HE 11TH Vancouver International Film Festival was a

big success. The trade forum was a huge hit and

87,000 people showed for screenings of the 250 films
shown over the two-week period.

One of the most notable things
about this year’s festival was the
popularity of the East Asian films.
Voting moviegoers produced a tie
for the most popular film — be-
tween Australia’s Strictly Ballroom
and China's The Story of Qiu Ju.

The Federal Express Award for
Most Popular Canadian Film went
to Manufacturing Consent: Noam
Chomsky & The Media, a National
Film Board flick from (where else?)
Morireal.

The two main parties were OK.
The first, at the Law Cours, was
the best, with lots of schmoozing.

The entire North Van Lamb clan
was there, as was Premier Mike
and his wife Becky — he was hav-
ing fun, she obviously needed
sleep (the Law Courts is a very tir-
ing place to party — that cement
floor is a killer).

The second party, at the Hotel
Vancouver, was fine. The problem
with the entertainment industry is
a combination of the fact that its
members are from disparate
backgrounds, often having nothing
in common, and the fact that
they’ re not usually that skilled in
social! graces.

Se mingling was minimal and
many people in jeans (and one
sweatsuif just stood stuck to the
wall staring at the too-few people
in tuxedos.

Also, according to the
bartender, few people had money
to spend. Indeed, | saw one tacky
man try to bargain with the
bartender. “How much is a beer?
Would you take $2?” Really.

North Van producer Walter
Daroshin was there with his wife
Tina, who is arnazingly slim after
just delivering their second child.

And Avalon Hotel owner Ken
Hutchinson — perfectly dressed
as always — was there with
BCTV’s Pamela Martin, also
perfectly dressed as always.

This is definitely now the best-
looking couple on the North
Shore, although both of them
were a little worse for wear after
having spent the day helping Mar-
tin’s six-year-old, and 10 of her
friends, celebrate her birthday at
Chuck E Cheese’s.

Sorry | missed that one.

Also there was Kids in the Hall
comedian Bruce No-Photos-Please
McCulloch, and Sonoma Valley
grape grower Melinda Balaam,
who was up from California for

PREMIER MIKE Harcourt and wife Becky partied at the Law SUZIE RO

films from around the world.

Louise Aird
BRIGHT LIGHTS

Nexus ’92, the native trade forum
and art show with the year’s most
unfortunate title — most people |
spoke to thought it was about hair
care.

Balaam, who is an avid collector
of native art, showed up wearing
the most exquisite leather suit}
have ever seen, designed by the
artist team of Dorothy Grant and
Robert Davidson. And no, | did
not ask what it cost.

xk

More exquisite clothes were
displayed at ‘Fashion Com-
munication,’’ a joint fashion show

NORTH VAN producer Walter
Daroshin showed up at the se-
cond party celebrating the
Vancouver International Film
Festival.

from C'est Ca, Boy’s Co. and Co
Richo Fashions, which was also a
Food Bank fundraiser.

About 300 showed at the Van-

Photos Louise Aird

SEEN AT the party at the Hote! Vancou

ver celebrating the 1992 Vancouver Internatione! Film Fes-

tiva!, Avaton Hotel owner Ken Hutchinson and BCTV's Pamela Martin were charsctoristically well

dressed.

couver Art Gallery for the show,
which was way more interesting
than the Big Three — much more
Paris than New York, more Audrey
than Ivana,

Wast Van girls Shannon Walker
and Suzie Rosinski opened C'est
Ca to provide ‘an alternative
shopping experience” and the
clothes from all three stores
definitely were different, with lots
of Kamali, Magaschoni, Boss,
Moschino and Hamnett.

There was cruisewear in multi-
colored plaids and stripes, but
there was also lovely evening wear
— sophisticated practical black
dresses, sequinned hot pants
under suit jackets — great stuff.

And a fun party with lots of
imagination — even the food and
drinks were imaginative. The
music was great, and people
stayed late to dance, including
several prominent VSE types who
made me swear | wouldn’t men-
tion their names. ... | hate that.

And | have just one thing to say

SINSKI (left) and Shannon
Courts during the film festival last month, which featured 250 ‘‘alternative shopping experience”’ in their store, C'est Ca, which recently participated in the

to the man who stole my wallet at
the nightclub after-party:
CP ot 7 Be 1G (% BE?

Stopped in e@ opening
reception of the Third National
Meeting of Les Clefs d’Or — or the
Society of the Golden Keys.

This is the Paris-based organiza-
tion of concierges (there are 4,000
in 26 countries) and, as such, is
probably the most discriminating
bunch of individuals around.

So they were treated like royalty
for the weekend, which included a
dinner-dance at Le Meridien and a
day at Grouse Mountain — by
which New York's Carlyle Hotel
chief concierge John Neary was
“very impressed.”

And the reception, hosted by
Where magazine and Le Meridien
chief concierge Diane Ditlon, was
flawless.

The 200 “keepers of the key”
gathered at Seasons in the Park for
a spectacular buffet provided by
Seasons owner James Terry, who
is also owner of the Teahouse,

VS 5 : Es

“Fashion Communication” show at the VAG.

which is managed by North Van‘s
Felix Zusbucher.

(Terry's attitude toward con-
cierges? ‘You call, we grovel.’’)

The conversation, however, was
mainly about, well, concierge
stuff. Officially, the organization's
mandate is to ‘perform the im-
possible” and we al} know how
impossible certain hotel guests can
be.

Unfertunately, the mark of a
good concierge is unflinching
discretion, sc nobody would tell
me any of their favorite
Hollywood-star-from-hell stories. |
wonder why.

And from my ‘$50 Says He’s
English’’ department, Lions Bay
has a thief. I’m told that one resi-
dent has started stealing rotting
garbage from his neighbors’ com-
post containers.

And you think your neighbors
are weird,

Walker, pictured above with David Goldman, provide an