Taste and Sip Magazine » Lifestyle

KNOW?SHOW Lifestyle Trade Show

Richard Wolak — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:29:09 +0000

The KNOW?SHOW Lifestyle show that mixed outdoor hipster fashions, photography and music together in a very cool showing rolled into Vancouver recently.

Hundreds of Fashion exhibitors showcased their collections of clothing and accessories to buyers and media. There was a photography exhibit held in a trailer on site at the Vancouver Convention Centre and then there was a whole bunch of concerts with live musicians and dj’s playing several clubs around the city nights.

Lifetime Brand

The next KNOW?SHOW will be held in Vancouver August 9-11, 2012.

Push Festival Opening Gala

Eddie Tafber — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:07:57 +0000

The International Performing Arts Festival of Vancouver, known simply as the Push Festival, has opened its 8th edition. And to celebrate that feat, the organizing committee decided to put in place a magnificent gala that took place last Tuesday at the Waldorf Hotel on East Hastings .

Being an internationally-known event, the Push festival opening gala was expected to be a memorable one – and it didn’t disappoint. Kicking off right at 9:30 pm, the party started by the relatively traditional opening speeches, which this year included the festival’s Executive Director Norman Armour, along with representatives from CTV and the City of Vancouver.

From then on, the gala evolved into a fully-blown party that took place simultaneously at three different locations within the Waldorf (the Tiki Bar, Cabaret, and Hideaway). This 3-front plan allowed to cater all sorts of attendees, who had the opportunity to enjoy performances by music bands like Fang and E.S.L., DJ’s that included The Amigos and Jennifer Paparo, and dance performances and workshops led by Native dancer Nyla Carpentier and flamenco dancer Karen Flamenco, among many others.

Additional to the performances, the party was also well prepared to treat the invitees with appetizing finger food that included chicken skewers and prawn dishes, to be paired to a wide selection of drinks available at any of the three bars available on site.

The 8th edition of the Push Festival is running from January 17 to February 4, 2012, at various venues across the city. Detailed info about venues and schedules is available on the Push Festival Website at www.pushfestival.ca.

European Union Film Festival November 25-December 8

Richard Wolak — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:43:43 +0000

It’s “Europe Without the Jetlag!” Pacific Cinémathèque and the Embassies, Consulates, and Cultural Institutes of the EU Member States in Vancouver present the 14th Annual European Union Film Festival. Hosted this year by the Polish Presidency, this annual finger-on-the-pulse showcase of acclaimed new and recent films from across greater Europe includes award-winning films, festival circuit faves, official Oscar submissions and 20 Vancouver Premieres.

This year’s festival features entries from 24 of the European Union’s 27 member states. Each country has carte blanche to choose the film that will represent them. Together, their exciting selections make for a lively, provocative, stimulating, and entertaining state-of-the-Union celebration of contemporary European filmmaking.

Highlights include:

The Artist
France 2011. Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Jean Dujardin won Best Actor honours at Cannes for his performance in Michel Hazanavicius’s crowd-pleasing charmer, a surprise sensation on the 2011 film festival circuit — a surprise because this love letter to silent cinema is itself a silent movie, right down to its B&W images, intertitles, 1:1.33 aspect ratio, and rousing orchestral accompaniment! B&W, 35mm, silent with English intertitles and musical score. 100 mins.

The Maiden Danced to Death
Hungary/Canada/Slovenia 2011. Director: Endre Hules
VANCOUVER PREMIERE — A successful dancer returns to his native Hungary after years in Canada and resumes a rivalry with his brother in this music-and-dance-filled drama directed by actor Endre Hules and shot by celebrated cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. Colour, 35mm, in English and Hungarian with English subtitles. 107 mins.

Tilt
Bulgaria/Germany 2010. Director: Viktor Chouchkov
VANCOUVER PREMIERE — Bulgaria’s official submission to the upcoming Oscars is a lively, entertaining Romeo-and-Juliet saga in which a rebellious skater-punk falls for a policeman’s daughter during Bulgaria’s turbulent transition from communism. Colour, 35mm, in Bulgarian with English subtitles. 97 mins.

The Runway
Ireland/Luxembourg 2010. Director: Ian Power
VANCOUVER PREMIERE • ALL AGES WELCOME — Spielbergian whimsy infuses writer-director Ian Power’s debut feature, the kid-friendly tale of a mysterious Latino pilot who makes an emergency landing in a small Irish village and the spunky 9-year-old who befriends him. Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in English. 90 mins.

The Man who Jumped over Cars
Germany 2010. Director: Nick Baker-Monteys
VANCOUVER PREMIERE — An escaped psychiatric patient is joined by a doctor and a housewife as he tries to walk across Germany in this stylish, eccentric mix of modern-day fairytale and road movie. Colour, 35mm, in German with English subtitles. 105 mins.

$10.50 Adult Single Bill
$9 Senior/Student Single Bill
$12.50 Adult Double Bill
$11 Senior/Student Double Bill
$3 annual membership required

All ages screening of The Runway on Saturday, December 3: $9 admission for persons under 18 years of age.

Complete festival screenings listed below. For a more information on festival programming, visit: http://eufilmfestival.com.

Vancouver Jewish Film Festival Opens

Eddie Tafber — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:01:03 +0000

The Flood

The inauguration of this year’s Vancouver Jewish Film Festival was surrounded by a wave of expectations, acknowledgements, and an anxious crowd that looked forward to see the best examples of Jewish films form around the globe. All these elements mixed together in an interesting opening gala that started with the screening of an opening movie at the Oakridge Empire Cinemas (601-650 West 41st Avenue), and continued with a reception at the nearby Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture.

More than a hundred people gathered to attend the opening event of the festival: The screening of the Canadian premiere of the Israeli movie Mabul (The Flood). This movie, directed by Guy Nattiv, awarded by the Israeli Film Academy for Best Supporting Actor (Michael Moshonov) and by the Haifa Film Festival for Best Film, had also received a special mention at the Berlin International Film Festival before its arrival to Canada, for which the expectations of the movie were quite high. Despite of the fact that the movie followed a very sensitive and mellow story line, the screening was a full success that shook the audience’s emotions. It also set a rather mellow, yet welcoming, mood for the follow-up reception at the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture.

The Vancouver Jewish Film festival will continue running at the Ridge Theatre (3131 Arbutus Street) until November 20th, 2011. The schedule of films is available online at www.vjff.org/programme.

Jewish Book Festival Vancouver Nov 26 – Dec 1

Richard Wolak — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:01:05 +0000

Joel Bakan

The JCC Jewish Book Festival takes Vancouver by storm with an exciting roster of writers from across Canada, the US, and Israel. This popular cultural extravaganza attracts celebrated authors and a wide audience from across the Lower Mainland. The Festival week is jam-packed with innovative literary events including unique meet-the-author opportunities, literary readings and panel discussions, a literary cocktail evening, a book club event, writing and self-publishing workshops, children’s authors, film-screenings, a used bookstore, and an onsite bookstore open throughout the week. This Festival offers something of interest for every age group and every literary taste.

Featured 2011 Festival authors include; Israeli writer and film-maker Etgar Keret, in conversation with Eleanor Wachtel, recorded for broadcast on CBC Writers & Company; Pen Faulkner award-winner David Guterson (Snow Falling on Cedars) showcasing his new book, Ed King (Oct 2011), in a special book club event hosted by CBC’s Sheryl MacKay; an intimate Writer’s Salon with David Bezmozgis, Mann Booker Prize nominee Alison Pick; Bravo’s Top Chef and the Food Network’s Iron Chef America judge and foodie writer Danyelle Freeman; Giller prize nominee Alexi Zentner, a panel of professionals addressing the timely issue of suicide awareness with poet/writer Jill Bialosky headlining; bestselling local writers Roberta Rich (The Midwife of Venice), Joel Bakan (Children Under Siege & The Corporation), Daniel Kalla (The Far Side Of The Sky), a host of celebrated childrens’ writers including Aubrey Davis (Bagels from Benny; The Enormous Potato), Dan Bar-el, Rae Mate and Ellen Schwartz, as well as creative writing workshops, film screenings, storytelling for adults, two Festival bookstores (new/used) and an art exhibit based on the real story of Curious George creator H.A. Rey’s escape from Nazi Germany.

‘The Jewish Book Festival is a wide-reaching and inclusive event that reaches out to readers from all cultures and religions,’ says Festival director, Nicole Nozick. ‘Jewish writers don’t write only about Jewish subjects – their themes are universal: family relationships, love, humour, history. There is something for everyone with our diverse and entertaining selection of celebrated authors and panelists.’

Mark your calendars now! Regular updates can be found on the website at www.jewishbookfestival.ca All events take place at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (950 West 41st Ave @ Cambie).

Vancouver Jewish Film Festival November 10-20

Richard Wolak — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:27:55 +0000

The 23^rd annual festival takes place November 10 to 20 at the Ridge Theatre as well as Oakridge Cinemas. The opening night film “The Flood” is Directed by Guy Nattiv; it was awarded Best Film in the Haifa Film Festival, the film will screen at Oakridge Cinemas. A Gala party will be held after the film.

The complete festival line-up of films along with ticket information is now online.

Barbq on the Bypass

Richard Wolak — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:17:15 +0000

Brian Misko of House of Q

On Sunday September 18^th, I attended the 6^th Annual BBQ on the Bypass which was my 2^nd visit. Last year I judged the Pie Competition, this year I opted to join in the fun of tasting meat at all the different competitors booths.

This is Greater Vancouver’s biggest BBQ competition & it is a free public event that offered competitions, barbequed food & entertainment.

Teams from throughout the Pacific Northwest competed in Langley in this southern style barbeque contest where meats were smoked over charcoal at low temperatures for up to 16 hours. Entries were rated by a panel of 50 judges certified by the Pacific Northwest BBQ Association based on their flavour, texture and appearance.

The team with the highest overall points was crowned the BBQ on the Bypass Grand Champion, earning trophies and a cash prize. The event featured BBQ food samples provided by the teams as well as musical entertainment.

Food and Sustainability at the Vancouver International Film Festival

Richard Wolak — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:37:12 +0000

The Vancouver International Film Festival runs September 29 through October 14th and within this amazing selection of films there are a selection of films that are Food themed. Here is a selection of these films for your consideration, make sure you get your tickets in advance, check out the site for more information.

El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (Dir: Gereon Wetzel)

Wed, Oct 5th 8:45pm

Empire Granville 7 Th 5 $12.00

and

Wed, Oct 12th Noon

Empire Granville 7 Th 4 $10.00

and

Fri, Oct 14th 8:45pm

Empire Granville 7 Th 5 $12.00

Cry not, lovers of cutting-edge gastronomy! Though chef Ferran Adrià’s foodie mecca El Bulli in Catalonia, Spain, closed for good this past July, its work as an ingenious generator of avant-garde cuisine lives on in Gereon Wetzel’s immaculately crafted documentary. Like Adrià’s food, the film engages not just the five senses, but the emotions as well.

Sushi: The Global Catch (Dir: Mark Hall)

Sat, Oct 8th 3:15pm

Empire Granville 7 Th 1 $12.00

and

Mon, Oct 10th 7:00pm

Empire Granville 7 Th 1 $12.00

and

Fri, Oct 14th 6:00pm

Empire Granville 7 Th 5 $12.00

Wide-ranging, thorough and fascinating on many levels, Mark Hall’s investigation into the past, present and future of the exploding sushi industry covers everything from the best sustainability practices worldwide to the seven-year apprenticeship that Japanese sushi chefs must undertake. Winner, Special Jury Prize, Seattle 2011.

Red Dawn (Dir: João Pedro Rodrigues, João Rui Guerra da Mata)

Thu, Oct 6th 1:30pm

Pacific Cinematheque $10.00

and

Tue, Oct 11th 6:45pm

Pacific Cinematheque $12.00

February 2011 at the Red Market, Macau’s famous food market. Two directors, a common look. The gestures and the routines, between life and death. In memoriam Jane Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011).

To Make a Farm (Dir: Steve Suderman)

Fri, Oct 7th 6:00pm

Empire Granville 7 Th 5 $12.00

and

Sat, Oct 8th 3:20pm

Empire Granville 7 Th 5 $12.00

Director Steve Suderman’s documentary profiles small-scale organic farmers who set out to establish their own local-supply food sources using sustainable means. Exceptionally hopeful, this doc shows that positivity and practicality are closely linked.

Taste The Waste (Dir: Valentin Thurn)

Thu, Oct 6th Noon

Empire Granville 7 Th 4 $10.00

and

Sun, Oct 9th 8:45pm

Empire Granville 7 Th 5 $12.00

and

Tue, Oct 11th 3:20pm

Empire Granville 7 Th 5 $10.00

Valentin Thurn’s timely and startling documentary on global food waste (did you know that on the way from the farm to the dining-room table, more than half of all food ends up in the garbage?) is both a call to arms and a how-to for doing our best to eliminate this major problem.

Vancouver Latin American Film Festival September 1-11

Richard Wolak — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:15:05 +0000

The 9th Annual Vancouver Latin American Film Festival is proud to announce that for the first time in its history it will have three competition sections for short, documentary and feature-length films. Seven documentary films will be part of the documentary competition sponsored by the Al Jazeera Documentary Channel. The winning director will be awarded $3,500. This will be one of the most prestigious awards for a Latin American documentary.

The Opening Night Film is the Argentine feature, El hombre de al lado (The Man Next Door) directed by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn. It premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival winning the World Cinema-Dramatic Best Cinematography award, and has proceeded to be one of the most awarded Argentine films in the last year.

The Closing Gala Film we will screen Chicogrande directed by the Mexican filmmaker, Felipe Cazals. With over 40 films to his credit, Cazals is a living legend in the Latin American film industry. Chicogrande opened the prestigious San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain last year.

In the new state-of-the-art venue the festival will screen four of its most awarded and prestigious films: SFU Woodward’s, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.

The complete festival line-up can be checked out on our website now.

The Fillmore Family Reunion

Richard Wolak — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:24:13 +0000

Benefiting A Loving Spoonful, over 600 people celebrated on Saturday August 13^th at UBC Farm which is the perfect spot for many friends and family of the Fillmore Family to get together for a day of food, frolic, fun, games, music, and dancing.

Lisa Martella (L) & Linda Fillmore (R)

Lisa Martella, Executive Director of A Loving Spoonful and Linda Fillmore of The Fillmore Family Foundation chatted with me about this successful event that was raising money for people living with HIV or AIDS in Metro Vancouver.

This event featured entertainment from all over North America including, Linda Fillmore, Sharon McNight, Kim Kuzma, Boomchix, Sons of Granville, DJ Mumbles, Tyrell Witherspoon, Babe Coal, Timberline Dance Society, and many more on the Fillmore Family Performance Stage.