The 2024 edition of the Vancouver Island Short Film Festival takes place from March 22-23, once again at VIU's Malaspina Theatre. (VISFF)

By Jordan Davidson

15 minutes or less

‘It’s very exciting:’ VI Short Film Festival returns with micro-movies from around the world

Mar 21, 2024 | 4:48 PM

NANAIMO — Whether you’re sitting in the theatre or in the comfort of your own home, the Vancouver Island Short Film Festival (VISFF) has you covered.

VISFF is back in Nanaimo for its 19th year, taking place from Friday, March 22 to Saturday March, 23 at the Malaspina Theatre (900 Fifth St.) at VIU and streamed online.

Festival director Zoey Heath said 20 films with a run time of 15 minutes or less will be featured this year, with content coming in from all over the world.

“Some great international films, and then we actually also have 11 Canadian films, six of which are from B.C. filmmakers, and we’re really excited about this kind of intersection of both these international films and local films kind of working hand-in-hand and bringing each other up.”

The program will include a diverse mix of filmmakers and genres, with creators submitting films from all over North America, Europe, and even as far as Iran.

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The only criteria to enter the festival is films must be under 15 minutes in length, with a panel of filmmakers, longtime VISFF attendees, and other film professionals choosing from the submitted films.

Heath told NanaimoNewsNOW she’s “blown away” by the quality of submissions, saying these are some of the strongest entries she has seen in her seven years working with the festival, with some featuring actors with strong credentials.

“We have one film that has Greta Lee, whose film ‘Past Lives’ was up for best picture, she’s in one of our films called ‘The Breakthrough’. ‘Death & Ramen’ features Bobby Lee from ‘Reservation Dogs’, and Matt Jones from ‘Breaking Bad’. We have a film called ’27’ that won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival this year, and then we also have a film called ‘Reflection’ that is the world premiere.”

She said they are thrilled to be able to promote local filmmakers, and this year they’ll be able to directly support them by awarding $1,000 in film equipment rentals to the winner of the Best of BC Goldie award.

Heath said the films being submitted are becoming more diverse and unique over the years, evolving beyond traditional filmmaking styles.

“People are experimenting more, and I have found that very interesting. The Youth Festival is where I really saw it, because the films being made by young filmmakers are just incredible. The quality and the narrative techniques, and the understanding of language, as well as access to technology has just made these young filmmakers just be able to fly.”

A new feature this year will be their youth showcase, featuring 18 films from people 18 years of age or younger.

Heath said they originally planned to only have ten films for the youth showcase, but they were overwhelmed by the amount of films submitted.

“It’s our first ever and it’s very exciting. Our youth coordinator is actually Nick Janzen, he’s a film teacher with SD68, so we’ve been working with him to best construct the show to appeal to young filmmakers and support them…they get the full experience in a really supportive environment.”

Doors open for the youth showcase at noon on Saturday, and Heath said they’ll run the portion like a regular film festival, complete with a question and answer period and their own mini Goldie Award ceremony.

Tickets are available in advance by going to their website visff.com, and will be available until half an hour before doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets will also be available at the door.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow