In the festival’s milestone 10th anniversary, the Vaughan International Film Festival (VFF) returns on June 20 – 24 with three nights of curated Canadian and international short films. Over the past decade, VFF has developed a style all its own. In the unhurried environment of the “city above Toronto”, VFF has provided a unique space for independent creators to share their work, amassing a reach of over 19,000 people and kickstarting the careers of local and international filmmakers.
This year’s festival opens on Monday, June 20 with an eclectic mix of films anchored by several dramas. Frimas brings to life a not-too-distant future where abortion has been outlawed. This leaves the main character Kara with no choice but to terminate her pregnancy with an illegal abortion. Lioness follows a mother barricaded in a motel room, as she acts on her primal instincts to protect her child’s innocence. Fourteen Days depicts how the greatest sacrifice of all is the sacrifice of time, while Inverno (Timo’s Winter), which is based on a true story, follows the youngest of a Greek community of fun fair workers facing the hardest winter together with his loved ones. The final drama is Private, about a teacher forced to choose between disciplining the actions of her students or protecting them from the repercussions of their elder’s traditional ways.
Additional offerings explore different genres. The sci-fi film Censor of Dreams explores how the Censor and his team moderate Yoko’s dreams . . . causing everything to go wrong. The feel-good film, Dribble is a lighter and more optimistic option depicting the unbreakable bond between a young boy and his disabled older brother. Finally, comedy The Bubble shows strict pandemic restrictions being relaxed to allow for the formation of 10-person social bubbles . . . though squeezing into a social bubble proves difficult for main character Charlie.
The festival’s second day Tuesday, June 21st is dedicated to the Student Screening Block. This an evening highlights the work of 16 exceptional student filmmakers from 10 high schools across the GTA. Curated by an award-winning panel of industry professionals, these films will be presented at the YCDSB Centre for the Arts at St. Elizabeth Catholic High School. 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 is composed of various members and colleagues of the Entertainment Industry Professionals Mentoring Alliance (EIPMA), a US-based organization that strives to foster emerging talent. Judges include 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 during the Student Screening Block, and the winning student will receive a $2,000 bursary towards their school’s arts program.
The Student Screening Block will offer a diverse range of genres, including fantasy, comedy, drama, documentary, animation, sci-fi, parody, and thriller. The films are:
- The Adventures of Marg (Aurora High School)
- Dream World (Alexander Mackenzie High School)
- Overcome (Richmond Hill High School)
- Autumn’s View (St. Elizabeth Catholic High School)
- Searching for an Answer (Tommy Douglas Secondary School)
- Feminine (Aurora High School)
- Tick Tock (St. Jean De Brebeuf Catholic High School)
- The Passive Agressive Killer (Alexander Mackenzie High School)
- Battle of Provecta (St. Edmund Campion Secondary School)
- Disconnect (Secondary School Thornlea Secondary School)
- Written Beyond The Lines (Tommy Douglas Secondary School)
- Recurring (Alexander Mackenzie High School)
- Who’s There (Mayfield Secondary School)
- Alter Psychosis: Four Faces (Alexander Mackenzie High School)
- Wolf Cut (Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary School), and
- Scream: No Way Home (Alexander Mackenzie High School).
The festival’s third day Wednesday, June 22nd brings an evening of eight diverse stories from around the world:
- Sandstorm (Pakistan) is a coming-of-age film about Zara, a young woman who submerges herself in her phone during her first romantic relationship. After sharing a risqué video, she is blackmailed, and her self-worth is put to the test.
- The animated film The White Whale (Islamic Republic of Iran) tells the story of a young man who lost his friends in an air attack on a big river years ago. After 30 years, he is looking for their remains, using the only sign he still has.
- In the comedy Arrows (Greece), a young man finds encounters obstacles when he tries to navigate a supermarket where paths are pre-set with arrows, in order to return a button to a young woman.
- In the feel-good Canadian film Benevolent, two post-grad best friends reunite, only to have bitter truths emerge which threaten to tear apart their friendship.
- Love, Sick (USA) depicts a couple who discover they have a rare-genetic condition that makes them allergic to each other. They face the impossible choice of between the literal pain of being together or the emotional agony of being apart.
- The Estonian drama Terminal Happiness explores a world where positivity is compulsory, and cancer patients need to endure “Happy Therapy.” When a sarcastic rebel appears in the facility, an impressionable girl must choose between following the rules or embracing her genuine emotions.
- A lost and grieving Elizabeth Taylor returns to work and courageously delivers one of the greatest performances of her life in the American documentary biopic Dame.
And closing out the evening of cinema is the Spanish drama Distances, where subway-goers are intimidated by deranged man who enters their subway car . . . until one traveler takes a unique approach to de-escalating the situation.
Finally, on Thursday June 23, the festival culminates in the black-tie, red-carpet VFF Awards event at The Terrace Banquet Centre. TV and radio personality Rick Campanelli, who hosted the first four VFF Awards shows (from 2013 to 2016), will reprise his hosting duties. And on the evening of the awards gala, guests will experience a musical performance and a four-course meal, while connecting with industry leaders and VFF’s supporting partners.
In honour of VFF’s tenth edition, the festival will present the brand new Decennium Award to the best film from the past decade. Films short-listed for this award include Shawn Christensen’s Oscar-winning 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.
And the night’s main purpose, of course, is to award Individual Achievement Awards and honour the winning films. Nominations for five film categories, revealed at the Spring Launch, 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)
In summary, the VFF is a hassle-free, unhurried and affordable way to experience and celebrate the best in Canadian and international short filmmaking. The screenings on Monday June 20 and Wednesday June 22 are at Cineplex Vaughan Cinemas, a venue that is easily accessible by public transportation and by car (with ample free parking!). The only caveat? Book tickets while they are still available! You can reserve tickets to VFF 2022 here.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2022
