A lot can change in 30 years.
For proof of that, look no further than the Vancouver International Film Festival.
The idea behind the showcase has always been the same: to give Vancouver film buffs a taste of fine cinema from around the world.
But the film festival that kicked off with Thursday’s opening gala presentation of Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In is a far cry from the VIFF that opened 30 years ago.
“We’ve seen a lot of changes in that time,” said festival director and CEO Alan Franey. “When we started, the festival took place in May and was only in the Ridge Theatre.”
Today’s VIFF features 16 days of cinema and is composed of more than 370 films from nearly 80 countries being screened at four venues.
Though the festival strives to be as broadly accessibe as possible, choosing which movies to see can be a challenge.
Metro has picked five of the highlights from the opening weekend to get readers into the full swing of things.
The Vancouver International Film Festival runs to Oct. 14.
Five movies to see during the opening weekend:
1) Take This Waltz (Canada)
The opening film for this year’s Canadian Images is Sarah Polley’s fresh look at long-term relationships as Michelle Williams stars as the comfortably married Margot whose life is thrown for a loop when her attraction to a neighbour makes her question her life with hubby Lou (played by Seth Rogan). Friday, 6:30 p.m. at Vogue Theatre
2) Circumstance (USA/Iran/France)
The winner of a 2011 Sundance Audience Award, this Beirut-shot, U.S. produced film portrays the life of two teenage girls in Tehran who fall in love with each other and all the trappings of a seemingly unrestrained Western lifestyle but are forced to deal with the realities of homophobia and Islamic repression. Friday, 9:15 p.m. and Sunday, 1:15 p.m. at Vogue Theatre
3) The Front Line (South Korea)
This Korean War flick, coming off the 60th anniversary of the conflict last year, took South Korea’s box office by storm and earned a nod as Korea’s nominee for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. Shin Ha-gyun stars as a young officer investigating reports of spying and friendly fire in the midst of fierce fighting. Friday, 10:30 a.m. and Saturday, 3:45 p.m. at Empire Granville 7 Cinemas
4) Surviving Progress (Canada)
Are humans too intelligent for their own and Earth’s good? This Canadian documentary, based on Ronald Wright’s bestselling book A Short History of Progress, probes that question by looking at how we differ from the rest of the animal world and how we’ve reached a point where our activity has changed the planet we call home. Friday, 6:30 p.m. at Empire Granville 7 Cinemas and Sunday, 4:15 p.m. at Vogue Theatre
5) Kill List (U.K.)
Organizers promise this disturbing tale of crime and post-traumatic stress will leave audiences as shell shocked as the film’s main character, a damaged war veteran turned contracted killer. Ben Wheatley uses brutality throughout to prove a point about an English society still dealing with fallout from the Iraq War and the recession. Friday, 4:20 p.m. and Saturday, 11:30 p.m. at Empire Granville 7 Cinemas
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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