I initially met Tamara when she came in for tacos the other day and a volunteer brought some posters for the Victoria Film Festival to me, requesting that we provide space to put up the posters. I had declined, explaining that we don’t really have enough visual space …but, then, I remembered our website and how we are striving to build our Hernande’z community and support the unique culture and arts that our patrons are creating! So, I raced over to the table where they were sitting (the tacos had just arrived) and I asked her to let me feature the Film Festival on the website. After all, it was perfect–she is one of our patrons who is doing interesting and wonderful things that support lifegiving energy in Victoria. Graciously, she acquiesced and granted me an interview.

My first question was how did she get involved in organizing the Film Festival here in Victoria? Tamara explained that she was from Montreal, where there is a great deal of cultural and artistic vibrancy. She’d worked on the Folkfest in Montreal and when she came to Victoria she brought her experience and energy with her. She has been a part of several Victoria Festivals for the past nine years, working on Jazzfest, Folkfest, Rifflandia, among others. She says that it’s her “passion for the arts” that brings her to this type of work and summarizes by saying matter of factly “… it’s what keeps our city alive.”

But then her face falls a bit and I detect that something is wrong.

Tamara explains to me that Festivals in Victoria have been hit hard by the cuts to arts funding. She tells me, in a low voice, that she mourns the loss of the festivals here. I am taken aback. I’d heard that the big global economic bust was having it’s ramifications and that the arts initiatives were losing funding–but, busy as I was, I never noticed that our own cultural landscape was becoming less diverse. As Tamara lists out the Festivals that are no more…Folkfest, Luminara, Open Air in Centennial Square…I realize that I’d been taking these cultural celebrations for granted. One by one, they were being cancelled due to lack of funds and I, like the proverbial frog swimming around in the pot of heating hot water hadn’t noticed!

Tamara tells me that in this new economic climate, cultural and musical festivals are now surviving only if they have major corporate support and she points to the TD (Toronto Dominion) sponsorship of Jazzfest that kept that music festival from the chopping block. I murmur something about corporate interests dictating art… but then remember how the Church was the major patron of the arts and tell myself that if was that way in the past, then it must be okay, right? And then, I remember how all the Church patronage of the art lead to art that glorified and framed the message of the Church and I wondered what the arts would look like if they were glorifying and framing the message of our corporate sponsors! But, I was yanked out of these thought pretzels by Tamara’s next comment.

She tells me that in all her years of working with Festivals here and Montreal,  it has never been more difficult to find corporate sponsors than it has been this year. And she then alarms me further by reminding me that the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) will be levied on all forms of art and entertainment, increasing ticket prices for events that may already have become “luxuries” to people who have been hit hard by economic recession.

So, it seems that the arts and culture sectors are being hit with a triple whammy: decreasing budgets for sponsorship by corporations and companies, increased taxation, and decreased individual budgets. In addition, she warns that in ten years we may all feel the loss associated with a decline of local, independent film. Funding cuts hit arts, film, and audiovisual programs in public schools first–this means that young film makers will not have access to the tools or guidance to nurture their talents.

What to do?

Is there any bright light at the end of this tunnel?

The Victoria Film Festival is sponsoring a contest for young people, called the FilmCAN.  This contest invited all young film makers to submit their films for jurying. The winner of each category will win a prize and the winning films in each category will be screened at Empire Theatres and Capitol 6 alongside a Victoria Film Festival feature film! Tamara tells me that all the submissions have been of high calibre. More information is available at http://www.victoriafilmfestival.com/year-round/filmcan.html

Also, it seems that there may be some strength and initiative coming from the arts and culture groups themselves. The Victoria Film Festival is reaching out to other film groups in order to cooperate to support and grow cultural diversity. There is a growing synergy between all Pacific Northwest film festivals and film circuit groups to integrate their intiatives. There is indeed, power in numbers, so it makes sense to support each other, cross promote, learn from eachother’s successes and experiences, etc.

Tamara explains that even if we don’t belong to a specific arts group or film cooperative, we can help by being willing to volunteer at the upcoming festival. They need lots of help with a variety of jobs! There are jobs that are suitable for younger people (such as administrative type stuff) and jobs that are suitable for the rest of us (like taking tickets at the door, driving festival guests etc.). If you would like to volunteer, please contact Tamara or the Volunteer Coordinator, Dan Fox, at 250-389-0444 or email them at vonlunteer@victoriafilmfestival.com.

UPDATE: JANUARY 22, 2010 TAMARA TELLS ME THAT EVERYBODY AT THE FESTIVAL OFFICE IS GRATEFUL FOR THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT. THEY NOW HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS (AND EVEN A WAITLIST!). THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR SUPPORTING CULTURE AND THE ARTS IN VICTORIA.

UPDATE: FEBRUARY 20, 2010 IT WAS A SUCCESSFUL FESTIVAL. WE’LL KEEP UPDATING HERE WHEN WE FIND OUT ABOUT OTHER INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT THE ARTS FROM THE FILM FESTIVAL FOLK!