min 

Page 53 

Well Done 

7:00 PM 

102 Min 

Page 45 

Grand 

Hopes 

7:15 PM 

79 Min 

Page 59 

Fierce 

People 

7:15 PM 

107 Min 

Page 27 

The 

Hammer 

9:30PM 

90 Min 

Page 28 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 

Beauty in 

Trouble 

9:00 PM 

110 Min 

Page 34 

Rock, 

Paper, 

Scissors 

9:30 PM 

85 Min 

Page 44 

Portage 

9:30 PM 

83 Min 

Page 24 

Cultures 

Unbound 

9:30 PM 

71 Min 

Page 59 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 

Band’s 

Visit 

6:45 PM 

89 Min 

Page 34 

InVision / 

FilmCAN 

7:15 PM 

~ 80 Min 

Page 67 

Aswang 

7:00 PM 

81 Min 

Page 24 

The Walker 

7:15 PM 

107 Min 

Page 36 

The 

Vanished 

9:00 PM 

95 Min 

Page 31 

Milky 

Way 

4:30 PM 

88 Min 

Page 29 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7 

The Union 

9:30 PM 

105 Min 

Page 48 

Egg 

Factory 

9:30 PM 

90 Min 

Page 22 

The 

Counterfeiters 

6:45 PM 

99 Min 

Page 26 

Hank & 

Mike 

7:00 PM 

82 Min 

Page 21 

All Hat 

6:45 PM 

89 Min 

Page 20 

Beauty in 

Trouble 

7:15 PM 

110 Min 

Page 34 

A Song 

to 

Sing-o 

7:00 PM 

70 Min 

Page 43 

The 

Hammer 

7:15 PM 

90 Min 

Page 28 

The 

Class 

9:00 PM 

97 Min 

Page 30 

Adam’s 

Apples 

9:00 PM 

89 Min 

Page 32 


Hell on 

Wheels 

9:30 PM 

90 Min 

Page 46 

Never 

Apologize 

9:30PM 

111 Min 

Page 41 

The Dead 

Sleep 

Easy 

9:30 PM 

93 Min 

Page 23 

SA 

The 

Sub 

12:0 

93 M 

Pag

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 

The 

Goodtimeskid 

12:00 PM 

77 Min 

Page 33 

Never 

Apologize 

12:15 PM 

111 Min 

Page 41 

Let 

Others 

Suffer 

2:30 PM 

87 Min 

Page 35 

Saving 

Luna 

7:15 PM 

100 Min 

Page 42 

All Hat 

7:15 PM 

89 Min 

Page 20 

Identity 

9:30 PM 

84 Min 

Page 49 

Owl and 

the 

Sparrow 

6:45 PM 

97 Min 

Page 33 

Mr. Big 

7:15 PM 

89 Min 

Page 46 

Intervention 

7:00 PM 

93 Min 

Page 25 

Dangerous 

Playgrounds 

7:15 PM 

75 Min 

Page 55 

The 

Goodtimeskid 

9:00 PM 

77 Min 

Page 33 

Dr. Bronner’s 

Magic 

Soapbox 

9:30 PM 

88 Min 

Page 45 

California 

Dreamin’ 

Endless 

9:30PM 

155 Min 

Page 26 

Awkward 

Company 

9:30 PM 

77 Min 

Page 55 

Mosquito 

Problem 

and Other 

Stories 

6:45 PM 

100 Min 

Page 44 

Dalai Lama 

Renaissance 

7:15 PM 

80 Min 

Page 47 

Vanaja 

7:00 PM 

111 Min 

Page 32 

Love 

Blooms 

7:15 PM 

83 Min 

Page 57 

Saving 

Luna 

7:15 PM 

100 Min 

Page 42 

TICKETS BOLEN BOOKS | FESTIVAL OFFICE: 808 VIEW ST | PHONE: (250) 389 0444 | OR ONLINE AT WWW.VICTORIAFILMFESTIVAL.COM 

stitute 

0 PM 

in 

28 

The 

Gates 

1:15 PM 

94 Min 

Page 49 

Slingshot 

1:15 PM 

86 Min 

Page 23 

Walker 

2:15 PM 

107 Min 

Page 36 

Cowardice 

2:15 PM 

102 Min 

Page 22 

Portage 

3:30 PM 

83 Min 

Page 24 

Carts of 

Darkness 

3:30 PM 

68 Min 

Page 47 

Adam’s 

Apples 

4:30 PM 

89 Min 

Page 32 

The Class 

4:30 PM 

97 Min 

Page 30 

Amal 

6:45 PM 

101 Min 

Page 21 

Starting 

Out in the 

Evening 

6:45 PM 

111 Min 

Page 27 

Hindsight 

7:00 PM 

92 Min 

Page 35 

VIFPA: 

Captain 

Cook 

7:00 PM 

55 Min 

Page 71 

Falkenberg 

Farewell 

9:00 PM 

91 Min 

Page 30 

Up the 

Yangtze 

9:00 PM 

93 Min 

Page 41 

Let 

Others 

Suffer 

9:30PM 

87 Min 

Page 35 

Bothersome 

Man 

12:00 PM 

95 Min 

Page 31 

Hindsight 

1:15 PM 

92 Min 

Page 35 

OPENING GALA 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 

Caprice Theatre, Langford 

777 Goldstream Ave. 

MOTOWN HIGH 

7:15 PM, 70 Minutes, Page 18 

Dalai Lama 

Renaissance 

7:15 PM 

80 Min 

Page 47 

Starting 

Out in the 

Evening 

7:15 PM 

111 Min 

Page 27 

TURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10 

Owl and 

the 

Sparrow 

2:15 PM 

97 Min 

Page 33 

Family 

Progamming 

3:30 PM 

60 Min 

Page 65 

The 

Vanished 

4:30 PM 

95 Min 

Page 31 

The 

Substitute 

6:45 PM 

93 Min 

Page 28 

Slingshot 

7:00 PM 

86 Min 

Page 23 


Capitol 6 Theatre 6, Victoria 

805 Yates Street. 

MOTOWN HIGH 

6:45 PM, 70 Minutes, Page 18 

Bothersome 

Man 

9:00 PM 

95 Min 

Page 31 

Beyond 

Belief 

9:30 PM 

97 Min 

Page 43 

Under 

the Same 

Moon 

9:30 PM 

109 Min 

Page 25 

Tenuous 

Ties 

9:30 PM 

77 Min 

Page 57 

Amal 

9:00 PM 

101 Min 

Page 21 

The Dead 

Sleep 

Easy 

9:30PM 

93 Min 

Page 23

Given a kernel of information, 

could you write a screenplay? 

The world is full of wonderful stories. 

And Camosun College’s Continuing 

Education has a world of ideas, 

plus evening classes in writing and 

photography to help capture the magic. 

Ready for your next step? Take it at Camosun. camosun.ca/ce 

Email cecalendar@camosun.bc.ca if you’d like to receive the Winter 2008 Continuing Education print calendar

UP THE YANGTZE NEVER APOLOGIZE 

DIRECTOR: YUANG CHANG 

CANADA 


PRODUCERS: MILA AUNG-THWIN, GERMAINE YING GEE WONG, 

JOHN CHRISTOU 

Sun Yat-sen, the father of modern China, fi rst proposed a 

hydroelectric plant at the Three Gorges in 1919; in the 1950’s, after 

devastating fl oods, Mao Zedong revived the idea for the dam, now 

1.5 miles wide and more than 600 feet high. Critics have alleged that 

corruption has led to potentially lethal construction shortcuts and 

that insuffi cient care has been taken in fl ooding nearly 400 square 

miles, some of which contained old factories and accumulated toxic 

chemicals. During the course of the fi lming, the river encroaches on 

more land and more lives. 

The latter include 16-year-old Yu Shui, whose parents are 

hard-scrabble peasants neither able nor willing to continue her 

education. Instead, she is sent to work on one of the luxury tourist 

boats working the Yangtze, carrying Western tourists on so-called 

“farewell tours” of the soon-to-be-submerged countryside. It’s pure 

culture shock: Yu Shui is thrown into an unfamiliar mix of corporate 

work ethic, middle-class customers and a managerial attitude that 

immediately gives all employees English names – Yu Shui becomes 

“Cindy”; her co-worker Chen Bo Yu is “Jerry”. 

Chinese-Canadian fi lmmaker Yung Chang directs it all with insight 

and cinematic fl air, embracing irony rather than righteous indignation. 

Drawing inspiration from contemporary Asian cinema and post-war 

neo-realism, he crafts a compassionate account of peasant life and a 

powerful documentary narrative of contemporary China. 

DIRECTOR: MIKE KAPLAN 

USA 


PRODUCERS: MIKE KAPLAN, MALCOLM MCDOWELL 

BC Premiere 

Never Apologize, Malcolm McDowell’s celebration of Lindsay 

Anderson, is a unique hybrid of fi lm, theatre and literature. 

Anderson, the award-winning director, critic, essayist and anarchist, 

cast McDowell in his fi rst starring role as the rebellious Mick Travis, 

in his fi lm, IF...., winner of the Palme D’Or, Cannes (1968). Their 

working relationship continued through fi ve additional fi lm and theatre 

productions spanning several decades. 

Drawing equally on his own recollections and on Anderson’s superbly 

written materials McDowell conveys a sense of life with a man who was at 

once irascible and caring, deeply intelligent and outrageously stubborn. 

McDowell summons a ghostly host of the famed and forgotten to 

life by simple shifts of accent and body posture, he conjures vanished 

notables like John Gielgud, Alan Bates, Richard Harris and even Bette 

Davis, all of whom are depicted with wryness and warmth. Doomed 

and suicidal actress Rachel Roberts, a key fi gure in Anderson’s circle but 

largely overlooked today, is lingered over by McDowell with a gentle but 

palpable sense of loss. Over everything, Anderson’s speeter broods, an 

uncompromising artist willing to lose friendships over his unwavering 

commitment to keeping art “epic” by avoiding all things “bourgeois.” 

Malcom McDowell and director Mike Kaplan pull off a very surprising 

coup: a fi lm that engages for every minute. McDowell’s performance 

remains captivating and Anderson’s life a genuine fascination. 


Saturday • February 2 • Odeon • 9:30PM 

Sunday • February 3 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 12:15 PM 41 

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY 

42 

SAVING LUNA SIBERIAN DREAM 

DIRECTORS: MICHAEL PARFIT, SUZANNE CHISHOLM 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 


PRODUCER: SUZANNE CHISHOLM 

WRITER: MICHAEL PARFIT 

Victoria residents know very well the story of Luna, a young orca who 

strayed, or was cast off, from Vancouver Island’s L Pod. Upon the 

orcas’ return to these waters every year, whale watchers anxiously 

await sightings of Luna. Luna, though, is unlike any other orca seen 

in the wild, with a personality as playful, and loyal, as any pet, and 

with communication devices on par with humans. At fi rst, Luna’s 

shenanigans are met with joy and fascination, as he allows kids 

to pet him, adults to play fetch with him, and photographers and 

fi lmmakers to capture some of the most intimate footage of orcas 

ever fi lmed. Soon, though, like a nuisance bear, Luna is seen as a 

hazard by a few people loud enough to persuade the Department 

of Fisheries and Oceans to take drastic measures to ensure that 

Luna’s company is not enjoyed by most, and to shun him when all he 

obviously wants is a friend. 

After several years of working with the Victoria Film Festival, I am 

rarely left speechless by a fi lm I am objectively viewing. However, 

Saving Luna did just that to this writer. The relentlessly engaging 

story, a true story wrought with drama that Hollywood couldn’t 

produce on its best days, along with the magnifi cent quality of the 

footage, makes this fi lm one of the most moving, interesting, happy 

and sad fi lms to grace the screen here at the VFF in several years. 


Tuesday • February 5 • Caprice • 7:15 PM 

PRESENTED BY 

DIRECTOR: JANET GARDNER 

USA 


PRODUCER: JANET GARDNER 

WRITER: IRINA PANTAEVA 

BC Premiere 

This remarkable documentary offers two distinct, intriguing stories. 

The fi rst is the journey of Irina Pantaeva, a young Siberian woman 

who, in 1992, was “discovered” and moved to Paris to pursue a 

modeling career. Two years later, she was living in New York City 

and managing to make it through her years as a top model virtually 

unscathed by the lifestyle. Irina never lost sight of her homeland. 

Prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917, there were 16,000 monks in 

Siberia. This number was quickly reduced to 500 due to the outlawing 

of monks and shamans, resulting in their killings, persecution and 

fl ight. The Russian government suppressed all aspects of Siberian 

culture and language as a means to have this northern outpost 

assimilated into Soviet culture. Irina is deeply affected by the plight of 

the monks and has dedicated her life post-career to building Buddhist 

schools and reinvigorating Siberian culture. 

Siberian Dream offers an outstanding exploration of a world few in 

the west know. Framed around the journey of Irina, the fi lm offers 

hope for the rebirth of long-lost, yet still vital, customs. Along with her 

Latvian husband Roland Levin and teenage son, Irina still spends her 

summers in Siberia in order to teach her son about their homeland, 

and to bring awareness of the lost traditions to those who are too 

young to remember. 

Screened with 

GRAND WHEEL 

Gavin Heffernan USA / Canada 6 minutes 

An experimental walk through the peace movement in the modern 

United States. 

Friday • February 1 • Caprice • 7:15 PM 

Saturday • February 2 • Odeon • 1:15 PM

BEYOND BELIEF A SONG TO SING-O 

DIRECTOR: BETH MURPHY 

USA 


PRODUCER: BETH MURPHY 

The lives of Boston soccer moms Patti Quigley and Susan Retik are 

shattered on 9/11 when their husbands die in the attack. After grieving 

their losses, they set out on an inspiring journey to help widows from 

another world – Afghanistan. With 23 years of virtually uninterrupted 

war, including the current NATO-led war on the Taliban and the 

unrelenting insurgency, there are an estimated 500,000 Afghan war 

widows. Patti and Susan see those women as kindred souls: families 

destroyed by often misdirected attacks. They set out on a three-day 

bike trip from New York, departing from Ground Zero, to Boston, to 

raise funds and awareness for these Afghan war widows, but they 

have little interest in one-off instances of helping – they want to create 

sustainable methods to better their lives. In May 2005, Patti and Susan 

went to Kabul to see fi rsthand what was needed, and how their funds 

could best be used. 

A human element is brought to the story of the war in Afghanistan 

through this terrifi c documentary as Patti and Susan work to help the 

widows and recover their own lives. With the second half of the fi lm 

being shot mostly in Kabul, we see a human side to the confl ict that is 

rarely shown on the television news. A stunning document. 

DIRECTOR: DON SHEBIB 

ONTARIO 


PRODUCER: BARBARA ALLINSON 

WRITER: DON SHEBIB 


Don Shebib’s documentary examination of amateur theatre in Toronto, 

specifi cally St. Anne’s Gilbert and Sullivan productions, is the real-life 

sister fi lm to Waiting for Guffman, with characters and storylines as 

compelling, and engaging, as those in Christopher Guest’s classic 

mockumentary. From the aging couple who founded the theatre 

company, to the daughter who now runs the yearly productions, the 

fi lm examines the obsessive, and dedicated, people who make up 

amateur theatre troupes. On a pilgrimage to England’s annual G&S 

festival, the fi lm goes deeply into G&S, including a focus on certain of 

the eccentric characters who make up this world. 

What is most satisfying about Shebib’s fi lm is the respect with which 

he treats his subject. To an outsider, these people might just seem like 

obsessed dilettantes, but Shebib reveals a serious passion, and one that 

participants work as hard on as any professional company. Yet Shebib 

never loses sight that it is after all Gilbert and Sullivan and a lighthearted 

attitude is always required. 

Screened with 

FRACAS 

Eduardo Menz Quebec 5 minutes 

The image of the smiling child resting under the heading ‘MISSING’ is 

an uncomfortable and awkward contradiction. 

GLIMPSE 

Dustin Grella USA 9 minutes 

A fi lmic stop-motion study on the life of painter Willem de Kooning 

and a stream of consciousness play on the impermanence of all things. 

PRESENTED BY 

Tuesday • February 5 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 9:30 PM Saturday • February 2 • Odeon • 7:00 PM 43 

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY 

44 

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS THE MOSQUITO PROBLEM 

DIRECTORS: APRIL MULLEN, TIM DOIRON AND OTHER STORIES 

ONTARIO 


PRODUCER: APRIL MULLEN 

WRITER: TIM DOIRON 

Toronto’s Walker brothers have elevated one of the world’s simplest 

playground games to the realm of internationally recognized 

competitive sporting events. With thousands of members worldwide, 

and an annual World Championship event that routinely sells out, 

the Rock Paper Scissors Society boasts an organizational structure on 

par with most major sports, yet it is run out of the Toronto home of 

the Walker brothers. As one would expect from a sport that is more 

closely associated with childhood dispute resolution than high-stakes 

competition, there is a certain degree of playfulness amongst the 

competitors, bordering on a reversion to childhood competitiveness, 

fuelled by alcohol and the spotlight. 

Shot with the dramatic tension typical of any sporting fi lm, Rock 

Paper Scissors fi nally gives the game also known as Rochambeau the 

attention it deserves. From the Walker brothers yin-and-yang dynamic 

to the profi les of past and current champions and competitors, 

this mighty little fi lm is hopefully just the fi rst step in a multi-media 

campaign to bring Rock Paper Scissors to the masses. Everyone has 

played the game; this fi lm proves that it’s not just for children. 


DIRECTOR: ANDREY PAOUNOV 

BULGARIA 


PRODUCER: MARTICHKA BOZHILOVA 

WRITER: LILIA TOPOUZOVA 

The small town of Belene is nestled on the banks of the gorgeous 

Danube River deep in modern Bulgaria. Its hopeful citizens are about 

to embark on a bright new journey. Massive rusty cranes, foreign 

investors, and the joyful chants of cheerleaders carry the dream of a 

great nuclear future. It’s a future 25 years in the making and disturbed 

only by gigantic stinging mosquitoes. 

Ostensibly a genial look at the town of Belene, director Andrey 

Paounov’s delicious eye for absurdity and puckish delight in the 

eccentric as well as a terrifi c understanding of how to frame the 

unexpected never bests his deep respect for the entire range of the 

human experience. Everyone talks about the mosquito problem. 

For one couple, shot like a Bulgarian version of American Gothic, 

some relief comes from sucking up the air with a large vacuum tube, 

demonstrated with amused aplomb. 

But amidst the apparent atomic prosperity lies a past that no one 

wants to remember. Just outside serene Belene is an island holding 

secrets. Stories of shocking and horrible crimes loom over the city just 

like the dark clouds of mosquitoes descending on its citizens. How 

to introduce this element to the fi lm and not crush its witty appeal 

isn’t easy. It’s clear Paounov has spent a long time editing to achieve a 

balance that poses questions while leaving the psychologizing to others. 


Tuesday • February 5 • Capitol 6 - 6 • 6:45 PM

WELL DONE (DURS À CUIRE) DR. BRONNER’S 

DIRECTOR: GUILLAUME SYLVESTRE MAGIC SOAPBOX 

QUEBEC 


PRODUCER: SYLVIE KRASKER 

PRINT: TVA 

BC Premiere 

Well Done takes you into the world of two Montreal restaurant kings: 

Normand Laprise, owner of the restaurant Toqué!, and Martin Picard, 

owner of the hottest restaurant Pied de Cochon. 

While accompanying these two stars on their culinary journeys in 

Quebec, Hong Kong, Lyon and Spain you’ll feel like an intimate of these 

passionate, explosive men who border on madness and creative excess, 

all of which is captured in Guillaume Sylvestre’s fi rst documentary. 

The fi lm depicts a very demanding job. Chefs often sleep very little, 

working day and night while managing a high level of stress. Playtime is 

fueled with the partying and seemingly never ending drinking. 

The authenticity, openness and transparency of Martin Picard is 

compelling. Norman Laprise integrates the wisdom he has gained into 

his work ethic and is very inspiring. 

Finally a documentary that is true without being pessimistic. A treat for 

all food lovers! 

DIRECTOR: SARA LAMM 

USA 


PRODUCER: SARA LAMM, ZACHARY MORTENSEN, CHERI ANDERSON 

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox is an offbeat, funny, and ultimately 

moving documentary about a socially responsible company and the 

family that runs it. Dr. Emanuel Bronner was a master soapmaker, 

self-proclaimed rabbi and, allegedly, Albert Einstein’s nephew. In 1947, 

after escaping from a mental institution, he invented the formula for 

‘Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap,’ a peppermint-infused, all-natural, 

multi-purpose liquid that can be found today in every American health 

food store. On each bottle of his soap, he printed an ever-evolving set 

of teachings he called ‘The Moral ABC,’ designed, in his words, ‘TO 

UNITE ALL MANKIND FREE!’ 

An impassioned speaker, Bronner was a virulent anti-Communist and 

railed against the fl uoridation of drinking water. His activities didn’t go 

unnoticed by the FBI, mainly because he frequently called them with 

complaints and suggestions. 

Director Lamm makes liberal use of archival footage of Bronner, 

including countless hours of fi ery, self-made audiotapes, presenting 

an enigmatic character whose accented, staccato speech and Yodalike 

syntax were both mesmerizing and confounding. He appears as 

a slightly wacky prophet whose mystifying message belied a crafty, 

entrepreneurial mind. 

Devoting one’s life to a cause had a heavy personal cost. The fi lm 

makes no judgment of Bronner’s treatment of his family, presenting it 

as tragedy as much as anything else. The revelation of the fi lm is the 

warmness his family now feels toward him, seemingly understanding 

his fervent beliefs, forgiving his choices and growing the progressive 

soap company in ways the patriarch may never have imagined. 

PRESENTED BY 

Wednesday • February 6 • Odeon • 7:00 PM Monday • February 4 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 9:30 PM 45 

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY 

46 

MR. BIG HELL ON WHEELS 

DIRECTOR: TIFFANY BURNS 



PRODUCER: TIFFANY BURNS 

WRITER: TIFFANY BURNS 

This poignant documentary by journalist Tiffany Burns examines 

an RCMP investigative technique known by its code name Mr. Big, 

in which confessions, often suspiciously coerced, are drawn out of 

suspects through techniques that are considered entrapment in the 

United States. Making the fi lm unrelentingly engaging is the fact 

that the case the fi lmmaker focused upon is her brother’s arrest and 

conviction on murder charges, based on a coerced confession obtained 

through Mr. Big techniques. 

In addition to interviews and profi les of several victims of this 

technique, Mr. Big also features interviews with several experts on 

criminal justice and investigative techniques, and each and every 

one of these experts indicates, often vehemently, that the Mr. Big 

operation is not only fl awed, but can lead more often than not to false 

confessions. The RCMP’s only defense of the system is that for those 

times that it does provide a confession, these successes are worth the 

failings. Although made by a woman who has a subjective perspective 

on the technique due to her brother’s situation, Ms. Burns offers the 

RCMP ample opportunity to explain its justifi cation for this technique, 

which they unsatisfactorily provide. 

Monday • February 4 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 7:15 PM 

DIRECTOR: BOB RAY 

USA 


PRODUCER: WERNER CAMPBELL 


Roller derby, one of the most iconic images of the cultural gestalt of 

the 1970s, seemingly disappeared overnight along with bellbottoms 

and disco. However, like those fashion and musical institutions, roller 

derby was poised for a comeback. Sure enough, in 2002, a group of 

ambitious, and extremely tough, women from Austin, Texas, founded 

the BGGW roller derby league. Soon, the league had a full roster of 

teams and athletes, and was playing to capacity crowds around Austin, 

fi nding an audience hungry for the sight of violent women moving 

extremely fast. Like all fl edgling organized institutions, though, the 

BGGW league soon faced internal strife. The women who were skating 

wanted a more democratically run league, rather than a corporation 

run by the four founders, who unilaterally appointed themselves the 

board of directors. 

From the league’s inception and inaugural bouts, through to the 

tension and anger of the power struggles, to the ultimate splintering 

of the league, Hell on Wheels offers one of the fi nest looks at the 

development of a sport, and a sports league, ever put on fi lm. The 

interest is so great that Austin can soon support two competing 

leagues, and as we have seen more recently in the media, hundreds of 

local leagues have sprung up around the continent, including Canada. 

Is it long before our Saturday nights are spent watching Roller Derby 

Night in Canada? Judging by the growth of the sport since 2002 

perhaps it’s not too far off. 


PRESENTED BY

CARTS OF DARKNESS DALAI LAMA 

DIRECTOR: MURRAY SIPLE 

RENAISSANCE 


2008 68 MINUTES DIGIBETA 

PRODUCER: TRACEY FRIESEN 


A deeply human and humanizing look at people who fall under the 

radar. Carts of Darkness is primarily about three men who collect 

bottles for a living in ultra affl uent North Vancouver. It goes beyond 

the alcoholism and violence that’s brought two of them to the street 

and wends its way into the joie de vivre of the ‘extreme sport’ of 

speeding down steep hills in shopping carts at 70 clicks/hour. 

Anyone who lives in Vancouver is familiar with binners. The sight 

of one of these urban denizens trundling down an alleyway with a 

shopping cart full of empties is a common one around these parts. 

At once appreciated and abhorred, binners are either given props for 

ensuring that no returnable container ever contributes to our 

out-of-control landfi ll sites, or, more commonly, are slagged for looking 

scruffy and sometimes acting a bit unhinged. But how often have you 

heard them praised for their unique athletic skills? 

North Van resident Murray Siple’s documentary is going to take viewers 

inside the world of North Vancouver’s binning community. You’ll meet, 

amongst a host of others, Big Al and his wife, Ben, and Kelvin, hear the 

stories of how they ended up where they are, get the lowdown on how 

they view their place in North Vancouver’s socio-environmental structure, 

and see some amazing footage of them guiding their shopping carts 

down frighteningly steep hills with jaw-dropping precision. 

Screened with 

MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI 

Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski Canada 17.5 min. 

Madame Tutli-Putli boards the night train. As day descends into dark, she 

fi nds herself alone and caught up in a desperate metaphysical adventure 

adrift between real and imagined worlds. 

DIRECTOR: KHASHYAR DARVICH 

USA 


PRODUCER: KHASHYAR DARVICH 

BC Premiere 

What would happen if 40 of the world’s most forward thinkers 

assembled in Dharamsala to discuss, and solve, the world’s problems. 

What if an opportunity was presented to hold extensive meetings with 

the Dalai Lama to obtain his blessing for the solutions settled upon 

to change the world? This engaging documentary with narration by 

Harrison Ford attempts to capture the answers. 

Scientists, musicians, teachers, psychiatrists, authors, artists and 

ministers gather to settle the issues of the day, but what results are 

clashes of egos and ideas that make the premise and the goal of the 

gathering virtually unattainable. From their inability to agree on a 

format for the meetings, to disagreements on who will get to address 

the Dalai Lama and for how long, it seems as though a negotiating 

SWAT team may need to be called in. 

Darvich got extensive footage of the group interacting and arguing, 

as well as tremendous scenes of the group’s meetings with the Dalai 

Lama. Combined with intimate interviews with some of the 40 

participants and with his Holiness the Dalai Lama, this fi lm offers a 

revealing look at the diffi cult task of achieving a unanimous view on 

even the most altruistic matters. Stealing the show is Fred Alan Wolf, 

who is heard loud and clear. 

Screened with 

EPILOGUE: THE PALPABLE INVISIBILITY OF LIFE 

Kim-Trang T. Tran USA 13.5 minutes 

A visualization on the unseen threads between mother and child, revealing 

how the ties that bind four generations of women become manifest. 


Sunday • February 3 • Odeon • 9:30PM 

Tuesday • February 5 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 7:15 PM 47 

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY 

48 

AUTISM: THE MUSICAL THE UNION 

DIRECTOR: TRICIA REGAN 

USA 


PRODUCERS: TRICIA REGAN, PERRIN CHILES, SASHA ALPERT 

Winner of the Audience Award at Mill Valley Film Festival 

Winner of the Audience Award at Newport International Festival 

Responding to the needs of her autistic son and her own need to 

go back to work, innovative educator Elaine Hall devised the Miracle 

Project, an informal classroom experience in which a group of eleven 

special needs children with varying manifestations of autism would 

create, rehearse, and perform a musical play. In this heart-wrenching 

and heart-warming, riveting and revealing documentary fi lmmaker 

Tricia Regan follows fi ve of the children and their families with 

astonishing candor over the six months of the production. 

Each story is different. Each is compelling. There is Lexi, the shy, early 

teen with the sweet smile and the lovely singing voice; verbose little 

Wyatt with the bully problems; Neal who speaks only through a 

typing machine; tiny Adam who has taught himself to play the mouth 

harp and cello; and Henry, the angelic blond with an encyclopedic 

knowledge of dinosaurs and reptiles (and son of Stephen Stills of 

Crosby, Stills and Nash). The fi lm cuts from one situation to another 

feeding out information tantalizingly. With autism still a baffl ing 

disease and its incidence growing alarmingly, director Regan has hit 

on a raw nerve. 


DIRECTOR: BRETT HARVEY 



PRODUCERS: G. FLANNIGAN, S. GREEN, S. GRENN, K. MAGUIRE 

WRITERS: BRETT HARVEY, ADAM SCORGIE 

Winner of the Outstanding Documentary 

at Winnipeg International Film Festival 

This prize winning British Columbia documentary is the ultimate A 

to Z primer on the 7 billion dollars per year business of BC bud. As 

entertaining as it is informative, it fi lls in the history of marijuana 

cultivation and use. 

It explains the way the “union” works – the loose affi liation of 

growers and distributors who, at various levels, carry on the business 

despite prohibition. Best of all, it seeks out experts in every related 

fi eld – doctors, scientists, law enforcement offi cers, criminologists, 

psychologists, politicians – as well as growers, users and pop stars, to 

explore in depth the relevant questions about risks and benefi ts and 

the motives behind the multi-billion dollar War on Drugs (more than 

anything, a War on Weed). Some of the answers will surprise you. 

Thursday • February 7 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 9:30 PM

IDENTITY THE GATES 

DIRECTOR: CHIARA BELLINI 

ITALY 


PRODUCER: FRANCESCO SCURA 


Winner Premio Speciale at Cimamerichp 2007 

In the summer of 1909, the stuff of family legends and world history 

was born. 18-year-old Giovanni Piras left his home in Mamoiada, a 

small village in Barbagia, Sardinia, to seek his fortune in Argentina. 

But his letters to home quickly became less frequent and then they 

broke off altogether after only a few years. The family did not give 

up hope and kept an eye out for him despite the fact that the news 

surrounding Giovanni was always strange and mysterious. 

And then one Sunday in the 1950’s Giovanni’s sister, Caterina, found 

him again. He was on the cover of a magazine as Juan Domingo 

Peron, President of Argentina. 

Nowadays, back in Sardinia, rumours still surround the fate of Giovanni 

in the Piras family and the fables about him in Argentina are even more 

grand and bizarre. Such a long time has passed by now, the legend 

is quickly becoming the reality. So the Piras family has decided to put 

the legend to rest forever. What happened to the poor emigrant? And 

who really was the legendary Juan Perón? 

DIRECTORS: ANTONIO FERRERA, ALBERT MAYSLES, 

DAVID MAYSLES, MATTHEW PRINZING 

USA 


PRODUCERS: ANTONIO FERRERA, MAUREEN A. RYAN, VLADIMIR YAVACHEV 

BC Premiere 

Anyone ever involved in the arts knows the hoops you must jump 

through whether it’s for funding or permission. The Gates reveals the 

26-year odyssey that Christo and Jean Claude embarked on to bring 

a wonderful installation to Central Park – those 7,500 frames fl owing 

with orange curtains that were installed along the pathways in 2005. 

The point was not to look at them, but to use them, to walk through 

them and under them. 

Entrances have everything to do with how we feel about what we are 

entering. Certainly trees, grass, shrubbery, ponds, and views enrich 

a walk in the park. But now The Gates, by framing those sights, give 

them a new aspect and importance. Not “grass on a hill,” but this 

view of a grassy hill. Not “a pond”, but look at the pond. A frame of 

any sort values what it encloses. And as you walk, it becomes subtly 

ceremonial. You are not walking, but walking through the gates. 

People walk a little more slowly, and perhaps felt more there. The 

Gates skillfully captures the struggle and the illumination when the 

art is fi nally revealed. 

Sunday • February 3 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 9:30 PM Sunday • February 3 • Odeon • 1:15 PM 49 

DOCUMENTARY

SHORT FILMS 

MY VICTORIA _____________________________________ 53 

DANGEROUS PLAYGROUNDS _______________________ 55 

AWKWARD COMPANY _____________________________ 55 

LOVE BLOOMS ____________________________________ 57 

TENUOUS TIES ____________________________________ 57 

GRAND HOPES ____________________________________ 59 

CULTURES UNBOUND ______________________________ 59

Morgan Baker 

Realtor 

Principled and 

experienced 

dealings in 

Real Estate 

Search for 

properties, 

including 

addresses at 

MorganBaker.com 

479-3333 

Representing 

Sutton Group 

Westcan Realty

MY VICTORIA: THE CAPITAL VIEW 

The Victoria Film Festival invited entries for a video competition entitled My 

Victoria: The Capital View. The competition was open to the general public. 

Participants were asked to create a 1minute video about what living in the 

Capital means to them, how it affects or infl uences their lives, or what they 

feel is unique to living here, looking to the future or examining our past. 

The competition was open to all ages and skill levels, and was designed 

to encourage the budding fi lmmaker in everyone. To ensure accessibility, 

most video recording equipment could be used whether it is a home video 

camera, digital camera or cell phone. There was no entry fee. The Victoria 

Film Festival hosted Intro to Shorts Filmmaking classes during the months 

of October and November as well as holding sessions at the middle schools 

in the CRD. Come help us celebrate local creativity and our capital city on 

February 6 and fi nd out who will win the awards. 

JURORS FOR MY VICTORIA 

Pamela Madoff, Mike Devlin and Patrick Blennerhasset 

SPONSORS 

AWARD CATEGORIES AND PRIZES: 

THE BEST 

$1000 cash award 

FUNNIEST 

Donated by the Irish Times Pub, a $200 certifi cate 

PROVINCIAL CAPITAL COMMISSION CAPITAL HISTORY AWARD 

Donated by the Hudson’s Bay Company, a $200 certifi cate 

Donated by the Provincial Capital Commission, a $45 annual pass 

to the RBC Museum 

FUTURE CAPITAL 

Donated by The Bay Centre a $200 certifi cate 

SONY AWARD FOR BEST SCHOOL CLASS 

Donated by Sony, a stand alone DVD burner 

BEST FAMILY 

Donated by Munro’s Books, a $200 certifi cate 

PROVINCIAL CAPITAL COMMISSION AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD 

Donated by the Provincial Capital Commission, a $200 cash award 

Voting for The Provincial Capital Commission Audience Choice 

Award will be done at three downtown locations where the 

shorts will be playing on TVs: The Sony Store, The Bay and the 

Community Arts Gallery. 

Wednesday • February 6 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 7:15 PM 53 

MY VICTORIA

1034 Fort Street 250 · 380 · 7654 

www.epicureanpantry.ca 

To our local 

producers 

and everyone 

participating 

in the Victoria 

Film Festival 

– Bravo! 

Denise Savoie, 

Victoria MP 

970 Blanshard St. 

363-3600 

www.denisesavoie.ca 

savoie.d@parl.gc.ca

DANGEROUS 

PLAYGROUNDS 

UNTITLED 

(PLAN FOR VICTORY) 

ELODIE PONG 

SWITZERLAND 1.15 MINUTES 

Great ideas, erased by an avalanche. 

THE DRIFT 

KELLY SEARS 

USA 9 MINUTES 

A mysterious disappearance on a 

space journey gone awry launches the 

counter-cultural revolution at the end of 

the 1960s. Obsessively collected images found in thrift stores and fl ea 

markets are animated to create an alternate American aeronautical and 

cultural history. Through the gaps in these isolated moments of time, 

The Drift collages together a history of expansion and the desire to push 

too far, too fast. 

PARADISE DRIFT 

MARTIN HANSEN 

NETHERLANDS 13 MINUTES 

Are they pilgrims or are they just lost? Take a strange quest in 

the dead of night and fi nd the darkened paths up well-travelled 

mountains and see what you didn’t know was there to be found. 

WINTERSCAPE 

JIM BIZZOCCHI 

BC 15 MINUTES 

An exploration of the relationship between form, content and fl ow 

in the context of the Canadian landscape. It’s a gentle but inexorable 

momentum that constantly fuses facet and component into an 

ongoing holistic evolution, extending the particular into a broader and 

transcendent organic whole. 

THE PLAYGROUNDED 

(LES RABIBOCHÉS) 

ANH MINH TROUNG 

QUEBEC 17 MINUTES 

In his mid forties, Jerome encounters his 

imaginary friend from childhood, Jerry...who has also grown older over 

the years. 

UNDER THE GARDEN CITY 

JOHN W. MCFETRICK 

VICTORIA 20 MINUTES 

Come explore Victoria’s secret tunnels, uncovering forgotten histories, 

myths and mysteries. No need to bring your own fl ashlight. 

AWKWARD 

COMPANY 

5 CENTS A PEEK 

VANESSA WOODS 

USA 7 MINUTES 

An interpretation of a poem by Sharon Olds wherein the circus becomes 

a metaphor for a woman’s performance in, and for, the world. 

BRAD’S DATE 

NICK SCHELLE 

VICTORIA 8.5 MINUTES 

Brad planned his fi rst date with Sarah 

perfectly. He planned the dinner. He 

planned the movie. But he didn’t plan on running into Carl. Oh, did I say 

“into”? I meant “over”. 

HOME 

MYLES PAYNE, PIER VAN TIJN 

UK 9 MINUTES 

Down on his luck Stewart, a scruffy 22 year old, returns to his childhood 

home for some respite. Only to fi nd all of his possessions have been 

packed away in to boxes to make way for a cold sterile offi ce. 

A VERY LONG WEEKEND 

SANDRA COPPOLA 


A young couple wishes to fi nd peace and tranquility in their friend’s 

ancestral cottage where they meet an odd couple. A couple who will 

transform their holiday into a very awful nightmare, that is. 

JEHOVAH’S WITNESS 

ALAIN KRAMER 

UK 14 MINUTES 

A Jehovah’s Witness gets more than 

he’s bargained for when he calls upon a 

family who are in the middle of a domestic crisis. 

THE LISTENS (L’ECOUTEUR) 

KESTER DYER 


A man who takes pleasure in listening 

one day becomes the aural witness of a violent assault... 

HIRSUTE 

A.J. BOND 

BC 14 MINUTES 

Kyle, a young scientist struggling to build 

a time machine, is confronted by an 

arrogant future version of himself. Shocked to discover that his future 

holds a preoccupation with body hair removal and boiled eggs, Kyle 

vows to change the course of his life. 

Monday • February 4 • Plan B • 7:15 PM Monday • February 4 • Plan B • 9:30 PM 

SHORT FILMS 

55

The Greater Victoria 

Film Commission 

Interested in shooting in Victoria? The 

Greater Victoria Film Commission 

(GVFC) offers location services, script 

breakdown, scouting, surveys and an 

on-line local crew data base. A non-profit 

organisation, the GVFC is a one-stop 

shop providing a myriad of services 

and support to aid film production in the 

Greater Victoria Area. 

GREATER VICTORIA FILM COMMISSION • 

www.filmvictoria.com 

1-888-537-FILM (3456) 

admin@filmvictoria.com 

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LOVE BLOOMS 

PALOMAS EN EL ATICO 

ALEJANDRO VALBUENA 


An inner monologue between the dichotomy of self-love, guilt and 

repression. A portrait of human sexual conditioning. 

SATURDAY NIGHT 

NEWTOWN SUNDAY 

MORNING ENMORE 

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON 

AUSTRALIA 8 MINUTES 

A no-strings attached one night stand. With romance! 

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 

JOE TUCKER 

UK 12 MINUTES 

Graham has developed a rather perverse 

and unholy fantasy - a secret he keeps from 

his only roommate: his Mother. The one soul who knows about Graham’s 

strange desire is The Jackdaw, who stalks the Bookshop corridors... 

SWAP 

GARY HAWES 

BC 12.5 MINUTES 

Two reluctant participants, a couple swap an uncomfortable night 

together. Starring Genie Award Winner Vincent Gale (Last Wedding) and 

Victoria resident Thea Gill (Queer as Folk) and originally conceived on the 

reality show “Making a Scene.” 

CHILES 

TYRONE HUFF 

USA 14 MINUTES 

A little bit of “Guess Who’s Coming to 

Dinner”. A little bit of “Hell’s Kitchen”. 

Who has the cajones to go “extra spicy”? 

THORNDIKE 

CHRIS TEAGUE 


Quiet and moody Todd upsets his girlfriend on their last day together 

before she moves. He may never share her ray of sunshine but it is the 

struggle to understand what he really needs to say to her that can bring 

them closer together. 

CURSING HANLEY 

KELLY HARMS 

ONTARIO 17 MINUTES 

Hanley seemingly has it all: a beautiful fi ancé, a well-paying job, and 

a large house with a picket fence. But with four weeks to go before 

the big wedding, he hastily calls off the wedding. After bouncing the 

engagement ring off of Hanley’s head, a stunned and broken-hearted 

Margo leaves him with one lasting impression, ‘I curse you!’ 

TENUOUS TIES 

PRAY-PLAY 

RICK RAXLIN 


Scratch-on-fi lm exhorting one to 

play-pray with an Albanian peasant 

brass band leading the wing musically 

KETTLE 

KATHLEEN HEPBURN BC 11 MINUTES 

When Kettle discovers she is moving 

beyond her past, she is faced with the 

challenge of accepting the uncertainty of 

the future and letting go of that which 

she already knows. 

SOFT 

SIMON ELLIS 

UK 15 MINUTES 

What makes a man? What makes him 

tough? Is that something your Dad can 

really teach you? 

PISMO (THE LETTER) 

MATVEI ZHIVOV 

ONTARIO, RUSSIAN FEDERATION 

15 MINUTES 

It has been three long years since Stepan 

last saw his family or heard from his wife. 

Once in an army hospital and awaiting his leave after an injury, Stepan 

decides to fi nd out just how much his wife loves him. 

GOD’S BEACH 

ABIGAIL CARPENTER 


A meditative look at a young girl’s life 

over 48 hours, and how the cyclical forces 

of life and death cause her to mature and grow. 

RIVER CHILD 

DAMIAN WOOD 

UK 17 MINUTES 

On a hot summer’s day, two 

12-year-old girls head for a river. Bossy 

Janice is almost a woman, the dreamy Katie, still a child. Janice’s plan for 

the day involves two older boys playing football on the bank. When one 

of the boys asks Janice to ‘go for a walk’, she reveals to Katie exactly 

what that means but paths to adulthood don’t always come from the 

path you thought you were walking. 

Tuesday • February 5 • Plan B • 7:15 PM Tuesday • February 5 • Plan B • 9:30 PM 

SHORT FILMS 

57

GRAND HOPES 

UMBRELLA 

MICHAEL VASS 


When else would you need to borrow an umbrella, except when 

it’s raining? 

i luv spam 

MICHAEL KORICAN 


The Devil makes spam happen and 

in exchange for your soul, all your 

unsolicited e-mail will come true. 

OBLIVION, NEBRASKA 

CHARLES HAINE 


When his mother dies in a tragic auto 

accident, young Freddy retreats to a 

fantasyland where she becomes the Queen of Ausfahrt. 

HOPE 

STUART REAUGH AND 

THOMAS BUCHAN 

BC 56 MINUTES 

Follow Ken Paquette, Winnie Peters 

and their fi ve boys as they struggle to 

cope during a year of wrenching change 

on the Schkam Native Reserve, across 

the river from the town of Hope. After 

18 years together, Ken and Winnie’s 

troubled relationship dissolves when 

Rick, a tattooed ex-con, moves in and 

assumes the role of stepfather. Winnie’s eldest son quickly leaves the 

home. Ken settles in town, selling paintings outside the local pub. 

Nobody else gets it quite so easy. Over the course of four seasons, 

the family cycles through poverty, addiction, violence and love. 

But when winter bleeds into spring, a fi nal confrontation sparks 

irrevocable change. 

With painterly attention to the ordinary details of life in an interior 

town - dark mountains shrouded in mist, rotting abandoned cars amidst 

the vaulted green spaces of the forest - the fi lm captures two very 

different senses of time. The permanence of the land set against an 

explosive human drama that exists for fragile moments, before life and 

circumstances move on. 

CULTURES 

UNBOUND 

SONG OF SLOMON 

EMMANUEL SHIRINIAN 


This fi lm is a comedic short about an 

orthodox Rabbi, Yossef Slomon, who’s 

grown tired of his conservative lifestyle. When he comes across a 

ubiquitous pop song, he rediscovers his joy in his faith. Yet, his only 

opportunity to see the song he loves performed live is for one night only. 

That night is the Sabbath, the holiest day of the week. 

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME 

WEIJUN CHEN 

SOUTH AFRICA 55 MINUTES 

Wuhan is a city in central China about 

the size of London, and it is here that 

director Weijun Chen has conducted an 

experiment in democracy. 

A grade three class at Evergreen Primary 

School has their fi rst encounter with 

democracy by holding an election to 

select a Class Monitor. Enter two boys 

and a girl: a wily cajoler, a ruthless 

authoritarian, and a talented, sensitive girl who is out of her depth. And 

they’re not alone in their political battles. They are eagerly abetted and 

egged on by teachers and doting parents. 

Normally, elections in China take place only within the Communist Party, 

but recently millions of Chinese voted in their version of American Idol. 

Chen’s purpose though was to experiment – if democracy came to 

China, how would it be received? Is democracy a universal value that fi ts 

human nature? Do elections inevitably lead to manipulation? Please Vote 

for Me is a portrait of a society that on some level is familiar to us all. 

Wednesday • February 6 • Plan B • 7:15 PM Wednesday • February 6 • Plan B • 9:30 PM 

SHORT FILMS 

59

SPECIAL PROGRAMS 

FAMILY PROGRAMMING____________________________ 65 

STUDENT PROGRAM / INVISION / FILMCAN ____________ 67 

MICHAEL ROUTLIFFE – ART INSTALLATION _____________ 69 

VICTORIA FILM PRODUCERS PRESENTATION ___________ 71 

SIPS ‘N CINEMA ___________________________________ 73 

EMPIRE THEATERS MUSIC LOUNGE ___________________ 73

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FREE WIRELESS INTERNET

FAMILY PROGRAMMING 

A FAERY’S TALE 

SYLVIA APOSTOL 

USA 3 MINUTES 

A not so nice faery and an oh-so-tricky kid! 

A great way to get back at those things 

that go bump in the night! 

BOOK SQUAD 

BERNIE WONG 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 3 MINUTES 

A boy and his stuffed animal try to escape 

reality through books at the library. One 

adventure leads to another until they run into trouble... 

SWING 

ESTEBAN AZUELA 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 3.5 MINUTES 

Two people in love, happy but slowed 

by time, a day comes when they fi nd the 

means to go back and feel what they did when they were young. 

SOMEBODY STOLE 

MY APPLESAUCE 

ERIK ANDERSON 


In a diabolical scheme designed to relieve 

some kids of their applesauce, the Victoria band, “Vincat”, go incognito 

and pose as substitute teachers for the day. 


WESTERN SPAGHETTI 

JOSEPH PROCOPIO (AGE 12) 


The soundtrack of a cowboy movie 

inspires Joseph to fi lm his own song. 

SLEEPING BETTY 

CLAUDE CLOUTIER 


In a sumptuous palace on the fi rst fl oor 

of a house in a Montreal working-class 

neighbourhood, Princess Betty sleeps in a narcoleptic stupor. The king 

is at her bedside distraught beyond belief. Will Betty be awakened with 

just a kiss? 

THE LITTLE GORILLA 

HARRY KELLERMAN 


Every great climber has a little gorilla in 

them -– who wants to go ever higher! 

ANITA’S AFRICA 

BEVERLEY REID 

UGANDA / MAYNE ISLAND 18 MINUTES 

Anita Kemirembe is a lively 10-year-old 

living on the outskirts of Kampala, 

Uganda. Through image and story young viewers gain an understanding 

of life as it is for a child in the developing world and appreciate the 

similarities and differences between their lives. 

ABOUT FAMILY PROGRAMMING: 

Time, trouble and even money come into play 

when fi lms have to be rated – so generally the 

Film Festival avoids that route which means 

people under the age of 18 can’t see our fi lms. 

But here we are, wanting to be inclusive and 

give everyone the opportunity to see great 

fi lms. So this year we’ve had the short fi lms on 

this page rated. This means if you’d like your 

kids to see great fi lm you don’t need to buy 

a membership. Wow, it’s almost as good as 

getting stuff for free! 


65

Proud to celebrate Filmmaking, Filmmakers and Film Fans Coast to Coast

INVISION FILMCAN 

EL MONO 

MINCHUNG CHO 

USA 4 MINUTES 

A moment’s reverie in a deserted subway 

can take you far, far away. 

REMEMBRANCE 

ALEJANDRO MONZÓN 

USA 7 MINUTES 

Dave awakens from a nightmare 

about his girlfriend’s murder only to 

be haunted by memories of the event. 

While trying to discern what is real and what is not, he stumbles 

upon his girlfriend’s killer. 

GRAVE CONSEQUENCES 

TIFFANY MUNRO 

CANADA 8 MINUTES 

The sun is setting as two shadowy fi gures 

creep through a cornfi eld. They come 

upon the lifeless body of Emma Borland. 

Her twisted corpse lies next to a shovel looming above an unfi nished 

grave. Two men discuss how long Emma Borland has been missing and 

when the body was discovered. 

NIGHT 

DYLAN AKIO SMITH 


When Hikaru, a grieving husband and 

emotionally absent father, decides not 

to spread his wife’s ashes after nine 

years of intense mourning, the sun 

disappears from the sky and the city he 

lives in suffers a major power outage. 

Once he determines his dead wife, 

Naoko, is calling out to him, Hikaru 

goes on a journey into the underworld, 

abandoning his daughter, Yuki. 

MAMITAS 

NICK OZEKI 


Jordan, a self appointed Casanova, 

mentors his friend in the art of picking 

up hot ‘Mami Chulas.’ However, a 

chance encounter with the beautiful 

barrio bird Kika leads to Jordan getting 

stuck babysitting her hot tempered 

cousin, Felipa. 

Thursday • February 7 • Capitol 6 - 1 • 7:15 PM 

Is an opportunity for local high school students to create 

a short video from beginning to end and have it screened 

at the Film Festival. Guided by mentors Daniel Hogg 

(Narrative), Barbara Hagar (Documentary), and Brian 

MacDonald (Experimental) the teams work through their 

ideas and then go on to create the world premieres that 

you will see here tonight. 

2008 FILMCAN 

REYNOLDS SECONDARY SCHOOL 

Justin Brown, Jesse Gray, Adam Holroyd 

ST MICHAELS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL 

Emily Feng 

REYNOLDS SECONDARY SCHOOL 

Charlotte Anderson, Annelise Miska, Eleanor Vannan 

HOME SCHOOLED 

Sofee Rogers, Kamille Tobin 

STELLYS SECONDARY SCHOOL 

Paul Aussenegg, Carl Aussenegg 

STELLYS SECONDARY SCHOOL 

Laura Cooper, Emily Devlin, Yuuki Nakagawa 

CLAREMONT SECONDARY SCHOOL 

Karl Schoepp, Jordan Mikkers 

SPECTRUM COMMUNITY SCHOOL 

Minh Tran 

BELMONT SECONDARY SCHOOL 

Jay Sharp 


67

ART EXHIBIT: DEVIL’S APPLE, A FILM 

ARTIST: MIKE ROUTLIFFE 

STARRING: BUDDY NEIGHBOURS AS ATUM 

Along with the feature fi lm, Devil’s Apple, a series of vignettes will be 

shown. A series of printed and framed photo manipulations will also be 

displayed on the wall. 

Our man has stepped off a ship, and landed on foreign shores. Thrown 

into a surrealist fi lm noir, he begins to think the universe is conspiring 

against him. Magic and quantum time shifts lock horns with creatures 

from other dimensions. Modern totems appearing from nowhere are 

just an average day. Technology is an entity that gives him commands, 

and fragments his reasoning. 

Before his quest is through he will encounter a woman in possession 

of the Devil’s Apple, the caretakers of the apocalypse, and convulsing 

landscapes. With him in the byways and back highways of a collective 

unconscious, are a woman with cloven hooves, and eyes and mouths 

which adorn people and structures alike. 

Industry and information eras merge and we begin to understand that 

everything is composed of information which is constantly in fl ux. 

We don’t know whether the world is controlled by forces we don’t 

understand or by men who hide in the shadows. What we do know is 

the world has gone mad, or has become more of what it has always 

been: a mad lilting car driven by blind, angry children. 

TIMES 

JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 6 

10am - 5pm Monday to Friday 

Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria 

Sussex Place G6-1001 Douglas St. 

(between Fort and Broughton) 


69

• 

THE MARK 

OF ZORRO 

See 

the 1920 

silent film 

as it was intended! 

• 

on a big screen 

with a live orchestra 

April 25th 8pm 

UVIC FARQUHAR AUDITORIUM 

Tickets: 721-8480 

Total Legal Care for the Entertainment Industry 

Tim Schober’s specialty is in advising businesses and 

managing assets. He acts for a wide variety of business 

people, professionals and filmmakers. Tim is dedicated 

to providing excellent legal services to the entertainment 

industry, including: 

�� Entertainment Law (Film Financing, Script Clearance, 

Distribution Contracts, and other services) 

�� Business Law 

�� Intellectual Property Law. 

Cardinal Law is a full service law firm that has been providing a wide range 

of legal services to businesses and individuals in Victoria, and in other 

parts of British Columbia, Canada and the United States, since 1977. For 

more information about Cardinal Law’s approach to Total Legal Care, contact 

Tim Schober at Cardinal Law, or e-mail TSchober@CardLaw.com. 

Cineworks Independent 

Filmmakers Society 

300-1131 Howe, Vancouver 

604.685.3841 

www.cineworks.ca 

OPTICAL 

PRINTER 

WORKSHOP 

Yun Lam Li leads an introductory workshop 

geared toward experimental filmmakers 

interested in utilizing an optical printer in their 

practice. 

09 February 2008 

Cineworks Studio 

300-1131 Howe 

3rd Floor, 736 Broughton Street 

Victoria, BC V8W 1E1 

(250) 386-8707 (800) 733-9633 

www.CardLaw.com 

OPTICAL 

ALLUSIONS 

An exclusive program of optically printed, 

experimental works by local, national and 

international filmmakers. 

22 January 2008 7:30pm 

Pacific Cinematheque 

1131 Howe 

NEW 

CINEWORKS 

A showcase of new member works forcusing 

on the intersection of formal art practice and 

independent production. 

12 February 2008 7:30pm 

Pacific Cinemathque 

1131 Howe

CAPTAIN COOK: OBSESSION AND DISCOVERY 

DIRECTORS: PAUL RUDD, MATTHEW THOMASON 

CANADA / AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND 

2007 55 MINUTES HDCAM 

PRODUCERS: TONY WRIGHT, ANDREW FERNS 

SERIES PRODUCERS: PAUL RUDD, TONY WRIGHT 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: JOHN BARNETT, STEPHEN AMEZDROZ, W. PATERSON FERNS 


“I had ambition not only to go farther than any man had been before, 

but as far as it was possible for a man to go.” James Cook 

Cook expert and bestselling author Vanessa Collingridge searches for 

the man behind the legend as she traces his story in a series that is part 

biography, part travelogue – and completely enthralling. 

A hero to some, a villain to others, this son of an English farm labourer 

described more of the globe than any other man in three incredible 

voyages. Discover the man and his times. Step back into the 18th 

century to experience what it was like to navigate uncharted and 

unknown waters in search of a legendary great southern continent 

and then a North West Passage through the Arctic ice; as well as to 

be among the fi rst Europeans to visit exotic Pacifi c islands like Tahiti. 

Witness Cook’s discovery of Hawaii. Sail the uncharted coast of New 

Zealand, proving it isn’t part of the ‘Great Southern Continent’. Land 

with Captain Cook at Botany Bay as he claims Australia for king and 

country – a ‘discovery’ that goes unquestioned for over a century. 

Meet the direct descendents of the indigenous peoples of Australia, 

New Zealand, Canada and Hawaii who Cook met 240 years ago and the 

men of the Endeavour, Resolution, Adventure and Discovery. Learn what 

sea-life was like for the sailors and scientists who made it all possible, 

including the celebrated gentleman-botanist Joseph Banks and a young 

naval offi cer named William Bligh. It’s a tale of obsession and discovery, 

respect and brutality, courage and madness, from the pomp and 

splendour of the royal courts of England to death on a beach on the far 

side of the world. 

Episode 1 of a 4 Episode series. 

Filmmakers in attendance for post-screening discussion. 

Sunday • February 3 • Odeon • 7:00 PM 71 

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

�� 

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Free Delivery. 

Yes. Even $ 25 worth of popcorn. 

903 Yates At Quadra 

381-6000 7 AM-11 PM 

PROUD SPONSOR OF THE VICTORIA FILM FESTIVAL 

�� 

125-2401 C Millstream Road 

391-1110 8 AM-11 PM 

*Minimum Order $25 Tobacco Excluded. Orders in by 2 p.m. Same Day Delivery

SIPS ‘N CINEMA EMPIRE THEATRES 

LOUNGE AT 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 

The triple threat of fi ne food, fi ne wine and fi ne fi lm come together during 

this fun and informative afternoon designed for those who love the best 

of life. 

The fun begins with a trip to the theatre to see The Walker, one of the 

great Festival fi lms and then segues over to the Artisan Wine Shop on 

Government Street where you’ll experience a wine tasting as you nibble 

some delicious goodies prepared by the Irish Times Pub. Once we are 

settled in, Victoria Film Festival programmer Donovan Aikman will open up 

discussion of the fi lm that you’ve just seen. 

ADVANCE TICKETS ONLY. Includes the fi lm at the theatre, and wine tasting 

and food at Artisan Wine Shop. 

Film description 

THE WALKER 

Directed by Paul Schrader 

Society ladies have very busy husbands and very busy schedules. So 

sometimes a gentleman of taste, distinction and proper breeding who 

poses no romantic threat is called on to accompany the rich and powerful 

to must-attend events. Witty conversationalists, snappy dressers and 

etiquette snobs, these “walkers” have old-fashioned scruples – which, 

in the case of Carter Page III (Woody Harrelson), lead to an accusation of 

murder and the potential ruin of his family’s honour. 

Page, all southern-gentry drawl, surrounds himself with the smartest 

women of a certain age, who are themselves married to the most powerful 

men in Washington, D.C. Natalie Van Miter (Lauren Bacall), Abigail 

Delorean (Lily Tomlin) and Lynn Lockner (Kristin Scott Thomas) protect and 

scold him at weekly card games and various parties. 

Full description on page 36 

Saturday • February 9th • Capitol 6 - 6 • 2:15PM 

PLATINUM 

The Festival has made a partnership with that ever so cool spot Platinum 

(on Yates across from the movie theatres). So you can meet, chat and listen 

to some of the best music this city has to offer before and after the fi lms. 

There will be great food, cocktails and coffees available. So catch some 

tunes or some chat before or after your movie. Here’s the who’s who of the 

talent that you can catch at the Lounge every night starting at 8 PM: 

SCHEDULE 

HEMANT RAO - FRI FEB 1 & SAT FEB 2 

http://www.hemantrao.com/ 

Hemant Rao is a singer/songwriter originally from Montreal, now residing 

in Vancouver who has toured the US west coast and NYC. Performing 

songs from his fi rst two CDs as well as new songs from his upcoming third 

album, Hemant’s performances are all about “living the song” and his 

recordings have been compared to the likes of George Harrison. 

TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD ORCHESTRA - SUN FEB 3 

http://www.myspace.com/tequilamock 

An acoustic sound explosion that was born in the indie scene of Victoria 

B.C. The band is comprised of El Mapache (accordion, vocals), Patrick “the 

future” McGonigle (violin, vocals), Kurt “Food Stamp” Loewen (guitar, 

vocals) Pão Cortez (djimbe, vocals) and Pete “el lobo” (stand up bass). The 

band is an eclectic mix of ska, reggae, latin rhythms, russian folk songs and 

hip hop all done acoustically. 

KAREL ROESSINGH - MON FEB 4 

www.roessong.com 

Karel plays the piano in clubs, concert halls and in the studio whenever 

possible. He writes jazz tunes for his own and other groups, and has played 

with jazz greats such as Bud Shank, Ian MacDougall, Pat LaBarbera, Don 

Clark, Floyd Standifer, Roy Reynolds and many well-known vocalists. 

NICK SCHOLS - TUES FEB 5 

www.nicktheentertainer.com 

A wonderful mix of those classic tunes from It’s Now or Never to My Way 

to Pretty Woman. A wonderful nostalgic treat. 

IAN FARISH - WED FEB 6 

www.ianfarish.com 

Acoustic grooves, evocative vocals and thoughtful lyrics, Ian Farish and 

Bonnie Davison perform a selection of well-crafted pop originals from 

Farish’s recent CD Soul Songs. 

MISS EMILY BROWN - THURS FEB 7 & SAT FEB 9 

www.emilybrownmusic.com 

With her autoharp, music box, guitar, and unmistakable voice, Miss Emily 

Brown performs minimalist compositions that will make you forget that you 

have heard everything before. Miss Brown’s equally weighted background 

in folk and jazz, combined with her enthusiasm for electronic music and 

improvisation, create a spontaneous and innovative show. 

RANDY WALDIE - FRI FEB 8 

www.loungerino.com 

Randy Waldie brings a roots-blues sensibility to the jazz standards. Quoting 

from many different styles he infuses a fresh take into the familiar. David 

Augustine is a Berkeley graduate who was music director for Princess 

Cruises for several years. Together, their particular brand of improvisation is 

both unusual and exciting 


73

FILMMAKER.� 

COM 

For membership, equipment, and 

event info call 389-1590 or check 

www.cinevic.ca 

CineVic thanks its funders:

VICTORIA FILM FESTIVAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR 

TRIGGER POINTS PACIFIC 

VICTORIA VICTORIA FILM FILM FESTIVAL FESTIVAL presents 

Runs the fi rst weekend of the Victoria Film Festival and brings together 

producers and top industry acquisition execs to explore buying completed 

productions or putting them into development. An exclusive intimate 

setting provides producers with unequaled access as TPP maintains a ratio 

of one acquisitions exec for every two producers registered and presents 

fantastic market intelligence panels. This is the place to Pitch. Hosted by Pat 

Ferns and Sheena Macdonald. 

June. Come play with cameras. computers and creativity and discover 

the amazing and exciting world of fi lm. With some of the industry’s 

top professionals, we offer the chance to experience over 18 hands-on 

workshops. The Festival includes FREE fi lm screenings and demonstrations 

and nominally priced workshops that let the creativity fl ow. 

August. Come and enjoy a movie under the stars, with great line-ups 

of B-movies from the “Family-Friendly” to the “Funky and Fun”. Yes, 

screenings are absolutely free. Just bring your own snacks, fl ashlights 

and blankets. 

VICTORIA FILM FESTIVAL presents 

INTERACTIVE FUTURES 

\ E V E N T 

Mid November. A playful mix of art and new technologies showing 

recent tendencies in new media as well as a conference for exploring 

issues related to technology with world class media artists. Exploring a 

different theme each year this event keeps you attuned to industry trends 

and movements through presentations, installations, and panels. 

FilmCAN FilmCAN 

November - January. An opportunity for local high school students 

to create a short video from beginning to end and have it screened 

at the Victoria Film Festival. Guided by local notable professional 

fi lmmakers, students are mentored and receive advice and 

information to create new work. 

M 

yVictoria Victoria 

VIDEO COMPETITION 

November - January. A video competition to create a 1 minute 

fi lm about what most affects and interests you about Victoria. The 

competition is open to all ages and skill levels and is designed to 

encourage the budding fi lmmaker in everyone. All videos are displayed 

at downtown businesses and winners take away great prizes. 

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE EVENTS 

Visit www.victoriafi lmfestival.com or subscribe to our newsletter 

at http://www.victoriafi lmfestival.com/newsletter/ 

VICTORIIA FILM FESTIVAL 

75

INDEX 

76 

INDEX OF FILMS 

5 Cents a Peek ................................Page 55 

Adam’s Apples ................................Page 32 

All Hat ............................................Page 20 

Amal ...............................................Page 21 

Anita’s Africa ..................................Page 65 

Aswang ..........................................Page 24 

Autism: The Musical ........................Page 48 

Awkward Company ........................Page 55 

Bab ‘Aziz ........................................Page 29 

Band’s Visit .....................................Page 34 

Beauty in Trouble ............................Page 34 

Beyond Belief ..................................Page 43 

Book Squad ....................................Page 65 

Bothersome Man, The .....................Page 31 

Brad’s Date .....................................Page 55 

Burgeon & Fade ..............................Page 20 

California Dreamin’ Endless ............Page 26 

Captain Cook .................................Page 71 

Carts of Darkness ............................Page 47 

Chiles .............................................Page 57 

Class, The .......................................Page 30 

Come Again in Spring .....................Page 34 

Counterfeiters, The .........................Page 26 

Cowardice ......................................Page 22 

Cultures Unbound ..........................Page 59 

Cursing Hanley ...............................Page 57 

Dalai Lama Renaissance ..................Page 47 

Dangerous Playgrounds ..................Page 55 

Dead Sleep Easy, The ......................Page 23 

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox ...........Page 45 

Drift, The ........................................Page 55 

Egg Factory .....................................Page 22 

Epilogue: 

THE PALPABLE INVISIBILITY OF LIFE ...Page 47 

Faery’s Tale, A .................................Page 65 

Falkenberg Farewell ........................Page 30 

Family Progamming ........................Page 65 

Fierce People ...................................Page 27 

FilmCAN .........................................Page 67 

For Families! ...................................Page 65 

For The Love of God .......................Page 57 

Fracas .............................................Page 43 

Gates, The ......................................Page 49 

Glimpse ..........................................Page 43 

God’s Beach ....................................Page 57 

Goodtimeskid, The ..........................Page 33 

Grand Hopes ..................................Page 59 

Grand Wheel ..................................Page 42 

Grave Consequences ......................Page 67 

Hammer, The ..................................Page 28 

Hank & Mike ...................................Page 21 

Harrachov .......................................Page 31 

Head, Heart and Balls ......................Page 28 

Hell on Wheels ................................Page 46 

Hindsight ........................................Page 35 

Hirsute ............................................Page 55 

Hollywood Dreams ..........................Page 36 

Home .............................................Page 55 

Hope ..............................................Page 59 

i luv spam .......................................Page 59 

Identity ...........................................Page 49 

Intervention ....................................Page 25 

InVision...........................................Page 67 

Jehovah’s Witness ...........................Page 55 

Jeu ..................................................Page 22 

Kettle ..............................................Page 57 

L’Ecouteur .......................................Page 55 

Langford 701 ..................................Page 18 

Let Others Suffer .............................Page 35 

Letter to Colleen, A .........................Page 21 

Little Gorilla, The .............................Page 65 

Love Blooms ...................................Page 57 

Mamitas .........................................Page 67 

Milky Way .......................................Page 29 

Mono, El .........................................Page 67 

Mosquito Problem and 

Other Stories ...................................Page 44 

Motown High (GALA) ....................Page 18 

Mr. Big ............................................Page 46 

My Victoria .....................................Page 53 

Nautical Education, The ..................Page 35 

Never Apologize .............................Page 41 

Night ..............................................Page 67 

No Bikini .........................................Page 30 

Oblivion, Nebraska ..........................Page 59 

Overnight, a Rose ...........................Page 31 

Owl and the Sparrow ......................Page 33 

Palomas En El Atico .........................Page 57 

Paradise drift ...................................Page 55 

Pismo (Letter, The) ..........................Page 57 

Playground .....................................Page 20 

Playgrounded, The ..........................Page 55 

Please Vote for Me ..........................Page 59 

Portage ...........................................Page 24 

Pray-Play .........................................Page 57 

Remembrance .................................Page 67 

River Child ......................................Page 57 

Rock, Paper, Scissors .......................Page 44 

Saturday Night Newtown 

Sunday Morning Enmore ................Page 57 

Saving Luna ....................................Page 42 

Shutter ...........................................Page 21 

Siberian Dream ...............................Page 42 

Sleeping Betty .................................Page 65 

Slingshot .........................................Page 23 

Soft ................................................Page 57 

Somebody Stole My Applesauce .....Page 65 

Song of Slomon ..............................Page 59 

Song to Sing-o, A ...........................Page 43 

Starting Out in the Evening .............Page 27 

Substitute, The ................................Page 28 

Sunday afternoon ...........................Page 29 

Swap ..............................................Page 57 

Swing .............................................Page 65 

Tenuous Ties ...................................Page 57 

Thorndike .......................................Page 57 

Tracey Fragments, The.....................Page 20 

Umbrella .........................................Page 59 

Under the Garden City ....................Page 55 

Under the Same Moon ....................Page 25 

Union, The ......................................Page 48 

Untitled (plan for victory) ................Page 55 

Up the Yangtze ...............................Page 41 

Vanaja ............................................Page 32 

Vanished, The .................................Page 31 

Very Long Weekend, A ...................Page 55 

Victoria Film Producers Ass ..............Page 71 

Walker, The .....................................Page 36 

Well Done .......................................Page 45 

Western Spaghetti ..........................Page 65 

Winterscape ...................................Page 55

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Taste tantalizing organic teas from around the world. 

Discover unique tea equipage for all occasions. 

Experience bliss at our in-store spa. 

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When Popcorn Just Isn’t Enough... 

Discuss the finer points of film while you experience the tastes of 

Bear Mountain Resort - just 10 minutes from the Caprice Theatre. 

Enjoy a relaxed environment and amazing mouth-watering cuisine 

that uses only the highest quality local and international in-season 

ingredients. Choose from fine dining at Panache, casual westcoast 

fare at the Copper Rock Grill, delectable sushi at Kuma or gastro 

pub style at Jack’s Place. 

Visit bearmountain.ca/film to receive 15% off at any 

Bear Mountain restaurant.* 

for more information visit bearmountain.ca/film or call (250) 391-7160 

*excludes alcohol

2008 Program guide - Victoria Film Festival

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