VIFF blasts off its summer-long ode to the '80s with Back to the Future and a costume party, June 29
Pull out your most obnoxious neon for a night of plutonium-powered nostalgia—and get ready for Back to the 80s’ summer-long lineup of classics
Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future.
VIFF Centre screens Back to the Future and hosts the Back to the 80s Opening Night Party on June 29
JUST AS THE BELOVED science-fiction film Back to the Future looked longingly back to the simpler 1950s, we find ourselves in 2023 looking nostalgically back to the 1980s—from highlighter-pink oversized blazers on fashion runways to the synth pop from artists like The Weeknd and Metric.
And so it seems perfectly timed that Vancouver International Film Festival should kick off its gigantic Back to the 80s summer series with the hit 1985 film about a teen who travels back to disrupt his 1950s parents’ lives in a plutonium-powered DeLorean time machine. Cue up the Huey Lewis!
The movie is like a time capsule in itself: consider that, when Marty McFly lands in 1955, he starts looking for a payphone. And then there’s the baffled, 1950s Doc Brown refusing to believe Marty’s claim that Ronald Reagan is President in ‘85.
The film is also an opportunity to bask in the self-effacing, slapstick comedic chops of a young Michael J. Fox. And what about a 20-year-old Crispin Glover playing not only the shy and awkward teenage George McFly at Hill Valley High in 1955, but the 47-year-old version of Marty’s dad?
There’s more, much more, to savour in this trip into everything that was good and bad about the ‘80s (a sip of Tab anyone?); small wonder Robert Zemeckis’s flick spawned endless sequels and, as of last year, a full-on Broadway musical (with the DeLorean as a major set piece).
The June 29 screening features an introduction and Q&A with Back to the Future director of photography Dean Cundey; note the signature look of the film, punctuated with bright reds and blues.
Make sure to wear your most obnoxious neon legwarmers, parachute pants, and scrunchies for the ‘80s-themed opening night party after the screening. The evening at the VIFF Centre includes a “time-travelling musical medley” from vocal trio The Dimes, a costume party, a pop culture trivia quiz, and 1980s cocktail. VIFF has hinted we may even spot a certain time-machine.
Note that there will be more screenings of Back to the Future on July 1 and 6 (the first one with an introduction by actor Jason Deline). And the rest of the Back to the 80s series? Prepare for a summer full of time-travelling, whether it's back to popcorn spectacles like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Ghostbusters or masterworks like The Shining and Paris, Texas. You might want to keep those neon legwarmers on.
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