The artistic vibrancy of Vancouver’s urban community, specifically work that reflects “the culture, heritage, and distinct character” of the Downtown Eastside, will be celebrated in a series of film, music, and dance showcases from Wednesday, October 27 through Sunday, November 7.

The work of VFS Film Production grads will feature heavily in two different documentary programs – 8 films, in total! We’re proud to have the following student-created work screened in the Heart of the City Festival’s 7^th year:

No Light at Midnight directed by Jay Macmillan
The Laughing Drum directed by Isaac Carter
Under Construction directed by Alexios Spyropoulos
The Richest Place directed by Anand Raghavan
Strays directed by Nick Kelly
70,000 directed by Mo Soliman
Dark Angel directed by Ryan Atimoyoo
Potluck Café directed by Cedric Malayi

Isaac Carter will be attending the screening of his documentary and was kind enough to offer his thoughts on the festival.

“The Heart of the City festival, to me, represents and celebrates the diversity that Vancouver (and Canada) is so proud of,” Isaac says.

Can you tell us about your film, The Laughing Drum?

“When I first came to VFS last year we were introduced to the filmmaking process through the documentary course [taught by Instructor Cari Green]. My peers came up with a variety of fascinating topics ranging from mysteries to psychic phenomenon. How I came up with The Laughing Drum is actually quite a personal story, something people don’t just ‘get’ when they watch the film.”

“When I was growing up in a rural town in BC’s interior, I watched a performance by Uzume Taiko (Laughing Drum) in elementary school. I remember being awestruck by the resonance of the drums and the energy that they put into their music!”

“A decade later, I came across their studio in Vancouver while searching for a Taiko drumming group to do a film on. As research and interviews developed, I was amazed at the wealth of information available. Uzume Taiko is the first Canadian Taiko group. They are not only known nationally but they have also performed overseas as well. The name ‘Uzume Taiko’ is refers to the goddess of laughter, and is part of an ancient Japanese legend that is used to inform the audience how the Taiko drum came to be the cultural piece it is today. We tell (and show!) you the legend in the documentary.”

You can catch The Laughing Drum in the film showcase on Thursday, October 28, alongside a number of films listed above. More of these films will screen on Saturday, November 6.

Congrats to all the grads whose work will be celebrated!