Vancouver: No Fixed Address

This screening took place on Monday, November 27, 2017 at 6:00 pmYukon Arts Centre

Director, Charles Wilkinson will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A session. Charles Wilkinson’s new film tackles the Vancouver housing crisis from a multiplicity of perspectives. A chorus of voices chime in — everyone from David Suzuki, to Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, Seth Klein, Condo King Bob Rennie, Senator Yuen Pau Woo, and lots of regular Vancouver citizens. Delineated into chaptered sections like The Boom, The Back Story, and The New Normal, the film lopes around the city, looking at everything from the influx of offshore money to the exodus of young people, who can no longer afford to live here. We are not alone. The issues that threaten Vancouver — global capitalism, the influence of liquid capital, and the corporate agenda — that have infiltrated other major centres like London, New York, and Hong Kong have also taken up residence here. Or, as Sandy Garossino from the National Observer puts it bluntly, the city “is now a commodity to be sold.” - Dorothy Woodend, DOXA Festival Vancouver, Canada consistently ranks in the top five cities on Earth to live. A city with unparalleled natural beauty, a relatively clean environment, safe streets, stable institutions, and an attitude that prioritizes lifestyle over work. It’s paradise for some but others are forced by high prices to live on the streets, and live in substandard conditions, or struggle to hang on to the homes they have. This documentary is about the very idea of home, what promotes or destroys one’s sense of belonging, and struggling to cope with the strange and often threatening economic and social forces at the start of the 21st century. The film also looks at Vancouver's housing casino and those cashing in on the meteoric rise in housing values. In other words, it’s a story most of us are involved in. Director Charles Wilkinson and producers Tina Schliessler and Kevin Eastwood (the team behind Haida Gwaii: On The Edge Of The World, and Oil Sands Karaoke) have assembled a group of residents deeply affected by the housing boom, as well as a number of key influencers in the city including: Mayor Gregor Robertson, Musqueam playwright Quelamia Sparrow, “Condo King” Bob Rennie, journalist Sandy Garossino, Senator Yuen Pau Woo, and scientist/broadcaster/activist David Suzuki. Vancouver: No Fixed Address examines the common issues at work within the global housing bubble – arguments debated in many cities worldwide experiencing astronomical, often inexplicable increases in real estate values. The documentary delves beneath the headlines and rumours and comes to some unsettling conclusions about home – a place we thought we knew.