Cinematic feats of strength will be on full display when CineVic presents its Film Festivus (…for the rest on us) Dec. 1, giving local filmmakers their chance to shine.
Festivus is best known from an episode of Seinfeld and is an alternative Christmas-type holiday celebrated by the family of character George Costanza.
The CineVic event promises to capture the spirit of Festivus by providing an alternative holiday event for those perhaps tired of the typical Christmas fare.
“It is a way to have a sort of non-denominational Christmas-ie, holiday event that involves what we do, which is filmmaking,” said CineVic Executive Director David Geiss.
CineVic Society of Independent Filmmakers aims to help local filmmakers bring their vision to the screen by renting equipment, hosting workshops and generally creating a bit of a local film community. Geiss said while amateur filmmaking has, from a technical standpoint, become easier to do, the craft of filmmaking is still something one needs to learn, especially if you’d like to be able to produce something a little more polished looking.
That’s where CineVic steps in.
Preparation for the event started earlier in the fall, when CineVic had a callout asking local filmmakers to submit short films, seven minutes or less, for inclusion in the contest. The only rule for the participants is their film must have a “winter” theme, the interpretation of which has been intentionally left open.
“Guidelines, limitations, deadlines can help spark creativity, so to kind of see everybody put the pedal to the metal and try to whip together a film in a month and a half is quite exciting,” Geiss said.
Seven filmmakers registered, among them former CineVic Executive Director Bryan Skinner and two other current board members, along with a few first-time filmmakers.
The evening will have a host who will deliver some general merriment. There will also be a silent auction to help raise money for the society.
Everyone over 19 years old is welcome to attend, not just CineVic members, and for those intrigued by the idea of making movies the event will be an opportunity to find out what the society is all about and to meet some local filmmakers and discover the community. CineVic’s Film Festivus takes place at the Victoria Event Centre on Dec.1 at 7 p.m. Admission is $10.