2010 Surrey Civic Treasure Award Recipient, Chris Thornley, will be hosting this year’s Surrey International Film Festival Awards Gala on November 2nd!

A little bit about Chris Thornley:

Vice President : thornley creative communications

Surrey cultural business owner, arts advocate, philanthropist and musician, White Rock resident Chris Thornley is a graduate of both BCIT in Marketing and Advertising and Douglas College in Graphic Design. His firm has been responsible for the logos and branding of many not-for-profit organizations including the Arts Council of Surrey, Sources, Bard on the Beach, Surrey Libraries and the Kla how eya Aboriginal Cultural Centre. A former chairman of the BC Coalition for Music Education, he is active in the community and is a past recipient of the Community Leader Award ( Top honour recipient 2005). Chris’ contributions to the arts and the community have been recognized with numerous awards including being named a Surrey Civic Treasure in Arts, Heritage & Culture, “Sergeant at Arms” for the 2012 BC Summer Games and an Alumni of Distinction by Douglas College. Chris articulates his social conscience through his music and selflessly gives of his considerable talent as a singer/musician to raise money for non-profit youth and arts societies such as Young People’s Opera and The Surrey Food Bank. Many have benefitted from his generosity of spirit and his passion for the communities he serves. Last year Chris volunteered to chair the White Rock Branding Review Committee, and this year he sits on Surrey’s Cultural Development Advisory Committee.

The festival will be showcasing the top 10 films of the two day event and presenting awards to the winners in the categories listed below:

Best Screenplay
Best Editor
Best Cinematography
Best Actor
Best Director
Best Film – High School
Best Film – Post Secondary/Professional

 Best of the Festival
Presented to the overall Best Student Production

Admission is free for the event, and guests are encouraged to dress their best and get their photos taken on the Red Carpet. Audience members have a chance of winning some awesome prizes such as HBO Box sets, Gift Cards, and more! This year the festival will be showcasing films from 8 different countries over the span of two nights, November 1 -2. Please email RSVP@surreyfilmfest.ca to secure your free tickets for any of the screenings!

Official Selections for 2013

Professional Short Films:

“Side Effected” – Lev Pakman                                                   New York City, United States
“Boats” – Justen Dec                                                                Los Angeles, United States
“Record/Play” – Jesse Atlas                                                     Los Angeles, United States
“Codename: Simon” – Graham Tallman                             Ontario, Canada
“Jack” – Grace Jackson                                                               Los Angeles, United States
“Voice Over” – Martin Rosete                                                  Madrid, Spain
“Generation to Generation” – Philip Montgomery         Los Angeles, California
“Monsters Do Not Exist” – Paul Urkijo                             Phinm, Cambodia
“Bless You” – Philip Watts                                                         Melbourne, Australia
“Little Freak” – Edwin Schaap                                               Nieuwegein, Netherlands
“Where Am I?” – David Dang                                                Paris, France
“Are You Leaving?” – Cristina Molino                                Madrid, Spain
“Bajo La Almohada” – Isabel Herguera                             Tivim, India

Post Secondary Short Films:

“Awake” – Danny Blackstock                                                     Simon Fraser University
“O Angel of God” – David Manuel                                           Simon Fraser University
“I Did it For Love” – Quinn Spickler                                      Simon Fraser University

High School Short Films:

“Identity Crisis” – Matthew Furtado                                         Fleetwood Park Secondary
“Roots Rewound” – Rajdeep Kambo                                         Enver Creek Secondary
“Walking in Circles” – Cassia Armstrong                                 South Ridge School
“Heart of Osmium” – Sam Wang                                               Fleetwood Park Secondary
“Before You Go” – James Adamson                                          South Ridge School
“Inside the Lines” – Amanda Burns                                          South Ridge School
“Blood Knights Trailer” – Amy Goheen                                 Computer Learning Centre, Surrey Libraries
“The Couch” – Laine MacNiel                                                      Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary
“What is a Home” – Mark Harvey                                             Frames Film Project