VIFF, 10/1.

Via Jim Emerson comes news that David Bordwell's not only completely revamped his site, he's also launched a blog with Kristin Thompson. And they're in Vancouver (the fest runs through October 13). Bordwell's got some unsurprisingly interesting notes on The Host and the Q&A with Bong Joon-ho afterwards, moderated by Tony Rayns: "Will there be a Host 2? Bong says that if there is, he wouldn't be directing it. He envisions the possibility of something like the Alien series, where different directors turn each installment in different directions."

Look who else is in Vancouver: the San Francisco Bay Guardian's Johnny Ray Huston. Everyone knows the offerings from Asia are superb, he writes, "But there are other secrets about VIFF. One irony: it might be a better showcase of independent movies from the US than any actual US fest. Experimental features and documentaries that move beyond issue-based hectoring thrive here."

VIFF interviews at Hollywood Bitchslap: Alberto Arvelo (To Play and to Fight), George Gittoes (Rampage), Stephen Olsson (Sound of the Soul: The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music), Richard Wong (Colma: The Musical), Christian Moris Mueller (Four Windows), Ray McCormack (A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash) and Steven Ascher (So Much So Fast).

Posted by dwhudson at October 1, 2006 8:35 AM