FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Vancouver, BC
On Friday, October 11th, the Women in Film &Television Vancouver (WIFTV) Artistic Merit Award was presented at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) Closing Gala.
The WIFTV Artistic Merit Award was presented to a Canadian feature film at VIFF directed by a woman.
This year’s Artistic Merit Award was presented to The Whale and the Raven by documentarian and anthropologist, Mirjam Leuze. The film investigates the potential impact of a liquefied natural gas exporting plant and increased tanker traffic on BC’s Great Bear Rainforest.
WIFTV would like to extend a special thank you to this year’s jury: Lisa Marr (filmmaker/ Vancouver Fieldhouse Artist in Residence), Maria Munro (documentary producer), Terreane Derrick Gitxan (filmmaker).
The jury believed very strongly in their selection of The Whale and the Raven. They felt it was a story that demonstrates the parallels between the social structures of whales and the Gitga’at First Nation on Gil Island in Northwest BC. The Whale and the Raven brought the viewer into a sacred place; a place that embraces an Indigenous way of being that also has an urgent message we ought to heed.
All Canadian films directed by women were eligible for this award.
Women In Film & Television Vancouver (WIFTV) is an internationally affiliated not-for profit society committed to advancing, celebrating and promoting the artistic practice and careers of women working in screen-based media.
About VIFF | viff.org
Founded in 1982, the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society is a charitable not-for-profit arts and cultural organization that operates the internationally acclaimed Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and the year-round programming of the Vancity Theatre at the Vancouver International Film Centre. The Society’s mission is to celebrate excellence, promote diversity and foster discovery and innovation in the field of screen-based storytelling. Among the largest film festivals in North America in terms of screenings and attendance, VIFF presents over 350 films and events, plays host to over 400 industry professionals from around the globe and boasts the largest Canadian film program in the world. For its 37th year, VIFF welcomes the world to Vancouver from September 27 – October 12, 2018.
WIFTV: Facebook.com/womeninfilm, Twitter @WIFTV, Instagram @WIFTV
By Krystal Paraboo
https://youtu.be/KizNa5r7U6Y
