amanda castleman - sidebars for moviemaker vancouver

Moviemaker Magazine
Summer 2005

Sidebars for Hollywood North by Northwest
Drama in the drizzle: Vancouver, B.C., has nurtured Boris Karloff, Star Trek's Scotty, Pam Anderson and the continent's third-largest film production center.

Know before you go
The B.C. Film Commission runs herd on movie projects (www.bcfilmcommission.com; 604-660-2732). The Vancouver Film Office coaches on permits, licenses, insurance and other red tape (www.city.vancouver.bc.ca; 604-873-7337). But it's a swell place to shoot. Small wonder it topped MM's 2003 list of the ten best North American cities for independent moviemakers.

The Vancouver Independent Film Festival screens over 300 films each autumn (September 29-October 14, 2005; www.viff.org; 604-685-0260). In November, the city also hosts the Vancouver Asian Film Festival (www.vaff.org; 604-251-6828). See the good and gritty side of local filmmaking at the University of British Columbia's Student Film Festival in late April (www.film.ubc.ca; 604-761-7680). This program has a far better reputation than the Vancouver Film School (www.vfs.com; 604-685-5808).

Reel West magazine chronicles production in western Canada (www.reelwest.com). David Spaner charts the course of B.C.'s film industry in his 2004 book Dreaming in the Rain: How Vancouver Became Hollywood North by Northwest (www.arsenalpulp.com). Pacific Cinematheque – a non-profit promoting “understanding of film and moving images” – is the best bet for offbeat viewing (1131 Howe St, near Helmecken; www.cinematheque.bc.ca; 604-688-3456).

Where to eat
Superb falafel shops flank most downtown streets; $3-6 buys a pita bursting with salad and deep-fried chickpea patties. Or scramble into Hon's Wun-Tun House's newest outlet at 1339 Robson Street. Japanese noodles – udon and somen – feature here, but Cantonese potstickers star. A separate vegetarian kitchen churns out a vast meat-free menu. The original restaurant remains packed in Chinatown too (108-268 Keefer Street at Gore Street; 604-688-08710).

Mirrors and bling flash in friendly, funky Bin 941. Electronica oozes through this narrow, appealingly dark, tapas parlor, crowded with hipsters. The balsamic-splashed, peppery Yukon Gold fries pile chin-high. The buoyant Navajo fry bread – paired with goat cheese and dried-tomato salsa – is a more manageable portion, though still satisfyingly anti-Atkins. Other notables include smoked sable fish in sticky black rice, crab cakes with orange chipotle sauce and truffle-oil risotto (941 Davie Street; www.bin941.com; 604-683-1246).

Cast-iron roosters parade above the wood-fired oven at Cin Cin, a deservedly trendy celebration spot (the name – pronounced “chin chin” – is the Italian equivalent of “cheers”). A marble bar swoops through this intimate eatery, cradled by ochre walls. The menu ranges from beef carpaccio to buffalo strip loin, duck breast to Dungeness crab, Pacific halibut to pizza with confit artichoke. The renowned wine list takes flight from a screw-top B.C. blend to a 1989 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande grand cru at $1,450 a bottle (1154 Robson Street; www.cincin.net; 604-688-7338).

Where to explore
Totem poles tower over the world-class Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. The dramatic structure – which Arthur Erickson modeled on traditional post-and-beam architecture – showcases the vibrant art of the Northwest Coast First Peoples, including Bill Reid's sublime cedar sculpture The Raven and the First Men ($9; 6393 NW Marine Drive; www.moa.ubc.ca; 604-822-5087).

The Vancouver Art Gallery collection isn't as consistently stunning. The one exception: the top floor dedicated to Emily Carr (1871-1945). This eccentric painter captured the area's spirit – its rainforests, indigenous art and even clear cuts – with bold brushstrokes and a big heart ($15; 750 Hornby Street; www.vanartgallery.bc.ca; 604-622-4719).

A stroll through Gastown, Stanley Park and Chinatown should feature on every itinerary, along with a soothing stop at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden ($8.25; 578 Carrall Street; www.vancouverchinesegarden.com; 604-662-3207). Trawl through Yaletown, where boutiques and cafes crowd converted warehouses.

Where to stay
The Opus shelters the celebrity-sphere, crediting about 25 percent of its bookings to film stars, media moguls and production teams (Oscar winners each bagged three nights here in the 2004 and 2005 goodie bags). This boutique hotel manages sumptuous style and superb service sans snobbiness; if only more could … The 96 rooms pair kooky colors with minimalist chic. The penthouse boasts a panoramic bathtub, while other rooms enjoy semi-private patios fringed with indigenous and ornamental plants (322 Davie Street; www.opushotel.com; 604-642-6787).

Television and advertising crews frequent the Westin Grand, named for its piano-inspired curvaceous shape. The accommodating staff assembles production suites regularly. Request workspace near the sweeping pool terrace, which overlooks the rust-colored Coliseum-style library next door (433 Robson and Homer Streets; www.westingrandvancouver.com; 604-602-1999).

The Sylvia Hotel offers mid-range elegance two blocks from Stanley Park. The 1912 landmark is swathed in brick, terracotta and Virginia creeper (1154 Gilford Street; www.sylviahotel.com; 604-681-9321). Tight-budget teams prefer Vancouver's Hostel International. Perks include small dorms (a four-bed maximum), foosball, linens, a garden patio, kitchen and Internet access (1114 Burnaby Street; 605-684-4565; www.hihostels.ca).

Transport
Vancouver International Airport stands on Sea Island, eight miles south of downtown (www.yvr.ca; 604-207-7077). The #424 shuttle connects the bus station and the airport's domestic terminal ($2-3, exact change required; buses 98B and #496; www.translink.bc.ca). The airporter may be more convenient ($18 roundtrip; www.yvrairporter.com; 604-946-8866 or 1-800-668-3141). A taxi to the city center costs $23-25.

The train route from Seattle to Vancouver ranks among North America's most scenic. Frosted peaks and firs loom, as the carriages chug along the coastline. Passengers frequently spot herons, eagles and even seals on the four-hour voyage. Amtrak runs a once-a-day service ($55 roundtrip; www.amtrak.com; 1-800-872-7245). Canada's cross-country trains terminate here too (www.viarail.ca; 604-640-3741 or 1-800-561-8630). For maximum style points, take the petite, snub-nosed False Creek ferry from the Pacific Central Station to downtown ($2.50¬-6; the dock is by Science World; www.granvilleislandferries.bc.ca; 604-684-7781).

"Mirrors and bling
flash in friendly, funky
Bin 941. Electronica
oozes through this
narrow, appealingly dark,
tapas parlor, crowded
with hipsters."

"Totem poles tower over
the world-class Museum
of Anthropology at the
University of BC."

"The Opus shelters
the celebrity-sphere,
crediting about 25 percent
of its bookings to film stars,
media moguls and
production teams."

Back to the portfolio

Moviemaker Magazine Summer 2005		Sidebars for Hollywood North by Northwest Drama in the drizzle: Vancouver, B.C., has nurtured Boris Karloff, Star Trek's Scotty, Pam Anderson and the continent's third-largest film production center.
		Know before you go The B.C. Film Commission runs herd on movie projects (www.bcfilmcommission.com; 604-660-2732). The Vancouver Film Office coaches on permits, licenses, insurance and other red tape (www.city.vancouver.bc.ca; 604-873-7337). But it's a swell place to shoot. Small wonder it topped MM's 2003 list of the ten best North American cities for independent moviemakers. The Vancouver Independent Film Festival screens over 300 films each autumn (September 29-October 14, 2005; www.viff.org; 604-685-0260). In November, the city also hosts the Vancouver Asian Film Festival (www.vaff.org; 604-251-6828). See the good and gritty side of local filmmaking at the University of British Columbia's Student Film Festival in late April (www.film.ubc.ca; 604-761-7680). This program has a far better reputation than the Vancouver Film School (www.vfs.com; 604-685-5808). Reel West magazine chronicles production in western Canada (www.reelwest.com). David Spaner charts the course of B.C.'s film industry in his 2004 book Dreaming in the Rain: How Vancouver Became Hollywood North by Northwest (www.arsenalpulp.com). Pacific Cinematheque – a non-profit promoting “understanding of film and moving images” – is the best bet for offbeat viewing (1131 Howe St, near Helmecken; www.cinematheque.bc.ca; 604-688-3456). Where to eat Superb falafel shops flank most downtown streets; $3-6 buys a pita bursting with salad and deep-fried chickpea patties. Or scramble into Hon's Wun-Tun House's newest outlet at 1339 Robson Street. Japanese noodles – udon and somen – feature here, but Cantonese potstickers star. A separate vegetarian kitchen churns out a vast meat-free menu. The original restaurant remains packed in Chinatown too (108-268 Keefer Street at Gore Street; 604-688-08710). Mirrors and bling flash in friendly, funky Bin 941. Electronica oozes through this narrow, appealingly dark, tapas parlor, crowded with hipsters. The balsamic-splashed, peppery Yukon Gold fries pile chin-high. The buoyant Navajo fry bread – paired with goat cheese and dried-tomato salsa – is a more manageable portion, though still satisfyingly anti-Atkins. Other notables include smoked sable fish in sticky black rice, crab cakes with orange chipotle sauce and truffle-oil risotto (941 Davie Street; www.bin941.com; 604-683-1246). Cast-iron roosters parade above the wood-fired oven at Cin Cin, a deservedly trendy celebration spot (the name – pronounced “chin chin” – is the Italian equivalent of “cheers”). A marble bar swoops through this intimate eatery, cradled by ochre walls. The menu ranges from beef carpaccio to buffalo strip loin, duck breast to Dungeness crab, Pacific halibut to pizza with confit artichoke. The renowned wine list takes flight from a screw-top B.C. blend to a 1989 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande grand cru at $1,450 a bottle (1154 Robson Street; www.cincin.net; 604-688-7338). Where to explore Totem poles tower over the world-class Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. The dramatic structure – which Arthur Erickson modeled on traditional post-and-beam architecture – showcases the vibrant art of the Northwest Coast First Peoples, including Bill Reid's sublime cedar sculpture The Raven and the First Men ($9; 6393 NW Marine Drive; www.moa.ubc.ca; 604-822-5087). The Vancouver Art Gallery collection isn't as consistently stunning. The one exception: the top floor dedicated to Emily Carr (1871-1945). This eccentric painter captured the area's spirit – its rainforests, indigenous art and even clear cuts – with bold brushstrokes and a big heart ($15; 750 Hornby Street; www.vanartgallery.bc.ca; 604-622-4719). A stroll through Gastown, Stanley Park and Chinatown should feature on every itinerary, along with a soothing stop at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden ($8.25; 578 Carrall Street; www.vancouverchinesegarden.com; 604-662-3207). Trawl through Yaletown, where boutiques and cafes crowd converted warehouses. Where to stay The Opus shelters the celebrity-sphere, crediting about 25 percent of its bookings to film stars, media moguls and production teams (Oscar winners each bagged three nights here in the 2004 and 2005 goodie bags). This boutique hotel manages sumptuous style and superb service sans snobbiness; if only more could … The 96 rooms pair kooky colors with minimalist chic. The penthouse boasts a panoramic bathtub, while other rooms enjoy semi-private patios fringed with indigenous and ornamental plants (322 Davie Street; www.opushotel.com; 604-642-6787). Television and advertising crews frequent the Westin Grand, named for its piano-inspired curvaceous shape. The accommodating staff assembles production suites regularly. Request workspace near the sweeping pool terrace, which overlooks the rust-colored Coliseum-style library next door (433 Robson and Homer Streets; www.westingrandvancouver.com; 604-602-1999). The Sylvia Hotel offers mid-range elegance two blocks from Stanley Park. The 1912 landmark is swathed in brick, terracotta and Virginia creeper (1154 Gilford Street; www.sylviahotel.com; 604-681-9321). Tight-budget teams prefer Vancouver's Hostel International. Perks include small dorms (a four-bed maximum), foosball, linens, a garden patio, kitchen and Internet access (1114 Burnaby Street; 605-684-4565; www.hihostels.ca). Transport Vancouver International Airport stands on Sea Island, eight miles south of downtown (www.yvr.ca; 604-207-7077). The #424 shuttle connects the bus station and the airport's domestic terminal ($2-3, exact change required; buses 98B and #496; www.translink.bc.ca). The airporter may be more convenient ($18 roundtrip; www.yvrairporter.com; 604-946-8866 or 1-800-668-3141). A taxi to the city center costs $23-25. The train route from Seattle to Vancouver ranks among North America's most scenic. Frosted peaks and firs loom, as the carriages chug along the coastline. Passengers frequently spot herons, eagles and even seals on the four-hour voyage. Amtrak runs a once-a-day service ($55 roundtrip; www.amtrak.com; 1-800-872-7245). Canada's cross-country trains terminate here too (www.viarail.ca; 604-640-3741 or 1-800-561-8630). For maximum style points, take the petite, snub-nosed False Creek ferry from the Pacific Central Station to downtown ($2.50¬-6; the dock is by Science World; www.granvilleislandferries.bc.ca; 604-684-7781).
"Mirrors and bling flash in friendly, funky Bin 941. Electronica oozes through this narrow, appealingly dark, tapas parlor, crowded with hipsters."
"Totem poles tower over the world-class Museum of Anthropology at the University of BC."
"The Opus shelters the celebrity-sphere, crediting about 25 percent of its bookings to film stars, media moguls and production teams."
		*Back to the portfolio*