ShowbizMonkeys.com is sometimes lucky enough to cover major events and festivals in film, music, comedy, and pop culture. Whether a major international spectacle like the Academy Awards or a more regional festival like the Winnipeg Folk Festival, we're on the scene with interviews, photos, video, and special commentary.
Looking back at my introduction article to last year's Vancouver International Film Festival, I found it hard to believe that a year had passed since the 2003 edition. It had been an interesting year at the movies and one that I was hoping to out-do with the 2004 edition.
Wrap Yourself in Our Shorts Festival
Posted by: Mark McLeod • March 29, 2005 @ 12:00am
The first edition of the shorts film festival Wrap Yourself in Our Shorts, celebrating Vancouver's independent film community, takes place over two nights at the Planet Theatre at the HR MacMillian Space Centre. The festival not only has a witty name, but is comprised of a great selection of short films by Canadian filmmakers.
Moving Pictures: Spotlighting Canadian Films
Posted by: Mark McLeod • March 18, 2005 @ 12:00am
Living in Canada and working in Canada has advantages and disadvantages: I get a healthy does of American movies, which for the most part are released on the same day as they are in the US and I also get to see a lot of Canadian films. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the Canadian film industry and Canadian filmmakers, most of these movies remain largely unseen by the Canadian public.
Satellite Short Film Festival
Posted by: Mark McLeod • March 8, 2005 @ 12:00am
The Satellite Short Film Festival, which showcases at various British Columbia venues during the month of March on a touring exhibition, celebrates multiculturalism through cinematic and other art forms. This moving film festival offers the opportunity for British Columbians inside the more rural areas a chance to see something above and beyond the typical Hollywood blockbuster.
Reel 2 Real Festival Preview
Posted by: Mark McLeod • March 1, 2005 @ 12:00am
Each and every year film festivals give film fanatics from around the world a chance to see something unique and different from the traditional Hollywood studio releases and the odd independent or foreign film that might get a short and usually unnoticed run at a local theater before disappearing into relative obscurity and the shelves of a local video store.
By the 6 day marker of the film festival last year, things were getting way too crazy for me to handle. I wasn't sleeping at all, I was stressed out beyond belief, and I had gotten sick and felt as though the end was near.
VIFF: Long films, short films... why can't they all just get along?
Posted by: Mark McLeod • October 20, 2004 @ 12:00am
Short films are different than feature length movies in many ways. Throughout the year, the only real venue to see them is at various film festivals throughout the world or on specialty cable channels like Bravo or Showcase, who devote air time in between feature films and other television series to their airing.
Okay, if you were to ask me last week how many movies I planned to see at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival, lovingly referred to as VIFF by film geeks young and old, then I would have told you I had a tentative schedule of nearly 50 ready and lined up.
Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! All right, I know what you're thinking. Have the movie studios finally lost it entirely and released Holiday movies in September? After all, it's only a matter of time before the holiday season extends back into the back-to-school shopping season.
It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since I wrote my introduction to last year's Vancouver International Film Festival. In fact, this year's festival -- which runs September 23rd through October 8th at the same four venues -- opens just two days shy of a complete calender year.
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