‘One part science, one part art:’ lineup locked for Nanaimo short film festival

Nine films will screen Friday night, with another nine on Saturday night, with both programs beginning at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at the door an hour before each screening or through the festival’s website.

Blakeborough said pre-sale tickets have exceeded expectations, totaling the highest number since before the pandemic.

A mixture of drama, comedy, animation, documentary and more is part of this year’s lineup. (Image Credit: Vancouver Island Short Film Festival)

Festival organizers received 238 submissions for this year’s event, with screeners cutting the list to just under 100.

From there, a five-person panel judged each entry while festival organizers took their decisions and began formulating the two-night lineup.

“How do these films work together? Do we have a good diversity of different types of films, and do we have films that both make you think and maybe give you strong emotional feelings, but also other more silly and lighthearted ones? Are there films that are more artistic and films that maybe reach people on a very basic level of just drawing you in and entertaining you?”

He said “tonal whiplash” is something they look to avoid, moving directly from dark subject matter to silly comedy.

Staying in one genre for too long can also test the energy of a crowd, with Blakeborough saying figuring out the right order of films is “one part science, one part art…it’s really alchemy.”

“Doesn’t matter what you’re interested in…a short film can come up, and you’re like, ‘oh, that was interesting, but maybe I’m not a big thriller person, or I don’t really like documentaries or animation or whatever.’ You’re in for a treat, because the very next film will be totally different and a totally different type of vibe.”

Length isn’t much of a factor either, with the shortest film this year around four minutes long, however in past years, other submissions have been under 90 seconds in runtime.

Blakeborough said the main focus is on strong, compelling stories, with a good narrative easily outweighing production value in the judge’s scoring.

“That story doesn’t necessarily mean dialogue and conversation or action, it could be very artistic, but it moves you through and tells some sort of compelling, interesting thing that you are enjoying for those 20 minutes or less.”

A matinee on Friday, at 1 p.m., will feature short films from Vancouver and Gulf Island filmmakers, while Saturday’s matinee, also at 1 p.m., is the third annual youth showcase where films are from makers 18 years old or younger.

The annual youth showcase highlights some of the best young filmmakers on the Island, and is entering its third year. (Image Credit: Vancouver Island Short Film Festival)

The youth showcase is in its third year and started through a collaboration between festival organizers and local School District teachers and staff.

It’s open to youth filmmakers around the world and is an opportunity for them to connect and collaborate with their peers or older artisans.

“Calling it an experiment after three years is maybe a little bit silly, because it’s not really an experiment anymore. It is here to stay, the youth program is such a great part of our festival. It’s great for the filmmakers who are showing their films…to be able to interact with the young filmmakers and see the energy and excitement and to maybe potentially provide some mentoring opportunities.”

The Vancouver Island Short Film Festival began in 2006, with entries for the 2027 festival set to open in the fall.

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by Alex Rawnsley

‘One part science, one part art:’ lineup locked for Nanaimo short film festival

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