You’ve probably heard that life imitates art. Well, when art imitates life, it’s mimesis. The term is a philosophical position that understands art as constantly imitating the world around itself. It’s difficult to separate art from the world's current affairs, and with all that's going on in the world, it’s becoming almost impossible to do so.
Read More“I don’t like realism.” This may be the sentiment explicitly expressed by the main character of Leonardo Martinelli’s Pássaro Memória, but it is also the common thread upon which the films of the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF)’s Modes 2 construct their narratives and visual styles. Adept at taking images or situations common to everyday life and lingering on them in a way that crosses over into the unfamiliar and strange, these films allow us an intimacy rarely explored in routine living that, here, borders on the surreal.
Read MoreWith views of mountains, alleyways paved between detached homes in Hastings Sunrise, and the sandy and grassy area of Trout Lake, Golden Delicious emulates the familiarity of home and the meaning behind it; what it means to feel at home with yourself, your family and those around you. Jason Karman's first feature-length film premiere at VIFF examines the coming-of-age story of a young Asian Canadian navigating his sexuality, the people he cares about, and his parents he doesn’t want to let down.
Read MoreDirected by Vancouver-based Anthony Shim, Riceboy Sleeps tells the story of single mother So-Young (Choi Seung-yoon) and her son Dong-hyun (Dohyun Noel Hwang, Ethan Hwang). Their immigrant narrative begins after So-Young’s partner, Han Won-Shick, struggles with schizophrenia and commits suicide in Seoul, leaving Dong-hyun to be born out of wedlock and therefore delegitimized for South Korean citizenship.
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