Take your turn on the red carpet
South Island film commission screens Oscars at its glamorous annual gala in Victoria
What: Oscar-viewing Red Carpet Gala Where: Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour, 728 Humboldt St. When: 4 p.m., Sunday Tickets: $100 Info, reservations: 250-386-3976 admin@filmvictoria.com
When it’s time for the Oscar ceremony to roll again, Victoria film commissioner Kathleen Gilbert and musician Maria Manna anticipate Hollywood’s biggest night with as much excitement as any movie buff.
Besides the potential faux pas and antics of Oscar nominees and guests, the reliably entertaining Hollywood fashion show and learning whether the best-picture award will go to Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea or La La Land, there’s another big reason for this dynamic duo’s unabated enthusiasm, one that hits closer to home.
For seven years now, Oscar night has doubled as the theme for Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commission’s glamorous annual fundraiser.
This year’s Oscar-viewing red carpet gala event, with a La La Land motif, begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour.
To reflect the spirit of Damien Chazelle’s Oscar-nominated musical that chronicles the struggles of an aspiring actor (Emma Stone) and the dreamy jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling) who steals her heart, Sunday’s fundraiser will combine “glamour, music and theatre [to] create an unforgettable affair,” said Manna, the event’s organizer and host.
The action begins with a reception, at which guests will be greeted on the red carpet by “paparazzi” while a saxophone player performs, and offered complimentary champagne and popcorn before being ushered into a film set-style auction room. In addition to $20 mystery envelopes, an extensive list of items will be up for bid through silent and live auctions, and an online auction that is already underway at GoBid.ca.
Auction items include Pacific Coastal Air round-trip travel for two from Victoria to Vancouver, Kelowna or Prince George; a B.C. Ferries Inside Passage voyage; gift certificates to local restaurants, and hotel stays.
There will be an opportunity to take La La Land-themed selfies before guests are seated and offered crudités in the Rose Ballroom. Pre-show entertainment will include musical performances by Manna and Craig Henderson, and swing dance routines by Red Hot Swing before attendees watch the 89th annual Academy Awards ceremonies on several screens over a lavish dinner.
Tickets to the gala event are $100 apiece. It is staged to help the non-profit agency promote economic development in the capital region through film and television production.
“This and our sponsorship program makes up a quarter of our budget, so it’s significant,” said Gilbert, who relies on funding from Creative B.C. plus modest grants from the municipalities of Victoria, Esquimalt, Sidney, Saanich, Sooke, Oak Bay, Langford and Colwood to keep the commission afloat.
She is aided by a full-time office and locations co-ordinator and a part-time administrative assistant.
The Oscar-viewing fundraiser is also a celebration of the local industry’s achievements during 2016, which, Gilbert said, was a banner year for production on Vancouver Island.
While Manna has helped to organize the event for years, this is the first time she has assumed the organizing committee’s leading role. “Oh my God, it’s a huge job, but I couldn’t do it without all those wonderful volunteers out there,” said Manna, who also tipped her hat to sponsors past and present.
“People are tapped out with donations and giving, and it’s really difficult to keep having to ask, but it’s because of the generosity of business owners and the public that make all these fundraisers successful.”
Still, the biggest challenge “is putting bums in seats,” she acknowledged.
“Victoria likes to play this game called: ‘We’ll wait until the 11th hour to buy a ticket,’ ” she said with a laugh.
In past years, it often hasn’t been until Oscar fever really kicks in that ticket sales have started to rise, and local film fans pledge to partake in some hometown glamour.
“We have our own celebrities,” Manna said.
“The who’s who of Victoria show up, but although this is a glamorous event, the bottom line is it’s a fundraiser for the film commission, and they need it.”
To purchase tickets call the film commission at 250-386-3976 or email admin@filmvictoria.com.