[Wamvan] Updates from the 9th Annual Vancouver International Women in Film Festival

[Emily Yakashiro]

Hey WAM! folks,

For the past few months I have been volunteering for the 9th annual
Vancouver International Women in Film Festival, which is put on by Women in
Film & Television Vancouver as a festival committee judge and the
submissions coordinator. I have a few things I wanted to share with you
WAM! members:

*Festival Line-Up Highlights*

I'm really excited about this year's lineup--our opening night film,
*Evangeline*, is a first for VIWIFF--never has the festival opened with a
thriller (a genre typically dominated by men), and this one happens to be
directed by a woman of colour, Karen Lam! Other highlights include Frances
Bodomo's short, *Boneshaker,* which stars Quvenzhané Wallis,
*Finsterworld*by Frauke Finsterwalder which has a very Wes
Anderson-esque aesthetic, and *El
Regreso*, a powerful film by Patricia Ortega about the violence committed
against the Wauyuu, an indigenous community located at the territory split
between Colombia and Venezuela in 2004. Ortega will be flying out from
Venezuela to speak about her film following the screening which is very
exciting. Another must-see is Lisa Jackson's documentary *How People Live*,
which focuses on the  the forced relocation of the Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw
Nations. Jackson's documentary is one of the best of the festival in my
opinion, and she will be speaking about this film following the screening.
Check out the complete schedule and program notes
here<http://www.womeninfilm.ca/2014_Film_Festival_Schedule.html>
.

I volunteered for the festival back in August as a way to support women
involved in screen-based media. For a film to qualify for the festival,
women must hold at least three key creative positions including director,
producer, writer, editor, cinematographer, lead actor, composer, etc. The
importance of supporting women in these roles cannot be understated--a
recent report from Women in View showed that of 139 feature films released
in 2010-2011 in Canada, women comprised *less than 20% of directors and 21%
of screenwriters.*

*VIWIFF Panels of Interest to WAM!*

Also of interest to you all are two panels hosted by WIFTV which will take
place during the festival. The first is a panel focused on portrayals of
violence against women on screen, which will be moderated by Angela
MacDougall of BWSS (Battered Women's Support Services).The second is a
panel hosted by WIFTV president Rachelle Chartrand, who will be exploring a
recent report by CUES on the statistics of women behind the camera in
Canada.

*VIWIFF Festival Blog & Discounted Ticket Rates for WAM!*

Lastly, I've been blogging about the festival films and other issues
relevant to women behind and in front of the camera. A new post goes up
every day, discussing different perspectives on the films that we didn't
have the space for in the program notes! Check out the blog
here<http://wiftv.wordpress.com/>
.

This year WIFTV is really hoping to connect with more community groups to
support each other in screening our films, so if you're part of a group
that would be interested in purchasing a group of tickets (I think it would
be good for volunteer appreciation, community building, or an evening out
for organizations whose causes align with some of the things expressed in
the films shown), please email me at wiftvoffice at gmail.com and I can hook
you up with tickets at a discounted price. If you have any questions or
concerns about the festival, you can reach me there or just reply to this
email.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Emily

-- 
*Emily Yakashiro*
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