This year our President (Glen Grunau) attended his second in-person VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival) and saw 29 films. In terms of admissions and number of films screened, VIFF is considered among the five largest film festivals in North America. Here are his thoughts on the festival:
I feel lucky to live so close to VIFF since moving from Quesnel to Nanaimo 3 years ago!
Here are my five favourite films from the festival.
1. Silent Friend (Germany, France, Hungary)
2. Little Trouble Girls (Slovenia)
3. Young Mothers (Belgium)
4. Wrong Husband Uiksaringitara (Indigenous - Canada)
5. The President's Cake (Iraq)
If you are a film nerd like me, you may be interested to see my ranked list of films I saw at VIFF, with my ratings and reviews.
Although we rely on VIFF to help us make our selections of films we bring to Nanaimo, NIFSS is most closely affiliated with TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). We are a TIFF Film Circuit Location (see footer below for more info).
In 1998, Variety acknowledged that TIFF "is second only to Cannesin terms of high-profile pics, stars, and market activity". In 2007, Time noted that TIFF had "grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period".
Canada is a great place to live if you enjoy international cinema!
Stay tuned for the release of our Winter/Spring Season film lineup in November.