The first ever Destroyed Underground Film Fest (DUFF) is launching in Victoria this November, and will feature a week of top-notch, low-budget and DIY cinema.
DUFF is being put on by local cinema enthusiasts and event organizers Destroyed Cinema, who have been making waves in Victoria for around two years now by hosting underground film screenings that have been paired with local bands and musical artists.
Destroyed Cinema was founded by JP Meldrum and Nick Workman, whose main goal in the endeavour is to highlight underground independent film to the community.
In addition to these music and film pairings, the duo has collaborated with the Victoria Film Festival, launched a film distribution company and hosted numerous secret film screenings at innovative locations throughout the city.
Now, they are putting on a festival of their own for the first time, taking place from Monday, November 16th to Saturday, November 21st.
“It’s been about a year in the works,” Workman told Victoria Buzz.
“We started last year in February when we started putting together what resources we would need such as a place we could either host for multiple days or for a longer period of time, then narrowing it down to films and filmmakers we thought would be interesting to our audience.”
DUFF will see five film events pop-up around Victoria at DIY spaces such as Friendship Hall and Fernwood Community Centre.
Following the week of pop-ups, there will be a showcase at UVic’s on-campus theatre, Cinecenta, featuring five films throughout the day.
Some of the films Destroyed Cinema highlighted that will be played at the first iteration of DUFF include BUM (2025), GIRLZ NIGHT (2020), Drinking and Driving (2026) and Toronto Apartment (2026).
Both BUM and GIRLZ NIGHT will be playing on Wednesday, November 18th at Friendship Hall, located at 1110 Hillside Avenue.
BUM was directed by Ontario-based filmmaker Anthony Leroy, and follows a freelance news crew and a hotshot reporter on their search for a violent vagrant, but they end up getting more than they bargained for.
GIRLZ NIGHT was shot in Sooke and was directed by Vancouver Island filmmaker Christian Zakharchuk. This film follows a negative free and playful sitcom which is hijacked by an entity daunting a pig mask that tears apart the mindless glee hiding the real horrors.
Drinking and Driving was also shot on Vancouver Island by filmmakers Jillian Frank and Avalon Fast. It is one of the showcase films being shown at Cinecenta on Saturday, November 21st.
It follows early-twenties Iris and Palmer who have never left their hometown. They work at the same restaurant, share the same bed and both have a habit of drinking and driving.
However, when they start spending time with a stranger named Levi and his friend Phoenix, something changes. As summer fades, the parties die down and the four are left facing an uncertain future.
Toronto Apartment was directed by Ontario-based filmmaker Tristan Wheeler, and it is also one of the showcase films.
This film is about a Toronto tenant named Lock who hatches a scheme to sublease his unit for an hour or two at a time after being dumped and left with an apartment he can no longer afford.
Before long, his “community space” becomes a smashing success and a hub for the city’s musicians, dating groups and clandestine terrorist cells.
However, when a potential subleaser catches his eye, Lock has to decide whether he is really a community-space provider or simply another exploitative landlord.
The film is described as an absurdist comedy that takes aim at housing insecurity, community, success and exploitation with a wry and surreal sense of humour.
In total, 18 films will be shown at DUFF between the pop-ups and showcase.
Workman and Meldrum said that many of the films selected are made by directors they have worked with before, but several directors also reached out to them as well.
Additionally, for the vast majority of the films, this festival will mark their premiere screening in BC.
The Destroyed Cinema founders said that this type of film festival, which features underground films, is important to them because it helps build a new community in Victoria.
Meldrum likened the modern film festival to events such as Coachella or Phillips Backyard locally. Big events that prioritize big names that will sell tickets with the goal of making a profit.
“You can’t really get into a film festival anywhere in BC with a film that cost $10,000 [to make],” explained Meldrum.
“Essentially, we want to elevate those films to that level.”
He noted that lo-fi, independent musicians can often get onto festival lineups, but the same opportunities are not frequently afforded to underground filmmakers.
“For me, I like to help people get their film seen, that’s what I’m about,” added Workman.
“I want people who part their heart and soul into something—for maybe $2,000 or more—to know that we have their back, we can show it and we can try to get an audience in front of that.”
Workman also noted that he hopes attendees of DUFF feel inspired to try their own hand at shooting a movie.
“I hope that they’ll go out and make their own film because they know we’ll promote it,” he said.
“I hope that someone sees something that makes them realize the resources are mostly already in front of them.”
Destroyed Cinema works tirelessly to help underground and underappreciated artists from Vancouver Island, BC and beyond have a platform to share their work.
Check out one, or several of the films they will be showing at the inaugural DUFF.
Find out more about the films and where to see them online here.
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