Features - Part 1	Features - Part 2	Shorts - Part 1	Shorts - Part 2
Documentaries	The Film Schedule		35 mm Shorts

The Feature Films - Part 2

Blink of an Eye The Vic Theatre: Saturday, February 5, noon Capitol 6: Sunday, February 6, 7:00 pm Monday, February 7, 7:0 u0 pm Canadian Premiere 96 minutes Directed by Van Fischer USA Tommy's had a troubled past but seems to be finding his way back to the good life. Through a work program he lands a position as a cook at St. Michael's School in East L.A. A job where he gains the respect and trust of those around him. The start of a shy flirtation turns into a deep love with a young woman teaching at the church. But until you deal with the past, the past won't leave you alone and so Tommy faces the enticements of his former gang boss to get back into the life. The pressure builds as his new love's brother gets caught up in a drug debt and heroin habit. Now Tommy must decide to be true to the code of the street or be true to himself. Tidbit: Van Fischer is a construction worker turned filmmaker, Blink of an Eye is his debut feature film. Applaud or Die 11 minutes Directed by Brian McKeown B.C. All the poor fella wants is to be noticed but this actor takes it to extremes. rollercoaster The Vic: Friday, February 4, 4:30 pm Capitol 6: Sunday, February 6, 3:00 pm 90 minutes Directed by Scott Smith B.C. Five teenagers, Stick, Chloe, her boyfriend Darrin, Darrin's younger brother Justin, and Sanj, gain access to an abandoned amusement park in what appears to be a bit of harmless fun as they escape from their group home for the day. They are in search of Ben a "teen friendly" security guard who eventually agrees, motivated by his own needs. Fueled by booze, drugs and unspoken tensions the teens revel in the lights, sounds and dizzying distractions of the fairground. The fantasy can only cover so much pain and Stick makes his grab at revenge by trapping Ben in The Zipper. Meanwhile Chloe and Darrin have agreed to end their carnival adventure Sby jumping off the top of the old rollercoaster. In the end each one must decide between letting go or fighting for the opportunity to heal painful wounds. rollercoaster features a compelling cast of emerging Canadian Talent. Brenden Fletcher (The Five Senses and Little Criminals) who plays Stick is a Courtney native who is quickly making a name for himself in the American market. David Lovgren who plays Ben is considered one of Canada's most versatile and prolific actors. Brent Glenen's subtle portrayal of Justin marks Glenens acting debut. Scott Smith is a graduate of The Canadian Film Centre, renown for producing great filmmakers. Smith's shorts Sshhh and Building Fences have won awards at several film festivals and Sshhh was nominated for a Genie award. rollercoaster is his first feature and is receiving attention both nationally and internationally. Listen up for a great soundtrack that includes The Gandharvas, Cracker and local band The Buttless Chaps. Mommy, There's A Monster In My Bed B.C. Premiere 18 minutes Directed Guy Bonneau and Martine Fortin A young girl named Richard plays quietly while the women work around her. The layers of images and sounds reinforce a feeling of home and security yet something is not quite right. A haunting vision of the black hole that is this family's dynamic. Totally Irresponsible Capitol 6: Saturday, February 5, 7:00 pm The Vic Theatre: Sunday, February 6, 4:30 pm World Premiere 93 minutes Directed by Karl Hirsch USA After getting fired, two deadbeats, Waylon and Buzz, decide to embark on a new enterprise. Getting laid. Buzz and Waylon set their sites on Barbie and Kristi, two women who should know better but then they have an enterprise of their own going. Get stoned for free. A match made in heaven? Not Quite! What starts out as a simple double date becomes a complicated venture involving a biology teacher turned drug dealer, a vindictive copy store clerk, a mysterious expatriate named Gooch and a killer pomeranian. Watch out for cameo performances by Kelly Jean Peters, Little Big Man and Robert Stack. Tidbit: Karl Hirsch screened his first feature, the audience favourite, Green AKA Whatever at VIFVF '98 Blind 10 minutes Directed by Deborah Day Ontario A lonely woman becomes directly involved in a bloody fight as she finally ventures outside to meet a telepersonal 'Prince Charming'. A dark film with a deliberate play between the shadows and the light. The War Zone The Vic Theatre: Friday, February 4, 2:15 pm The Capitol 6: Sunday, February 6, 9:30 pm 99 minutes Directed by Tim Roth United Kingdom The fabulous actor Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs) brings a delicate touch to his directing debut of a London family uprooted to Devon. The War Zone's protagonist, Tom, is a typical fifteen year old ( horny, alienated, resentful) from a family that seems perfectly functional until Tom's sexual awakening collides with - and is unimaginably complicated by - the discovery that his father is having an incestuous relationship with his sister. To complicate the issue his sister seems to have adjusted to the relationship she now has with her father. Mum, preoccupied with the new baby, doesn't want to rock the boat. The film follows the family through the pain and implications of keeping secrets, denial and the love hate contract that is formed with the abuser. Roth avoids the pitfalls of a sensationalist cliche. He elicits raw, subtle performances from his actors, and allows the horror of the situation to build against a backdrop of improbable grandeur. The film, shot on location in Devon by cinematographer Seamus McGarvey captures the drama and beauty of the English countryside as a backdrop for the family dynamics being played out. The lingering eye of the camera evokes disturbing emot oional responses from the viewer, while giving the film its hauntingly personal feel. The War Zone is a well crafted and intensely moving must see film. Quote: "Virtually every element in the film - pacing, acting, cinematography, script --is flawless." - National Post Tidbit: Based on Alexander Stuart's much praised 1989 novel Drop B.C. Premiere 7.75 minutes Directed by Luke Carroll B.C. JC's journey to the city is dampened when he gets trapped in a puddle. Unseen by those that could help, the signs of a new day bring the danger of the sun drying up JC's existence. Aharon Cohen's Debt St. Ann's Academy Auditorium: Monday, February7,7:00 pm Tuesday, February 8, 7:00 pm Western Canadian Premiere 95 minutes Directed by Amalia Margolin Israel A Cracker-style cop movie worth a good look. Aharon Cohen's Debt is a gripping mystery with a loose style that will be familiar to fans of North American police drama's. A tightly directed script keeps the action nicely on track. After Aharon Cohen is arrested on a technical violation of a child support/alimony order, his whereabouts and, in fact, his existence come into question . Aharon himself is a jovial, slightly enigmatic character who is surprised at his arrest rather than angry and is more annoyed at missing a crucial basketball game than at being incarcerated. Aharon Cohen's Debt, is set in Israel but audiences will be surprised at the similarities in character and story structure from a culture we perceive as so different from our own. Shining performances, full of warmth draw the audience into the characters' lives, in this well-crafted tale of police brutality and bureaucratic ineptness. Julie's Poem St Ann's Academy Auditorium: Sunday, February 6, 5:30 pm Tuesday, February 8, 9:30 pm World Premiere In the heart of the metropolis, powerful men secretly plot a political conspiracy. Money is exchanged, orders are given, and the clockwork begins to turn. Peter Hall, once a successful and well known reporter at the New Times, is now nothing but a shadow of himself, a deeply depressed man hunted by the demons of his own profession. In a last desperate attempt to regain his fame, Peter commits the ultimate sin and steals a prime scoop from a fellow reporter. This scoop will lead him to the center of a sex scandal involving the mayor of the city, Joseph Carpenter, and an ex-prostitute, Julie Richardson who is eight and a half months pregnant with the mayor's baby. Peter becomes personally involved when, by a twist of fate, he is mistaken for a driver sent by the mayor to take Julie out of town. Peter sees the chance for an inside story and assumes the driver's role in order to gather information from the unsuspecting Julie, and a priceless exclusive. It is not until he gets to know Julie better that he begins to suspect his meddling may have altered the natural course of someone else's life. Ultimately, Peter is forced to face his private paradox, and make a final decision that will forever alter his life and the lives of all the others characters, including the unborn child. OMMISSIONS (not in programme) Eterne Sangui Directed by Jason Bourque BC 6 minutes Poetic, dynamic, and technically innovative, Eterne Sangui is an allegory of human existence utilizing dance without gravity. It explores the cyclic pattern of periods favorable for enhancement of life, disrupted by recurring periods of destructive forces. Eterne Sangui is directed by Victoria's 1999 Leo Award Winner Jason Bourque with choreography by Sven Johansson, recent award winner at the Prague Dance Festival. Showing with the Movin' and Groovin': Films About Rhythm Programme Laurel Point Inn, Boardroom CD Saturday, February 5, 2000 12 pm noon Monday, February 7, 2000 7:00 pm Hempster 001: D.A.R.E. remix Directed by Paul Manly BC 7 minutes World Premiere Unfortunately the U.S. has used its world clout to make its ineffective War on Drugs policy internationally known. FORTUNATELY, Paul Manly is here to help make its silliness clear to all. Showing with the Movin' and Groovin': Films About Rhythm Programme Laurel Point Inn, Boardroom CD Saturday, February 5, 2000 12 pm noon Monday, February 7, 2000 7:00 pm