By Rob Calder
Music and film have always gone hand in hand. From epic John Williams soundtracks to eternal scenes in John Hughes movies, the song or soundtrack can remain etched into our minds for life.
This year at VIFF the idea of opening up the Vancity Theatre to the local music scene was brought to me with an openness and willingness to experiment. I have spent much of my career supporting emerging and independent talent but also looking for new ways for audiences to experience the live music medium. So the idea to bring music together with cinema during the Vancouver International Film Festival emerged as a great opportunity to give new audiences access to our amazing local music scene.
The result is Late Night at #VIFF Hub! From September 30 until October 8, the Vancity Theatre will host 8 nights of local music.
From the energetic force of We Are The City, coupled with scenes from Violent, to killer future influenced beats by Desi Subculture, through to app created visuals by Generate and movie music from two of my favorite locals, DJ’s Trevor Risk and Christa Belle, I am positive the intimate VIFF Hub theatre events will blow your mind!
Check out the complete lineup and pick your night(s) to stay out late:
September 30: Violent:
The Soundtrack featuring We Are the City and Amazing Factory
Members of We Are The City present pieces of the award-winning Violent soundtrack in collaboration with visuals by the film’s creators, Amazing Factory. This will be a unique experience of ambient music paired with visuals from Violent, inspired and influenced by Slow TV, a visual phenomenon with Scandinavian origins. The Violent Original Soundtrack won Best Musical Score at the 2015 Leo Awards.
October 1: HUMANS with visuals by Genki Nishida powered by Generate
Local electronic favorites HUMANS take over VIFF Hub with an intimate performance augmented with creative visuals by Genki Nishida, and powered by Generate – an app that produces images, filters and visual effects that respond to music.
October 2: Industry Exchange Party featuring DJ Rhiannon
VIFF Hub plays host to Hollywood with VIFF Industry Exchange, kicking off with an evening of EDM beats by Canada’s #1 charted female DJ, DJ Rhiannon. The evening will also feature a special screening of the short film Rock The Box directed by local film critic Katherine Monk which follows DJ Rhiannon’s life in the male-dominated world of EDM.
October 3: Vancouver Web Creators Night with Kimmortal
Vancouver Web Creators Night will feature seven short films by emerging local web creators curated by Amar Mirchandani. Come and go throughout the night and dive into the visual minds of the next-generation of Vancouver indie filmmakers. The night will also feature a performance by local rising hip-hop star Kimmortal.
October 4: GENERATE: Featuring Grammy Award winner Chin Injeti and electronic artist Iain Howie
Capping off a day full of immersive VR experiences at VIFF Hub is local electronic artist Iain Howe accompanied by a special performance from Grammy award-winning composer and musician Chin Injeti. The night will feature innovative visuals by Genki Nishida & Shallom Johnson powered by the locally designed app, Generate.
October 5: LOVE @ VIFF Hub
Vancouver’s Fox Cabaret’s uber popular weekly dance party, LOVE comes to VIFF Hub featuring DJs Trevor Risk and Christa Belle. With hits from 80s and 90s cult classics, audiences will get down to the greatest indie, pop, alternative and dance music of one of film’s most beloved genres.
October 6: Desi Sub Culture with visuals by Sammy Chien
Using music as an outlet to tell the story of growing up between worlds, Desi Sub Culture mixes inspiration from Run DMC and Apna Sangreet to create music, rhythm and beats that span cultures and genres. Desi Subculture is joined by Vancouver-based interdisciplinary media artist Sammy Chien who merges cinema, sound art, new media, and dance performance techniques into a new individual practice.
October 8: Ski/Skate/Ride After Party
After adrenaline filled films from filmmakers who dare to go further and document it all, hang out at VIFF Hub with music by Dunks and special guests. Founding member of The Funk Hunters & Lazy Syrup Orchestra, Dunks is a versatile DJ, VJ, & MC. Known for an eclectic sound, his styles include hip-hop, house, funk, D&B, downtempo, disco and boogie. He has toured internationally and played hundreds of festival over the past 6 years and worked alongside legendary artists such as Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 & Michael Franti.
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