General Information
Event Dates
The 23rd annual Vancouver International Film Festival will be
held September 23 - October 8, 2004. The festival began in 1982.
Scope
More than 150,000 people attended 500 screenings of over 300 films
from more than 50 countries. For 2004, the VIFF lineup includes
230 feature and mid-length films and 118 shorts.
Purpose
The festival’s purpose is to encourage the understanding
of other nations through the art of cinema, to foster the art of
cinema, to facilitate the meeting in British Columbia of cinema
professionals from around the world, and to stimulate the motion
picture industry in British Columbia and Canada.
Main Sections
The broad spectrum of fiction and nonfiction films from around
the world is divided into the following sections:
• Cinema
of Our Time—Featuring the best new cinema from
around the world. This year's program features 70 films from 37
countries, 8 of which are North American or International Premieres.
• Canadian Images—one
of the biggest showcases of Canadian film in the world. At VIFF
2004 there are 106 Canadian films, including 33 features, nine mid-lengths
and 64 shorts.
• Dragons and Tigers: The
Cinemas of East Asia—the largest annual exhibition
of East Asian films outside Asia; 95 films are in the program this
year, including one world premiere, 21 international premieres,
18 North American premieres, 11 Canadian premieres, and two English-Canadian
premieres.
• Nonfiction Features -
Vancouver film fest-goers love documentary films – this series
is perennially one of our most popular. The 2004 VIFF includes 78
Nonfiction films, including 29 that are part our special series,
"Changing the World" (see
note below).
• Spotlight on France —
This annual sidebar celebrates the unique achievements of France’s
strong national cinema.
• Changing the World —
A special series on activist documentaries will be forefront within
Nonfiction Features of 2004. “Changing
the World” encompasses award-winning films
on topics as diverse as the war in Iraq, genetic engineering, terrorism,
globalization and the environment.
• German Indies —
It’s been 13 years since we last highlighted new films from
Germany. The German Indies series comprises some of the year’s
hippest new fiction features and the most entertaining and invigorating
documentaries.
In addition to our main sections, for younger
filmgoers the VIFF offers the High
School Outreach Program. Now in it's sixth year,
this program provides a unique opportunity for Vancouver-area students
to experience the best that international cinema has to offer. We
also classify a number of other films for younger viewers to attend.
Please check the Classified Films
page for further information, or ask for more details at the box
office.
Theme
Same Planet. Different Worlds
Awards
• The AGF People's Choice Award for Most
Popular Film
• The Federal Express Award for Most Popular Canadian Film
• The Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema (Cash prize)
• The Citytv Western Canada Feature Film Award (Cash prize)
• The Keystone Award for Best Young Western Canadian Director
of a Short Film (Cash prize)
• The National Film Board of Canada Award for Best Documentary
Feature (Cash prize)
• The Chief Dan George Humanitarian Award
• Women in Film and Video Vancouver Artistic Merit Award
Venues
• Cineplex Odeon Granville Cinemas (7 screens)
• The VISA Screening Room at the Vogue Theatre
• Ridge Theatre
• Pacific Cinémathèque
Trade Forum
The 19th annual Film and Television Trade Forum is September 22-25
and brings together some of the world's leading experts in the field.
New Filmmakers’ Day is September 25. For venue, program and
price details visit the Trade
Forum pages.
Information
• Starbucks Hotline—604-683-FILM
(3456), will open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, September 2 to
October 8. This number is for information only; for ticket purchase,
see below.
• VISA Charge-by-phone line - call for tickets, noon to 7pm
daily until October 7 at 604-685-8297.
• On-line guide, up-to-the-minute
news, ticket purchase
and more at www.viff.org.
• Souvenir Program Guides are now available. Click
here for locations.
Organization
The Vancouver International Film Festival is operated by the Greater
Vancouver International Film Festival Society, a provincially registered,
non-profit, education and cultural organization incorporated under
The Society Act of British Columbia, and a federally registered
charity under the Canadian Income Tax Act.
Annual Membership
As a registered non-profit society, the Vancouver International
Film Festival screens films that have not been seen by the B.C.
Film Classification Board. Under B.C. law any person wishing to
see these unclassified films must belong to the Film Festival Society
and be 18 years or older. By joining the society, you are also entitled
to attend the Annual General Meeting (April 19, 2005 at the Vancouver
International Film Centre - 1181 Seymour St.). Membership is valid
until the following year’s Film Festival season begins. You will
be required to show your membership card at each screening you attend.
If you cannot produce a valid membership card we will ask you to
purchase one at that time.
Certain films have been classified for the sake of children under
18, who are prohibited by law from becoming members of the Greater
Vancouver International Film Festival Society. Adults must still
be members to attend these Festival screenings.
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