The Comox Valley International Film Festival will take place over three days from May 3-5, with film screenings at the Sid Williams Theatre and workshops at Sitka Stage & Screen.
This year’s festival promises to be a must attend event for lovers of independent film.
“We have 40 films screening this year, and we are so pleased with how many of those films were made in B.C.,” said Stephanie Rossel, co-founder of the festival.
The two feature films screening at the festival were both filmed in the Vancouver Island region. Screening on Friday May 4 at 7:30 p.m. Seagrass, directed by Meredith Hama-Brown, (filmed on Gabriola Island), and May 4 The Great Salish Heist directed by Darrell Dennis, (filmed on Vancouver Island) will screen at 8 p.m.
Besides the two feature films, the festival will screen a variety of short films bundled together into four curated 90-minute programs. On May 3 the Experimental and Overcome programs will screen, and on May 4 the Connection and Community programs screen.
Each of the short film programs offers a different experience and ranges from comedy to drama in a single program creating a very entertaining 90 minutes.
There are films from as far away as Denmark, Iran, the UK, to Canada and Vancouver Island.
“Each of these films have a unique voice and story to tell. For instance, in our Connection program we have a comedic short film directed by Ricky Gervais (The Office, Extras, Afterlife), about two people who awkwardly meet on a desolate train track both intending to end it all,” said Rossel.
In addition to screening some of the best of independent films, CVIFF offers filmmaking workshops on topics ranging from screenwriting to basic three-point lighting for content creators. These sessions are taught by professionals and are open to anyone wanting to learn or enhance their skills. All the workshops take place on Sunday May 5 at Sitka Stage & Screen.
The Comox Valley International Film Festival is also a community-building event, connecting filmmakers and the public with Morning Coffee Talks, (free and open to the public, (May 4 and 5), free live script readings of the winning scripts from CVIFF’s script competition (May 4), and a filmmaker’s panel discussing the importance of an independent voice in film (May 4).
“We believe that great stories can impact the world,” said Rossel. “By celebrating independent films and bringing people together to share their passion for storytelling, we hope to inspire a new generation of filmmakers to create works that connect us all.”
Festival passes, day passes or single program tickets can be purchased through sidwilliamstheatre.com or at the Sid box office.
Festival details can be found at cviff.ca