It began three years ago as an environmental film festival - and though New West Doc Fest has since broadened its horizons, it's not forgetting its roots.
The annual festival returns to Landmark Cinemas at New West station Oct. 22, 23 and 24.
"We're pretty excited," says Kathleen Somerville, one of the festival organizers, who's taking time out from her organizing duties for a phone interview. "We're really happy this year."
The three-day festival includes five feature films, opening with Just Eat It, a documentary about food waste from the creators of The Clean Bin Project.
That documentary screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival and received so much attention that extra screenings were added, Somerville notes.
She's expecting that it will be popular at the local festival too, particularly since it's on a topic that affects everyone's daily life.
"We always want to have something that relates to food or the environment that we can all relate to," she says.
She says it's important for the festival not just to provide the "doom and gloom" stories but to offer up ways that people can do their part to solve the problems facing the planet.
"It's something that you can do. It's a way that people can connect," she explains.
Also on the opening-night bill is Sturla Gunnarsson's documentary Monsoon, an exploration of the annual rains that descend upon India.
Day 2 includes a screening of Finding Vivian Maier, a documentary tracing the life of the late career nanny who earned a posthumous reputation as one of America's most accomplished street photographers. It also features Jesse Moss's The Overnighters, tracing the story of what happened in small-town Williston, North Dakota when thousands of desperate men and women flocked to the town in search of work in the booming oil industry.
The festival closes with Boyhood, Richard Linklater's groundbreaking fictional coming-of-age story that was filmed over 12 years with the same cast.
Boyhood is a departure for the festival in that it's the first non-documentary film to be screened.
"We have evolved to include more mainstream kind of films," Somerville notes, adding that the screening of Boyhood is serving as their "bridge" to next year's festival - when organizers plan to branch out from being a documentary film festival to being simply a film festival that includes documentaries.
This year, as in years past, organizers are offering plenty of what Somerville terms "value-added" events to bring the festival atmosphere to live.
The festival will open and close with a performer from the Vancouver Storytelling Society. The festival also includes musical entertainment and Q-and-A sessions, as well as the showing of various short films during the evening screenings.
It all wraps up with an "after party" on Friday night after the final film. That's being held at Wild Rice Restaurant at River Market, and it's free for anyone who has a ticket from any of the screenings.
It includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a chance to mingle with other festival-goers to talk over the week's events.
"We wanted to create opportunities for dialogue," Somerville says.
Tickets for individual films are $7 regular, or $5 for students and seniors, or you can buy an all-festival pass for $25.
Tickets can be bought at the door or online in advance - Somerville recommends buying in advance because some films may sell out.
For the full schedule or to buy tickets in advance, see www.newwestdocfest.ca. You can also find the festival on Twitter, @NewWestDocFest, and on Facebook - search for New West Doc Fest.
