Having just taken place this June, the Vaughan Film Festival is back with its Fall Programming slate! New this year are two new exciting Fall programs including cinema under the stars and a unique opportunity for future filmmakers to get inspired by industry leaders during the weekends of September 23 and 30th.
As a part of shortCUTS, guests are invited to indulge in a relaxing night under the stars while shopping local goods, enjoying live music, and celebrating international cinema. Pay What You Can donations will be accepted from attendees on-site. Donations will go towards VFF’s educational initiatives and its selected charity, Little Pear Garden. A donation of $10 is suggested.
VFF’s Inspiring Future Filmmakers seminar series will offer four seminars that will be presented over two days this fall, each exploring a range of topics with speakers who are directly immersed in the industry. The seminars will include guided Q&A’s with the speakers, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities.
Headline talent as part of the seminar program are: Enrico Colantoni, Amy Jo Johnson and Steven Ticknor. The seminars will be taking place on Sunday, September 25th at 12:00pm and 4:00pm. See here for more information.
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.
The VAUGHAN FILM FESTIVAL will be back June 20-23, 2022! The Festival now is in its tenth edition!
The panel of judges for this year’s VFF Awards includes composed of Andrew Jackson, Andrea Trentadue, Christopher Lane, Frank Morrone, Ellen Dubin, Tom McCarthy, Maria Ricossa, and Mark Lanza. Ozzie Sutherland Samah Safi Bayazid and Kim Roberts also were just announced today.
The Festival is comprised of two days of film screenings on the Monday and Wednesday, student films screening on the Tuesday, and concluding with the VFF Awards on the Thursday. Nominations and industry recognitions for this year’s festival will be revealed at the Spring Launch on May 17, 2022. To learn more, visit vaughanfilmfestival.com.
Now in its eighth year, the VAUGHAN FILM FESTIVAL presented by QuadReal Property Group, takes-on a new format this year. The Festival this year will focus on Short Films in the live action, animated and documentary genres, from 12 different countries being showcased every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between September 4 to 27, 2020. In addition, for the first time ever it will use a Drive-In venue at Interchange Park for a retro and contact-free vibe. Proceeds from the Festival this year will go to the NIA Centre for the Arts which supports an appreciation of Arts across the Afro-Diaspora to artistic youth.
Each night of the Festival, Short Films are divided by three groupings, INTERNATIONAL PG-13, INTERNATIONAL 14A and INTERNATIONAL 18A, which is that we got to preview, which was a selection of darker and quirkier material. Highlights include:
Shawn Christensen‘s CURFEW – this Oscar-wining Short Film is about a man named Richard at his lowest of lows, asked to babysit his niece.
Jeremy Comte‘s FAUVE – This Short Film was short-listed for an Oscar and is a gorgeously-shot Drama about two boys playing a game in a surface mine. Things go horribly wrong when one of them gets trapped and sinks.
Alexandre Gougeon’s I AM THE WOLF – balances out the mix with a bit of Non-Fiction. This Short Film centers on Boxer Arthur Biyarslanov who navigates the pressure to succeed for his adopted country and his family.
I Am The Wolf- Short Documentary from Patrick Holmes on Vimeo.
We will say sonically, the sound of these Films was amazing as we tuned-in from our car. We much prefer when the audio isn’t broadcast through speakers as well as there often is a jarring delay and echo when you open your window at the Drive-In. This wasn’t an issue at all here.
Other Films to premiere include:
Amy Jo Johnson‘s LINES – a woman visits a Dermatologist and begins questioning her age and appearance.
Matt & Drew Taylor‘s RON TAYLOR: DR. BASEBALL – centers on Dr. Ron Taylor‘s decision to go to medical school after a successful baseball career, as told by his two sons.
Josh Zuckerman‘s A REAL ADVENTURE – a son visits his father in prison, forced to confront some issues in their strained relationship.
Joewi Verhoeven‘s SINGER NOT THE SONG – A Songwriter discovers that songs playing on the radio are under the name of a deceased Artist.
See the complete list of Short Films here.
Some images of the Festivities, which we enjoyed in the 2020 Honda Accord Touring 2.0.
Attendees are encouraged to wear face coverings, wash hands at available restrooms/concessions and remain within their cars during the screenings. A concession stand is available on-site.
Full schedule and tickets can be found online here and must be purchased in advance.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/Vaughan Film Festival)
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