The following is a look ahead at select upcoming events held at SFU Vancouver, for the week of August 15-22, 2014. For the full calendar of events, please visit: https://events.sfu.ca/ViewCal.html?calendar_id=6

Coming up next week at SFU Vancouver:

Monday, August 18

New Frontiers in Film: The Gender Equality Revolution.

Time: 12-1:30pm
Place: Rm. 7000, Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St.
Cost: Free, registration required.

Join SFU Public Square and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival for a moderated panel discussion exploring the emergence of women in the film industry. Is it surprising that women's lives remain unexplored in popular cinema given not much has changed for women in film since the 1940s? The most encouraging numbers show that just 6% of directors in Hollywood are women (internationally, it’s 8%).

This is why the Queer Film Festival's 2014 season is a watershed moment. In a year of groundbreaking cinema, over 50% of the festival's feature programs are helmed by women. Not only that, these directors are Aboriginal, transgender, women with disabilities and women of colour—intersecting identities that are the least common in above-the-line credits.

Is there a paradigm shift happening that is levelling the playing field for women directors? What roles do festivals, and particularly queer film festivals, play in creating exhibition opportunities? Panelists share their paths to Sundance, HBO, and beyond.

August 14-24

Vancouver Queer Film Festival 2014

Time:  Various times (full program)
Place:  Various locations, including the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings St.
Cost: Tickets and passes available through the Vancouver Queer Film Festival website

The Vancouver Queer Film Festival brings together a selection of more than 80 films from 11 countries showcasing a diverse array of queer stories, from local independent short films to internationally celebrated award-winning films from festivals like Sundance, Toronto International Film Festival, Window to Europe, and Moscow Premiere.