VIFF Unveils 2020 Events and Speakers for Totally Indie Day

Vancouver International Film Festival 2020 (VIFF) is thrilled to announce the complete lineup for Totally Indie Day, a gathering space for emerging filmmakers and independent creators, September 26; VIFF Immersed, which takes a deep dive into exceptional XR storytelling, September 28-29; and VIFF AMP, an exploration of the essential role of music in film, October 3-4.

VIFF's festival lineup and events will be primarily available on the new VIFF Connect streaming platform. While film programming will be geo-blocked to the province, Totally Indie Day, VIFF Immersed and VIFF AMP will be available across Canada and internationally, providing an unprecedented level of access to filmmakers and fans around the globe.

Totally Indie Day participants will hear from luminary filmmakers featured in this year's film programming. Nadia, Butterfly by Canadian director Pascal Plante will be featured in a case study, while Michelle Latimer's Inconvenient Indian (Canada) and Garrett Bradley's Time (USA) will be highlighted in "Focus on Debut Docs."

"Totally Indie Day is a place for both emerging and established talents to exchange insights and ideas," says Frances Bergin, Creative Engagement Curator. "This year especially, creators around the world are recognizing the importance of centering marginalized voices. Our 2020 program reflects the need to make a space for new visionaries and is dedicated to rising talent and low-budget innovators. The pandemic has shifted numerous distribution plans, to this end VIFF 2020 is thrilled to shine a spotlight on indie filmmakers during these challenging times."

VIFF Immersed will be hosted on six channels in 2020 - becoming the most widely accessible festival platform for XR content. 31 works will be featured across the Immersed Exhibition and Volumetric Market, including three world premieres, seven North American premieres, and two Canadian premieres in the exhibition. The program will be available on Littlstar, Oculus, VeeR, Amaze, Youtube and The Museum of Other Realities, a BC-created app.

"Now more than ever, there is a real hunger to get out of our homes and see the world," says Ken Tsui, Director of Creative Engagement & Live Programming. "We're proud that VIFF Immersed is currently the only festival to provide a focus on narrative XR films and a commitment to championing volumetric content, which captures the real world with new dynamic depth. This is a critical moment to support XR creators. Through our two-day VIFF Immersed Volumetric Market, we will be creating a digital space to engage decision makers with creators, setting them up for success as they seek investment or distribution for their projects. With BC being the second largest XR ecosystem in the world, we have carved out space to feature some of the most exciting homegrown talent."

Highlight pieces include the Canadian Premiere of The Book of Distance by Randall Okita, an official selection of Sundance Film Festival and a poignant look at Japanese internment camps in BC; Kusunda by Gayatri Parameswaran, a look at a dying language; A Vocal Landscape by Anne Jeppesen and Omid Zarei, a lyrical work; and Gimme One by Harry Silverlock and Montague Carroll, about the London ballroom dance scene.

VIFF AMP explores the art and business of music in film from all facets of the production process. Oscar nominee and six-time Grammy-winner Terence Blanchard will provide the keynote speech on the summit's opening night. The renowned trumpeter is a longtime collaborator of Spike Lee, having composed the music for Da 5 Bloods and When the Levees Broke. The two-day summit will also feature a masterclass from three-time Emmy nominee Nora Felder, the music supervisor for the instant hit Stranger Things.

"Vancouver is the future: it is an international gateway to art and talent, and has an amazing production scene that is showcased in VIFF's global platform," adds Tony Scudellari, VIFF AMP Co-curator and Senior Vice President of Television Music at Sony Pictures Entertainment. "VIFF provides an exceptional opportunity to discover new artists and nurture long-term relationships to help the creative ecosystem of the city grow."

"At the core of VIFF AMP is a sense of responsibility to the art of creation," says Rob Calder, AMP Co-curator and Founder of Secret Study. "The Music in Film Summit is a place for career development as well as an opportunity for industry insiders and outsiders to innovate and to learn how to perpetuate respect within filmmaking. We provide not just networking opportunities, but the space to think broadly about how a person's approach to their work has an impact on the world."

Additional highlights include "The Producers Lounge," featuring Canadian composer Kinnie Starr (Edge of the Knife) and American singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello (Queen Sugar). "The Sync Stays In The Picture: How To Get Your Music in Visual Media," brings together the experiences and know-how of Jodie Ferneyhough, Canadian Music Publishers Association; Cassie Lord (The Purge), SyncStories; Tarik Bradford, Dahomey Music; and Lyle Hysen, Bank Robber Music. "The Art of Music Supervision" features Ava DuVernay's longtime collaborator, Morgan Rhodes (Selma, Dear White People), Toko Nagata (Always Be My Maybe), and Kaya Pino (How to Buy a Baby). Music BC's SOUNDOFF session will see local musicians perform to a panel of leading industry music supervisors.

The following complete lineup will take place online.

VIFF TOTALLY INDIE DAY: September 26, 10am-4pm
Supported by the Province of British Columbia

Case Study: Nadia, Butterfly | 10am PDT
Pascal Plante, Director/Co-Writer, Nadia, Butterfly
Dominique Dussault, Producer, Nadia, Butterfly

Focus on Debut Docs | 11:15am PDT
Garrett Bradley, Director, Time
Michelle Latimer, Director, Inconvenient Indian

Indie Spirits | 1:15pm PDT
Eliza Hittman, Writer/Director, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Kris Rey, Writer/Director, I Used to Go Here
Amy Seimetz, Writer/Director, She Dies Tomorrow

Docu-Fiction: Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets | 2:30pm PDT
Bill Ross IV, Director
Turner Ross, Director

VIFF IMMERSED
Supported by the Province of British Columbia and Western Economic Diversification Canada, and in partnership with the Canadian Media Producers Association

VIFF Immersed Exhibition | September 24-October 7
Narrative-lead XR films, including the finalists of the International VIFF Immersed Competition, will be showcased for free via publicly accessible virtual platforms. The VIFF Immersed Exhibition is curated by StoryTech Immersive.

Animation
The Book Of Distance (dir. Randall Okita, Canada) | Canadian Premiere
In the Land of Flabby Schnook (dir. Francis Gélinas, Canada) | North American Premiere
LOTB: Girl and the Crane (dir. SUTU, USA) | North American Premiere

Documentary
Ecosphere: Raja Ampat (dir. Joseph Purdam, Australia)
By the Waters of Babylon (dir. Kristen Lauth Shaeffer, Andrew Halasz, USA) | North American Premiere
With the Wind and the Stars (dir. Rachel Bracker, USA)
Full Circle (dir. Naomi Condo and Craig Commanda, Canada) | World Premiere

Live Action
Geimu (dir. Dorian Goto Stone, Japan) | World Premiere
VR Hero Sakura (dir. Kazuaki Kashima, Japan) | North American Premiere
Inside Lieutenant Gustl (dir. Sebastian Brauneis, Austria) | North American Premiere
Kowloon Forest (dir. Alexey Marfin, Hong Kong/China) | North American Premiere

BC Showcase
HIREATH (dir. Yao Wang, Canada) | North American Premiere
Orders of Magnitude (dir. Filip Vesely, Canada)
Dustnet (dir. Neilson Koerner-Safrata, Canada) | Canadian Premiere
Orpheus (dir. Debi Wong and Conrad Sly, Canada) | World Premiere

VIFF Immersed Volumetric Market | September 28-29
A two-day summit, presented by the Canada Media Fund and curated by Kaleidoscope, that connects Canada's foremost Canadian XR creators and industry leaders in order to co-produce, co-finance and distribute the next wave of XR narrative projects from live action, documentary and animation.

Empowering spatial communication and 3D stories. What's ahead for the volumetric market? | Monday, September 28, 10am PDT
Christina Heller, Metastage
Adam Rogers, Intel Studios
Ieva Stelingyte, EF EVE
Simon Thompson, Head of Enterprise Partnerships for RYOT/Verizon Media UK
Jason Waskey, Microsoft Capture Studios

Observations, Opportunities, and Lessons from a Decade of Volumetric Capture | Monday, September 28, 11:10am PDT
Jason Waskey, Microsoft Capture Studios

The role of spatial storytelling in shaping new artistic languages | Monday, September 28, 11:45am PDT
Victoria Bousis, Stay Alive My Son
Aaron Bradbury, Vestige
Asad Malik, Terminal 3, A Jester's Tale
Illya Szilak, Queerskins

VIFF Immersed Volumetric Market Pitching Session | Monday, September 28, 12:30pm PDT
Layer, David Clarkson
There Exists, Anrick Bregman
A Vocal Landscape, Anne Jeppesen, Omid Zarei
Uninterrupted, Nettie Wild, Betsy Carson
Our Home and Haunted Land, Nadine Valcin
Before Our Time, Timur Musabay, David Cameron
Stay Alive My Son, Victoria Bousis
Overwhelm, Ollie Rankin

VIFF Immersed Volumetric Market Mixer | Monday, September 28, 2:15pm PDT

Extended Reality Made in Canada | Tuesday, September 29, 10am PDT
Presenting the best of Canadian XR including leading voices in Indigenous immersive and a spotlight on the Canadian premiere of Randall Okita's The Book of Distance.

Meet The Industry: Brave New 3D World | Tuesday, September 29, 12pm PDT
Roi Lev, Tetavi
Victor Pardinho, Sense of Space
Ieva Stelingyte, EF EVE

VIFF Immersed Volumetric Market Pitching Session | Tuesday, September 29, 1:45pm PDT
Trauma Drama, Scott Lynch, Dai Minenger
Image Technology Echoes, Lauren Moffat
Dust, Andrej Boleslavsky, Maria Judova
Blueplanet VR, Eric Hanson
The Holy City, Nimrod Shanit
Lessons of Auschwitz, Kirill Karnovich-Valua, Denis Semionov
Kusunda, Gayatri Parameswaran, Felix Gaedtke
Gimme One, Harry Silverlock, Montague Carroll

VIFF Immersed Volumetric Market Mixer | Tuesday, September 29, 3:30pm PDT

VIFF AMP Music in Film Summit: October 3-4
Presented by Amplify BC and FACTOR Canada, with support from the Province of British Columbia and Music BC

AMP Keynote | Friday, October 2, 5:30pm PDT
Terence Blanchard, Composer, Da 5 Bloods

Masterclass | Saturday, October 3, 1pm PDT
Nora Felder, Music Supervisor, Stranger Things

Music for Animation: From Concept to Mix | Saturday, October 3, 12pm PDT
Alexandra Nickson, DreamWorks Animation, SVP Music
Kevin Noel, Sony Pictures Animation, SVP Development
Brian and Caleb Chan, Composers, My Little Pony

The Art of Music Supervision | Saturday, October 3, 4pm PDT
Morgan Rhodes, Music Supervisor, Selma, Dear White People
Toko Nagata, Music Supervisor, Always Be My Maybe
Kaya Pino, Music Supervisor, How to Buy a Baby

Music BC's SOUNDOFF | Saturday, October 3, 5:30pm PDT
Madonna Wade-Reed, Music Supervisor, Batwoman
Janet Lopez, Music Supervisor, The Twilight Zone

The Sync Stays In The Picture: How To Get Your Music in Visual Media | Sunday, October 4, 12pm PDT
Jodie Ferneyhough, CS Rights, Canadian Music Publishers Association
Cassie Lord, Sync Stories, The Purge
Tarik Bradford, Dahomey Music
Lyle Hysen, Bank Robber Music

The Producers Lounge: AMP Edition | Sunday, October 4, 5:30pm PDT
Meshell Ndegeocello, Composer/Recording Artist, Queen Sugar
Kinnie Starr, Composer, Edge of the Knife

Tickets and Information

VIFF Connect Festival Subscriptions $60 Regular / $30 Students
VIFF Connect Gold Subscription $95
VIFF Connect Streaming Tickets $9 / In-Cinema Tickets $15
VIFF Talks $10
VIFF AMP Pass $45 / Tickets $10
Totally Indie Day $45 / $30 Students
VIFF Immersed Free

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