Red Carpet Gala
Where: Westin Bear Mountain Resort
When: Sunday, 4 p.m.
Info: redcarpetgala.ca
He won’t be anywhere near Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on Oscar night, but Brian Small will have something in common with what Alfred Hitchcock and Elia Kazan once experienced. He’ll receive an honour akin to a lifetime achievement award.
Victoria’s original film commissioner will be honoured Sunday for kick-starting the development of the region’s film and television production industry. He’ll receive his award at the Westin Bear Mountain Resort and Spa during the Red Carpet Gala, the Vancouver Island South Film and Media Commission’s swanky annual fundraising dinner, dance and Oscar telecast.
It has been 18 years since Small, 78, retired from his post at what by then had been renamed the Victoria/Vancouver Island Film and Video Commission. With $2,000 in seed money, he founded the Victoria Film Commission in 1970 while managing the Victoria Chamber of Commerce, operating out of its former location in the old Bank of Commerce building on Fort Street.
With his trademark tenacity, the dynamic industry booster cut through red tape to attract producers, facilitating shoots for projects such as Five Easy Pieces, Harry in Your Pocket, The Glitter Dome, General Hospital and Bird on a Wire.
Film commissioner Kathleen Gilbert said she was stunned to learn how much Small had achieved on a shoestsring.
“I was surprised while I was digging through the history to realize Brian brought film to British Columbia, not just Vancouver Island,” she said. “I mean, he landed Five Easy Pieces, and it was astounding what they brought into the city.”
During matches with former B.C. premier Bill Bennett, the avid tennis player whooften extolled the industry benefits.
“It was Brian who encouraged [Bennett] to start some kind of organization to market B.C. to the film industry,” Gilbert said, reflecting on the birth of the B.C. Film Commission. “He was really the seed who started it all.”
Small will have another thing in common with Oscar recipients Sunday. Although organizers won’t strike up the band if his acceptance speech runs over, the local industry pioneer will have to express his gratitude within a muted commercial break.
The honouree won’t have time to regale the crowd with anecdotes recalling how veteran cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs gushed about our great light, over beers at the old Imperial Inn; or how he persuaded legendary soap producer Gloria Monty to shoot General Hospital here instead of England. And there won’t be time for memories of attempts by actor-entrepreneur Sean Allan and the late Frank Wille to build a film studio and tourist attraction in Langford, or for Small to rattle off a list of A-listers including Mel Gibson, Roger Moore, Goldie Hawn and Buddy Ebsen who took home commission jackets he loved to hand out.
It doesn’t sound like the timing will be a problem for the loquacious promoter, however.
“I think it’s exciting, and very kind of them to give me an award,” Small said modestly. “I’ve never even looked at what I’ve done for the film industry as work. It’s like being paid for your hobby.”
There will be no shortage of entertainment apart from what’s on five big screens Sunday, Gilbert said.
The gala, complete with red carpet, will include champagne, appetizers, a silent auction, a popcorn station, entertainment by singer Maria Manna, prizes for best-dressed guests and door prizes.
While staging the Red Carpet Gala is “a huge amount of work,” Gilbert says it’s essential since it is the only annual fundraiser for the non-profit organization that markets and promotes the region’s locations, skills and creativity to the global industry.
“We need to raise money and we want to increase awareness about the importance of the film industry,” Gilbert said. “What could be more fitting than hosting an Oscar party?”
