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VIMFF 2024 ticket sales are now closed. If you have online tickets, you can stream your shows until Mar 24, 11:59 PDT.
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Team & Board of Directors

The VIMFF Team

A big thank you to our amazing team whose efforts in putting on this festival to promote mountain film & culture in our region are appreciated.

Festival Director
ALAN FORMANEK

Programming Director
KIRAN BASRA

Festival and Marketing Manager
JOHANA ZELINSKA

Finance Manager
MAYA MRAZIK

Grant Coordinator
LYDIA HOL

Partnerships Account Manager
LAUREN ARCHIBALD

Web Programmer / Designer
LINDSAY MCGHEE

Digital Marketing Specialist
KAYLAN WORSNOP

Graphic Designer
IVETA LEKESOVA

PR Manager
HELEN YAGI

Production Manager
MICHELLE KELLY

Ticketing Manager
CONNOR McCRACKEN

Volunteer Coordinator
PAVLA BRESKA

Guest Services Coordinator
CYNTHIA CHOW

Tour Manager
DYLAN MORGAN

The VIMFF 2024 Board of Directors

The VIMFF gratefully acknowledges the dedication of the Board of Directors. These individuals are leaders in the professional and outdoor community. They are a dedicated group who are passionate advocates of the vision for the VIMFF and work hard to achieve it's strategic goals.

vimff board of directors Isabel Budke

ISABEL BUDKE

Position: Board Chair
Profession: Certified Leadership Coach and Trainer
Year Joined the Board: 2022

Isabel has been passionate about exploring wild places and high peaks on foot and on skis for three decades. In addition to mountaineering and back-country skiing, she loves trail running, nordic skiing and yoga.

With graduate degrees in Education and Resource Management, Isabel brings extensive professional expertise in the outdoor, sustainability, health and education sectors. As a director, senior advisor and consultant, she has collaborated with diverse leaders across organizations and cultures, including in sustainable community planning; indigenous relations and treaty negotiations; program design and transformation; search and rescue operations; and leadership, team and organizational development.

As a certified leadership coach in the health sector, Isabel collaborates with leaders and teams in “leading well” through challenge and change. Her workshops and programs integrate movement and mindfulness in nature, fostering clarity, confidence and well-being (www.IsabelBudke.com).

vimff board of directors steve armstrong x

STEPHEN L. ARMSTRONG

Position: Vice Chair
Profession: Territory Manager, Canada West, Arc’teryx Equipment
Year Joined the Board: 2023

Stephen L. Armstrong is a seasoned marketing and sales professional with over a decade of industry experience. He has a proven track record of success in developing and executing community-driven brand strategies for top brands such as Nike Canada, Arc’teryx, Saje Natural Wellness, Macy’s, and Nutrl Vodka Soda. His passion for film started at a young age, with his father working as a cinematographer at the CBC. Combined with his passion for skiing & skateboarding, he quickly found a home photographing athletes in the outdoors and working within the outdoor industry.

In his current role as the Territory Manager for Western Canada, Arc’teryx Equipment, Stephen has taken the lead in driving forward a new vision for wholesale operations within the outdoor retail landscape in Canada. By implementing new methods of retail programming, he has successfully maintained local connection whilst driving forward omnichannel growth. His passion for the outdoors is reflected in his work, where he excels in developing compelling brand narratives, driving forward community engagement, and connecting with local partners. When not in the office, Stephen can be found exploring the great outdoors, be it running along the seawall, skiing with friends, or adventuring in the mountains. As a new member of the board, Stephen is excited to work with the greater VIMFF community to support the growth of the outdoor film industry.

vimff board of directors Richard Walton

RICHARD WALTON

Position: Treasurer
Profession: Corporate director and retired CPA. Former District of NV Mayor.
Year Joined the Board: 2022

Richard Walton served North Vancouver District as mayor from 2005 until 2018. A lifelong resident of the North Shore, he has lived adjacent to  and  experienced the quiet green spaces on the flanks of Vancouver’s Hollyburn, Grouse, and Fromme mountains most of his life. Currently he serves as director on a number of Boards, including the BC Land Title and Survey Authority, E-Comm 911, the Fraser Basin Council and the North Shore Community Foundation. For 16 years as a councillor and mayor he provided strong support to the Vancouver International Film Foundation in its formative years.  He has travelled extensively and worked for seven years in Europe as a tour guide. Currently a member of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors, he earned a BA from UBC, an MA from SFU, and was awarded an FCA by the Canadian Institute of Professional Accountants for lifetime service. He raised four children on the North Shore and he and his wife continue to reside here, where they and their black lab walk the forest trails daily.

vimff board of directors marcos borges

MARCOS BORGES

Position: Treasurer
Profession: Business Development Manager / Entrepreneur
Year Joined the Board: 2019

Marcos is a Business Development Manager and Entrepreneur with a passion for the outdoors. After 15 years working on a company he founded and managed in Brazil, he decided to move with his family to Canada in 2017 to explore new experiences. Before joining the VIMFF Board of Directors, he was an avid enthusiast of the festival and the mountains of British Columbia. Having extensive experience background in both mountaineering and rock climbing in the Andes, Alps and Himalayan Mountain ranges, Marcos hopes to contribute to VIMFF so it keeps inspiring more people to enjoy the outdoors.

vimff board of directors viera veidner

VIERA VEIDNER

Position: Secretary
Profession: Senior environmental specialist
Year Joined the Board: 2015

Viera brings to VIMFF’s Board of Directors more than 20 years of experience as environmental advisor. She is a practitioner and advocate of sustainable living and has been instrumental in creating sustainable strategies and initiatives in private and public sector. Her love for the natural word and enthusiasm for outdoor activities and adventures aligns with the VIMFF mission to celebrate and embrace mountain film and culture, outdoor sports and environmental initiatives. She has been a dedicated volunteer since VIMFF’s inception and has not missed a festival to date.

vimff board of directors Taryn Eyton

TARYN EYTON

Position: Director
Profession: Adventure travel writer
Year Joined the Board: 2022

Taryn Eyton is a Squamish-based hiking and adventure travel writer and Leave No Trace Master Educator. She is the founder of the hiking website HappiestOutdoors.ca and the author of Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia: The Essential Guide to Overnight Hiking Trails (Greystone Books, 2021). Taryn is also the President of the Friends of Garibaldi Park Society, a member of the Board of Directors of Leave No Trace Canada, and a Fellow of the Canadian Geographic Society.

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