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The first-ever Vancouver Island Short Film Festival was a huge success, with a sold out crowd enjoying fifteen incredible short films.
“Things went great,” said John Gardiner, Nanaimo Arts Council program coordinator. “We expected a lot of support for the festival, but things went even better than expected. Some of the filmmakers said it was the best short film festival they had ever been to, not only for the great audience turnout, but for the quality of the short films. With such a great response, the festival should be even bigger and better next year..”
Awards were given out in six categories at the end of the evening.
Richard J. Olak won best film for “It Haunts Me” in which a man dwells on the memory of his dead girlfriend.
“It’s validating to see people take notice of my work and enjoy it,” said Olak. “I was surprised to win because the competition was so tough throughout. It inspires me to keep going and work even harder because it shows that it pays off in the end.”
“The Vancouver Island Short Film Festival was a much needed event to showcase local talent,” he said.
“It was the most consistent festival I have ever witnessed in terms of the quality of the films and the attendance.”
Three awards went to the filmmaking group from LoadingReadyRun.com, who had three films accepted into the festival.
“We are really proud to have won awards from such a great selection of films,” said Graham Stark, director and writer of 30 Minutes or Less, Quantum Documentary and Suspend Your Disbelief.
Stark and co-writer Paul Saunders won the Best Writing award for 30 Minutes or Less, a film-noir comedy about a hard-nosed pizza delivery man.
“Winning the Best Writing award was a huge surprise and felt wonderful. It’s the kind of thing that really encourages us to keep making movies.”
“It’s really nice to have an island-based festival that focuses on short films,” said Stark.
Stark and the LoadingReadyRun.com team also won the People’s Choice award for Suspend Your Disbelief, a musical that makes fun of musicals.
Two Best Performance awards were given at the festival. Hayley Sales won the first Best Performance Award for her subtle, but powerful work in It Haunts Me, while Andrew Cownden won the second Best Performance Award for his acting abilities in Suspend Your Disbelief.
The winner of Best Technical Production was the Orchid and the Rose, directed by Mark Benard and Dennis Tal at Lost Boys Studios. This film is an incredibly beautiful animated short about the loving relationship between two flowers.
Winner of Best Original Music was The Moment, directed by Katie Chipperfield, Melinda Hranchuk and Syd Woodward. This short documentary is the courageous and deeply moving story of one man’s journey to make peace with himself after a life-altering car accident.
The festival took place on January 21st at the Nanaimo Entertainment Centre, formerly the Caprice Theatre. It was the first event for the venue and the response was excellent.
A second screening of the short films is being considered, as several people were turned away at the door once the theatre was sold out. Check www.visff.com for more details or email admin@visff.com
The Vancouver Island Short Film Festival is a Nanaimo Arts Council event. For more information, contact the Nanaimo Arts Council at admin@nanaimoartscouncil.ca