After creating a live-action sequel to Disney’s Recess, the sky was the limit for Korean-Canadian director Jerome Yoo. His debut feature, Mongrels, is a multi-layered character study of a grief-stricken Korean family as they adjust to life in 1990s rural Canada.
ILT connected with Jerome at VIFF 2024 where he talked about connecting with Korean culture, going off grid to find his lead actor, and managing a pack of well-trained dogs.
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From the oilfields of Alberta to the director’s chair, Gillian McKercher is a filmmaker determined to stay true to her roots. Her second film, Lucky Star, follows a gambler-turned-family who is forced to return to his old ways after falling for a tax scam.
ILT sat down with Gillian at VIFF 2024 to discuss father-daughter bonds, representing Alberta on the big screen, and going all-in at the poker table.
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Meredith-Hama Brown’s debut feature is a powerful exploration of family instability and destruction, set against a backdrop of “socially acceptable” racism in mid-90s British Columbia.
ILT’s Nicholas Lay sat down with Meredith at VIFF 2023 to discuss her inspiration, the role of Japanese-Canadian identity in the film, and discovering two dynamite child stars.
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The Vancouver International Film Festival wraps with cold hearts, family disintegration, and a reality check for sexual culture.
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Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup was a disaster for the City of Vancouver. As the Canucks crashed to defeat against the Boston Bruins, the fans on the street grew restless, angry, and then violent. What followed was the destruction of downtown Vancouver and a bleak demonstration of mob mentality. In ESPN’s latest 30 for 30, Kat Jayme and Asia Youngman reckon with their hometown’s darkest sporting chapter.
ILT’s Nicholas Lay met with Kat and Asia at VIFF 2023 to chat about the legacy of the riot, who was responsible, and the impact of social media on the young people involved.
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50 years ago, the construction of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts in Vancouver destroyed Hogan’s Alley and the neighbourhood surrounding it, displacing the Black community that lived there and forcing many families to leave the city. Local filmmaker Jamila Pomeroy’s new film Union Street shines a light on the history and present day community of Hogan’s Alley.
ILT’s Nicholas Lay sat down with Jamila at VIFF 2023 to discuss the legacy of Hogan’s Alley, the continued impact of its destruction, and the African-Canadian experience in Vancouver.
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Taiwanese director King Hu is a legend of wuxia filmmaking, with classics like Come Drink With Me, Dragon Inn, and A Touch of Zen to his name. 25 years after his death, director Lin Jing-jie and producer Steven Tu have made their own King Hu epic, looking back at the life and work of a true master.
Set The Tape’s Nicholas Lay connected with Steven at VIFF 2022 to discuss King Hu’s films, his lasting legacy in martial arts cinema, and the evolution of The King of Wuxia from short documentary to 220-minute epic.
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We round off the 2022 Vancouver International Film Festival with a look at some of the biggest movies from this year’s programme…
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When the Vancouver Grizzlies NBA franchise left the city in 2001, the fans wanted answers. 20 years later, local super fan Kat Jayme has finally revealed the whole Grizzlie Truth.
ILT’s Nicholas Lay sat down with Kat at VIFF 2022 to discuss her epic behind the scenes journey, the reaction from the fans, and what it was like to chill with multiple former NBA stars.
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In the wake of the true horror behind Canada’s residential schools – a century long system that forcefully separated Indigenous children from their parents in the name of cultural assimilation – Dene/Métis director Marie Clements‘ Bones of Crows is a soul-searching educational asset that comes at the right time to remind us that the past cannot be forgotten.
ILT’s Nicholas Lay connected with Marie at the 2022 Vancouver International Film Festival to discuss her multi-generational lead character, her star Grace Dove; and what it was like to shoot in the same buildings where Indigenous children lost their rights, their dignity, and in many cases, their lives.
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In Layman's Terms... 