Terminal Cinema 2008: Vancouver's Underground

An imaginary unicorn, cursed to wander the earth guarding the the child who first dreamed of him; a deal made with forest witches for the sake of love; a fortune-cookie-fortune inheritance cloaked in feline abduction; and finally, a naive attempt to construct an amphibious Jesus.

No I'm not recounting the hour-by-hour of my easter weekend mushroom trip (I wish my mind was that creative...) Rather, those are the brief plot synopses of four films screening as part of Terminal Cinema's inaugural celebration of local underground film. I talked a bit last week about the state of local movie-making when I highlighted Paul & Ben's festival, and coming right on the heels of that great event is another needed antidote to the Hollywood-blues, and another opportunity to support some truly local art.

Aside from the surreal sounding short films listed above, the event will include thirteen productions in a variety of styles; from documentary to comedy to animated & experimental. What unites them is their bond to Vancouver and their existence outside the mainstream; representating the best of our city's independent scene. Terminal Cinema: Underground Film in Vancouver will screen at the Pacific Cinematheque at 7:30 on Tuesday, April 1st, and entry is free...

I don't have much to add to last week's pseudo-rant about the local film industry, which was inspired in part by Terminal City's own manifesto, except to note that the majority of 'local' festivals are still mandated to seek international selections. This was gleaned from a recent interview with the collection's producers, who also noted that Tuesday night's event can't even technically be called a 'festival' by the press. Truly fringe.

"These are filmmakers who haven't found outlets for their work at the city's highly touted festivals or in it's million dollar Hollywood North industry. The independent creative spirit that fuels Terminal Cinema is happening at a grass-roots level, without much sleep and even less money."

One highlight is sure to be prolific local filmmaker Kryshan Randel's The Bully Solution, a black-comedy horror film about an eight year old who teams up with his groundskeeper to deal with the schools' bullies. The film previously won first prize at the 'Bloodshots' festival, as judged by DIY king Robert Rodriguez. Kryshan also founded the now defunct 24-hour film festival, leaving a void which Terminal City is looking to fill, as the producers hope to make it a yearly celebration.

Other films range from "Surplus," a comedy about "a young clerk who's worked his whole life in an Army Surplus Store, never setting foot outside," to "Voices," a short study on the lives and songs of African choirs. Expect a few more experimental works as well, like Kevin Scromeda's "So Many People in the Neighborhood," a "visual kaleidoscope of the sombre and bizarre using old stock footage." The selection includes the efforts of self-taught DIY filmmakers, industry professionals, and film school students. With many of the artists living in the East Van, and a handful of VFS alumni, the screening forms a nice reply to the Emily Carr focused Paul & Ben's.

Getting thirteen short films for the price of none, it's hard to find an excuse to pass up this event. I've said it before, but cmon', how much does a night out at the theaters cost these days? Occurring on April Fools Day, and hosted by local comedian Bernie Bombay, the night is guaranteed to provide some laughs... and be prepared for the scheduled party afterwards, if you're in that kind of mood...

Terminal Cinema screens at 7:30 on April 1st at the Pacific Cinematheque, located at 1131 Howe Street -- entry is free and party follows

photos courtesy of Terminal Cinema, where a list of films and any further details can be found