A Vancouver Island film festival is returning to the big screen for the first time since 2019.
On Feb. 23 and 24, Nanaimo’s CineCentral Filmmakers Society presents its Cinefest film festival at the Avalon Cinema at Woodgrove Centre. This is the first time the festival is happening in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CineCentral president Todd Jones said the festival is about engaging and celebrating local filmmaking.
“I feel that other festivals bring in films from elsewhere and as a filmmaker myself I really find it’s inspiring to watch films made by other filmmakers on the Island who are dealing with the same locations, same talent pool, limited budgets,” he said. “When you see what others are doing in your area it’s very inspiring to push you to help take it to the next level.”
Thirty films in a variety of genres will be screened at the festival, Jones said, with each night featuring a different lineup. The first night will include the debut of two films funded by $2,000-grants awarded by CineCentral, as well as the three winners of CineCentral’s One Minute Mobile Movie Challenge. The second night will include the films that are part of CineCentral’s 48-Hour Film Challenge.
Among the films being screened is Pirette by Nanaimo’s Barry Jesse Smith. It’s a science fiction film about astronauts aboard an experimental vessel who are accidentally flung thousands of light-years from Earth where they encounter a space pirate searching for pieces of a mysterious amulet. Pirette was filmed at Nanaimo Legion Branch 256 using green screens.
Among the challenges of working with a green screen, Smith said, are lighting and getting the actors into the correct positions since they can’t see their virtual surroundings.
“Most of the actors have never done a green screen before,” Smith said. “So to them they were acting in this void.”
So far Pirette has won 14 awards at 14 festivals, including awards for best visual effects and best science fiction film, but Cinefest is the first time Smith will get to see Pirette in a movie theatre.
“It’s designed for the big screen,” he said. “It’s not designed for small screens because I don’t think you get the full impact of it.”
WHAT’S ON … The CineCentral Filmmakers Society’s Cinefest takes place at Avalon Cinema, Woodgrove Centre, on Feb. 23 and 24 from 7 to 10 p.m. Doors at 6:30 p.m., tickets $10 general admission, $8 for CineCentral members, available at the door or in advance by contacting admin@cinecentral.ca.
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