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Victoria Film Festival reeling in movie-goers with variety of new venues

The 10-day festival runs from Feb. 3 to 12
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The 2023 Victoria Film Festival runs from Feb. 3 to 12 with more than 100 films. (Courtesy of Victoria Film Festival)

The Victoria Film Festival will return next month with 10 days of events and more than 100 films set to air for locals and movie-buffs alike.

The Feb. 3 to 12 festival will present 30 Canadian features and movies from 27 other nations. One of those will be an international debut as eight other films have their first screening on Canadian soil in the capital city. The official program guide will be launched at midnight on Jan. 5.

This year’s festival will have 26 shorts and 83 feature-length films - including a number of Quebec, LGBTQ+ and Indigenous features.

One of the five venues will be aboard a whale-watching boat, while the 29th annual festival is also adding a new location at the Blue Bridge Theatre on Quadra Street.

Paul Schrader, the screenwriter behind classics like Raging Bull and Taxi Driver, along with around 30 other films, will be presented with the Modern Masters Award at the festival. His film The Master Gardener will also be presented at the festival.

A series of “Busting Out” themed events running from Feb 3 to 5 will be hosted through panels, one-on-one pitch sessions and a masterclass. Guest panelists include Academy Award-winning composer Mychael Danna, screenwriter Sophie Jarvis, cinematographer Jeremy Cox, director Kurtis David Harder, talent agent Ari Wise and others.

An art exhibit has been a mainstay at every Victoria Film Festival since 1999 and this year it will be hosted at the Atrium (800 Yates Street). The free Bringing Film to Life exhibit will display works by ten local artists.

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