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The director, writer and producer of The White Fortress, a new feature length drama film, Igor Drljaca talks to Joseph Planta about the film and more, now playing at the Vancouver International Film Festival, streaming and in-person 01-11 October 2021.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

A film that’s playing at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival, which incidentally begins today, Friday, 01 October 2021 (and runs until 11 October 2021), is The White Fortress (starring Pavle Čemerikić and Sumeja Dardagan). It’s written, directed and produced by Igor Drljaca, who joins me now. In the film, Faruk, an orphaned young man who lives with his grandmother, lives in a suburb of Sarajevo, foraging for scrap metal. He also dabbles in petty crime, trying to make some sort of life for himself. He meets Mona, a teen, from an affluent family. It’s a coming-of-age story, set amidst the changing Bosnia, a city that has sleek, paved highways and manicured show homes, yet has decrepit buildings covered in spray paint, remnants of the Cold War era. The class differences are stark and as these two fall in love and try to find escape, we’re given glimpses of life in a place that Igor grew up in but has returned to for the making of this film. I’ll ask him about what he wanted to show the viewer on the screen, as well this story, these actors, and more. The film is available through VIFF Connect between now and the 11th, and there’ll be two screenings next Saturday, October 9th at 9pm at the Vancity Theatre, and Monday, 11 October 2021 at 3.30pm at the Hollywood Theatre. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. With the filmmaker, Albert Shin, Igor Drljaca runs the production company Timelapse Pictures, and he’s an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of British Columbia. The White Fortress had its world premiere at Berlinale, and got good notices. It is a co-production between Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Visit www.igordrljaca.com for more. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Igor Drljaca; Mr. Drljaca, good morning.

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The award-winning writer and director Martin Edralin discusses his feature film debut Islands, a film about a Filipino immigrant to Canada’s experience as a shy bachelor wanting love and caring for his aging parents, playing this week in-person at the Vancouver International Film Festival, and streaming across Canada (until 11 October 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The Vancouver International Film Festival starts this Friday, 01 October 2021. It’ll be a hybrid festival this year, owing to public health orders here in British Columbia, but films can be viewed on the big screen as well as small screen. One such film is the feature film debut of Martin Edralin. The award-winning film director has written and directed Islands. It is a film that takes place in Toronto, where the lead character, a Filipino immigrant named Joshua, a fifty-year old bachelor, prays nightly to rid his shyness. He lives and cares for his aging parents, and the film sheds light on the filial circumstances that are common to immigrant families, not just Filipino Canadians. Joshua, played by Rogelio Balagtas, and his family are visited by a cousin, Marisol, played by Sheila Lotuaco, and Joshua slowly emerges. It’s a delightful film, loving, and warm. Mr. Edralin has written a special film, a fine achievement for a feature debut, and a marvelous way to look at Filipino Canadian life, the care for aging parents, and the tensions and frictions that occur in any sort of family unit. As I tell Martin, there are some beautiful shots in the film, as well as vivid emotional performances that not only move but entertain viewers. It’s also a great example of the richness that emerges when diversity on and off the screen is encouraged and funded. Martin Edralin’s 2014 short film Hole received the Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Action Short Drama. Islands screened earlier this year at the South By Southwest Festival, and was well-received. The film will be available across Canada screened through the Vancouver Film Festival’s VIFF Connect, between October 1st to the 11th. And there will be two screenings Sunday evening, 03 October at 6.15pm, and Tuesday afternoon, 05 October 2021 at 3.45pm at The Cinematheque. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Martin Edralin; Mr. Edralin, good morning.

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The broadcaster Gregor Craigie, host of CBC Radio’s On the Island, discusses his new book On Borrowed Time: North America’s Next Big Quake (Goose Lane Editions, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: On Borrowed Time

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the more urgent books of the season is the one from Gregor Craigie, On Borrowed Time: North America’s Next Big Quake. It is a riveting book, as well as deftly researched not just on the seismic activity in this part of the world, the Pacific Northwest, but throughout North America, like in Central Canada, and the eastern part of the United States. Mr. Craigie’s gift is explaining to the lay reader, the measure of earthquakes, what happens to trigger one, as well as other phenomenon like volcanos, which we ought to pay attention to considering our proximity here to Mt. St. Helen’s, as well as Baker, and Rainer. Tsunamis, as well are examined, and their often-devastating effect. I ask Gregor about what compelled him to write this book, as well as the complacency around us. Those of us who live near the Pacific Ocean, know we’re due for the Big One, but aren’t necessarily prepared. I’ll get Gregor to tell us what he’s done in and around his home in Victoria, where he joined me from earlier this month, and what we all might do to be better prepared. It’s such a fascinating book, and necessary one. Gregor Craigie is the host of CBC Radio’s On the Island in Victoria, British Columbia. Incidentally, I ask him, how he found the time to write this book considering his work there. He is a former CBS Radio and BBC journalist, who also reported the news on Public Radio International. His Twitter handle is @GregorCraigie. This new book is published by Goose Lane Editions. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Gregor Craigie; Mr. Craigie, good morning.

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The creator (with Julian Baron) of Imagine Van Gogh, Annabelle Mauger talks to Joseph Planta about the forthcoming Imagine Picasso exhibition at the Vancouver Convention Centre, that opens Wednesday, 27 October 2021.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the big hits in Vancouver this year, from March on when it opened through now, has been the Imagine Van Gogh immersive exhibition at the Convention Centre. It’s still going on, running until 15 October 2021. Then on Wednesday, 27 October 2021, Imagine Picasso opens. Annabelle Mauger, one of the creators, who joins me now, reflects on the success of Van Gogh, and previews what to expect with the Picasso exhibition. She’ll talk about what of Picasso’s work will be showcased, and how it’ll be projected not just on walls or the floor, but the 3D structures that are based on works that Picasso created for his children. Visit www.imagine-picasso.com for tickets, which are on sale now. Annabelle Mauger, with Julien Baron created both exhibitions, and with architect Rudy Ricciotti, and curator Androula Michael created Imagine Picasso. Ms. Mauger joined me from Lyon, France last Friday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Annabelle Mauger; Ms. Mauger, good morning.

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The author and poet Amber McMillan discusses her new short story collection The Running Trees (Goose Lane Editions, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Running Trees

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Amber McMillan joins me again. The author and poet just published a collection of short stories, The Running Trees. I read it over the summer, and found it fun, insightful, brimming with great characters and dialogue. It was often amusing. I’ll get Ms. McMillan to tell us about the stories in the book, about the different forms of writing she deploys, as well as the act of the conversation. A lot of the stories in the book deal with conversations, ones one has with a loved one, a stranger, themselves. They’re conversations that illuminate as much about a character or characters, or even the reader themselves. Amber McMillan was first on the program in 2016 when her memoir The Woods: A Year on Protection Island was published. She is also the author of the poetry collection We Can’t Ever Do This Again. Her writing has appeared in PRISM international, Arc Poetry Magazine, and The Walrus. She joined me from her home in Fredericton, New Brunswick one month ago. This new book is published by Goose Lane Editions. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Amber McMillan; Ms. McMillan, good morning.

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The journalist and writer Omar El Akkad discusses his new novel, What Strange Paradise (McClelland & Stewart, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: What Strange Paradise

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Omar El Akkad joins me again. The journalist and writer has recently published a new novel, What Strange Paradise. I read it over the summer and found it moving and such an important book for our time. With tens of millions of people forcibly displaced throughout the world today, it’s often easy to look away or not realise how many lives are in peril. And it’s startling too that a lot of those refugees are children. What Strange Paradise presents such vivid characters amidst unnamed and familiar settings. There’s a ship that has sunk because it carries too many passengers of so many different backgrounds: Ethiopians, Syrians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Palestinians. There’s even a sort of class system on board, usually having to do with race, or how much one was able to pay. Bodies are washing up on the shores of an island. It’s not explicitly named, but it’s all too familiar. They’re the images we’ve seen in the media, on the news; images we see of children. Yet, in Mr. El Akkad’s book, we see the crisis through the eyes of children. There’s a nine-year old Syrian boy who has seemingly survived, not gotten caught by officials, but a teenage girl named Vanna, a native of the island. Both do what it takes to elude those trying to find them. It’s often harrowing, and they don’t speak the same language, yet they connect. It’s a beautiful book too. Omar El Akkad’s work as a journalist has taken him to Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, and other places in the world. He received a Canadian National Newspaper Award for investigative journalism, one of many accolades he’s received. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, Le Monde, Guernica, and the Globe and Mail. He was first on the program in 2017 when his debut novel American War was published. It went on to be listed as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, NPR, and Esquire. The BBC named it one of the 100 Novels that Shaped Our World. Visit www.omarelakkad.com for more information. This new book is published by McClelland & Stewart. We taped this interview in mid-July. Mr. El Akkad called in from his home in Portland, Oregon. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Omar El Akkad; Mr. El Akkad, good morning.

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The artist and storyteller Roy Henry Vickers discusses his latest collaboration with Lucky Budd, A is For Anemone (Harbour Publishing, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A is for Anemone

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The renowned artist Roy Henry Vickers joins me now to talk about the latest book he’s written with collaborator Lucky Budd, A is For Anemone. It’s a book for young readers, and a marvelous showcase of his art. Some of the works are well known, like Eagle Moon or Siwash Rock, and a terrific way for children to get introduced to the iconic imagery of the West Coast that Roy has evoked in his art. As it’s a book for younger readers, the folks at Harbour Publishing have put out a sturdy board book, one that is beautifully embossed which adds to the illustrations. I’ll ask Roy about this book, reaching young readers, working with Lucky Budd (who’ll be on the program in the coming days), and what motivates him as he works. One also gets a sense of the uniqueness of the West Coast, here in British Columbia, where Roy has lived and worked. I’ll ask him about that too, and more. Roy Henry Vickers is a renowned carver, painter, printmaker, and storyteller. He is the illustrator and co-author of the bestselling First West Coast Book series, and Northwest Coast Legends series. These are books that are perennial bestsellers and critically acclaimed, shortlisted for all the major book prizes. Visit www.royhenryvickers.com for more, as well as if you go on there, you’ll read about his gallery in Tofino, which I’ll ask him about. It’s fitting that Roy’s on the show now, as I begin my 18th year doing the podcast. He first appeared in 2013, and this is his sixth appearance. I’ve always enjoyed talking to him, as you’ll hear why shortly. He joined me from his home near Hazelton, British Columbia. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Roy Henry Vickers; Mr. Vickers, good morning.

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