Although the first day of spring is still six weeks away, that didn鈥檛 stop cinephiles from prematurely getting into the spirit of the season during Victoria Film Festival鈥檚 opening gala Friday night.
You鈥檇 think festival director Kathy Kay had a crystal ball to inspire her choice of a springtime theme. It couldn鈥檛 have been better timed given Friday鈥檚 unwelcome snow flurries.
The weather made a city better known for February cherry blossoms seem decidedly wintry before Vancouver filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming鈥檚 opening night feature Window Horses even got started at Cineplex Odeon.
Belting out its signature tune Celebration, Vic High R & B band wasted no time getting 300 festival-goers and guests warmed up and dancing, fuelled by libations and food from Spinnakers and de Vine Wines and Spirits. Several guests wore brightly coloured costumes -- including flaming orange pants, pink shirts, floral dresses and polka-dot jackets -- to reflect their sunny dispositions.
Guests included Duane Howard, the Revenant star who has grown accustomed to answering 鈥淲hat was it like working with Leo?鈥� questions; Don McKellar, who voices an arrogant German poet in Window Horses; Riverhead鈥檚 Newfoundland-born director Justin Oakey, and Jeff Chiba-Stearns, whose mixed-race organ transplant documentary Mixed Match plays at 6:30 tonight at Capitol 6.
Before McKellar met Oakey Friday night, he didn鈥檛 realize they had something in common, other than that McKellar鈥檚 last film, The Grand Seduction, was also set in Newfoundland.
鈥淲e shared Lawrence Barry,鈥� said Oakey, referring to the actor who plays a vengeful widower in Oakey鈥檚 gritty drama inspired by the actor鈥檚 life.
Barry also played the small Newfoundland town鈥檚 mayor in McKellar鈥檚 lighthearted La Grande Seduction remake.
鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 seen The Grand Seduction until they told me he was in it so I checked it out at the Atlantic Film Festival.鈥�
Despite having risen at 3 a.m. Friday, Richard Crouse, the Toronto-based CTV film critic whose connecting flight from Vancouver was cancelled, was in good spirits when he finally arrived at 9:45 p.m. It was an hour after Crouse was scheduled to begin a Q & A with McKellar.
鈥淭here鈥檚 an inch of snow in Vancouver. It shut down everything so we had a planes, trains, automobiles and ferry trip to get here,鈥� said Crouse.
鈥淭he ferry was fantastic. I鈥檇听never done it before so it was an adventure.鈥�
Veteran media producer Pat Ferns stepped in to interview McKellar, as well as Window Horses composer Taymaz Saba and Iranian animator Sadaf Amini, whose remarks prompted applause.
鈥淲e have a multitude of films from all around the world and filmmakers who celebrate our diversity, and I think this is a wonderful way for us to start this festival,鈥� said Ferns.
Fleming, who had hoped to attend, was unable to since she recently had a concussion that prevented her from flying, said McKellar.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sadly ironic because when she first had a concussion years ago, she created this alter-ego stick figure which represented the way she was feeling, and now she鈥檚 had another. It鈥檚 a strange circle.鈥�
Patricia Sims (When Elephants Were Young) reunited with fellow local producers Barbara Hager (1491) and Sarah Robertson (Sea Blind) 10 months after having their last martini together at Empress Hotel鈥檚 Bengal Room.
鈥淭he theme of the festival is springtime, and so for me it鈥檚 springtime in Russia,鈥� quipped Sims, explaining why she was inspired to wear her fashionable faux-fur hat.
One of the night鈥檚 more sombre conversation topics at a patrons reception at the DoubleTree was the tragic death of Rob Stewart, who showcased his 2006 conservation film Sharkwater at the festival years ago.
The 37-year-old filmmaker and marine biologist鈥檚 body was recovered last week off the Florida Keys, where he had gone deep sea scuba diving while filming footage for a sequel.
鈥淗e died doing what he loved to do,鈥� said Sims. 鈥淗e鈥檚 with the sea, which he loved more than anything. There鈥檚 something circular about it because that鈥檚 what was driving him and all the work he was doing.鈥�
And if anyone was wondering why Mark Leiren-Young was smiling, it鈥檚 because of what London鈥檚 Daily Mail said about his Moby Doll book The Killer Whale Who Changed the World in its rave review.
鈥淚鈥檝e now been reviewed in the U.K. and Singapore,鈥� beamed the affable playwright and filmmaker who woke up Friday morning to see the 鈥渓ovely鈥� review published in the Daily Mail and later the Singapore News.
鈥淭hey said the book 鈥榠s absorbing and often touching,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淭hat is pretty darned cool.鈥�
Harold Gronenthal, executive vice-president of programming and operations for AMC/Sundance Channel Global, flew in from New York, with a pit stop in Toronto for a Canadian Film Centre board meeting.
He was here long enough to do some networking at the gala, participate in Springboard on Saturday and praise the festival he has attended for 14 years before boarding a flight to Lisbon yesterday afternoon.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a great, under-appreciated festival,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he only problem is that [time-wise] it鈥檚 stuck between Sundance and Berlin, and those are huge festivals.鈥�
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