The Antarctica Challenge at Canada Int. Film Fest
Today I went to the closing film and awards ceremony for the Canada International Film Festival (CIFF) at the Edgewater Casino‘s Stadium Club. I know what you’re thinking – Vancouver has another international film fest besides the VIFF?! And, Edgewater Casino has a theatre?! The answer is yes to both.
I heard about this fest through their publicist‘s tweet, and proceeded to check out the site. Although it’s not clearly stated what year of the festival is, I believe it’s the third, and the website says that it “has firmly established itself among the top film festivals in Canada.” I almost thought it was a touring festival that was based out in Toronto, but it is indeed Vancouver based.
The festival takes in submissions from all over the world and also boasts a screenplay competition. I wished I would have been able to check out all of the films on both days, but I don’t normally do film marathons at festivals, and none of the selections really stood out to me except for the closing film: The Antarctica Challenge.
I’m a big fan of environmental films, and believe that film is one of the most powerful mediums of change. I’ve especially paid attention to the environmental section during the VIFF.
The screening started about 15-20 mins. late, but I suppose the venue could have been much worse since there were poker tables right outside of the theatre doors and slot machines one level below. We finally got in, and the set up of the theatre was not what I’d expected. Plenty of seating room and a great view, but there were 3 screens showing the film, with two lit bars on either side and a free popcorn machine going in between films. I wasn’t sure how the 3 screen setup was going to fare, but it wasn’t too bad since only one of the screens would have seemed a bit too puny.
I didn’t know what to expect of this film, but I knew that it was a documentary about global warming and its effect on the Antarctic continent. There were about 50 people in the audience – much less than the number in the film before it, Peaceable Kingdom. There were some gorgeous shots of the glacial landscape – ice, rock, and greenery alike – but some of the shots were of lesser quality as well. Voiceover narrative was good, and the selection of international scientists and experts interviewed was good as well.
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