Veer, a feature length documentary film that focuses on Portland bike culture, made it’s world premiere at the Victoria Film Festival last week. The screening was the first time the film had been seen outside of Portland.
Victoria resident Lauren Warbeck was at the premiere. She wrote via email that so many people showed up that many were turned away and a second screening was added. Warbeck added that the crowd was energetic and that there was “a lot of interaction with the film”. “People laughed a lot…They LOVED the zoobomb and the tallbikes. The whole theatre cheered and clapped when the bicycle bill got passed. Basically, the whole theatre was pretty amped and inspired.”
The film is also showing its potential to not just entertain, but to inspire others to create a healthy and diverse bike culture of their own.
According to Warbeck, during a Q & A session after the screening, a representative from the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition expressed his hopes that Victoria can have as vibrant a cycling culture as Portland one day (Warbeck wrote that she and others “guffawed aloud” when they heard that because, “Victoria has a rad bike scene already”.)
Looking back on the night, Warbeck wrote, “The whole experience was pretty sweet. Folks were entertained, inspired, brought together. They got exposed to parts of bicycle culture and communities that they’d never seen. She also said the list of people she plans to bring to Portland for the big Pedalpalooza fest in June is growing fast.
— See VeertheMovie.com