VIFF Announces 2021 Festival Lineup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY:

VIFF ANNOUNCES 2021 FESTIVAL LINEUP

Vancouver International Film Festival Celebrates 40th Edition

October 1 – 11, 2021

VANCOUVER, B.C. (AUGUST 26, 2021) Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) invites you to the official unveiling of the 40th edition’s programming and events on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. Roughly 110 feature films and 80 shorts will screen in Vancouver venues, with a selection of films also available online via the VIFF Connect streaming platform.

WHAT: Media are invited to attend either an in-person presentation of VIFF’s 2021 festival lineup and events or receive VIFF’s digital press kit, including the festival announcement and sizzle reel.

In-person: Following the unveiling of the 40th festival and event lineup, media are invited to stay for a special pre-festival screening of Albert Dupontel’s award-winning Bye Bye Morons, an official selection at VIFF 2021, alongside an audience of VIFF VIPs. 

Due to B.C. health and safety regulations, capacity restrictions are in effect for the in-cinema film screening. Please RSVP to Laura Murray at lmurray@mpmgarts.com by August 31 to book your seat.

WHERE: 

In-person: At the VIFF Centre located at 1181 Seymour St, Vancouver. There is street parking as well as an Impark lot off of Granville Street.

Online: On September 8 at 10am, media will be emailed the season announcement and a link to access VIFF’s 2021 press kit and sizzle reel. 

WHEN: Wednesday, September 8 at 10am.

Doors open: 9am, complimentary refreshments will be served.

Presentation and festival launch: 10am

Film screening: 10:30am to 12pm

Interviews in the VIFF Centre Atrium: 10:30am (for those media unable to watch the film)

Interviews in the VIFF Centre Atrium: 12pm (for those media who are able to watch the film)

WHO: Interviews will be available immediately following the festival launch at 10:30am and following the film screening at 12pm — in-person and by phone — with: 

Kyle Fostner, Executive Director

Curtis Woloschuk, Associate Director of Programming

PoChu AuYeung, Program Manager and Senior Programmer

Melanie Lemaire, Program Logistics Manager

Kinga Binkowska, Create Engagement Producer

Frances Bergin, Creative Engagement Curator

Tammy Bannister, Programmer & MODES Curator

To schedule an interview in advance, please email press@viff.org.

VIFF’s health and safety protocols — in strict compliance with provincial health orders — can be viewed HERE

With the generous support of these partners:

About VIFF | viff.org
Founded in 1982, the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society is a not-for-profit cultural society and federally registered charitable organization that operates the internationally acclaimed Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and the year-round programming at the VIFF Centre. VIFF produces screenings, talks, conferences and events that act as a catalyst for the community to discover the creativity and craft of storytelling on screen. For its 40th edition, VIFF takes place both online and in-theatre, from October 1 – 11, 2021, showcasing the top international, Canadian and BC films along with creators and industry professionals from around the globe.

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Media inquiries:
press@viff.org
Laura Murray | lmurray@mpmgarts.com | 604.418.2998
Ines Min | imin@mpmgarts.com | 604.440.0791

 

To schedule an interview in advance, please email press@viff.org.

Press Conference by Commander of European Union Anti-Piracy Naval Force off Somalia Coast — Operation Atalanta

15 May 2010 11:28 Africa/Lagos


Press Conference by Commander of European Union Anti-Piracy Naval Force off Somalia Coast — Operation Atalanta


MOGADISHU, May 15, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- While pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden had fallen from 20 per month in the summer of 2009, to between 4 and 5 today, the tenacity of pirates and level of their violence against mariners had changed over the years, said Rear Admiral Peter Hudson, Operations Commander of the European Union Naval Force in Somalia (EU NAVFOR) — Operation Atalanta, expressing hope that other countries would share in the asset-sapping task of combating the problem.


At a Headquarters press conference, Mr. Hudson said European forces protected humanitarian aid arriving to Somalia on World Food Programme (WFP) vessels, ensured supply of African Union logistics lines into Mombasa, Kenya, and protected the 30,000 or so ships that passed annually through the Gulf of Aden, among the world's busiest trade arteries. Over the last six months, 32 WFP ships had been escorted into Somalia, delivering 350,000 tons of food to displaced persons. African Union troops had been safeguarded, and European forces had partnered with companies to provide security advice and coordinate activity.


In the Gulf of Aden, ship seizures — which had numbered nearly 25 in 2008 — had led to various Security Council resolutions and involved naval forces from China, the Russian Federation and Japan, he explained. Work in the Somali Basin was organized around monsoon season. Usually, the period between February and May saw a huge surge in the number of vessels put to sea for piracy. This year, European forces had dismantled over 60 pirate groups and processed some 400 suspects — three times the number seen last year.


As there were not many avenues for prosecution, he said European forces must destroy equipment and ensure that suspects were returned home. “It's a long progress,” he said, noting that work was done through cooperation, dialogue with industry and, from a European Union perspective, a comprehensive political and military solution to piracy problems in Somalia.


Fielding a question on Somali pirates set adrift in the Gulf of Aden after an attempted attack on a Russian vessel, Mr. Hudson called that type of situation challenging. Some occasions were appropriate for such action. The experience of the Russian vessel was not without precedent, he said, citing similar instances involving Dutch and Danish ships. He could not comment on the individual operation, but, from European Union perspective, ensuring that the pirates were treated appropriately would be at the forefront of any operation.


To a critique that international forces had not paid sufficient attention to illegal fishing, he said such concerns were often aired as justification for piracy. The European forces' joint action plan had been amended so that fishing vessels were identified 200 miles off the Somali coast, and that such information would be relayed. He did note, however, that very little fishing activity had been seen inside 200 miles of the Somali coast, whether by Japanese or Spanish boats, or by local subsistence fishing communities.


To a question on how many captured pirates had been released, he said that, of 400 captured over about three months, 40 had gone on to prosecution.


Asked how equipped the European forces were to collect evidence, especially in the push to prosecute people, he said the heart of the matter involved ensuring that institutions were prepared to exercise their duties. Not many European States were prepared to bring pirates back for prosecution and he was grateful for the efforts by Kenya and the Seychelles in that regard. European forces worked to ensure that any evidential package prepared was in line with what institutions could handle.


Responding to a query on the latest tactics, he said pirates were tenacious and fearless, as travelling 600 or 700 miles off the Somali coast took courage. Generally, between 60 and 70 pirate groups would flood an area. They had seized a significant number of Taiwanese fishing vessels, which he suspected would be used to launch other attacks. They had adapted and refined their methods, allowing them more flexibility on the high seas.


Moreover, he said that pirates were often only 14 or 15 years old. The allure of lucrative, life-changing ransom money was attractive. He had come across many pirate ships that were in mechanical failure and a perilous humanitarian situation, and who actually had to be rescued.


Asked about any interviews conducted with former captives, he said the European forces worked with major merchant trade organizations and international chambers of shipping to ensure that, when vessels were released, the events of the attack could be recorded. That dialogue was important to European and other maritime forces.


To a question on the level of humanitarian aid into Somalia, he said the Al‑Shabaab insurgent group had forced WFP to scale back its activities. WFP shipments had to travel north from the WFP distribution centre in Mombasa and the European forces were trying to work with the flag States of ships taking part, perhaps in placing military forces on humanitarian vessels.


As for Kenya's decision to stop prosecuting pirates, he said those pirates transferred to Kenya over the last year continued to be processed. Brussels had a team in the region and the High Representative of the European Union would tour both Kenya and the Seychelles, among other places, to discuss that issue.

Source: UNITED NATIONS



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15 May 2010
11:28
Press Conference by Commander of European Union Anti-Piracy Naval Force off Somalia Coast — Operation Atalanta
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