The Vaughan International Film Festival (VFF) runs Monday, June 20th to Thursday, June 23rd, 2022, now in its tenth year! The Festival is comprised of two nights of international film blocks. Screening at Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan, the lineups will be composed of 16 films from 10 different countries, including France, Pakistan, Greece, Italy, and Estonia. Both nights will conclude with a networking afterparty at Chop Steakhouse & Bar.
On the closing night of the festival, the VFF Awards will take place at the Terrace Banquet Centre. VFF announced that their first-ever Awards host–TV and radio personality Rick Campanelli– will be returning for this year’s Awards show. Rick previously hosted the first four VFF Awards, from 2013 to 2016.
In honour of the festival’s special year, VFF announced a brand-new award that will be presented this year: the Decennium Award. This award will be given to the festival’s best film from the past decade. Short-listed films include Shawn Christensen’s Oscar-winning film Curfew and last year’s After Class, written and directed by Charles Xiuzhi Dong. The list will be narrowed down to 5 nominees which will be presented at this year’s VFF Awards.
Nominations for five other film categories were also revealed at the Spring Launch. VFF’s 2022 nominees are:
Best Cinematography:
Khalid Mohtaseb, Censor of Dreams
Ali Lavarimonfared, Dribble
Alberto Balazs, Sandstorm
Best Actor:
Damian Bonnard, Censor of Dreams
Mehdi Mokarian, Dribble
Christian Petaroscia, Inverno (Timo’s Winter)
Giulio Beranek, Inverno (Timo’s Winter)
Best Actress:
Allie Dunbar, The Bubble
Parizae Fatima, Sandstorm
Ana Villa, Distancias
Best Director:
Beth Evans, The Bubble
Giulio Mastromauro, Inverno (Timo’s Winter)
Seemab Gul, Sandstorm
Best Film:
The Bubble (Canada)
Sandstorm (Pakistan)
Distancias (Spain)
VFF’s 2022 industry recognition recipients exemplify how passion and creativity can lead to an acclaimed career in the industry. The Sandra Piccolo Trailblazer Award will be given to Hollywood audio professional and 2-time Emmy-winner Frank Morrone, while the Independent Leadership Award will be given to internationally renowned Canadian actress, Kim Roberts. They will be bestowed these recognitions on the VFF awards night.
This year’s recipients of VFF’s $1000 scholarships include Kyle Yu and Vickie Shie from Alexander Mackenzie High School and Marc Nadon from Notre Dame College School.
VFF’s 2022 student film judging panel was composed of various members and colleagues of the Entertainment Industry Professionals Mentoring Alliance (EIPMA), a US-based organization that strives to foster emerging talent. Some of these judges included versatile Sound Supervisor and President of EIPMA Bernard Weiser (Ted Lasso, The Hurt Locker), Oscar-winning Sound Designer and UCLA Graduate School Educator Cecelia Hall (Top Gun, Hunt for Red October), and Picture Editor and Documentary Producer Sharidan Sotelo (Mr. Robot, Breaking Bad).
The judging panel’s selection for Best Student Film will be announced at VFF’s Student Screening Block on Tuesday, June 21, taking place at YCDSB Centre for the Arts, located at St. Elizabeth Catholic High School. The lineup will spotlight 16 films from 10 different high schools across the GTA. The winning student will receive a $2,000 bursary towards their school’s arts program.
For more information about this year’s schedule and tickets, visit vaughanfilmfestival.com.
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