Film fest features future stars
Global event makes debut in Canada
Vancouver Lift-Off Film Festival | Vancity Theatre, Vancouver International Film Centre, 1181 Seymour St. Monday, Aug. 1; Tuesday, Aug. 2 | Tickets/Info: viff.org (search Lift-Off for the different events)
James Bradley and Ben Pohlman launched Lift-Off London back in 2010. In a mere six years, the audience-juried indie film festival platform for emerging artists has gone global. Today it takes place in 10 markets, including Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Singapore.
The latest location to host LiftOff is Vancouver — the first Canadian city to do so.
“We get approached and it was a difficult choice to make between Vancouver and Toronto, but the Hollywood North designation, the quality work coming out, the vibe and the fact that FilmFreeway is based there were key in our final decision,” says Bradley, 34.
“That company has revolutionized how you can submit to festivals and been instrumental to our growth.”
FilmFreeway is a website where you submit work to multiple festivals using one click. Choosing from over 4,000 festivals and submitting digitally improves chances of getting in. Listing your event makes it easy to receive entries. Managing events with tailored applications also comes with the package.
“Every time people point out to us that there are already major festivals everywhere we note that we’re a very different type of film festival,” says Pohlman, 32.
“We wanted to do something to help filmmakers who were getting left out of those events — events that we love too — to make the next step. If we can one day unearth the director or cinematographer or actor who goes on to win an Oscar, we’re doing our job.”
The Oscar shortlisted Contrapelo by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer is one of the Lift-Off success stories screening in Vancouver. The audience choice award-winner at both Liverpool and Tokyo Lift-Off for Best Short Live Action Narrative is an examination of the Mexican underworld. Other 2016 winners will also be on the program.
Homegrown filmmakers whose work is judged worthy can see their films screened at other LiftOff events globally. It’s a very straight-ahead way to get your work out there and develop your career, and obviously provides a steady shipment of quality work for other Lift-Off events.
Lift-Off Network also hosts education courses, filmmaking hints and tips sessions and more.
“We’ve got three shorts programs we are screening in town and three feature films on the Monday,” says Bradley.
“Tuesday is another shorts program and a fourth feature. The program mixes both local and international, so it’s a great discovery for the audience while also building a global audience for exceptional work from Canadians and from around the world.”
The shorts from the first five years of Lift-Off are available on video on demand. All proceeds from video on demand views go back to the filmmakers. As with all the major film festivals, Lift-Off Global Network makes its money from submissions.
“But we charge a great deal less, from $5-$60 dollars, and for every single submission we give them back exclusive content to give them the next move in their careers,” says Bradley.
“From finding sales agents to working on the next project, we may be the only festival providing value from submission fees from the get-go.”