“Make it as long as it needs to be good.”
His wisdom is born of personal experience. Hitting the scene in 2004, his breakout film In the Shadow of the Chief won Best Film at the VIMFF. A year later, Ivan joined the VIMFF team as Program Director for the first time, a position he held for 5 years before moving on to co-found Compass Media which has produced a large body of award-winning work.
A Toronto film student turned Vancouver rock climber, the VIMFF acted as a catalyst to his early career. He frequented the festivals and connected with the filmmaking community. It provided a space to bring climbing adventure stories to screen and launched what has become a decorated career in adventure documentaries. He’s worked with greats like Barry Blanchard and Sonnie Trotter, filmed in Nepal, Belize and the Canadian Arctic, and produced a diverse body of work for film and broadcast.
Now, with more than 20 years of filmmaking under his belt, he’s once again returned to his role as Program Director. This time around, he relishes the chance to provide mentorship to emerging artists, something that can be tough to access in this industry.
