Screenings are at The Paramount Theatre, The Habitat, The Kelowna Art Gallery, and the Mary Irwin Theatre @ Rotary Centre for the Arts.

With over 25 performances in this years festival,including premiere's of Features and Short films, the 11th annual is our most ambitious to date.

Highlights of this year's festival include films from the Toronto Film Circuit, including Bruce McDonald's "The Tracey Fragments" starring Ellen Page,as well as many new independent features from Canada and worldwide!    

Theatre Tickets have been frozen at $8, with Festivalpasses still at a bargain $50! You can buy festival passes online at www.okanaganfilmfestival.com through Paypal.

A new contest for local filmmakers is to be announced before the end of the month.  Keep checking the website www.okanaganfilmfestival.com for the latest news!

Record number of submissions for this years Okanagan Film Awards, that has gala evening with special guests on Sunday 20th April at The Mary Irwin Theatre @ 7pm. Tickets are available for Sundays performances including the
1pm Canadian Shorts Program nominees & 3pm Canadian Feature entry, the Wrestling mockumentary "Kayfabe".
Call Mary Irwin Box Office: (250) 717-5304 to get tickets!
Thanks for your support!
Jason Woodford
President
Okanagan film Festival Society
www.okanaganfilmfestival.com
Email: Jason@okanaganfilmfestival.com
Crosswood Productions
Passport to the Imagination
1-250-769-1603

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18 Mar 2008

The BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop presents WEST, the Wine Education Series of Tastings, beginning April 3rd at the Laurel Packinghouse, 1304 Ellis Street. WEST is a wine education program that combines the natural elements of food and wine in an interactive and casual environment. WEST events often feature special guests from inside the wine industry who always bring a new and entertaining twist to wine appreciation. Hosted by Julianna Hayes, WEST is for everyone, from novice to connoisseur.

Slow Food and the Art of Eating is the first WEST event, on April 3rd at 7:00pm. Discover the joys of slow food, steeped in the values of local culinary traditions and the use of fresh, local products. Chefs Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart of Joy Road Catering will serve up a selection of exceptional dishes prepared using the freshest seasonal Okanagan ingredients. Each dish will be paired with a BC VQA wine which has been specially selected by your WEST host, Julianna Hayes.  

Fresh and seasonal are the key elements to the slow food movement which emphasizes local agriculture and sustainability. ìSince our early days selling baking at the local farmerís market, Joy Road Catering has primarily used local ingredients for the simple reason that fresh tastes better,î says Ewart, ìAnd while socially-responsible food sourcing allows our customers to enjoy the local bounty at the height of ripeness, it also sustains the farmers and artisans who represent the agricultural heritage of the Okanagan.î

Tickets for Slow Food and the Art of Eating are $35 ($30 for Kelowna Museums members).

The next WEST event will be the Spring Wine Fest Warm-up on May 1, followed by Pass the Winemaker on June 5. For tickets and information please call (250)868-0441.

Buy a Season Pass now for only $105 ($90 for Kelowna Museums members). A Season Pass buys you admission to all three events in the Spring or Fall series and saves you $15.

The BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop is a facility of the Kelowna Museums Society, a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to a greater awareness of the agricultural, wine-producing, military, and cultural heritages of the Okanagan. The BC Wine Museum is located at 1304 Ellis Street, inside the Laurel Packinghouse at the corner of Ellis and Cawston in Kelownaís Cultural District. Open Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday 11am-5pm. Admission is by donation. For more information please visit www.KelownaMuseums.ca.

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18 Mar 2008

Kelowna Actors Studio Presents The World’s Longest Running Musical

Kelowna Actors Studio is pleased to present The Fantasticks as the fourth installment to its fifth season. The musical, which Life magazine once coined “a sophisticated story about innocence,” is the longest running musical in the world and the longest running production of any kind in American theatre. Kelowna Actors Studio presentation opens March 27 and runs until April 13, Thursday to Sunday evenings with Saturday matinees.

Based loosely on an early work by 19th Century French playwright, and written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, The Fantasticks tells the story of a young man and the girl next door, whose parents have built a wall to keep them apart. Using theatrical techniques from many parts of the world and many periods in history, it urges the audience to use their imagination, to follow the narrator El Gallo, as he creates for us a world of moonlight and magic.

The Fantasticks is the quintessential celebration of love, in all its gorgeous simplicity and heartbreaking complexities, and features such classic tunes as “Try To Remember,” “Much More,” and “I Can See It.” The musical originally opened at New York’s Sullivan Street Playhouse on May 3, 1960 and played 17,162 performances before closing January 13, 2002, making it the world’s longest running musical. Audiences have enjoyed more than 12,000 productions of The Fantasticks in over 3,000 cities and towns throughout the United States. Internationally, more than 700 productions have been staged in 68 nations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, and beyond.

Kelowna Actors Studio presentation of The Fantasticks is directed, produced, and choreographed by Randy Leslie. It stars Actors Studio favourites Carmen Harris and Chad Abrahamson as the young lovers, who last appeared together doing the Charleston in It’s A Wonderful Life. “Chad and Carmen have a fabulous energy on-stage,” says Leslie. “They first played lovers Lun Tha and Tuptim in our presentation of the King and I. Their voices blend so well together that I am thrilled to cast them together again.”

Neville Bowman plays the narrator. “Although Bowman has never been on the stage at the Actors Studio, he has acted as the musical director and orchestrator for several of our productions,” says Leslie. “He is no stranger to performance, though. He plays piano and sings in his own jazz trio, Just In Time and for The Michael Garding Big Band. He also plays bass for a local rock band, Ten To Nine, and plays piano for many Kelowna acts, including Ellen Churchill and Anna Jackson. We are thrilled to have his talent finally on our stage.”

The cast includes Ron Green and Jeff Samin as the scheming fathers and Ryan Buelher and James Long as the traveling actors. Scott Lawler portrays the mute.

The Fantasticks
March 27 - April 13, 2008
Kelowna Actors Studio
1379 Ellis Street (across from the Kelowna Public Library)
Dinner and dessert options available
Tickets at the Box Office, call 250 862 2867 or online: www.KelownaActorsStudio.com

Kelowna Actors Studio is the Okanagan’s only licensed dinner theatre, located at 1379 Ellis Street, across from the Kelowna Public Library. With a season subscriber base of over 1600, their mandate is to provide quality theatre and education, which showcases and fosters Okanagan talent. The Fantasticks runs from March 27 until April 13, Thursday to Sunday evenings with Saturday matinees. Dinner and dessert-only options are available. For more information, or to purchase tickets, drop by the on-site box office, call 250 862 2867, or visit www.KelowaActorsStudio.com. 

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05 Mar 2008

15 Designers! 6 Minutes of Fame!

The Life & Arts Festival is calling for local designers to participate in our Designer Six Pack - a showcase for established and emerging designers in all disciplines to take the floor and strut their stuff in a fast-paced presentation of 20 images from their portfolio in 6 minutes.

The Designer Six Pack is open to architects, graphic designers, interior designers, landscape architects and others in the Okanagan Valley, but presentation spaces are limited.

For more information please contact:
Janet Anderson, Artistic Director, Festivals Kelowna
Telephone: 250-762-3991
Email: Click here

A Production of Festivals Kelowna, in partnership with the Okanagan Science and Technology Council and the Okanagan Institute.

Download the PDF Flyer: Designer Six Pack Invitation

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The Life & Arts Festival presents Design For Life
May 10 & 11, 2008, Kelowna Art Gallery

Design for Life is an event component of the Life & Arts Festival that explores design and its ubiquitous impact in our lives through presentations, panels and exhibits. Sustainable Design will be the focus in 2008 as we explore the "greening" of all kinds of design - from cities to buildings to landscapes to products.

The Life & Arts Festival is a multi-discipline arts festival produced by Festivals Kelowna that offers a diverse set of experiences and performance opportunities through partnerships with artists, arts groups and businesses in the community. Music, live theatre, street performances, dance, visual arts, a lantern festival, the spoken word and multiculturalism are all part of the inclusive programming showcased at the Festival annually on the Mothers Day weekend in May.

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29 Feb 2008

The Right to Renovate TOOLS, TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES » Thursday 6 March 2008 | 4:30 pm » BeanScene North, 1289 Ellis Street An informal afternoon hour showcasing the people and ideas featured in Okanagan Home. Join us as writers Sandra Kochan, Dona Sturmanis and Karin Wilson share their reno woes and wonders, and offer up some perspective on what motivates women today to take on projects. » This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost. » Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE Sponsored by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Books, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna Tool Talk Reveals Reno Trends Women have become key players in the housing market. They're taking on home ownership and doing more than just hanging pictures - they're renovating. This week Okanagan Institute undertakes a bit of tool-talk 4:30 p.m. March 6 when three local women reveal their hidden passion for renovation with The Right to Renovate: Tools, Trends and Techniques held at Bean Scene North in Kelowna. Writers Sandra Kochan, Dona Sturmanis and Karin Wilson have all taken power drills into their own hands. They'll share their tales of reno woes and wonders, and offer up some perspective on what motivates women today to take on projects. "I remember my single mother teaching me how to splice an electrical cord and re-wire with a new plug," says Wilson. "She told me I would need to know those kinds of things, and she was right." There was a time not too many generations ago that single women couldn't own a home without a father co-signing the mortgage. Today, those figures have changed dramatically. In a recent Royal LePage survey, 30 per cent of single, never-before married women own their own home, while 45 per cent of divorced or separated women and 64 per cent of widowed women are homeowners. When asked what they plan to do with their new home, 25 per cent of women say want a fixer-upper and plan to do the work themselves. That puts tools directly into the hands of women, and even manufacturers are starting to take notice with some companies like Barbara K coming out with special lines that offer a variety of tools for the more petite hand. Call it small but vital. 'I'm not keen on pink tools,' quips Kochan, 'but smaller and lighter circular and reciprocating saws, for example, with good power would be a great idea. Until then, more upper body workouts!' Sandra Kochan has been writing about food, wine, travel and culture since 1989 for publications ranging from British Columbia Wine Trails to Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest. She's currently the coordinator for Kelowna's Public Art Program and has been assisting with the development of the city's new 10 year master plan for recreation, parks and cultural services. Dona Sturmanis is the senior editor of Okanagan Home and Saskatoon Home magazines, and an avid Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiast who has visited houses he has designed across North America. A well-known Okanagan writer and instructor who has written thousands of articles, her diverse interests have led her to become a passionate follower of all things artistic - right down to the eclectic choice of paint on her walls. Karin Wilson is the associate director of Okanagan Institute, and a local writer and broadcaster. A true novice when it comes to home design, she lets instinct and a personal adoration for European and Asian influences dictate her palette. The Right to Renovate: Tools, Trends and Techniques is a free event, and takes place at BeanScene North. It's presented by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing. Express is sponsored by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Books, UBCO Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, and supports the work of Project Literacy Kelowna. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE Okanagan Insitute at BeanScene North A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture and community. Produced by the Okanagan institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home. Expresss is a cultural tonic that refreshes the mind. Join us at BeanScene North after work on Thursdays for a free hour of stimulation that will get your synapses tingling with new ideas and fresh images. Designed for inquiring minds looking for, among other things, the wild blue yonder.

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29 Feb 2008