Hey there. 

Somehow May is already creeping to a close, and by the time we next see each other, it'll be June. Or, as it's better known in Vancouver, Junuary. Early forecasts seem to suggest that's roughly on par with what we can expect next week, with warm weather giving way to rain and showers. Well, anything to make it less humid!

— V.
Senior editor

It can be trite to talk about how the setting of a movie is a character in the film, but that's extremely true in this case. The eponymous Backrooms, based on an internet mythos, were really built: 30,000 square feet of fluorescent liminal space sprawled through Richmond's Fraserwood Studio. "What can we do to sell this whole vibe to someone that may know nothing about it?" says the film's production designer, Bowen Island-based Danny Vermette. "As an audience member, you’re discovering it with the characters.” 

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Inbetweens follows teen artists Sloane and Ash as they try to figure out if they want to become animators. It's based on a lot of Faith Erin Hicks' own experiences in the animation industry, which she says is one of Canada's undersung heroes. “A lot of the Canadian animation industry is typically service work for American shows and American productions," Hicks says. “Canadian studios and Canadian animators and artists are incredibly talented and have wonderful stories to tell."

The organizers of Folk Fest have announced when you can find which acts where at this year's Jericho Beach Park bonanza.

COFU doesn't hide the fact it serves fish-free sushi. But the Chinatown omakase spot isn't trying to imitate anything else, either: it's just serving good food, seriously considered and carefully designed. “It’s not only trendy," says owner Akiko Gulkison, who moved to Vancouver in 2018 without any plans to start a restaurant. "It’s a real food place.”

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