THUNDER BAY – One of Thunder Bay’s premiere film festivals has announced it will move online this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
A number of tweaks to this year’s Vox Popular Film Festival – including free admission – are designed to keep it engaging in spite of physical distance, organizers said.
A virtual film fest will stream dozens of films, including features, shorts, and documentaries, on its website between Sept. 10 and 20. As in past years, the event will feature mostly Canadian works, including nine from northwestern Ontario.
The organization has released a partial roster of films, with further announcements expected in the coming weeks.
The festival’s first day of screenings includes Five Dollars at the Door: The Story of Crocks N Rolls, which documents the local music venue’s fabled history and offers a time capsule into Canada’s indie music scene in the late ‘80s and ‘90s.
The event, formerly known as the Bay Street Film Festival will be organized around four themes, explained head organizer Skyler Duggan: identity, awareness, dramatis personae, and experimental. Each day will bring the release of a new batch of films grouped around one of the themes.
Amid the disruption of the pandemic, Duggan said organizers wanted to offer something positive to pandemic-weary audiences.
“We think in these very strange times, it’s still important to celebrate local art and Canadian filmmaking,” said Duggan. “Our goal this year was to just give back to the people who have supported us over the years.”
While the group received slightly fewer submissions than on an average year, the film selection process was “relatively undisturbed” by COVID-19, he added.
More details, including a full roster of films, will roll out over the coming weeks. Updates will also be posted on the group’s Facebook page.
