Event Info
The 15th annual VISFF will take place February 7th and 8th, 2020 at Vancouver Island University (900, 5th street, Nanaimo, Building 310 & 320).
For the first time ever, the VISFF is screening 2 different programs at Vancouver Island University!
Show times and locations:
- Friday, February 7, 2020 – 7PM – Malaspina Theatre (Building 310): PROGRAM 1
- Friday, February 7, 2020 – 7PM – Building 320, room 105: PROGRAM 2, followed by the filmmakers’ Q&A
- Saturday, February 8, 2020 – 2PM – Malaspina Theatre (Building 310): PROGRAM 1
- Saturday, February 8, 2020 – 7PM – Malaspina Theatre (Building 310): PROGRAM 2, followed by the awards ceremony
PLEASE NOTE: Films are not rated and some contain sexual content and violence. They may not be suitable for younger or all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
Tickets are available through the Port Theatre via phone at 250.754.8550, in person, or online at www.porttheatre.com.
VISFF 2020 Program
| Program #1 | ||||
| Friday, February 7, 7pm, Malaspina Theatre, Building 310 | ||||
| Saturday, February 8, 2pm, Malaspina Theatre, Building 310 | ||||
| FILM TITLE | Director | Country | Time | Description |
| Asteroid Season | Earthstar Smith | Canada | (4:00) | In a lonesome frozen land, a feisty hermit lives a charmed life. When an enormous asteroid arrives overhead, a sheltered, feisty hermit's reality will face a cosmic shake-up and find hope. |
| Bargain Bin Bed | Rob Shaw | Canada | (9:40) | A woman is haunted by her poor decision to buy a used bed. |
| Sheep | Théo Chasson | France | (3:30) | A painting as a single window. Buried in silence, fragments of childhood resurface. |
| Mandatory | Javad Khorsha | Iran | (15:00) | A soldier faces a dilemma. |
| Such a Small Thing | Shelly J. Hong | Canada | (9:30) | A woman in her 40's goes back to her small hometown to confront her boyfriend of the assault that happened when they were teens. |
| Minor Accident of War | Diane Weis, Piotr Kabat | U.S.A. | (10:00) | "Minor Accident of War" is based on a true story written and narrated by the man who lived it -- Edward Field, 95 yr old WWll veteran. In 1945, hanging on to one of the two rafts in the freezing cold water, a decision was made that to this day has affected Field. Field is a significant voice in LGBT literature and the literary world at large. He was recently inducted into the NY Veterans Hall of Fame and honored by SAGEvets, the largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of elderly LGBT veterans. |
| INTERMISSION | ||||
| Wawatay | Mark Jones (Producer) | Canada | (4:40) | “Wawatay” is an Oji-Cree word that translates as “the Northern Lights”. The film is an indigenous-led animated short film that explores the relationship between the living stories of the Anishnnabe people and the journey of connecting to them. Based on the Anishnaabe Woodland Art style and North American pictograph art, original designs were created and brought to life as animated images. The original story was created with the guidance of their elders by Art Director Ben Kicknosway (Bkejwanong unceded territory) and storyteller / animator Morgan Kagesheongai (Waag Waskingaga First Nation) who drew their inspiration from stories passed down to them through their communities. |
| Dust | Shane Book | Canada/U.S.A. | (8:30) | A young poet’s final evening with his girlfriend sparks memories of an afternoon spent with his ailing grandfather. Adapted from Shane Book’s National Magazine Award-winning poem. |
| Bark | Ryan Irving | Canada | (6:00) | Two women desperately try to escape a stalking axe murderer through a city park. Unfortunately for them their only eye witness isn’t human… |
| Twinless | Sapir Danan, Ronalee Israel | Israel | (6:20) | On her birthday, Millie is drawn through her birthday cake into the depths of her pain, loss and contemplations of what could have been since the prenatal death of her twin sister. |
| Rust Bucket | Mo Wynne, Roddy Hyduk | U.S.A. | (2:15) | A portrait of an Edmonton-based artist and his unlikely canvas. |
| Laura | Kaayla Whachell | Canada | (14:30) | Laura, a young half Indigenous woman undergoes a conversation with her lawyer Mr. Wilson to determine how to present her case before the court but his ignorance begins to make Laura question her identity and her place in society. |
| Peete | Simon Madore | Canada | (10:00) | A washed-up misfit named Peete moves temporarily into a quiet suburb. As he waits for a loved one to contact him, he strikes a bond with a young neighbour to whom he bears a strange resemblance. |
| Program #2 | ||||
| Friday, February 7, 7pm, Building 320, room 105, followed by the Filmmakers' Q&A | ||||
| Saturday, February 8, 7pm, Malaspina Theatre, Building 310, followed by the Awards Ceremony | ||||
| FILM TITLE | Director | Country | Time | Description |
| The Girl/La Fille | Keegan Connor Tracy | Canada | (6:50) | A young girl playing in the forest comes across a mysterious curio which transports her to 1920s France... |
| Deepness of the Fry | August Niclasen | Denmark | (4:00) | An absurd existential crisis told through a series of animated vignettes that question "Can anyone truly be unique"? |
| Going Up | Forman Howes | Canada | (12:05) | Finn joins a hitman on a ride to the sixth floor in the world's slowest elevator. |
| Square One | Emily Jo Sargent | U.K. | (12:00) | A semi-autobiographical film about the writer/director's experiences of being in a closeted relationship. |
| Sonatina | Wong Hoi | Hong Kong | (8:00) | New bodyguard Chow feels puzzled by a strange woman who shrugs her shoulders, shakes her head and smiles at him. He asks his colleague Mak, but both cannot figure out why. Mak finally knows the real meaning a little too late. |
| Nothing to Say | Aubry Mintz | Canada/U.S.A. | (9:30) | Nothing to Say is an allegory in which a recent arrival at the zoo challenges the zookeeper and other animals by not speaking on command to receive his food. By revealing his story to the others, the turtle exposes themes of exile and being a refugee in a land that provides for the body at the cost of the soul. |
| INTERMISSION | ||||
| Tampon | Erica Orofino | Canada | (3:00) | Katie's about to have a romantic night but her period keeps getting in the way. |
| Giltrude’s Dwelling | Jeremy Lutter | Canada | (14:30) | When a life or death dilemma comes knocking, Giltrude must look beyond her front door and learn to face the outside universe. |
| Safety | Fabrice Joubert | France | (13:50) | On a bright sunny afternoon in November, Michael and eleven other children face a life or death situation after gym class. Safety is an adaptation of the 2015 acclaimed short story by Lydia Fitzpatrick. |
| River Therapy | Raymond Knight | Canada | (6:45) | Richard finds his solitude fishing at the river where he experiences the returning salmon while reflecting on his own journey. |
| Osuba | Federico Marsicano | Italy | (5:30) | Osuba is a visual expression and emotional trip about domestic violence. |
| Always Dani | Rosa Carranza | Mexico | (12:00) | Jaime is a family father that recently found out that his son, Dani, is transgender. In the process of trying to understand the situation, Jaime battles with his own identity crisis. |