VIFF Connect launches Black History Month program, February 5 to March 4

Mesmerizing portraits of a musician, a poet, and a politician are among the highlights

***Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story***

VIFF Connect streams Black History Month films from February 5 to March 4

Nya Lewis, who recently guest-curated the Vancouver Art Gallery show Where do we go from here?, has put together a strong program of genre-spanning, culture-crossing films to mark Black History Month at VIFF Connect.

Available starting today are seven features and a shorts program with compelling films from Canada, Africa, the Caribbean, the U.K., and the U.S., plus a free Vancity Impact Talk.

Among the highlights is Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story, Posy Dixon tells the incredible tale of the title subject’s 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies. Created on an Atari computer, a Yamaha synth, and a Roland drum machine, it sold only 50 cassette tapes— until 2015, when a Japanese record store owner fell in love with the album and asked to buy the remaining copies. The resurgence of interest in the otherworldly folk-electronic album has brought the Black, transgender septuagenarian out of retirement. Unforgettable.

And if you haven’t seen Will Prosper’s documentary on another artist, KENBE LA, Until We Win, now’s your chance. In the film, Prosper follows poet, artist, and activist Alain Philoctète back to his native Haiti, where he works to set up a community permaculture project in partnership even as he battles cancer.

And Softie, a hit at DOXA, is a another fascinating profile of an unforgettable person. Boniface “Softie” Mwangi is a longtime activist and photojournalist who’s running for office in a regional Kenyan election. He’s endlessly optimistic, but he has to face down corruption and death threats.

Articles

Wonder, stars, and hope, as filmmaker Lisa Jackson captures life and teachings of Wilfred Buck

With sweeping scope, documentary at VIFF Centre blends styles to track respected Indigenous astronomer’s journey

Red Fever, Bye Bye Tiberias, and La Laguna del Soldado amid award winners at DOXA Documentary Film Festival

Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way named best short, while Kamay takes Elevate prize

New documentary sheds light on Joan Baez's personal life, at Kay Meek Arts Centre May 13

Joan Baez: I am a Noise draws from a vast archive that includes newly discovered home movies

Vancouver Short Film Festival unveils lineup for its 14th annual edition, May 31 to June 2

A total of 46 films will be shown across six programs, including 100 Days, Motherland, Tiger by the Tail, and more

Film reviews: At DOXA Documentary Film Festival, after-death AI, Indigenous star lore, a Japanese #MeToo case, and more

Eternal You, A Man Imagined, Black Box Diaries, nanekawâsis, and other intriguing offerings at the celebration of new nonfiction film

In The Originals, Niall Patrick McNeil retraces his roots at Caravan Farm Theatre

New DOXA Documentary Film Festival feature tells the incredible story of the Armstrong company, and how spending childhood summers there inspired McNeil’s own art-making

Winners announced for screenings at inaugural Sundar Prize Film Festival, June 15 and 16

New showcase of cinema that inspires social change to highlight nine films from Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. at Surrey City Hall

Adrianne & the Castle opens DOXA with an otherwordly tale of love, grief, and opulence

Filmmaker Shannon Walsh turns her lens on a labyrinthian fantasy world and an all-consuming love that transcends death

At DOXA, Tea Creek explores a farmer's push for Indigenous food sovereignty

Documentary film shares the story of Jacob Beaton, who is training Indigenous people to grow their own food

John Waters brings his outsider comedy to the Rio Theatre with two nights of film and spoken word

The countercultural icon of fringe cinema riffs the dangers of smoking, mainstream acceptance, and trigger warning in advance of his appearances at the Rio Theatre on April 25 and 26