Vancouver Island Short Film Fest: Not the Best

"Remember; it's Harewood, not Hollywood." After a series of jokes that he knew were lame but told them anyway (foreshadowing), these were the MC's final words before showtime. It was no excuse, but it felt like one.

I went to the VISFF this year with certain expectations because I was so pleasantly surprised with 2014's selections (remember Backward Fall that killed half the audience? Good times). I wasn’t here last year to see the progress, but if this year is any indication, things are going downhill.

And by things, I mean the one thing that should precede making a short film, or work of art of any kind, which is having something to say.

This year's films were, for the most part, technically up to par, impressive even, but lacking in substance. It's a special kind of disappointment for a local filmfest-goer to see the part that costs no money and takes the most talent, that which is in fact the soul of the movie, soul you know exists in abundance in said locality - the idea - is the part that seems most like an afterthought.

In too many of these films, if there was a message to discern, it was either so heavy-handed as to cause laughter where there shouldn't be, or too vague and drawn-out as to cause restlessness and (for me) boredom among the audience, which a short film most of all should never evoke.

Short films, being short and generally modest in scope, have a certain responsibility to keep hold of the viewer through creative and efficient means. Every moment, every piece of dialogue, must have a purpose. If your story (and storytelling, including acting) is good enough, high production value doesn’t mean much (Tangerine, a truly outstanding film this year nominated for all sorts of awards, was shot on an iPhone), and no amount of technical prowess will save a bad script. Short films have also been getting a push lately, in part because it’s an economical way to scout new talent (and perhaps to appeal to collectively shorter attention spans). As such, there's more opportunity available for amateur moviegoers to try their hand (Telus Storyhive for example, as well as more funding and more short film fests cropping up), and with filmmaking equipment being more affordable and accessible, it’s now easier than ever for people who want to make a short film to do so when they didn’t necessarily want to enough before it became this easy. Results vary accordingly.

Even so, I don’t understand why people who presumably have an interest in film as a medium of expression and know quality when they see it would put in so much time, money, effort, without having a very good or original story - which should be the inspiration behind the whole endeavour. Instead of a group of talented trailblazers coming together with true intent, it seemed to me like most of these filmmakers had the desire to make a movie just because they could, and let that guide their vision instead of an actual vision of what they wanted to make a movie about.

Those I spoke to during the intermission and during voting shared my disappointment. Said one goer, "Understanding that this is a local and amateur film festival, I still feel it could have held itself to a higher professional standard. Some of these films were even unwatchable. As a creator of amateur art myself, I do not show my product to anyone unless I feel it is of quality."

In the end, I got the feeling people voted for the films they disliked the least. Both Best Film and People's Choice, which was indeed the least worst, was the last film shown, I think strategically, because otherwise it’s kind of a messed up note to leave a fest on, ya know?

I do feel bad that I'm being so critical of what is a really great thing to have here in Nanaimo and that a lot of good people worked hard to put on (and put on well, things considered). I write this out of love. Love for the short film genre, love for standards, and tough love for the VISFF which, if it too loves these things, will do more in coming years to seek out and reel in better films - not just take what they get. Better yet, if this is the standard to beat, we ought to be encouraging the potential filmmakers in our lives (and on the actual Vancouver Island) to bring their stories to the VISFF screen, even if it means filming on an iPhone.