Maybe it鈥檚 because the Commons, the airy, industrial-chic new venue that arose from Pescatore鈥檚 massive makeover last year, is a more spacious Victoria Film Festival launch party venue than Oyster once was.
At restaurateur Mike Murphy鈥檚 bustling, intimate Humboldt street hotspot, cinephiles literally had to rub shoulders.
Now, Oyster, adjacent to the Commons, has become an integral part of his dazzling, three-tiered bigger picture.
Or perhaps this year鈥檚 event had a distinctly different vibe because of festival director Kathy Kay鈥檚 decision to reveal some film titles weeks before the program-guide launch for a change.
While there was excitement about the 2016 edition of the 10-day festival, which begins聽 Feb. 5, the atmosphere seemed more relaxed than usual.
鈥淚 feel more prepared than ever,鈥� said Kay, appearing laid-back as she and programmer Donovan Aikman welcomed聽 guests to Tuesday night鈥檚 sneak preview of the 22nd annual festival.
It also helped that Aikman had confirmed this year鈥檚 titles by the end of November, allowing for some pre-Christmas announcements that Kay felt would give fans more time to plan.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always such a big push, and [in the past], we weren鈥檛 confirming some films until the day before the program guide goes to bed, which is so stressful.鈥�
While we already knew such films as Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen鈥檚 Men & Chicken and Icelandic filmmaker Dagur Kari鈥檚 Virgin Mountain were on the movie menu, there were enough revelations at the launch party to get people talking.
The 125-plus crowd was the first to learn that Philippe Falardeau鈥檚 new film My Internship in sa国际传媒 would be the opening gala presentation, that guests would include Mad Men producer Semi Chellas, and that The Girl in the Photographs, the Victoria-made horror film executive-produced by the late Wes Craven, was on the roster.
Another hot topic was the return of Converge, which will screen films at 30 pop-up cinemas, including the Victoria City Hall clock tower, and kick off with a big street party on Broad Street.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a bit of a steep learning curve, technology-wise,鈥� said聽 Matthew Payne, the Theatre SKAM artistic producer who is聽 helming the offbeat program.
鈥淐onverge is pretty related to the work I do as a theatre producer, seeking out unique locations, except in this case I鈥檓 animating them with film.鈥�
Familiar faces included Victoria-based filmmaker Patricia Sims, looking dazzling in her faux fur Dr. Zhivago-style pillbox hat, and cinematographer and editor Michael Clark.
Sims said she was as excited about having their documentary When Elephants Were Young make its hometown premi猫re here as they were about its world premi猫re at last month鈥檚 Whistler Film Festival.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about bringing it here because this is where it all began and where World Elephant Day was more or less born,鈥� said Sims.
Clark joked that they talked so much during a 90-minute Q&A after a Whistler screening, they had to be kicked out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just a film. It鈥檚 become a part of our life, a chapter,鈥� he said, comparing their cinematic labour of love to having a kid. 鈥淵ou never get tired of talking about your kid.鈥�
Mary Galloway, the Qualicum Beach-raised First Nations filmmaker who was awarded $35,000 at last year鈥檚 festival to develop her short film Ariel Unraveling, was accompanied by her mother, Lucy.
鈥淚鈥檓 her No. 1 fan,鈥� said Lucy, whose daughter鈥檚 short as well as Fire Song, a feature she stars in, are being showcased.
鈥淭his festival is what started it all,鈥� said Galloway. 鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 taken a chance with my writing before I came here. I kept it to myself and winning the [BravoFACT] pitch contest gave me the confidence to write more.鈥�
Connor Gaston, whose feature debut The Devout, makes its hometown premi猫re, was also surrounded by fans, albeit not as many as in Busan, South Korea, where it made its world premi猫re last October.
鈥淚 signed 200 autographs after both screenings,鈥� said Gaston.
鈥淧eople thought we must be famous, maybe because I鈥檓 white or have a big movie, even though it鈥檚 a tiny indie you shot in your own backyard.鈥�
