The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) has once again arrived in Vancouver, though this time amid some controversy over the chosen location for tonight’s opening gala.
The festival runs from September 19 to October 14. The opening gala is being held at a venue owned by Rocky Mountaineer, which has been involved in a labour dispute and has been locked out employees since June.
B.C. film industry unions urged members not to cross picket lines to attend the gala.
VIFF is proceeding with the gala at that location, however, saying that neither the board nor festival director has been properly informed by the venue or by union representatives of the labour dispute.
“Efforts at finding a good solution have failed,” said the official statement released by VIFF Thursday. “Unfortunately, there has simply not been time to move this large event elsewhere, given the complicated logistics involved.
“We acknowledge the legitimacy of widely divergent points of view and are grateful for everyone’s support. We count on it to survive, so we hope that people do not forget our purpose as a not-for-profit arts organization.”
The festival is Vancouver largest and is in its 30th year of running. It is scheduled to show more than 375 films, 80 of which are Canadian.
Last year, it attracted 148,000 people into Vancouver. It generates about $1 million in annual box office receipts and is second only to the Toronto International Film Festival for being the largest film festival in Canada.
Jen O’Rourke
Twitter:jroar