33rd Annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival going virtual

Posted August 4, 2021 11:36 pm.

VANCOUVER (CityNews) — The 33rd annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival, or VQFF, is taking place virtually this year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Vancouver’s second-largest film festival will take place between Aug. 12 and Aug. 22. The event, which is the largest queer arts event in Western Canada, will be presented by Out On Screen via a video-on-demand format to online audiences across British Columbia.

The event aims to illuminate and advance queer lives through film, education and dialogue, and has a theme of “Longing” this year.

“We have all been experiencing a collective longing in a very new and intense way for the past year, but many of our communities, currently and historically, are deeply familiar with longing,” explains Artistic Director Anoushka Ratnarajah, adding, “Whether we are yearning for love, recognition, respect, dignity, representation or justice, there might not be a more “queer” feeling than longing. Our programming this year beautifully and inventively explores the ways in which we are driven by collective and individual desires to know and be known, to fight and to heal, and to break down and rebuild.”

In addition to the online video-on-demand screenings, there will also be “a few small in-person events,” including workshops, artist Q&As, panels, “and a few fun surprises!”

The release goes on to assure audiences that the event will “continue to follow the guidance of Public Health in order to offer audiences a COVID-safe viewing experience.”

“It’s vital we continue to support queer arts, artists, and filmmakers,” says Out On Screen Executive Director Brandon Yan. “Our storytellers are vital to a just recovery, and I hope you can join us to witness their works online and safely in person.”

From love stories in heart-pounding Chilean dramas, to documentaries on activism, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival has something for everyone to enjoy this year, from the comfort and luxury of their own home.

Tickets range in price from $5 to $21, plus a membership fee: Festival Youth Memberships are $2 and Adult Memberships are $5.