During the first half of September, the Cinematheque screened Kieslowski's masterpiece meant for television, The Decalogue (Dekalog), an outstanding event for all cinephiles. “Dekalog testifies to human confusion and the unavoidable collisions of fate. It is not urging virtues or spiritual cleanliness. So what does this portrayal of sin do? It enlightens. It pries open your outlook and makes you empathise with being.”

“Walk the Talk may require a level of participation atypical of most Fringe shows. But it will undoubtedly propel its audience towards feelings of alertness, empathy and connection that put our own comfort levels on display just enough to have us questioning how many walls we really need up in the first place.”


“I headed into the show with multiple questions surrounding these concerns on my mind, specifically: can empathy be taught? This was a complex question that Hidden Stories answered by disassembling cultural power structures, and stripping down to the core elements that define our humanity as a unified group.” Oh, how we love the Fringe Festival.

This year's Vancouver Fringe is well underway and we're excited at this year's programming. SAD contributor and theatre aficionado Jasmine Ruff takes us through her top five must see shows of this year's festival.

“Marrow is a play that does more than entertain, it challenges the audience to think. The script left me contemplating competition between people who, in ideal circumstances, would be each other’s champions. The play spoke to identities we inhabit relative to our siblings, forgiveness, mental health and more.”

Yes, Vancouverites can be anti-social and no we don’t want to talk about it—unless you’re Bon Dos and the creatives behind the performance art team, ARC Works. In which case, you’re trying to entertain, connect, and reunite Vancouverites through festivals like the Fringe. 

We interviewed Brendan Megannety of Explorer's Press, in anticipation of his PechaKucha presentation this Thursday, September 8. One of several talented presenters in the upcoming event, Megannety talks brand beginnings, inspirations, and trajectories. Catch him and his fellow creative types on the Granville Island Stage, as they put their art and design in the hot seat! It's not a night to be missed!

We're still lamenting the end of the Vancouver Queer Film Festival. But if what we're left with is writer Liam Siemens' reviews, we're pretty darn lucky. Mark Kenneth Woods & Michael Yerxa's Two Soft Things, Two Hard Things and Catherine Corsini's Summertime (La Belle Saison) are examined and ultimately revelled in. These are two films you'll definitely want to know about.

Once again, more VQFF! Writer Liam Siemens explores themes of queerness and self-reflection through Andrew Ahn's Spa Night and its immersive cinematic effect. "The movie does the good work of a good movie—it crafts a unique character you probably haven’t seen in cinema before, and it helps you empathize with David so closely it veers on total immersion, which turns out to be awkward, painful, but completely worthwhile."

More from VQFF! Becca Plucer's In Particular, barbara findlay gives credit and respectful adoration to a woman tirelessly fighting for betterment in her community. The poignant documentary “makes a hero out of someone in a profession made up of tiny print and footnotes and clauses and subclauses and sub-subclauses, something that is by definition almost impossible to make entertaining, but is undeniably important.”