Flick picks: Vancouver Short Film Festival, NFB's Get Animated!, DOXA series

by Craig Takeuchi on October 21st, 2009 at 4:48 PM

Believe it or not, there's life after the Vancouver International Film Festival. Yes, there's plenty to take in, so if you're not all movied-out, here are some upcoming events to take note of.

Vancouver Short Film Festival

The art of the short film will be showcased at the Vancouver Short Film Festival (October 23 to 24). It was formerly known as the Vancouver Student Film Festival, but this year, it's expanding to include professional artists.

Things kick off on Friday (8 p.m.) at the Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour Street) with an emphasis on the festival's original focus. There'll be a showcase of the best student shorts from nine B.C. schools.

Then on Saturday (October 24, 3 p.m.), a panel—featuring Andrew Williamson, Kris Elgstrand, Ann Marie Fleming, and Ann Benz (as moderator)—will address the making of short films in Vancouver. It'll be followed by the best shorts from around the world (5 p.m.) and B.C.'s best professional shorts (7:30 p.m.).

Things will be capped off by an awards ceremony and after-party (9:30 p.m.).

For more information, visit the festival's Web site.

Get Animated!

Gotta love the National Film Board of Canada for all the free material they provide.

This past week, they rolled out their free iPhone application, in addition to all the free movies you can already watch at their Web site.

What's more, the NFB celebrating its 70th anniversary, and they'll be holding a series of free public screenings across Canada in conjunction with International Animation Day (October 28).

In Vancouver, the third edition of Get Animated! will be held from October 26 to 28, with family programming shown on November 1 (a collaboration with Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth).

In addition to screenings, there'll also be a special presentation by Bruce Alcock on the making of "Vive la Rose"; Bruce Landreth, copresented by Vancouver SIGGRAPH, will talk about how he uses computer graphics to create "psychorealism" in his short "The Spine"; and an animation workshop for kids with Scott Kiborn.

For a full schedule of films that will be screened and further details, visit the NFB's Get Animated! Web site.

DOXA Documentary Film Series

DOXA kicks off its monthly film series on October 29. This year's series, entitled Motion Pictures, will focus on the athletics, sports, and the human body in a lead up to the Winter Olympics to be held here in Vancouver next year.

The first film to be shown will be the Canadian premiere of Off and Running by Nicole Opper on October 29 (7 p.m., Fifth Avenue Cinemas, 2110 Burrard Street).

The documentary follows a teenage track star, the African-American daughter of Jewish lesbians, whose attempt to contact her birth mother has unexpected implications.

For more information on the screening and series, visit the DOXA Web site.