Judging by the number of sold out viewings I noted during this year’s VIFF, Vancouver audiences love cinema. And that was much to love in the more than 150 presentations from which viewers had to choose. Of the seven films this reviewer was able to take in, my favourite was “Living With Wolves,” an inspiring documentary from French film-maker Jean Michel Betrand. The third in a series documenting Bertrand’s life in the Vosges Mountains, a range of low mountains located in eastern France, it is an homage to his mountain home, but also asks the overriding question of how man can live equitably with the wild animals on our planet.
Another documentary about living a strange life in a strange location was “Secret Mall Apartment,” the true story of a group of artists in Providence, Rhode Island, who take over a space in the parking lot of a new shopping mall, then build and furnish a 720 square foot apartment. It was an astounding feat of cooperation and creativity, which was undiscovered for four years. The film, directed by Jeremy Workman, could have had a better story arc, but the premise was certainly enticing. I am sure many left the theatre thinking “Hmm, wonder where I could get a hideaway like that in Vancouver?”
In the Special Presentations of this year’s VIFF, the headline film was “Rumours,” featuring an all star cast in a political satire about four of the world’s leaders meeting in Germany for a G7 Summit. They are faced with finding a solution to an unspecified international crisis, but the main crisis seems to be within the group itself. This Guy Maddin film features Cate Blanchett as the German Chancellor, Roy Dupuis as Canada’s Prime Minister, Charles Dance as a rather confused American president and Denis Menochet, giving an outstanding performance as the pretentious French president. This film will be making in theatres across Canada by the end of October. Watch for it.
Yet one of the most outstanding aspects of this year’s Festival was the astounding support and work put in by the tireless Volunteers. They made everyone feel welcome and well looked after, even if you had to wait in line (and there were lots of those) to see your choice of film.
A word of advice: get ready for another superb VIFF Festival in 2025. Take your vitamins and, in the meantime, be sure to check what’s happening at VIFF Centre, 1181 Seymour Street. It’s a comfortable, welcoming space you’ll want to visit often this coming year.
The website is: VIFF.org