Tag: Film Festivals

Two Top Quick Picks from Spark Animation Festival

This festival is not to be missed and more than half the programming are available to watch world-wide.

Spark AnimationOctober 28 – November 7, 2021

Vancouver, BC‘s Spark Animation Festival has always been on my radar for years. To finally get to see the short and feature length films offered here meant this organization finally made the call to fully stream all of their programming. This includes the works theNFB has scheduled in this event and include past favourites which I saw at Fantasia.

Last year’s show (pardoning the pun) sparked my interest in watching more of their selections. The timing of this event falls in October, sometimes before Fan Expo Vancouver, which, for a short time, ran in November. The option to attend in-person is often tough because of my budget on how often I can make trips to the mainland.

From the handful of pieces I saw as midnight rolled in, the two annual programs that deserve full attention are:

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Upcoming Animated Feature Films in 2021

The following is a guide of animated feature films from not only streaming services but also theatrical (film festivals included!); this list includes works with known release dates:

Animated Feature Films featuring PompoWe’re a little more than past the halfway point in 2021 and its amazing how time flies. There’s a lot more animated feature films being released than I realized, and had to compile a list of what’s still to come this year. We don’t have to be limited to the theatrical releases either. There’s a tiny selection coming to streaming services only. The bigger name films will no doubt have its run on the big screen before arriving on the smaller one a month or two later, if not at the same time.

In the same token, the film festivals that are operating also have a “virtual” component where they’re making their selection available to stream too. If it’s available to play in your part of the world, I advise checking these works out!

This list includes movies with known release dates:

Pompo: The Cinephile

Kadokawa Animation
Aug 7, 2021 at Fantasia Film Festival 2021

Based on the manga of the same name, this movie is not only a crash course for beginners on how movies get made but also a love letter to the art. We all see it through the eyes of a young girl, Pompo, and this work is sure to please and enlighten.

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Victoria, BC’s Bathing in Summer Bliss with the Free-B Film Festival

 

Free-B Film FestivalThe organizers behind Victoria Film Festival is pleased to announce that the Free-B Film Festival is back in business! (under current BC Health Guidelines). It’s changed location so everyone can enjoy a clear view of the screen, and make out behind the bleachers (for those who are vaccinated) like Danny and Sandy from the movie Grease–the ultimate Summer movie–and have fun in the final days of summer. The new venue is at the Royal Athletic Park at 1014 Caledonia Ave.

Summer lovin’ is a blast, but to be safe, the company suggests bringing a blanket and booking a space well in advance. There’s only 500 seats available. Doors open at 8 pm.

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It’s no ‘Brain Freeze’ that Montreal’s Fantasia’s Going Digital for a 2nd Year

Fantasia is proud to be opening its upcoming edition with the World Premiere of a major Québécois genre feature – Julien Knafo’s Brain Freeze.

Fantasia International Film Festival (@FantasiaFest) | TwitterThe Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 25th edition as a virtual event accessible to audiences across Canada, with a dynamic program of scheduled screenings and premieres, panels, and workshops running from August 5 through August 25, 2021, once again using the leading-edge platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72.

As the summer approaches, the festival will be following advice from local health authorities, with the possibility of also adding a range of flagship physical events to the lineup.

Last summer’s virtual edition was a phenomenal success, screening to 85000 spectators and amassing a record amount of media coverage, with 475 accredited journalists from around the world covering Fantasia and its titles. The lineup showcased 104 features, a quarter of which were World Premieres, with the majority securing distribution out of the festival, with highlights including The Block Island Sound selling to Netflix, Come True to IFC, The Paper Tigers to WellGo USA, Anything for Jackson to Shudder, PVT Chat to Dark Star, and Minor Premise to Utopia.

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The Vintage Tempest’s Picks of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

“2020 marks the 50th anniversary for visual communications,” said Francis Cullado, Executive Director of Visual Communications. “The organization was born because our founders began searching for visual resources to build a greater consciousness of Asian Pacific history in America ….

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film FestivalBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Runs Sept 24 to Oct 31

The complete lineup of the 36th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is here! The list is extensive and to figure out what to see for its virtual event took more than days to figure out. Because of this event being region specific, most of these movies are geolocked to those residing in the county to see. However, with a lot of film festivals offering an online component, it’s safe to assume that these films will become available for another region in no time. Failing that, some works are already available on home video for purchase in the country it was made.

Over 225 filmmakers will be featured in the five weeks which starts very soon! There’s three feature film world premieres and plenty of shorts to see.

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Capital City Comic Con in Victoria, BC Postponed! and The Ongoing Covid Situation

capital_city_comicon_eventBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

With no surprise, Capital City Comic Con in Victoria, British Columbia, is postponed. Tickets will be honoured for those willing to wait and for wanting a refund are advised to contact Ticket Rocket at either 1-855-842-7575 (toll-free) or at support@ticketrocket.co

No new date is likely to be announced until the coronavirus situation is in control. This news follows in a huge string of announcements from major shows (Emerald City Comic Con, South by Southwest, Tribeca Film Festival and etc) that are not even local. With one case confirmed on the island, it’s enough reason for the organizers to act.

They also cited the Screen Actors Guild advising its members “that it would be in their best interest to cease flying for the foreseeable future.” Until the coronavirus threat is in control, nearly all events this month and perhaps next are not likely to take place.

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