Global Visions Film Festival a go (4:10 p.m.)
‘We were wobbling but that’s a lot different from falling’
Elise Stolte, edmontonjournal.com
Published:� Thursday, October 19, 2006Global Visions Film Festival is on.
A full slate of 29 films are set to screen Nov. 2-6 at Empire Theatres in the City Centre mall downtown, organizers announced today.
After a surprise $20,000 slash to a budget of less than $100,000, that’s big news.
View Larger ImageAndy Laskiwsky with his films posters at the Launch for Global Visions Film Festival.
Bruce Edwards/Edmonton Journal
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In early September the Canadian Council for the Arts cancelled a key cash influx at a critical time for the festival and many feared a dramatically scaled back affair.
But after a series of emergency meetings, full-time producer Andy Laskiwsky gave up his salary to become a full-time volunteer, board members held a four-day garage sale and benefit screenings, and organizers decided not to host directors discuss the films.
“We were wobbling down the sidewalk, but that’s a lot different than falling,” said board member Murray Jurak, crediting the depth and committment of the organizers for festival’s survival.
“We would create this if it had to be on a sheet in a parking lot in an industrial area of Edmonton,” he added.
This year’s festival focuses on the theme Shades of Reality and features 29 films from 17 countries. The full film lineup will be available at www.globalvisionsfestival.com by tomorrow.