Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the Vancouver Irish Film Festival (VIRFF) returns this month to the Vancity Theatre for a three-day festival showcasing the very best of Irish film, including Ireland’s official entry for Best International Film at the 2020 Academy Awards, Gaza.
Taking place from Friday, 29 November to Sunday, 1 December, this year’s festival will once again entertain Vancouver audiences with an exciting and diverse line-up of Irish feature films and documentaries. This year will also see the introduction of a new component featuring a selection of Oscar-nominated and award-winning Irish shorts.
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“The Irish are known as a nation of storytellers and we are delighted to be able to introduce Vancouver audiences to the best of Irish storytelling through the medium of cinema,” says Aine Coady, Founder and Director of the Vancouver Irish Film Festival (VIRFF).
“We hope our schedule of programming will appeal not only to the growing Irish community in Vancouver, but also to a broader audience. Through VIRFF Vancouverites can enjoy a more fulsome and authentic taste of Irish culture than they experience on St Patrick’s Day.”
The 2018 VIRFF received support from the Consulate General of Ireland. This year the festival has also received funding from the Emigrant Support Programme (ESP), from the Irish Abroad Unit within Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
ESP funding is awarded to not-for-profit projects intended to strengthen the international Irish community and promote and maintain Irish heritage and identity overseas.
The Irish population in BC has grown exponentially over the last decade. With 4.5 million Canadians claiming some or full Irish lineage in the most recent census and more than 675,000 British Columbians self-identified as being of Irish descent in 2016, according to Statistics Canada data. To meet the needs of the growing Irish diaspora a second Consulate Office opened last year in Vancouver.
Click here for more information about the festival programme and to book tickets.
Film highlights at this year’s VIRFF:
A Bump Along the Way – Friday, November 29th at 7 pm
Ireland at the Oscars Shorts Programme – Saturday, November 30th at 1 pm
Into The West – Saturday, November 30th at 3:15pm
The Camino Voyage – Saturday, November 30th at 5:30 pm
Rosie – Saturday, November 30th at 7:30 pm
Gaza – Sunday, December 1st at 4:30 pm
The Dig – Sunday, December 1st at 6:25 pm
Extra Ordinary – Sunday, December 1st at 8:20 pm