BIFF: Burrard Inlet Fan Fellowship

We gather most Friday nights (except for the Friday of a long weekend) at 6:30 pm at The Eighties Restaurant, 110 West 14th Street (facing the Civic Plaza at Lonsdale) in North Vancouver. You don't have to be there right at the start, as people generally trickle in until sometime after 8:00, but you do need to arrive before the kitchen shuts down. Officially, the restaurant closes at 9:00, so you should probably be there by 8:30 or 8:45. If you're late for BIFF, you might be able to catch some of us at BIFF Part II, which frequently (but not always) gathers at the Blenz at the corner of Lonsdale and 15th Street starting at about 10:00.

Specifically, we talk about Star Wars (and various imitators and spoofs), Firefly and Serenity (or "Serenifly", as Joss Whedon has called his creation), going to conventions (from VCON to San Diego Comicon), The Lord of the Rings (both on paper and on screen), anime, bad movies (particularly B-grade SF flicks), good movies, seriously bent movies (like Phil the Alien,) TV shows like Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek (in all of its variations), Quantum Leap, Greatest American Hero, and Doctor Who, and space travel. We hold gaming nights, when we play SF or fantasy-related tabletop games, every couple of months or so. When the inspiration strikes, we hold "writing challenges." Sometimes, we decide to have "video crossing " nights, in which everybody brings in science fiction or fantasy videos to give away, and take home different ones. Finally, when we can, we invite in guest speakers, sometimes authors, sometimes filmmakers, and sometimes representatives of other fan clubs.

There is no agenda (although the Eighties has a projection TV which they let us play with, so we tend to watch movies, TV episodes, fanfilms, or other shorts during supper, and then discuss whatever we feel like after the video is over), there are no rules (beyond the fact that the restaurant asks that anybody who comes orders some food, but as you can see from the menu on their web site, you can get something reasonable to eat for very little if funds are tight), and there are no membership fees or dues (although if you'd be willing to drop something in the "BIFF Bucks" tin for the hospitality & promotion fund, that would be appreciated), and nobody is in charge (things just sort of happen.)

If you're on Facebook, you may be interested in joining the BIFF group there.