What: Film Night VIII
When: Friday, March 3
Where: Rainbow Theatre
Tickets: $10
Film Night is back and bigger than ever with local flicks hitting the big screen Friday, March 3 at Rainbow Theatre.
"We want to increase exposure of filmmakers in this town as a whole," said event founder Davin Peterson.
"And if you can make a film in 72 hours," he added, referring to the 72-Hour Filmmaker Showdown at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival, "you can sure make one in a few weeks."
The deadline for the local film showcase is fast approaching Wednesday, Feb. 22, giving filmmakers a little less than a week to unearth their never-before-seen film footage or start shooting a less-than-ten-minute short film right from scratch.
Unlike past events when films trickled in on the day of, films must be submitted within the week of Feb. 22, giving organizers time to transfer films into digital format for a big-screen premiere.
Since 2004, Film Nights has intermittently hosted events at the Hub Internet Café in Creekside. Growing to standing room only, Film Night organizers realized the need for a bigger space and set their sights on Rainbow Theatre.
Film Nights, hosted by the newly-created non-profit Whistler Independent Filmmakers Society, screens films made by local and Vancouver filmmakers, tapes one-on-one interviews with the filmmakers at events and then compiles the films and interviews into a television show. The show has aired on Whistler Cable 6 in the past.
"The event was inspired from all the great work that everyone has been doing in this town," said Peterson. "It is a chance to share films and talk about what went into it. It is amazing how much work goes into these films with no budget at all. The showdown is great for people to enter films, but it misses the fact that a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into the final product."
Peterson said the event is a great opportunity to meet other filmmakers and learn from their trials and successes, as well as check out some original filmmaking.
Film submissions are to be no longer than 10 minutes and must be suitable for public broadcasting.
"The more new people and films we get, the better the evening will be," Peterson said. "You never know what is going to come out of one of our nights."
Entries can be submitted on mini DV or DVD to the Hub in Creekside at 604-932-9799 or Whistler Cable 6 Studios in the Village at 604-932-2002.
Tickets for the screening event are $10 with proceeds paying for event costs and remaining funds going to the filmmaking society.
For more information, email filmmakers@filmnights.org, filmmakers@filmnights.org
