THUNDER BAY - The 17th Annual Vox Popular Media Arts Festival is both online and in person this year from Sept. 16 – 26 and will feature 50+ films from local, Canadian, and international filmmakers.
“Last year was our first online festival, and it was great, we made it free and accessible, because everybody was going through hard times, and this year we were like, let’s stick to that, let’s keep it free,” said Adrien Harpelle, festival director.
“Getting back to a live event is amazing, the online festival went amazingly last year, better than we anticipated, which is why we’re also doing it again this year, but, having a live event to kick off the festival on the first day is going to be epic.”
This year’s online festival will feature 50+ films from local, Canadian, and international filmmakers, Q&A panel discussions with filmmakers, seven part concert series, a virtual art gallery, and an art creation contest titled: #ArtForThePeople.
The in-person portion of the festival will be held from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sept. 16 at Waverley Park. It will feature live music, film screenings, and a projection of the virtual art gallery.
Notable local films being shown include, The Gift, by Rachel Garrick; Always Tomorrow, by Martin King; And Again, by Joseph Schlapsi, Wreck by Curtis Jensen, Happiness by Jack Belhumeur, Namid, by Victoria Anderson Gardner, and Cup Confidential, by Ryan La Via.
“We’re absolutely thrilled about it, when we finished the project earlier this year, we were really worried if it would play in front of everyone, because after all if you make films, you’d like people to see them,” Ryan La Via said.
“So when we found out the Vox Popular media arts festival was actually doing live screenings and Cup Confidential was chosen as one of the films being shown, we were absolutely thrilled.”
La Via is also dedicating the screening of Cup Confidential to his late friend Brian Dzijak who passed away recently.
Attendance to the event is free, masks and sign-in will be required.
The organizers ask that all attendees follow all COVID-19 protocols
