The Cinematheque
Annual Report 2020
Beau Travail, Claire Denis, 1999
Strategic Plan Societal Vision
We value:
We envision a society enriched by the understanding and appreciation of cinema as an art form and enlightened by thoughtful education about the impact of moving-image media in our lives.
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Mission
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We are a cultural and educational institution that excites and educates our community about the art, impact, and legacy of cinema and screenbased media.
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Success Statement
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The Cinematheque will be a leading cultural destination for film and screen-based media, with state-of-the-art facilities, world-class programs, and a community of staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders committed to excellence.
Cinema as a communal and transformative art form Excellence in our programming, business, and brand Inclusivity and diversity in our programming and overall organization The fostering of local and national talent, and Canadian cinema overall Reaching, inspiring, and educating new audiences
Priorities: Increase Revenue through Development and Fundraising Increase the Visibility and Profile of The Cinematheque Improve The Cinematheque Audience Experience Strengthen and Grow Educational Programming
The Cinematheque acknowledges that Vancouver is located on the unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples, including the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy ə̓ m (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations.
1131 Howe Street, Vancouver thecinematheque.ca
200 – 1131 Howe Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 2L7 604 688 8202 info@thecinematheque.ca
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The Cinematheque Annual Report 2020
Executive & Artistic Director’s Report 5 President’s Report 5 Treasurer’s Report 7 Significant Figures 7 Public Programs & Services 8 Learning & Outreach 10 Notable Film Exhibitions 15 Equity, Diversity & Inclusion 16 Acknowledgements 17 Board of Directors, Staff, Volunteers 4
Front Cover: In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa), Wong Kar-Wai, 2000
Daisies (Sedmikrásky), Věra Chytilová, 1966
Executive & Artistic Director’s Report The COVID-19 pandemic may have shut down our physical operations for much of 2020, but it didn’t change The Cinematheque’s core mission nor diminish the determination of our fantastic team to continue providing exceptional programs to our community. What astonishes me most, as I look back over a truly challenging year, is how much of our work as cultural presenters and media educators we were actually able to complete, despite everything! The pandemic was a significant disruptor, and forced us to close our cinema for significant periods. Yet, through those in-theatre screenings we were able to offer, and by “pivoting” (as current parlance has it) to online presentations, The Cinematheque managed to do much of the public film programming it had planned to do in 2020. Likewise our Learning & Outreach team (lead by Chelsea Birks, who assumed her position mere days before COVID changed everything): by improvising and adapting, it was able to continue providing its excellent array of school-year and summer programs to students and youths. I am very proud of what our people have accomplished in these most difficult and uncertain times. This has been a watershed year globally in other ways, too: a year in which organizations and institutions everywhere have been challenged to think critically and honestly about issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion—including and especially systemic issues. Diversity and inclusion have always been a hallmark of the work we do, in our public film programs and our Learning & Outreach initiatives, and the values we hold dear. But 2020 has been a year to really take stock of how successful we’ve been, or not been, in fundamentally, systemically, deeply embedding these values in our organization and its practices. And how we might do better going forward. I’m excited that our board and staff made it a priority to begin this critical work in 2020, and are committed to carrying it forward in the year and years ahead. We will, in the meantime, continue to ensure that a wide diversity of voices, artists, and cultural perspectives is represented in our public work. This has always been a curatorial priority, and an outreach priority, of The Cinematheque.
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Our overriding organizational goal in 2020 was, of course, survival! The Cinematheque is a nimble, resourceful organization, driven by a dedicated team passionate about the work it does. Keeping that team intact and engaged, and finding ways, new and old, for it to continue doing its cultural work during COVID, represented the very best way of shepherding The Cinematheque through the year and, in due time, getting beyond the pandemic. Government assistance also played a crucial role. The Cinematheque has benefited from the general subsidies and supports offered to businesses and other endeavours in our society, but also, critically, from the particular support extended by cultural agencies at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels. These public funders responded rapidly, and, in many instances, in extraordinary ways, to the threat COVID has posed to the arts sector. Our private donors were generous to us as well. Encouragingly, this has left The Cinematheque in a stable financial position at 2020 year-end, and well-situated to ride out the prevailing circumstances for a while at least. And, at the time of writing, in the spring of 2021, “a while at least” is still what we’re facing. I am, then, especially grateful this year to all the many stakeholder and supporters whose commitment makes this a vital and purposeful organization: our patrons, volunteers, professional staff, board members, donors, funders, and programming partners. Hey, is that a light at the end of the tunnel? The glint of a big, shiny vax needle? Could it be a projector beam bouncing off a movie screen as an audience of friends and strangers sits together, enraptured by cinema? We can only hope. And hoping we are!
Jim Sinclair Executive & Artistic Director
La Strada (The Road), Federico Fellini, 1954
Ghost Tropic, Bas Devos, 2019
President’s Report
Treasurer’s Report
It’s becoming something of a cliché to mention what a challenging year it has been, but oh how it has, and so I must start by highlighting the incredible work accomplished by The Cinematheque staff during the past twelve months since our last AGM. Linton Murphy and our dedicated volunteers were on deck when our theatre reopened for a short but welcome hiatus in the lockdown, and Lizzie Brotherston’s work on our online portal paid off in spades when it became (and still is) the sole access point to our programming. Particular admiration and thanks, however, must go to our Acting Managing Director Ben Shockey, who surely got more than he signed up for when he parachuted in to sub for our maternity-leaving Kate Ladyshewsky in February 2020, just as the world was being consumed by the pandemic. Tireless, competent, and quietly undaunted, he kept the ship on course through the storm like it was just a four-hour cruise … Thanks, Ben! Let’s also single out the great work from Learning & Outreach Director Chelsea Birks, also hired literally days before we had to close our office. Staging a successful Cinelab film camp against all odds in the summer of 2020 was an accomplishment worthy of high praise.
I am pleased to report that Pacific Cinematheque Pacifique Society ended the fiscal year December 31, 2020, in a positive cash position of $301,225.
This has also been a time of reflection and change for institutions like ours, and I am glad to say we are embarking on a timely journey that will lead to a rejuvenated and re-energized board that is inclusive, equitable, and diverse. We are committed to meeting measurable equity goals in the coming year and for the foreseeable future, both for ourselves, and for The Cinematheque as a whole. In conjunction with this, we are crafting a strengthened and renewed code of conduct and ethics for the board, staff, and volunteers, reflective of the values of respect and inclusiveness that we espouse as an organization and workplace. In closing, I want to thank our departing board member, Jim Bindon, for his many years of dedicated service on the board, including two terms as President. He has been a great asset to The Cinematheque, and my personal mentor. He will be missed. Best of luck, Jim! We are thankful to have Kate back with us again as Managing Director, and to be able to count on the continued and able leadership and vision of our Executive & Artistic Director Jim Sinclair and our Programming Associate Shaun Inouye. As we begin to see a glimmer of light at the end of this very long tunnel, I extend on behalf of the board our heartfelt thanks to the unwavering support of all our private donors and of our funding agency partners that have allowed The Cinematheque to continue to deliver the Essential Cinema programming our members and supporters have come to expect from one of BC’s and Vancouver’s premier cultural institutions.
David Legault Chair
All receivables are current and either received or anticipated before the end of January 31, 2021. GST returns are up to date. All current liabilities are paid out in full. Deferred Contributions of $148,760 for operations and Deferred Contributions of $114,991 for the purchase of capital assets have been set up. Deferred Contributions are government contributions received in one fiscal year but intended for costs incurred in the next fiscal year. The new Non-current Liability is the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan payable of $23,600. The total amount of this loan was $40,000 and is interest free until December 31, 2022. If the society repays the loan in full before this date, $10,000 of the loan will be forgiven. The Society is making payments towards this loan to reduce it to zero before December 31, 2022. The Society ended the fiscal year with a surplus of $99,245 and created an internally restricted fund of $99,245 for the purpose of COVIDrelated shortfalls or barring that need, for other purposes deemed essential by the board. The fund balance was increased to $239,973. Statement of Operations: Revenues: The Society has a healthy mixture of sources of revenue year over year, with Government Grants taking in the greatest percentage of earnings at 50% in 2020 compared to 40% in fiscal 2019. The Society also benefited from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. These funds are reported as income but are deducted as part of employee wages in Expenses. Expenses: Management followed a steady as you go policy during this year of pandemic stress. Thanks to the variety of government programs all employees were able to retain their positions. Learning & Outreach programs were maintained during this time as Management believes that Learning & Outreach is like advertising where the benefits are evident over a longer period than one year. Programming and marketing costs were down because the pandemic caused limited and unpredictable access to the theatre. As in previous years, credit for these results must be given to the management team and staff of The Cinematheque for their continued passion and diligence for the society and its mandate. The management team and staff have further been pro-active in 2020 as they coped with the uncertainties of the current Covid 19 pandemic. They continue to enjoy the board’s full confidence.
Rudy Bootsma BA PBA Treasurer
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Vitalina Varela, Pedro Costa, 2019
2020 Screening Figures:
36 Canadian films 63 Films by Indigenous, Black, and other racialized directors
118 Female-directed films
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Virtual presentations
388 In-theatre
screenings
308 Total films
Film Exhibitions The Cinematheque is home to one of the largest and most extensive programs of quality, curated film exhibitions in North America. We present over 500 screenings annually (2020 being the rare exception), providing audiences with access to significant contemporary and historical achievements of film, and celebrating the richness and diversity of local, national, and international film culture: retrospectives of great directors and important foreign cinemas; new Canadian film; prestigious international touring exhibitions; plus guest appearances, lectures, panel discussions, and more.
Film Reference Library The Film Reference Library is a learning resource centre dedicated to the understanding of film and moving-image media and the advancement of film culture in Vancouver. One of the largest collections of its kind in Western Canada, the library is international in scope, but maintains a special emphasis on Canadian cinema. Holdings include thousands of books and periodicals on a wide array of topics related to the appreciation, production, history, and sociology of film. The library is open to the public and is visited regularly by film studies students.
West Coast Film Archives The Cinematheque’s Film Archive comprises three different collections of 16mm and 35mm film prints. The West Coast Film Collection is devoted to preserving the heritage of independent filmmaking on Canada’s west coast. Our holdings include a core collection of more than 220 significant B.C. films dating from 1968 to 1978, the period of the first major wave of independent and avant-garde filmmaking in Vancouver. The National Film Board Collection consists of over 800 film titles produced from 1960 to 1985. The Canadian Film Collection includes a number of animated, experimental, and feature films made outside of B.C.
Program Guide The Cinematheque’s free bi-monthly Program Guide provides extensive curatorial notes and support materials for all of our film screenings and exhibitions. An informative resource, it is also a highly recognizable publication, with a print circulation of 10–15,000 copies distributed to cafés, bookstores, libraries, universities, and many other sites throughout Metro Vancouver. The Program Guide is also published online at issuu.com/thecinematheque
Cinelab 2020 participants
Learning & Outreach thecinematheque.ca/learn The Cinematheque offers interactive programs that explore film and visual media in the world around us. We believe that creative filmmaking, film appreciation, and digital literacy are best approached through fun and active hands‑on learning. We value diversity and inclusion, and we centre these values in the learning opportunities we provide. Bringing more than twenty years of outreach experience to our practice, we offer programs to members of the public, community organizations, and primary and secondary schools, in Metro Vancouver and throughout British Columbia. These initiatives strive to be fully accessible to all, regardless of income, gender, sexual orientation, or culture. Free programs, or programs supported by bursaries, are a priority. Our work focuses on four key areas:
Film Production Innovative production programs allow participants to learn the language and process of filmmaking by creating their own short films. Includes virtual and in-school sessions and our popular summer camps.
Digital Literacy Engaging discussions provide participants with critical thinking skills for a better understanding of social media and visual culture. Issues explored in 2020 included: social media and the self; propaganda and media manipulations; and artificial intelligence.
Film Studies These unique workshops welcome participants into our theatre for film screenings and facilitated debates. Workshops can be adapted for virtual delivery to accompany film screenings in the classroom. Topics explored in 2019 included: gender representation in film; Shakespearean adaptations; and Black history on-screen.
Pro-D & Conferences Specialized training sessions support educators to foster digital literacy, filmmaking skills, and film appreciation in their students.
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The Covid-19 pandemic had a profound effect on Learning & Outreach as we shifted our focus to virtual and hybrid programming. We were surprised and delighted to discover that there was no loss to the quality of our programming or the skills learned by participants. Many initiatives designed during Covid-19 will continue in online or hybrid format, and some of the most creative, insightful, and moving films of the year were made during the height of the lockdown in Spring 2020. Digital literacy and film studies workshops proved extremely adaptable to online formats. We were able to continue teaching film production throughout 2020 by emphasizing smartphone filmmaking, an idea that predates the pandemic but which Covid-19 nudged us to put into action. Teaching participants to make films using readily available equipment significantly increased the accessibility of our programs, and we were able to expand our outreach to new areas of British Columbia and beyond. Though there was a slight reduction to our program numbers overall, due primarily to reductions in classroom sizes and smaller registration numbers necessitated by Covid-19, we made 11 more films with Learning & Outreach participants than in 2019. The Cinematheque’s efforts have been rewarded with enthusiastic feedback from participants: “I really liked the way the facilitators engaged with us. It was a very comfortable environment. Easy to learn and understand. I loved it!” “I enjoyed being able to learn and have the opportunity to experiment using professional equipment and with the advice from real filmmakers. Great program I would highly recommend or come again!”
99 Films created by participants
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Film Production participants Imago, Jeremiah Reyes, 2020, created as part of “Third Realm” Filmmaking Workshop
Special Projects & New Initiatives Cinelab
Our new flagship summer filmmaking program for youth ran in hybrid format for three weeks in July. Seventeen filmmakers aged 14–18 worked in small crews to create five unique short film projects. Participants were guided through the complete filmmaking process through hands-on workshops, and established professionals from the Vancouver creative scene delivered a series of masterclasses on topics such as analogue filmmaking, documentary approaches, and editing techniques. Cinelab is run in partnership with SFU School for the Contemporary Arts and was generously supported by Creative BC. Bursaries were provided by the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver.
Covideo Diaries
During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, we quickly shifted our school filmmaking programs to allow students to document the impact of the initial lockdown on their lives and communities. The Covideo Diaries was presented at two schools: The Global Perspectives program at Sutherland Secondary, generously supported by the City of North Vancouver; and the TREK program at Prince of Wales secondary. One hundred thirty-five students students participated in the Covideo Diaries projects, creating a total of 58 films that provided unique insight into the effects of Covid-19 from a variety of youth perspectives.
1207 Digital Literacy & Film Studies participants
127 Professional
Development participants
Third Realm Filmmaking Workshop
Organized in collaboration with The Polygon Gallery, this three-day virtual workshop guided participants through the process of creating short experimental films inspired by the Third Realm exhibition on contemporary Asian art. Participants came from around British Columbia and internationally — several filmmakers joined from the United Kingdom! Final films were screened in a socially distanced exhibition at The Polygon in December.
Cameras in Kamloops
Presented in partnership with the Kamloops Art Gallery and generously supported by TELUS STORYHIVE, Cameras in Kamloops was a five-day virtual filmmaking program introducing participants to the history and aesthetics of film and photography. Each participant received a campin-a-box that included a pinhole camera, 35mm film, instructions for a scavenger hunt, a DIY tripod, and other exciting materials. Participants created short films inspired by the Casting the Eye Adrift exhibition at the KAG, and Learning & Outreach produced two short documentaries about the program and its relationship to Kamloops arts and culture.
Cinelab 2020 participants
Other projects included: Animazing! Stop Motion Virtual Camp (in partnership with North Vancouver City Library); Film & Documentary School Projects (Prince of Wales Mini School, Sir Charles Tupper Secondary); Narrative Filmmaking School Projects (Sea to Sky Learning Connections); Paper Animation Workshop (Sir Charles Tupper Secondary, The Cinematheque).
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Notable Film Exhibitions 2020 Includes both in-cinema and online presentations The Covid-19 pandemic necessitated the cancellation of in-person screenings and the closure of our theatre in March, after which The Cinematheque began offering online programming for the first time. A “duplex” program of both in-person and online presentations was offered during a temporary four-month reopening of the theatre in the summer and fall. 1 2 3 4
Best of the Decade: The Top Films of the 2010s [Moonlight] The Rage to Live: Queer Film Legacies and the Work of David Wojnarowicz and Marlon Riggs [Tongues Untied] New Canadian Documentary: Shannon Walsh’s Illusions of Control Chan Centre Connects [Ridge]
5 Viva Varda! The Films of Agnès Varda [Varda by Agnès (Varda par Agnès)] 6 Contemporary Iranian Cinema [Beloved (Delband)] 7 Frames of Mind: A Monthly Mental Health Film Series [Obedience]
8 UCLA Festival of Preservation Tour [Gay USA] 9 National Canadian Film Day: EyeCANdy – Independent Canadian Animation [Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes)] 10 New Cinema: Pedro Costa’s Vitalina Varela 11
New Restorations: István Szabó × 3
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New Canadian Cinema: Heather Young’s Murmur
[Mephisto]
13 European Union Short Film Festival [Dust and Glitter] 14 Luminous Territories: Indigenous Short Films & Panel Discussion [Tsanizid] 15
National Indigenous Peoples Day: Three Films by Tasha Hubbard
[nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up]
20 Enter the Dragon: Bruce Lee × 5 [Game of Death (Si wang you xi)]
21 The Anarchic Cinema of Věra Chytilová [Daisies (Sedmikrásky)] 22 New Restoration: Fruit Chan’s Made in Hong Kong 23 A Film That Is Also a Handshake: The Cinema of the Dardenne Brothers [Young Ahmed (Le jeune Ahmed)] 24 New Restoration: Claire Denis’s Beau Travail 25 Yorgos Lanthimos × 3 [Dogtooth (Kynodontas)] 26 J-Horror! – Japanese Horror Cinema [Ring (Ringu)] 27 Penny Slinger: Exorcisms – A Retrospective [Penny Slinger (c) 1969] 28 New Restoration: William Greaves’s Nationtime
16 New Canadian Documentary: Maureen Palmer’s 19 and Homeless
29 Fellini 100 [La Dolce Vita]
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[Britt-Marie Was Here (Britt-Marie var här)]
Juraj Herz: In & Out of the Czechoslovak New Wave [The Cremator (Spalovač mrtvol)]
18 New Restoration: Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Twilight 19 Film Noir [Gilda]
30 23rd Annual European Union Film Festival 31
New Restoration: Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Flowers of Shanghai
32 World of Wong Kar-Wai [In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa)]
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Artist Zadie Xa in conversation with DIM guest curator Tobin Gibson
Frames of Mind Q&A with Stretch Marks director Gregory Rocco and actor John Larkin, joined by Dr. Josie Geller and Ali Eberhardt from the Eating Disorders Program at St. Paul’s Hospital. Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky.
Lyle Ashton Harris gives the Opening Keynote at “The Rage to Live.” Photo: Lorenzo Fusi
“Luminous Territories” roundtable discussion with (L to R) Beric Manywounds, Danielle Green, Taran Kootenhayoo, Jade Baxter, Emily Dundas Oke, and Maria-Margaretta.
January
April
As part of our “Best of the Decade” program, three episodes of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s 18-hour television event Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) were specially screened in our cinema, free to the public and with the blessing of Mr. Lynch himself. Cinematheque Programming Associate Shaun Inouye introduced.
One of our earliest—and still most successful—online screenings after shuttering the cinema due to growing COVID-19 concerns was a Canadian virtual first-run of Nova Scotian director Heather Young’s award-winning debut feature, Murmur (2019).
Filmmaker and UBC professor Shannon Walsh joined us in person for a screening of her globetrotting 2019 documentary Illusions of Control. The Cinematheque welcomed visiting artists, academics, and curators—including acclaimed New York photographer Lyle Ashton Harris—for a three-day screening and lecture series dedicated to the queer film legacies and AIDS activism of artists David Wojnarowicz and Marlon Riggs. Co-presented with the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery and Griffin Art Projects.
February To conclude our multi-month retrospective devoted to the films of Agnès Varda, one of cinema’s paramount female artists, Thierry Garrel introduced a screening of Varda’s 2008 ciné-memoir The Beaches of Agnès, which he produced at ARTE France.
Vancouver-born, London-based artist Zadie Xa participated in a recorded conversation with curator Tobin Gibson as part of a free DIM Cinema program dedicated to Xa’s video work.
May As part of our Frames of Mind mental health series, director Gregory Rocco joined us live via Zoom for a Q&A occasioned by a free virtual engagement of his 2018 film Stretch Marks.
June Organized by the Contemporary Art Gallery in conjunction with The Cinematheque, “Luminous Territories: Indigenous Screening & Discussion” brought together four Indigenous filmmakers (including the late Taran Kootenhayoo) for a free online exhibition of their work, followed by a pre-recorded roundtable with the artists. As part of the at-home 2020 edition of National Indigenous Peoples Day, we presented a trio of vital NFB documentaries by Cree filmmaker and educator Tasha Hubbard, who recorded a special introduction for the occasion. Proceeds from the virtual program benefited the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society.
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The Cinematheque partnered with Fostering Change to present a free virtual screening of 19 and Homeless (2019), a powerful documentary about youths in B.C. who “age out” of foster care. The film, produced by OUTtv, was supplemented with an online panel discussion.
In-person screening in August 2020
Fruit of Paradise (Ovoce stromů rajských jíme), Věra Chytilová, 1970
All About Me (Der Junge muss an die frische Luft), Caroline Link, 2018
Enter the Dragon, Robert Clouse, 1973
8½ (Otto e mezzo), Federico Fellini, 1963
Chungking Express (Chung Hing sam lam), Wong Kar-Wai, 1994
July
November
The reopening of our cinema in July, under strict Provincial Health guidelines, enabled us to reschedule our COVID-cancelled retrospective on the cult, macabre cinema of Juraj Herz, a major figure of the Czechoslovak New Wave.
In partnership with festival presenters in Ottawa (Canadian Film Institute) and Toronto (EU Toronto Film Festival), The Cinematheque mounted its first-ever Canada-wide European Union Film Festival. The virtual festival featured 27 films from 27 EU member states, supplemented by pre-recorded introductions and filmmaker Q&As.
August The Cinematheque was delighted to welcome patrons back to our theatre for two summer-curated cinematic events: the return of Film Noir, our much-loved annual series celebrating America’s most sordid and cynical moviemaking chapter; and a retrospective dedicated to immortal action star Bruce Lee, featuring brand-new restorations of five kung-fu classics.
September Two retrospectives showcasing major international auteurs took place in our cinema in September through October: “The Anarchic Cinema of Věra Chytilová,” an 11-film series on the iconic Czech feminist and film surrealist; and “A Film That Is Also a Handshake: The Cinema of the Dardenne Brothers,” devoted to the two-time Palme d’Or-winning Belgian duo.
To commemorate the centennial of Federico Fellini, one of cinema’s boldest and most beloved maestros, we launched an ambitious careerspanning retrospective in November featuring new restorations of some of Fellini’s greatest masterworks. Alas, the mandated closure of theatres in B.C. in late November, to combat the rising number of COVID cases in our province, interrupted the in-person series.
December Just in time for stay-at-home winter holidays, The Cinematheque presented a virtual retrospective dedicated to the sumptuous, sensual, and unapologetically sentimental cinema of Wong Kar-Wai, Hong Kong’s best-loved auteur. The series, originally slated to screen both online and in-cinema, featured new 4K restorations of seven WKW favourites.
October Visionary British artist Penny Slinger participated in a live-stream conversation as part of a virtual retrospective dedicated to her radical, taboo-breaking film work. Co-presented with Fillip, a Vancouver-based arts publishing organization. The 2020 edition of our ever-popular Halloween program was a fivefilm primer on horror cinema from Japan (or J-horror). Four films screened in brand-new restorations, including the North American theatrical debut of a digitally refurbished Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989).
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Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at The Cinematheque The Cinematheque stands in solidarity with those fighting against racism and for justice, equity, and meaningful change. We will continue to support and amplify the voices of Indigenous, Black, and other racialized filmmakers by investing in their work and making it accessible to our diverse communities. But we must, all of us, do better. In Fall 2020, The Cinematheque’s board and staff began an equity, diversity, and inclusion process to take a holistic look at how The Cinematheque can best operate as an inclusive and accessible institution with anti-racist values and practices. We shared a survey with our audience members, staff, and volunteers to gather input from our community at this early stage in the process. Fifty-four people participated in the survey, sharing what they think we are doing well and where we can do better. The survey results were shared with staff and board, and continue to inform our learning and influence our discussions and the policies being created internally. In 2020, The Cinematheque also became a Community Fund Partner with the SEARA (Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts) Fund. You can find out more about this fund here: searafund.ca On November 28, 2020, The Cinematheque staff and board took part in an Equity Visioning workshop, facilitated by Cassyex Consulting, to identify the vision, goals, and principles of being a more equitable organization. Topics discussed included equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, colonialism, inherent bias, white supremacy, systemic racism, and decolonization. In 2021 and beyond, we will continue to engage in ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training, learning, and conversations. We will continue to improve and introduce policies that will support an inclusive, accessible, culturally safe, and equitable organization. We will continue to amplify the voices, stories, and work of Indigenous, Black, and other racialized filmmakers. We will continue to share more about this process and invite participation from our community.
Equity Statement The Cinematheque strives to be an inclusive, accessible, culturally safe, and equitable organization, providing films and education that reflect the values of the diverse population we serve. Recognizing that many inequities are systemic in nature, we are committed to identifying barriers to participation that may be implicit and hard to detect. The Cinematheque is committed to ongoing learning and education around equity issues such as anti-racism and decolonization, and fostering a culture of humility. We cannot do this work alone; we are committed to working with partners from underrepresented groups to build our capacity around equity and anti-racism.
Goals: • • •
To increase the diversity of staff, board members, and volunteers. To build organizational capacity in identifying and responding to issues of inequity. To build and strengthen relationships with organizations and partners doing equity work.
Principles: • • • • •
Equity Anti-racism Accessibility Diversity Inclusion
Immediate Priorities: •
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Consider many types of accessibility issues that could be identified and addressed, such as accessibility due to geography, language, built environment, cultural relevance, stigma/ discrimination, etc. Updating hiring policies and practices to mitigate systemic discrimination such as race, gender, and (dis)ability from staff and board members. Focus on outreach to the community and building connections with racialized communities and organizations. Create facilitated spaces for difficult conversations around equity issues such as racism, microaggression, White fragility, and White supremacy can be explored. Engage in extensive and ongoing training and education around equity, particularly related to anti-racism.
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Acknowledgements The Cinematheque is a non-profit organization and registered charity dedicated to advancing the understanding and appreciation of cinema as art by bringing the very best in film culture and film education to Vancouver audiences of all ages. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all of the organizations and individuals whose generous contributions support the innovative year-round film programming and award-winning learning and outreach programs that make us Western Canada’s largest and most active film institute. The Cinematheque gratefully acknoledges the financial support of the following agencies:
Learning & Outreach Funders and Partners ArtStarts in Schools BC Arts Council Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society City of North Vancouver Creative BC District of North Vancouver Fusion Cine GearBASE North Shore Youth in Film North Vancouver City Library North Vancouver District Public Library The Polygon Gallery Provincial Intermediate Teachers’ Association School District No. 48: Sea to Sky Simon Fraser University School for the Contemporary Arts TELUS STORYHIVE UBC Camps Vancouver Art Gallery Vancouver School Board
Exhibition Partners British Film Institute (BFI) Canadian Film Institute (CFI) Chan Centre for the Performing Arts Comeback Company Contemporary Art Gallery (CAG) Delegation of the European Union to Canada Embassies and Consulates of the European Union member states EU Toronto Film Festival Fillip Fostering Change French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), New York Griffin Art Projects Institute of Mental Health, UBC Department of Psychiatry Italian Cultural Centre (Il Centro) Janus Films Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery National Film Board of Canada (NFB) Ottawa International Animation Festival Pacific United Productions The Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at UBC Phoenix Cultural Centre of Toronto REEL CANADA The Treehouse Vancouver Child and Youth Advocacy Centre UBC Theatre and Film UCLA Film & Television Archive Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) Winnipeg Cinematheque
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Donors Friend ($60 – $119)
Patron ($120 – $299) cont.
Sakae Alford Nick Apivor Nancy Barker Gianluca Bertoia Joe Chan Judith Coffin Lynn Copeland David Damon Simon Davidson Linda Dmytryshyn Andrew Epstein Han Fei Sepehr Foroushani Ethan Gibson Christopher Goard Atzin Gonzalez Martin Gotfrit Bruce Harwood David Heaney Kathleen Hepburn Takashi Kikuchi Ken Klonsky Emma Lindsay Melissa McDowell Maggie McPhee Anne-Mary Mullen, in Honour of VLAFF Volunteers James Narvey June Scudeler Cameron Senum Quin Sheppard David Sims, in Honour of David Lewis Tyler Sork Chris Spencer Chris Speropoulos Jay Weiler
Kathleen Evans Allan Fitz Tony De Francesco Cari Green, in Honour of Shoki Green Jane Gutteridge, in Honour of Jim Murphy Shaun Inouye Robert Jamieson Paul Kaas Richard Kadulski Kenneth Kan David Morton Erin Mussolum Barbara Paterson Michele Rechtman-Smolkin Alan Reid, In Honour of Vit Micoch Peter Rozee Michael Scott Evie Sheppard Tai Smith Jo Anne Tharalson Anona Thorne Leandro Torrella Prieto, in Honour of David Perez Laza Michael Trainor Alexander Wright
Patron ($120 – $299) Elaine Anderson in Honour of Cody R Jo B. Warren Banks Jennifer Brooker Lindsey Burnett Catherine Campbell Joseph Clark Charles Demers Kiefer Doerksen Doug Doyle Charlotte Ensminger
Benefactor ($300 – $599) Catherine and Don Campbell Lindsay Dunn Harry Karlinsky Laura Marks Ian Neil In Honour of Haida Paul Magda Theriault
Director ($600 – $1119) James and Mabel Bindon James Huynh David Legault Tim Reeve Jim Sinclair
Producer ($1200+) Roelof Bootsma Anonymous, in Honour of Cinematheque Staff and Volunteers Anonymous
Staff & Volunteers Board of Directors
Volunteers
Chair David Legault
Hazel Ackner Aya Alvarez Jo B. Horacio Bach Taylor Bishop Sasha Bondartchouk Kyle Bowman August Bramhoff Jeremy Buhler Fiona Chen Bianca Crewe Bill Dovhey Yaz Ebrahi Fabio Facchini Moana Fertig Gail Franko Kevin Frew Lesli Froeschner Shokei Green Pablo Griff Arthur Hain Jeff Hallady Alyse Hebert Thomas Keenliside Savannah Kemp Alan Kollins Ray Lai Stewart Lampe Christina Larabie John Ledingham Martin Lohmann Chelsea Lomax Lynn Martin Maggie McPhee Vivian Mendoza Jim Miller Vit Mlcoch Adrian Nickpour Lars Neufeld Betty-Lou Phillips Brad Reed Nadya Santoso Tori Schepel Matthew Shields Sweta Shrestha Raimondo Spano Mustafa Syed Lora Tanaka Vincent Tao Stephen Tweedale Nathaniel von Vossen Harry Wong Jay Zhuang
As of December 31 2019
Vice Chair & Treasurer Rudy Bootsma Secretary Tim Reeve Members Jim Bindon Leah Mallen Moshe Mastai Erin Mussolum Wynford Owen Nicole Prior Eric Wyness
Staff
As of December 31 2020 Executive & Artistic Director Jim Sinclair Acting Managing Director Ben Shockey Managing Director Kate Ladyshewsky (on leave) Operations & Programming Associate Shaun Inouye Communications & Marketing Manager Lizzie Brotherston Learning & Outreach Director Chelsea Birks Learning & Outreach Coordinators Thea Loo Natalie Murao Administrative Assistant Emma Pollard Venue Operations Manager Linton Murphy Assistant Theatre Managers Sonja Baksa Aryo Khakpour Justin Mah Emma Pollard Lucy Rosenstiel
As of December 31 2019
Head Projectionist Al Reid Relief Projectionists Ryan Ermacora Lukas Henne Ray Hinkle Abigail Markowitz Cassidy Penner
Volunteer Vit Mlcoch delivering concessions items during an in-person screening
Learning & Outreach Collaborators Ezri Boehm Sarah Genge Shaghayegh Haghdoust Caroline So Jung Lee David Legault Gary Marcuse Sam Mason Polina Mikhailova Natalie Murao Miles Richardson Mila Zuo
17
Moonlight, Barry Jenkins, 2016
Murmur, Heather Young, 2019
nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, Tasha Hubbard, 2019
First Cow, Kelly Reichardt, 2019
Young Ahmed (Le jeune Ahmed), Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, 2019
Happy Together (Chun gwong cha sit), Wong Kar-Wai, 1997
