Last couple times I went to VIFF, I did very little coverage. Now that we have writers from all over, it’s time for somebody to start focusing on the local content once again. Shawn snags lots of interviews when it comes to one particular event, and I’ve got an interview getting its final touches, but for now let’s let me do a review for the first time in a while. If you’ve been reading articles on this site for a long time, than you may remember when both Darren and I did our own separate articles on the Woman who Loves Giraffes. Well, Allison Reid decided to pick up her camera again and talk to some a couple of well aged men who took an adventure and added art to it. Now me and a lot of other people believe that art already is an adventure, when you really set your mind to it. A statement worth agreeing on, but what about when you go on a road trip of adventure and your car is your canvas? That was the interesting case for two best friends, Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster. Having known each other since youth in a birdwatching group, the two men had a huge interest in nature and one particular day in their teenage years they embarked on the greatest adventure of their life without it being a school field trip or family vacation. The two young men bought a land rover with mattresses, named it the Grizzly Torque and embarked across 19 countries in their journey. Their locations included Africa, India, Australia, and even Southeast Asia. When they started in Africa, they had to navigate past fallen trees and deal with villagers. After they loaded the Grizzly Torque onto a boat that took them to India they were welcomed by very interested locals and also were unexpectedly in an accident with somebody on their bike. In Australia they drove to Dorby almost all day long, and then went skin diving for fish to eat over a bonfire. During this time, Robert painted paintings of the different landmarks along the sides of the Grizzly Torque showcasing their travels. After the adventure, the two went on to pursue interesting careers. Robert became a famous artist eventually selling his work on printouts, and Briscoe became a filmmaker of ecological films. The two never lost touch and stayed supportive of any causes that could benefit the Earth and one day an auto collector who had lots of metal scrap found their old land rover and they decided to refurbish the old vehicle.
Even though it had been a while since Allison Reid did a documentary, she hasn’t lost her touch with this one being a well-made piece of work with footage from years ago upgraded to 4K. That was a big challenge according to Allison, but if it hadn’t been for her friend and colleauge Bill who digitized everything. Of course, sorting all the footage both old and new was even more difficult. But no matter what the age, it all looked incredible, the interviews were heartwarming and fascinating full of facts, and the whole thing was a true gem of VIFF content and Canadian culture altogether.
Even though it’s sold out, there’s always a line in case some people don’t show up. October 12 at 11AM at the VIFF Centre.