The 2024 BC Filmmaker Spotlight Party @ VIFF - A Review

Very Long, Lots of Time to Read:

All Photos by Albert Law

The Vancouver Film International Film Festival has been our staunchest supporter since the beginning. For years, Curtis Woloschuk, the Director of Programming at VIFF, kindly entertained our rants as we waxed eloquent about the need for more community building in the indie film industry. Through all the various iterations of Filmable, he showed enthusiasm and support, until we were finally ready to launch in 2022 with a small party, co-hosted by Jason Mackay from Collective Bunch. But what was Filmable? A name? A logo? A vague idea that community was key? We needed an organization to vet us and say “Trust us, these guys aren’t whackos. This party is worth it”.

And so, we went to Curtis, hat in hand, asking if VIFF would take a chance on us and be open to collaborating. It was an immediate yes, and brought us an element of legitimacy that made that evening a success. It sparked a long relationship that has deepened and grown over the years… and hopefully for years to come!🥲

Curtis Woloschuck of VIFF

Fast forward to 2024, with a couple VIFF parties under our belt and a growing community, we wanted to take it to the next level. This event has been called the Spotlight Party, and the goal has always been to shine a light on the BC Filmmakers programmed at VIFF. The only hitch… we’ve never meaningfully spotlighted them. In 2024, we want to make a FUSS. Through a whole heavily involved initiative to take the portraits of the BC filmmakers at VIFF (which is a whole other story), we built the party around them. They were the guests of honour, their portraits were projected on the walls and we were there to celebrate their work.

One Day This Kid Team, photo by Brian Van Wyk

Capacity has always been an issue, and we wanted to find a venue that could accommodate all the party people. The Beaumont was our ideal. The Beaumont is an arts organization dedicated to preserving one of the last remaining indie arts spaces in the city; this felt like the perfect fit. Since VIFF was already hosting their industry talks at the Beaumont, it was a no-brainer to cap off their tenure with our wild party. Through conversations with Rob Calder and Kyle Fostner at VIFF, Jason Mackay of Collective Bunch, our co-conspirator in throwing these iconic parties, was able to get their support in helping with the venue costs, suddenly making this event a reality. Kristina Lao of DigiBC was crucial in advising on how to actually successfully host a LARGE party. We just love you, guys.

Geoff Manton(Filmable), Jesse Einstein (Filmable), Marnie Gee (Creative BC), Jason Mackay (Collective Bunch), Rob Calder (VIFF)

Once VIFF was on board, our community rallied to support.

Warner Media Access Canada and Creative BC were crucial in securing some early resources to set the wheels into motion. Pacific Backlot, Elemental, Brightside Cinema, Ceroma Films and BOLDLY, all tireless supporters of the indie industry in BC, came through with additional funding to make sure that we could offer free tickets, drink tickets and food tickets. Yes… Japadog kept the people WELL fed.

Sponsors of the event.

To set the vibe, Adriana Marchand, with the assistance of Carolina Martinez and Aaron Lum, came on board to help art direct the event. QuestCoast Studios brought their famous miniature city for the DJ booth, and some lights to set the mood. Much gratitude to Avi Prasad, Roz Young, Jason Rouleau, Nicholas Kedrock, Silas Egan and Kenny Heintz of QuestCoast Studios for their support! Dan Pierce (DJ-d-jon) organized fellow DJs, Eric Johnson (DJ Bunny Years) and Burt Blackarach, to spin their best mixes and bring the house down in a fury of groovy sonic exuberance. Albert Law, photographer extraordinaire covered every inch of the event, capturing these photos you see below. Nikolay Zhukov and Benoit Lamarche filmed the entire affair, stay tuned for their video coming out soon!

DJ Burt Blackarach spinning in the miniature city from QuestCoast Studios.

As the day arrived and the countdown started, our team of intrepid volunteers were working hard to get ready to open our doors. These heroes were Amy Cornish (team lead), Kristina Tekuchova, Sebastian Marin, Ana Karol, Ishika Banerjee, Cassie Collis and Carmen Lee. Thank the almighty they were there, because when the clock struck 8:00pm…

Volunteers Cassie Collis, Sebastian Marin, Carmen Lee and Amy Cornish greeting our guests.

FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE PARTY PEOPLE STREAMED THROUGH THE BEAUMONT’S DOORS.

Steve Adams and Kevin Eastwood.

Filmmakers from BC, VIFF guests from abroad, local creatives and visionaries who call Vancouver home, were together under a clear, beautiful, crisp, October sky to celebrate our industry, the people who are part of it and the great future it is about to have.

We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, and we look forward to seeing you next year!