VIFF 2025 Program Guide

Backing B.C.’s

Creative Vision

Premier Supporter of VIFF, AMP and Signals 2025

Creative BC supports film, tv, music, and interactive through leadership, collaboration, and investment. Access grants, film commission services, motion picture tax credits, and more.

Welcome to the Festival

Greetings from the Musqueam Indian Band

Musqueam has used storytelling as a way to share our teachings for thousands of years—it is an intrinsic part of who we are as Indigenous people. We are also innovators, continually adapting and utilizing new technologies to build upon ancestral knowledge that has sustained us for millennia.

Through film and other media, Indigenous peoples are finding new ways to share our stories, experiences, struggles and successes. Film provides an essential platform to amplify Indigenous voices—voices that have been silenced for far too long—and helps to ensure that new generations of Indigenous filmmakers will be inspired to continue creatively telling these important stories.

Musqueam acknowledges that the Vancouver International Film Festival works hard to bring diverse local, national and international stories to our beautiful territory, while also featuring many Indigenous films during the festival and all year round.

We look forward to continuing to build our relationship with VIFF and inspiring new Musqueam filmmakers.

Chief Wayne Sparrow (yəχʷyaχʷələq)

Greetings from the Squamish Nation

Ta newyáp Síiy̓am̓ Ta newyá p síiyay̓

To all our Friends, to all our Respected Leaders.

Stl’i7 chet wa kw’enmantúmiyap kwis na tl’iḵ I tti na7 ta temíxwcht

We want to thank you all and welcome you all to our land.

Nilh ta s7ulh temíxw tta Sḵwx̱wú7meshulh Úxwmixw iy tta Xwmets’kwiy̓emulh Úxwmixw iy tta Selílwetulh Úxwumixw

This is the land of our Squamish People, and the Musqueam People, and Tsleil-Waututh People.

For many generations, Squamish People have created a culture of oral literature to teach our history, values, and advice to the next generation. Our storytelling traditions are how we inspire ourselves and our children to be a good person, to treat family, land, and water with respect, and work together as a people. We celebrate all storytelling traditions, including new ways of telling stories through film and cinema.

Squamish Nation recognizes the Vancouver International Film Festival’s work to bring diverse local, national, and inter-national stories to our beautiful territory, while also featuring Indigenous films during the festival and all year round.

Congratulations, VIFF, on your 44th festival!

Syex̱wáliya, Ann Whonnock

Spokesperson & Councilor

Greetings from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation

ʔa: si:y̓ém̓ nə siyéy̓ə, Friends and Relatives,

Welcome to the shared territories of the xʷməθ

y̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples.

Storytelling is an important tradition in our səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) culture, as it weaves together our history, current aspirations, and the enduring connections we have to our lands and waters as People of the Inlet. Film is a particularly powerful platform that conveys stories that are meaningful to us, giving space for often marginalized voices to be amplified and celebrated.

Tsleil-Waututh filmmakers have represented our community in VIFF programming, showcasing our hənq̓əmin̓əm language, ancestral teachings, values, and pride in our culture. Through this inclusion, the festival has brought these, and other Indigenous stories, to a wide audience, connecting us in common understanding and providing a balm for our hearts.

I raise my hands in gratitude towards VIFF staff for their ongoing commitment to working in partnership with our Nation. Congratulations on launching your 44th season!

hay ce:p q̓ə

thank you all,

Chief Justin Sky George

(Tsleil-Waututh) nations for their continued stewardship of the unceded and occupied land on which our work takes place. As an organization founded and predominantly directed by settlers and immigrants, we understand our responsibility to seek out and build authentic relationships with Indigenous communities, and to allow this ongoing dialogue to influence our practices. As part of this process, we remain committed to supporting and collaborating with Indigenous artists, filmmakers, curators, and audiences.

Table of Contents

Published on September 3, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada by the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society

44th Festival October 02 – 12, 2025

Welcome to the Festival

A message from the Prime Minister of Canada

I would like to convey my warmest greetings to everyone taking part in the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Now in its 44th year, this event offers a wonderful opportunity for participants to experience some of the best cinema from across Canada and around the world. I am certain that audiences will be entertained and inspired by the diverse selection of films being screened over the next eleven days, while filmmakers and industry professionals will benefit greatly from the festival’s many career development and networking opportunities.

I would like to commend the organizers for bringing this event to the community. You can take pride in your commitment to promoting and supporting Canadian talent.

I wish you all a memorable experience.

The Right Honourable Mark Carney, P.C., O.C., M.P.

Prime Minister of Canada

A message from the Mayor of Vancouver

On behalf of the residents of Vancouver and my colleagues on City Council, I want to extend my warmest greetings to everyone attending the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).

Vancouver continues to grow as a global creative hub, and VIFF plays a vital role in showcasing the depth and diversity of our arts and cultural community. This year’s program features an exceptional selection of local and international films and offers powerful reflections of the human experience that transcend borders, cultures, and languages.

This festival is also a celebration of Vancouver’s own thriving creative community. From the talent of emerging filmmakers to the passion of dedicated volunteers, VIFF embodies the spirit of collaboration and innovation that defines our city.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the filmmakers, artists, organizers, and volunteers whose talent and dedication make VIFF a success year after year.

Enjoy the Festival!

Sincerely,

Mayor Ken Sim

A message from the Premier of British Columbia

As Premier of British Columbia, I am pleased to welcome everyone to the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).

Having grown to be one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals in North America, VIFF continues to elevate diverse, creative voices of filmmakers from across Canada and around the world. Through its commitment to diversity and representation, VIFF brings together a dynamic mix of top-tier international films, thought provoking talks and innovative events that celebrate film and film culture. Now in it’s 44th year, this festival continues to enrich the cultural landscape of Vancouver and reinforces our province’s role as a hub for the arts and creative industries.

I would like to acknowledge the VIFF team for providing a platform for cultural exchange, artistic innovation and meaningful dialogue, as well as all of the organizers, volunteers and sponsors who made this event possible. To the visionary filmmakers and everyone involved in the productions, congratulations and thank you for sharing your stories.

Wishing everyone a fun and inspiring festival experience!

Honourable David Eby, KC Premier of British Columbia

A message from the Board Chair and Executive Director of VIFF

Welcome to the Vancouver International Film Festival.

These are moments in time when history seems to come to a halt and time feels completely out of joint. Things fall apart; worlds dissolve. Such moments can produce profound anxiety.

And yet, they also demand that we pay attention in new ways. Cinema has always been a mirror, a question, a light in the dark. At VIFF, we bring together daring voices and stories from around the globe and across Canada—filmmakers who challenge us, inspire us, and remind us of our shared humanity.

Festivals like this don’t happen by accident. They’re built by a passionate team, hundreds of tireless volunteers, and a community that believes in the power of storytelling. To all of them—and to our donors, partners, and patrons— we are deeply grateful.

Yes, the times are uncertain. The financial pressures arts organizations face are considerable. But VIFF endures because you continue to show up for bold, boundary-pushing cinema. You make this festival part of the city’s heartbeat.

Here’s to the stories that help us make sense of this messy world—and to the conversations they spark.

Am

Johal, Chair • Kyle Fostner, Executive Director

A message from the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture

Welcome to the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival!

VIFF is a special event where diverse and inspiring stories from around the world converge. This festival showcases the extraordinary power of film to inspire, challenge and bring us together and connect with the artists and their work.

VIFF not only celebrates artistic achievement but also contributes to our vibrant creative economy, helping make Canada a renowned destination for cinema, innovation and culture.

As Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, I would like to thank all the visionary filmmakers, talented artists, dedicated industry professionals, enthusiastic volunteers and audiences. Your presence and passion are truly what makes this festival exceptional.

Wishing everyone a wonderful 44th edition. Enjoy the magic of VIFF!

Honourable Steven Guilbeault

Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages

A message from the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, I am honoured to welcome you to the 44th annual Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).

Film is a diverse medium for creative expression, and VIFF is an opportunity to bring exceptional artists from around the world together to build community, share stories and celebrate the art of cinema.

As B.C.’s new Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport I want to extend my appreciation to all the talented writers, producers, film crews and many others for their ongoing contributions to B.C.’s motion picture industry. Thanks to your efforts, British Columbia remains a global leader in the creative sector year after year.

Our government is committed to continued investment in this thriving industry, including through the film and television tax credit programs. We are also proud to support events like VIFF with funding from Creative BC, the BC Arts Council, and the Destination Events Program to help make sure this vibrant sector remains strong.

Congratulations to everyone whose work is being featured—your artistry and dedication is something to be celebrated. Thank you to all of the organizers and volunteers who make this event possible. I hope you enjoy the festival!

Sincerely,

Honourable Anne Kang

Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

A message from the Executive Director and CEO of Telefilm Canada

Festivals like the Vancouver International Film Festival play a vital role in connecting Canadian cinema with audiences at home and abroad. They showcase our stories, our artists and our creativity, while strengthening the bond between filmmakers and audiences around the world. Canadian cinema plays a key role in shaping and promoting our cultural identity. As audiences seek out stories that resonate with them, festivals bring us together.

At Telefilm Canada, our core mission is to invest in and highlight the importance of film. We support productions every step of the way, from development to distribution, so that Canadian stories are seen and celebrated. By working with our industry partners, we contribute to a strong and vibrant film ecosystem.

Beyond their screenings, festivals are places of dialogue, collaboration and exchange. They bring together professionals, emerging and established talent, as well as film lovers and audiences of all kinds. In pursuing our mission to support Canadian cinema, we recognize that festivals are essential to the vitality of our industry.

We’re proud to partner with the Vancouver International Film Festival to celebrate the unifying power of cinema. Enjoy the festival!

Julie Roy Executive Director and CEO, Telefilm Canada

A message from the Chief Executive Officer of Creative BC

On behalf of Creative BC, congratulations to the Vancouver International Film Festival on its 44th edition! Each year, VIFF evolves, bringing new voices forward, best-in-class programming, and continued connections between B.C.’s film community and people and industry from around the world. We’re always keen to see where the festival goes next.

Since 1982, VIFF has played a steady role in shaping B.C.’s screen culture. It creates space for creative exchange, professional growth, and meaningful visibility for local talent. It’s a festival that brings people together, with purpose and impact.

To the entire team and the many volunteers who make VIFF happen: thank you. We’re proud to support this work, and we look forward to gathering in the theatre again this year.

Prem Gill CEO, Creative

BC

Donors

$20,000+ Major Donors

Paul Bennett & Catherine Olsen

$10,000+ Major Donors

Leonard Schein & Barbara Small

$5,000+ Major Donors

John Bell, Honorary Consul of Côte d’Ivoire

Melina Buckley

Mike & Kathy Gallagher

Barry & Anne Macdonald

Lucille Pacey

Sarah Pearse & Rob Calder

Valerie Prodanuk

Kevin Campbell

David & Linda Cornfield

Brian Wilks Linda Siegel

$1,000+ Major Donors

Vida Balciunas

Lynne Beszant

Alix Brown

John Chandler

Walter Daroshin

Jacqueline Dupuis

Jennifer Roe Emery

Robert Farringer

Kyle Fostner

Alison Fujino

Mark Gatha

Marilyn Goebel

Linda Gorrie

Am Johal

Monthly Donors

Neda Agres-Palmer

Margaret Allison

Daniel Almodóvar Rico

Deborah Alves

Molly Anderson

Gabriela Araujo Britto

Arivarul Arivazhagan

William Azaroff

Brenda Benham

John Blum

Cynthia Bodman

Ana Brinkerhoff

Rieuwert Buitenga

Amy Burbridge

Gillian Campbell

Spencer Carson

Michelle Catroppa

Ann Caulfield

Raymond Corkum

Robert Currier

Nhung Davis

Jimena Diaz Jirash

Hoang Long Dinh

Tine Dupre

Deb & Lionel Durocher

Brian Ellis

Margaret Ellis

Theresa Fibish

Amanda Fraser

Patsy George

Albert Giesbrecht

Georgeann Glover

Jason Goldberg

Atzin Gonzalez

Catherine Gordon

Diane Hartley

Daniel Hearn

Richard Hearnden

Victoria Henderson

Dean Hollett

Mike Holmwood

Muriel Honey-Richards

Chelsea Hug

Ann Hughes

Shelley James

Am Johal

Rey Jones

Houman Kamali

Reet Kana

Anndraya Luui

Jane Macdonald

Kevin Mitchell

Edward Pascal, in memory of

Kathy Evans

James Allan Quinn

Sirish Rao

Jane Reid

Jim Russell

Terry Whitehead

Sharon Woloschuk

Gus Wong

Azra Kamrudin

Carrie Keen

Brie Koniczek

Robin Kort

Gerry Kowalenko

Ralph Lake

Karen W Lam

Irma Lamoureux

Anette Larsen

Annick Lavender

Julia Liu

Michael Lytton

Margot Maclaren

Ismael Mascayano

Wendy Maynard

James McKenzie

Eileen Mate Chris & Heidi Stolte

$500+ Major Donors

William Abbott

Jane Antil

Leanne Averbach

Val Bradshaw

JoAnna Cassie

Janice Dalzell

Louise Francis-Smith

Aila Frishman

Sabrina Fung

Georgeann Glover

David & Dana Hewitt

Lynn Kagan

Susan Keller

Irma Lamoureux

Ian Merkel

James McKenzie

Meite Moser

Matt Ogglesby

Susan Pollock

Kassie Ruth

Vivienne Taylor & Anton Kuipers

Paul Tildsley

Jay Weiler

Michelle Yung

Pam McPhail

Arnaud Menindes

Patricia Mitchell

Badrinath Narayan

Thy Nguyen

Joel Oger

Matt Ogglesby

Lucille Pacey

Salvador Pineda

Sandeep Prasad

Rachel Price

Valerie Prodanuk

James Quinn

Karen Ranalletta

Sirish Rao

Hayley Ray

Andrea Rayment

Kyle Robertson

Francis Rogers

Deborah Roitberg

Pablo Ruiz

Tasha Salman

Selma Savage

Mark Scott

Melanie Semlacher

Manoj Shankar

Shamim Shivji

Sonja Siddle

Veronica Singer

Danny Singh

Lainé Slater

Dylan Steer

Mary Sullivan

John Swanson

Laina Tanahara

Matthew Tichenor

Paul Tildsley

Maree Thair

Cail Turner

Scott Van

Brenda Vanry

Tabitha Viscontas

Deborah Vivian

Sabrina Wang

Sean Wicks

Faye Wightman

Harriet Williams

Claude Xu

VIFF+ Patrons

Clifford Bell

Melina Buckley

Maggie Chandler

Peter Cheng

Maret Christiansen

Vicki Corker

Maria Csemi

Maggie Deegan

Beverley Dondale

Lydia Fitzpatrick

Alison Fujino

Kathy Gallagher

Mike Gallagher

Michelle Gontier

Stefan Habel

Huamei Han

Pavol Hell

Rohini Hira

John Hooge

Jordan Hudson

Annie Huston

Selwyn Jacob

Kieran Johnson

MaryGrace Johnstone

Kaz Kadono

Heather Kennedy

Catherine Kingfisher

Paul Kjekstad

Sean Konrad

Collin Koo

Janet Kwong

Marie Madeleine Masse

Eileen Mate

Warren McKinnon

Mahmoud Meralli

Ian Merkel

Shelby Miller

Esther Palivoda

Wendy Parry

Rosemary Perera

Allan Quinn

Judy Rhodes

Martin Roland

Soha Salem

Steven Savitt

Adam Seliski

Ken Shields

Patricia Shields

Cheryl Stevens

Nancy Sweedler

Vivienne Taylor

Vincent Wheeler

Calvin Woida

Mari Yukawa

Venue Information

The VIFF Centre 1181 Seymour

VIFF Cinema (VC)

Lochmaddy Studio Theatre (LOC)

PARKING: Metered street

ENTRANCE: Street level

WHEELCHAIR: 4 spaces (VC), 3 spaces (LOC)

WASHROOMS: Accessible universal washroom

The Cinematheque (CINE) 1131 Howe

PARKING: Metered street

ENTRANCE: Ramp at street level

WHEELCHAIR: 4 spaces in theatre

WASHROOMS: Accessible genderneutral washroom

The Vancouver Playhouse (PLAY)

600 Hamilton

PARKING: Metered street and underground paid parking

ENTRANCE: Street level

WHEELCHAIR: 4-5 spaces in theatre

WASHROOMS: Gendered washrooms, downstairs. Accessible universal washroom in lobby

SFU's Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (SFU) 149 W Hastings Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema

PARKING: Metered street and paid lots

ENTRANCE: Ramp from courtyard, street level from Hastings, elevator to 2nd and 3rd floor

WHEELCHAIR: 4 spaces in theatre

WASHROOMS: Accessible universal washroom on 3rd floor

International Village 88 W Pender

Cinema 7 (IN7)

Cinema 8 (IN8)

Cinema 9 (IN9)

Cinema 10 (IN10)

PARKING: Underground parking pass available through concierge

ENTRANCE: Street level, elevator to 2nd and 3rd floor

WHEELCHAIR: 4 per theatre

WASHROOMS: Accessible gendered washrooms at theatre level

Granville Island

East Vancouver

Oakridge

Fifth Avenue Cinemas (FAV3)

2110 Burrard

Cinema 3 (19+ only)

PARKING: Metered street

ENTRANCE: Street level on 5th. Stairs or elevator to theatre level.

WHEELCHAIR: 3-4 spaces

WASHROOMS: Accessible stall, gendered washroom on 2nd level

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre (SPACE)

1100 Chestnut

PARKING: Metered street and paid lot

ENTRANCE: Street level, elevator to theatre

WHEELCHAIR: 5 spaces in theatre

WASHROOMS: Accessible gendered washrooms at theatre level

Granville Island Stage (GIS) 1585 Johnston

PARKING: Paid lots

ENTRANCE: Street level

WHEELCHAIR: 5 spaces in theatre

WASHROOMS: Accessible gendered washrooms at ground level

Rio Theatre (RIO) 1660 E Broadway

PARKING: Metered street and paid lots

ENTRANCE: Street level

WHEELCHAIR: 4-6 spaces in theatre

WASHROOMS: Limited accessibility, gendered washrooms— no access for mobility devices like wheelchairs or scooters.

Accessibility

Wheelchair Positions: We encourage patrons requiring wheelchair positions to call ahead to reserve. The adjacent companion seat is also available to reserve.

Support Companions: Support persons who accompany patrons with disabilities are eligible to receive a complimentary ticket. Contact the infoline to book ahead or book in-person at the Box Office.

Lobby tickets: Available at the box office at select venues, lobby tickets provide access to a seated waiting area for ticketholders with access needs that limit their ability to stand in lineups. Space is limited and varies by venue.

Alliance Française (AFT) 6161 Cambie

PARKING: Metered street, paid underground lot

ENTRANCE: Street level

WHEELCHAIR: 2 spaces in theatre

WASHROOMS: Fully accessible universal washroom on ground floor

Accessible tickets: We offer a limited number of discounted tickets to each film for folks who face financial barriers and may not be able otherwise to attend a film. Discounted tickets are available on our website or at the Box Office while quantities last.

Scan here for detailed venue accessibility. Screenings can be filtered by access needs including captioning, descriptive video, and relaxed screenings.

For further info or feedback email accessibility@viff.org

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Festival Tickets and Information

Cinema Tickets

Indigenous Tickets

VIFF offers a limited number of complimentary tickets per screening to anyone who self-identifies as Indigenous. Please contact the Infoline via phone or email or visit our box office to book.

Box Office

• We recommend that you purchase tickets online (viff.org) in advance when possible.

• From Thursday, October 2 – Sunday, October 12, all our theatres serve as box offices, where you can buy tickets for any film in the festival.

• Box offices open 30 minutes prior to the first screening of the day at that theatre (Vancouver Playhouse will open 45 minutes prior), and close after the theatre’s last screening of the day has started.

• All VIFF venues, not including the VIFF Centre, are cashless venues.

What Is a Standby line?

If a screening has sold out of advance tickets, tickets may become available at the door just before the screening starts.

If you’re in the Standby line when a show is being admitted, our front-of-house team will do their best to find a seat for you. To be fair to everyone in line, standby tickets are one per person. Festival passes and ticket packs may be used in the standby line.

How Do Ticket Packs Work?

Planning on seeing multiple films during VIFF? Want to take all your friends to see a film? Ticket packs are your chance to save and watch more!

• Ticket packs work like credits on your viff.org account.

• There are no restrictions on the number of tickets from your pack that can be used per screening. For example: if you buy a 6-ticket pack, you can use all 6 tickets for a single screening or individual tickets across multiple screenings.

• Ticket Packs cannot be used to attend VIFF Gala screenings, Talks, VIFF Live, Industry or Special events.

• Ticket Packs are not valid for year-round screenings.

How Do Festival Passes Work?

With a Festival Pass, you can explore VIFF’s spectacular roster of films. You’ll meet other film fans and hear what’s hot when you arrive early and join the Festival Passholder line.

New this year! Festival Passholders will get two vouchers to secure seats in advance for those screenings that you can’t miss!

• A generous allotment of seats is reserved for Festival Passholders at every VIFF screening, up to 20 minutes before showtime or until the passholder allotment is filled, even when advance sales are sold out.

• Passholders who arrive after the 20-minute mark or the passholder allotment has been filled will be asked to join the Standby line.

• Many screenings will have seats available at this stage. Once all other patrons are seated, the Standby line will be admitted if seats are available.

• VIFF passholders should all be age 18+. Fifth Avenue Cinemas and The Rio are 19+ venues. Classified screenings at The Rio permit youth audiences.

• Festival Passes are available for pick up at the VIFF Centre, 1181 Seymour St.

The majority of our films have not been classified by Consumer Protection BC. By law, anyone wishing to watch these films at the festival must be a 18+ and member of the VIFF society. Your VIFF Society Membership is included in the cost of your ticket.

Films

Building on last year’s highly successful event, VIFF’s 44th edition sees us both expanding and evolving. With two new venues added to our festival footprint, we’ve increased both the number of films and screenings on offer. Our curatorial team has also grown, ensuring an even more dynamic complement of work for our audiences to encounter. Furthermore, exciting new initiatives see us positioning VIFF as a significant platform for leading international filmmakers.

Balancing ambition and empathy, we conduct ourselves with creativity and care as we explore the possibilities and impacts of film curation and presentation. We strive to create a thriving and inclusive cinema culture that animates and invigorates our city, while enriching both audiences and artists.

We couldn’t be more excited to share this year’s lineup with you. And we can’t wait to welcome you to our cinemas.

Curtis Woloschuk Director of Programming

Nouvelle Vague

Paris, 1959. The epicentre of cinephilia and the lunatics are taking over the asylum. The Young Turks of French film crit—Truffaut, Chabrol, Rohmer, Rivette—are making their own movies, and last in line, it seems to him, is arrogant Swiss intellectual Jean-Luc Godard. Trading on his friendship with Truffaut, he’s granted a low budget to shoot a noir-ish crime story with American starlet Jean Seberg and boxer Jean Paul Belmondo. He’ll write it as they make it. A bout de souffle Breathless... will change everything.

“All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.” Godard’s aphorism applies here, but implacable selfconfidence helps. JLG (Guillaume Marbeck) infuriates his actors, his producer, and the whole crew with his cavalier and incomprehensible conceits, all of which is vastly amusing to watch. Richard Linklater plunges us into the scene with the giddy enthusiasm, and the spirit is infectious. You don’t have to be a cinephile going in— you will be one when you come out.

Cast Zooey Deutch, Guillaume Marbeck, Aubry Dullin Exec Emmanuel Montamat, John Sloss Prod Laurent Pétin, Michèle Pétin Scr Holly Gent, Vincent Palmo Jr., Michèle Halberstadt, Laetitia Masson Cam David Chambille Ed Catherine Schwartz Prod Des Katia Wyszkop Prod Co ARP Productions Print Photon Films

Closing Gala

Köln 75

With Live Performance

By Chris Gestrin

IDO FLUK, GERMANY/BELGIUM/POLAND, 2025, 155 MIN. (includes live performance)

Experience the transcendent power of improvised music for a special VIFF Live concert and film screening. Vancouver pianist Chris Gestrin performs a solo set of Keith Jarrett–inspired music following this special event screening of Köln 75—a film that captures the compelling, entertaining, and, until now, unknown back story of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett’s one-hour, entirely improvised concert, which became the best-selling solo album in jazz history.

Chris Gestrin is a stalwart of Vancouver’s jazz scene— a renowned pianist, multi-keyboardist, composer, engineer, and producer who has worked on over 500 albums covering a wide range of musical styles. From avant garde electronic improvisations to soul organ mu-

sic, and introspective piano jazz, Gestrin is in high demand for his eclectic talents and ability to bring a high level of musical inspiration to any situation.

Keith Jarrett’s legendary performance in January 1975 nearly didn’t happen. Based on a true story, Köln 75 explores how the concert was conceived and orchestrated by the efforts of an up-and-coming teenage concert promoter, Vera Brandes (played by Mala Emde). Vera’s enthusiasm led her to multitasking—from organizing the Cologne Opera House as the concert venue, to promoting the event, selling the tickets, and convincing Jarrett to perform when he almost dropped after the Bösendorfer Imperial Grand piano he was promised was nowhere to be found.

Cast Mala Emde, John Magaro, Michael Chernus, Alexander Scheer, Jördis Triebel, Ulrich Tukur Exec Oren Moverman, Lillian Lasalle, Zelene Fowler, Michael Fowler, Annegret Weitkämper Krug, Paul Hudson, Talaat Captan, Rain Sharing, Tõnu Hiielaid, Barbaros Özbugutu, Julianne Hausler, Jennifer Fox, Christoph Lange Prod Sol Bondy, Fred Burle Scr Ido Fluk Cam Jens Harant Ed Anja Siemens Prod Des Jutta Freyer Mus Hubert Walkowski, Martin Hossbach Prod Co One Two Films, Extreme Emotions, Lemming Film Belgium Print FilmsWeLike

Special Presentations

After the Hunt

LUCA GUADAGNINO, USA, 2025, 138 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 9:15 PM PLAY

Consent, plagiarism, #MeToo, #BLM, cancel culture... Hot button issues fuel this pressure cooker campus drama from the prolific Luca Guadagnino (Challengers; Call Me

By Your Name). Julia Roberts plays an Ivy League professor, Alma Olsson, whose latest protege is a gifted student, Maggie (Ayo Edebiri, The Bear). But when Maggie calls out Alma’s old friend and colleague Hank (Andrew Garfield) for assault, Maggie doesn’t know who to believe. This is Julia Roberts’s juiciest role in a long time.

This year’s Special Presentations lineup is the largest in VIFF’s history, with every one of the films fully deserving of the designation. As always, Cannes standouts are wellrepresented, including a riveting Palme d’Or winner from Jafar Panahi and a nerve-rattling desert odyssey courtesy of Óliver Laxe. The section boasts the Canadian premieres of new work by arthouse mainstays Jim Jarmusch and Noah Baumbach, as well as outstanding features from rising talents like Chandler Levack and HIKARI. Be it the engrossing mystery of the latest Knives Out entry or a historical epic detailing Palestine’s Great Arab Revolt, these are films that sweep you up in their thrall.

Christy

DAVID MICHÔD, USA, 2025, 135 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 9:00 PM PLAY SUN OCT 12 5:30 PM RIO

Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney) never imagined life beyond small-town West Virginia. But then she discovers a killer left hook and knack for knocking detractors out that just might be her tickets out of there. Fuelled by grit, determination, charisma, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster). David Michôd (Animal Kingdom) delivers a bruising biopic about this pioneer pugilist and indomitable warrior.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Father Mother Sister Brother

JIM JARMUSCH, USA/IRELAND/FRANCE, 2025, 110 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 5:45 PM RIO

SUN O CT 12 6:30 PM PLAY

Canadian Premiere. Jim Jarmusch returns to the anthology format explored in earlier films like Mystery Train and Night on Earth with this triptych involving parents and their grown children. As soon as you hear that Adam Driver plays Tom Waits’ son, you understand this project is going to be fun, while Vicky Krieps and Cate Blanchett play Charlotte Rampling’s daughters in another yarn. Subtle and understated, wry and moving, this is Jarmusch at his best: a minimalist with an unerring eye for the essence of things.

It

Was Just an Accident

Un Simple Accident

JAFAR PANAHI, IRAN/FRANCE/LUXEMBOURG, 2025, 105 MIN.

THU OCT 2 9:30 PM PLAY

THU OCT 9 2:45 PM PLAY

Having offered some late-night assistance to Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi) in the wake of an auto accident, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) grows convinced that he recognizes the supposed stranger’s voice as that of his torturer during a grueling prison spell. And so, what was intended as a small act of kindness instead sets this traumatized everyman on a twisting path of revenge in this morally complex, psychologically astute thriller from the legendary Jafar Panahi. Palme d'Or, Cannes 2025

Special Presentations

Franz

AGNIESZKA HOLLAND, CZECH REPUBLIC/GERMANY/POLAND, 2025, 127 MIN.

TUE OCT 7 8:45 PM

SAT OCT 11 3:30 PM

You don’t need to have read Kafka to know what “Kafkaesque” means—the idea that the world is a nightmare, a sick joke at your expense, continues to resonate a century after the writer passed. His “uneasy dreams” have inspired many great filmmakers (Welles, Lynch, and Gilliam, to name just a few), and now Agnieszka Holland has taken the bull by the horns and delivered a densely layered, knowing, and always lively biopic that’s Kafkaesque and then some, artfully melding scenes from his life and his work.

Jay Kelly

NOAH BAUMBACH, USA/UK/ITALY, 2025, 132 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 5:30 PM PLAY

Canadian Premiere. In this wise and witty comedy from Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story), George Clooney plays a famous movie star, Jay Kelly, touring Europe with his friend and manager, Ron (Adam Sandler). His success has exceeded all reasonable expectation, so why does he feel a nagging dissatisfaction? They say he only ever plays himself, but how can that be if he barely knows who he is in the first place? For all his fame, Jay begins to ask himself the kinds of questions we all confront eventually.

© Vague Notion

ACFC WEST, LOCAL 2020 UNIFOR

Kokuho

SANG-IL LEE, JAPAN, 2025, 174 MIN.

WED OCT 8 9:00 PM PLAY

SUN OCT 12 11:15 AM PLAY

After his father’s death, teenaged Kikuo is adopted by a Kabuki actor. Dedicating himself to the art form, Kikuo finds a close friend and fierce rival in Shunsuke, the actor’s other son. Over the course of five decades, Kikuo (Ryu Yoshizawa) and Shunsuke (Ryusei Yokohama) ascend from acting school to Japan’s grandest stages. A passion project 15 years in the making for director Sang-il Lee, Kokuho boasts resplendent visuals and mesmerising performances. A box office sensation in Japan, it’s a work to be treasured.

Mile End Kicks

CHANDLER LEVACK, CANADA, 2025, 105 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 9:00 PM RIO

MON O CT 6 9:00 PM FAV3

Summer, 2011. A 22-year-old music critic (Barbie Ferreira) leaves Toronto for Montreal’s Mile End to write a book about Alanis Morissette’s iconic album Jagged Little Pill But when Grace falls head over feet for two members of the same indie rock band, she decides to become their publicist instead. A heartfelt story about finding one’s voice on the margins of a patriarchal creative industry, this quirky rom-com from Chandler Levack (I Like Movies, VIFF 2022) has all the makings of an instant hit.

Special Presentations

The Mastermind

KELLY REICHARDT, USA, 2025, 110 MIN.

TUE OCT 7 8:45 PM GIS

THU OCT 9 5:45 PM PLAY

In a sleepy Massachusetts community in 1970, JB Mooney (Josh O’Connor) dreams big but isn’t much for the finer details. Noting the laughably low security at the local art museum, he drafts and clumsily orchestrates a less-than-daring heist that leaves him in possession of four modestly valuable paintings, but no clue as to what to do next. Kelly Reichardt’s latest abstract approach to genre filmmaking playfully subverts caper tropes as it paints a droll portrait of a man who can’t escape his own worst tendencies.

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

MATT JOHNSON, CANADA, 2025, 98 MIN. FRI OCT 3 6:00 PM

SUN O CT 5 2:30 PM RIO

Almost 20 years into their fruitless quest to book their band a gig, Matt (director Matt Johnson) and Jay (Jay McCarrol) are caught in a novelty soda–fueled accident that sends them hurtling back to 2008. These serial bumblers inadvertently wreak havoc on the timeline, unleashing a barrage of pop culture references, copyright violations, wild gags, and inspired set pieces. Gloriously ridiculous and riotously entertaining, this one is for all the deranged dreamers out there.

Special Presentations

No Other Choice

Eojjeol suga eopda

PARK CHAN-WOOK, SOUTH KOREA, 2025, 139 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 9:00 PM PLAY

THU OCT 9 8:45 PM PLAY

Adapting the 1997 novel The Ax by Donald E. Westlake, virtuoso filmmaker Park Chanwook whips up another delicious blend of high style, suspense, and satire, in keeping with his previous classics Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave. When successful paper mill executive Man-soo (Squid Game star Lee Byung Hun) is laid off, he takes a leaf out of the corporate playbook to decimate the competition, guaranteeing the next job that comes up will be his. Any way you look at it, this one is a hit.

A Private Life

Vie privée

REBECCA ZLOTOWSKI, FRANCE, 2025, 103 MIN.

SAT OCT 4

TUE OCT 7

SUN OCT 12

Rebecca Zlotowski’s comic psychodrama features Jodie Foster at her best. Foster plays Lilian, an expert shrink whose own neuroses complicate her investigation into a patient’s death. Combining the amusements of satire with the pleasures of a good mystery thriller, A Private Life is an acting showcase: Mathieu Amalric, Daniel Auteuil, and Virginie Efira are just a few of the terrific supporting performers, and Foster’s performance is full of sharp insights and rich characterization.

Palestine 36

ANNEMARIE JACIR, PALESTINE/UK/FRANCE/DENMARK/NORWAY/QATAR/SAUDI ARABIA/JORDAN, 2025, 118 MIN.

Set during the 1936 Palestinian uprising against British colonial rule, this epic historical drama from director Annemarie Jacir (Wajib) follows Yusuf (Karim Daoud Anaya), a young rural peasant who joins the rebel movement when his fellow villagers are dispossessed of their land and subjected to raids by the British army. The Palestinian entry for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards, Palestine 36 is a masterwork of class tensions and sociopolitical intrigue.

Rental Family

HIKARI, USA/JAPAN, 2025, 103 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 6:00 PM RIO

Need a respectable-looking mourner to fill out your funeral? Searching for a fake dad to impress the registration committee at your posh private school? Why not call Rental Family, a surrogate agency leasing stand-in actors for social settings. Brendan Fraser plays Philip, a lonely actor in Tokyo who discovers an opportunity to use his well-honed improv skills for good. Director HIKARI’s film is a poignant exploration of estrangement and connection, and Fraser’s first lead since The Whale.

The Secret Agent

O Agente Secreto

KLEBER MENDONÇA FILHO, BRAZIL/FRANCE/NETHERLANDS/GERMANY, 2025, 158 MIN.

MON OCT 6 9:00 PM PLAY

SAT OCT 11 2:00 PM PLAY

Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo (Wagner Moura) decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name and reconnect with his young son. Epic in scope, rich in allegory, and ambitious in structure (the narrative nimbly shifts between multiple time periods), Kleber Mendonça Filho’s sophisticated and engrossing neo-noir not only recalls classic 70s paranoid political thrillers but gives them a run for their money.

Best Director, Best Actor, Cannes 2025

Sirât

ÓLIVER LAXE, SPAIN/FRANCE, 2025, 115 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 9:15 PM PLAY

SUN OCT 12 8:45 PM RIO

Trekking into an unforgiving Moroccan desert in a desperate search for his missing daughter, Luis (Sergi López) gets caught up in an anarchic rave that resembles Bosch by way of Burning Man, backed by deafening EDM. Soon, Luis and a band of outsiders are at the mercy of an unimaginably perilous landscape, their ecstasy eclipsed by a sense of damnation. A sensory powerhouse, Óliver Laxe’s Sîrat will have you riveted for every second of its runtime and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.

Jury Prize, Cannes 2025

Special Presentations

Sentimental Value

Affeksjonsverdi JOACHIM TRIER, NORWAY/FRANCE/DENMARK/GERMANY/SWEDEN/UK, 2025, 135 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 5:45 PM

WED OCT 8 5:30 PM

Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), a once revered and still egomaniacal director, crashes back into his family’s lives, eager to recruit his celebrated stage-actress daughter Nora (Renate Reinsve) for a role in his new film. When she declines, he finds a new muse in an eager but unpolished Hollywood star (Elle Fanning), sending his botched reconciliation spiraling into chaos. Abetted by outstanding performances, Joachim Trier mines both humour and heartbreak from these damaged souls’ attempts to mend frayed family ties. Grand Prix, Cannes 2025

Steal Away

CLEMENT VIRGO, CANADA/BELGIUM, 2025, 113 MIN. MON OCT 6 5:30 PM

In this surreal psychological thriller from multiple Canadian Screen Award–winning filmmaker Clement Virgo (Brother, VIFF 2022), a sheltered teenager (Angourie Rice) forms a voyeuristic obsession with the mysterious refugee her mother has taken in (Mallori Johnson). Preoccupied with their sexual awakenings, the girls are caught unawares by a terrible secret lurking at the heart of the estate. Fans of Get Out and Rosemary’s Baby will be engrossed by this twisty, provocative, slow-burn horror.

Special Presentations

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

RIAN JOHNSON, USA, 2025, 140 MIN.

SAT OCT 11 9:30 PM

In this third entry in Rian Johnson’s wildly entertaining, ever-evolving Knives Out series, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) decamps to a quaint New England town to delve into a decidedly Gothic-tinged whodunnit centred on a local church and its eccentric parishioners. What is a rationalist like Blanc to do when investigating a locked-room murder case in which divine intervention appears to be the prime suspect? Why, take on a local priest (Josh O’Connor) as his partner, of course.

Young Mothers

Jeunes mères

JEAN-PIERRE DARDENNE, LUC DARDENNE, BELGIUM/FRANCE, 2025, 105 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 3:00 PM PLAY

THU OCT 9 12:30 PM FAV3 SUN OCT 12 8:15 PM AFT

North American Premiere. In a residential shelter in Liège, five teenage mothers consider what lies ahead, often stumbling as they attempt to take the next steps in their young lives. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s first ensemble drama evinces all the hallmarks of their immersive, empathetic approach to social realist cinema and shows their commitment to honouring those whom society can often overlook.

Best Screenplay, Cannes 2025

Borders Can’t Contain Great Cinema

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Bonjour Tristesse, dir. Durga Chew-Bose, VIFF 2024

Showcase

Resurrection

BI GAN, CHINA/FRANCE, 2025, 156 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 8:45 PM FAV3 SUN OCT 12 11:15 AM SFU

Canadian Premiere. In this broken-mirror reality, humans can live forever but have lost the ability to dream. A Fantasmer (Jackson Yee) proves a puckish outlier, slipping into the dreamworld and being reincarnated over the course of a century in various forms—a vampire, a card shark—all as a mysterious woman (Shu Qi) monitors his exploits. Paying homage to legends like Méliès and Murnau, Resurrection cements Bi Gan’s status as one of his generation’s most incandescent talents.

Cast Jackson Yee, Shu Qi, Mark Chao, Li Gengxi, Huang Jue, Chen Yongzhong Prod Shan Zuolong, Charles Gillibert, Yang Lele

Orphan

Árva LÁSZLÓ NEMES, HUNGARY/FRANCE/GERMANY/UK, 2025, 132 MIN.

THU OCT 2 8:45 PM FAV3 SAT OCT 4 6:30 PM IN09

Communist Hungary in the late 1950s: Conceived during the war, Andor is convinced his father will one day return. To his horror, another man emerges. Berend is a gentile and a brute, and he already has a family, yet he seems to believe he has a claim on both mother and child. Son of Saul director László Nemes builds a world from the inside out, through the eyes of a child overcome by adolescent angst. Vivid, textured, and richly imagined, this exceptional film will stick with you.

Cast Bojtorján Barabas, Andrea Waskovics, Grégory Gadebois, Sándor Soma Prod Ildikó Kemény, Mike Goodridge, Alexander Rodnyansky, Szále Ferenc, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Alexander Bazarov, Juliette Schrameck, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel

The impressive roll call for this year’s Showcase proves just how bountiful the cinema of 2025 has proven to be. This is also where you’ll find several director-actor teams continuing their longstanding collaborations, including Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke, Paulo Sorrentino and Tony Servillo, Christian Petzold and Paula Beer, and Hong Sangsoo and Kwon Haehyo. Meanwhile, Shih-Ching Tsou, Chie Hayakawa, and Mascha Schilinski all demonstrate a remarkable capacity for eliciting astonishing performances from their youngest cast members.

Sound of Falling

In Die Sonne Schauen MASCHA SCHILINSKI, GERMANY, 2025, 149 MIN. THU OCT 9 9:00 PM SFU SAT OCT 11 12:00 PM GIS

Unfolding in a remote German farmhouse, Sound of Falling traces the mundane and magical experiences of four girls who call the foreboding place home at various intervals over the course of a century. As we flit back and forth in time, cycles and patterns emerge, and just as the girls’ experiences start to mirror one another’s, so too does their resilience. In turns delicate and devastating, Mascha Schilinski’s ambitious sophomore feature is cinema at its most experiential.

Cast Lena Urzendowsky, Luise Heyer, Lea Drinda, Laeni Geiseler, Hanna Heckt, Susanne Wuest Prod Maren Schmitt, Lucas Schmidt

Resurrection

© Fabian Gamper

Arco

UGO BIENVENU, FRANCE, 2025, 88 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 3:30 PM GIS

SAT OCT 11 6:30 PM GIS

The spirits of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli run clear and deep in this limpid, hand-drawn animated feature from French comic book artist and illustrator Ugo Bienvenu. Iris is a young girl predominantly raised by a live-in robot, Mikki. Chasing a rainbow through the woods, she comes across Arco, a boy who’s stolen a time-travelling suit from his scientist parents and crash-landed in 2075. Can Iris help him get back to the future? This sweet, futuristic fantasy is a delight for all ages.

Cast Natalie Portman, Alma Jodorowsky, Swann Arlaud, Vincent Macaigne, Louis Garrel Prod Félix de Givry, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Ugo Bienvenu

Case 137

Dossier 137

DOMINIK MOLL, FRANCE, 2025, 115 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 3:30 PM AFT

SAT OCT 11 9:00 PM FAV3

SUN OCT 12 10:30 AM IN10

North American Premiere. When a teenage demonstrator is grievously injured by rubber bullets during a frenzied protest in the streets of Paris, an intrepid Internal Affairs investigator (Léa Drucker) must determine whether her fellow officers employed excessive force. With his customarily elegant direction, Dominik Moll (The Night of the 12th) crafts an exacting, socially relevant procedural that’s both an indictment of abuses of power and the year’s most unshakeable thriller.

Cast

Blue Moon

RICHARD LINKLATER, USA/IRELAND, 2025, 100 MIN.

On the night of March 31, 1943, famed lyricist Lorenz Hart holds court at Broadway’s iconic Sardi’s bar. While his former collaborator, Richard Rodgers, celebrates the success of his new musical Oklahoma!, Hart confronts his own shattered present: a world changed by war, dimmed by alcoholism, and plagued by unrequited love. Featuring a largerthan-life turn by Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater’s sardonic drama is at once a lacerating study of solipsism and a meditation on friendship and art.

Cast Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Scott Prod Mike Blizzard, John Sloss, Richard Linklater

Otec

TEREZA NVOTOVÁ, CZECH REPUBLIC/POLAND/ SLOVAKIA, 2025, 103 MIN.

THU OCT 2 9:15 PM IN10

MON O CT 6 12:30 PM FAV3

SUN OCT 12 6:00 PM VC

Canadian Premiere. Inspired by real-life events, Father tells the devastating story of a man whose momentary lapse cost him everything. On a hot summer morning, Michal wakes up, goes for a run, gets ready for work, and packs his two-yearold daughter in the car to drop her off at kindergarten. What unfolds is a solemn, immaculately realized account of a tragedy of insurmountable proportions..

Cast Milan Ondrík, Dominika Morávková, Aňa Geislerová, Martina Slúková, Dominika Zajcz, Peter Ondrejička Prod Veronika Paštéková, Anton Skreko, Karel Chvojka, Miloš Lochman, Marta Gmosińska, Mariusz Włodarski

The Blue Trail

O último azul

GABRIEL MASCARO, BRAZIL/MEXICO/CHILE/ NETHERLANDS, 2025, 86 MIN.

THU OCT 2 2:45 PM IN09

SUN O CT 5 6:15 PM AFT WED OCT 8 6:00 PM GIS

In a near-future Brazil, elderly citizens are forcibly relocated to live out their days in a senior housing colony. When 77-year-old Tereza learns that she has just days before she’s to be taken away, she flees on a fantastical journey into the Amazon where she encounters a mysterious snail whose “blue drool” has the power to reveal one’s destiny. Richly conceived and lushly photographed, the latest from Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro is an incisive treatment of ageism and authoritarianism.

Cast Denise Weinberg, Rodrigo Santoro, Miriam Socorrás, Adanilo Prod Rachel Daisy Ellis, Sandino Saravia Vinay

In the Room

BRISHKAY AHMED, CANADA, 2025, 76 MIN.

TUE OCT 7 8:00 PM SFU FRI O CT 10 1:00 PM IN09

World Premiere. Writer-director Brishkay Ahmed’s In the Room is a visually stunning and informative look at the resilience and cultural identity of Afghan women. Weaving together archival images and intimate interviews, the film traces Ahmed’s personal journey away from her heritage, before reclaiming it in a celebration of the heroism of Afghan women. Powerful and urgent, the film highlights 35 years of courage while reminding us that human rights are fragile and must be protected.

Prod Teri Snelgrove

Showcase

Calle Malaga

MARYAM TOUZANI, MOROCCO/FRANCE/SPAIN/ GERMANY/BELGIUM, 2025, 116 MIN.

THU OCT 2 9:00 PM SFU SAT OCT 4 3:15 PM FAV3

Seventy-nine-year-old María Ángeles lives alone in the Spanish quarter of Tangier. When her daughter arrives from Madrid to pressure her into selling her apartment, however, she refuses to give in, finding in her old age a newfound resilience and even an unexpected romantic connection. Moroccan director Maryam Touzani makes her Spanish-language debut with this deeply felt film about age and motherhood.

Cast Carmen Maura, Marta Etura, Ahmed Boulane, María Alfonsa Rosso Prod Nabil Ayouch, Amine Benjelloun, Jean-Rémi Ducourtioux, Simón de Santiago, Fernando Bovaira, Fred Burle, Sol Bondy, Sebastian Schelenz

La Grazia

PAOLO SORRENTINO, ITALY, 2025, 133 MIN. WED OCT 8 8:30 PM GIS FRI O CT 10 2:00 PM PLAY

Canadian Premiere. Of Paolo Sorrentino’s 10 features, Toni Servillo has starred in seven, most famously The Great Beauty. In their latest collaboration, he plays a fictional President of the Republic, a Catholic widower and legal scholar deliberating on whether to issue two presidential pardons which touch on his private life in complicated ways. In other words, this is a serious ethical drama about the kind of thorny questions of conscience that seem to have gone out of fashion in today’s politics.

Cast Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti Prod Andrea Scrosati, Annamaria Morelli, Paolo Sorrentino

Léa Drucker Prod Caroline Benjo, Barbara Letellier, Carole Scotta Father

© Andrea Pirrello

© Fanny de Gouville

Left-Handed Girl

SHIH-CHING TSOU, TAIWAN/FRANCE/USA/UK, 2025, 108 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 8:45 PM SFU

SUN O CT 5 3:15 PM SFU

Recently relocated to Taipei, single mom Shu-Fen (Janel Tsai) opens a noodle stall in the night market, while her stroppy high school dropout teenager I-Ann works at a betel nut bar. Both are too stressed and miserable to notice when five-year-old I-Jing starts shoplifting with her “evil” left hand. Co-written, produced, and edited by Sean Baker (Anora), director Shi-Ching Tsou’s first solo feature plunges us into the city’s constant hustle while crafting an open-hearted family drama.

Cast Shih-Yuan Ma, Janel Tsai,

The Little Sister

La Petite Dernière

HAFSIA HERZI, FRANCE/GERMANY, 2025, 107 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 1:00 PM IN10

WED OCT 8 9:00 PM FAV3

The youngest of three sisters in a conservative Franco-Arab household, Fatima is absorbed in her studies and resisting the family pressure to be married off like her siblings. But the pull to explore sensual realms grows stronger by the day, exacerbated by her ever-growing disdain for her secret gentleman caller who’s already planning their future. As the realization kicks in, she decides to pursue her attraction to women with abandon, opening herself up to the wide array of romantic highs and lows.

Living the Land

Sheng Xi Zhi Di

HUO MENG, CHINA, 2025, 132 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 8:45 PM FAV3 SUN OCT 12 10:45 AM IN09

North American Premiere. Huo Meng’s film folds a grand historical reckoning into the story of one rural Chinese family. It’s 1991, and changes are coming for the Li clan: A new wave of modernization will hit their farming community—and hardships abound. Promised advancement but faced with cruelty and prejudice, the Li family must reckon with the cost of reform, and the film grows in thematic range and emotional force as it progresses. Visually rich and fulsome in its human portraiture, this is a powerfully assertive work.

Cast Wang Shang, Zhang Yanrong, Zhang Chuwen Prod Zhang Fan

Showcase

The Love That Remains

Ástin sem eftir er

HLYNUR PÁLMASON, ICELAND/DENMARK/SWEDEN/ FRANCE, 2025, 109 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 9:15 PM FAV3

MON OCT 6 5:45 PM IN09

Anna and Magnús have separated, leaving her to raise their three children as he spends long stretches at sea, working as a fisherman. In Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason’s latest, the end of a relationship unfolds not in a series of dramatic recriminations but through oblique montage sequences and unexpected detours. Filled with magisterial natural vistas and featuring a truly distinctive editing rhythm, The Love That Remains takes a familiar premise into unexpected territory.

Cast Saga Garðarsdóttir, Sverrir Guðnason, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir, Grímur Hlynsson, Þorgils Hlynsson Prod Anton Máni Svansson, Katrin Pors

Watch Incredible Films All Year Round at the VIFF Centre

From classic cinema to festival encores to new releases, the VIFF Centre is the home of Cinema in Vancouver.

Nina Ye, Teng-Hui Huang Prod Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker, Mike Goodridge, Jean Labadie, Alice Labadie

Cast Nadia Melliti, Ji-Min Park Prod Julie Billy, Naomi Denamur, Vanessa Ciszewski

© Hlynur Pálmason © Entract Films

Lovely Day

Mille secrets mille dangers

PHILIPPE FALARDEAU, CANADA, 2025, 120 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 5:45 PM AFT

SAT OCT 4 12:00 PM FAV3

FRI OCT 10 3:15 PM GIS

It’s Alain’s wedding day, and nothing is going to plan—with his divorced parents and unreliable best man Édouard adding to his stress. Troubled by the reemergence of a figure from his youth, Alain must make peace with the past to get through what ought to be the most Lovely Day of his life. Brimming with personality, this nonlinear comedy of errors from Québécois director Falardeau is a splendid adaptation of Alain Farah’s novel Mille secrets mille dangers

Cast Neil Elias, Hassan Mahbouba, Rose-Marie Perreault, Georges Khabbaz, Hiam Abou Chedid Prod Kim McCraw, Luc Déry

Renoir

CHIE HAYAKAWA, JAPAN/FRANCE/SINGAPORE/ PHILIPPINES/INDONESIA/QATAR, 2025, 118 MIN.

THU OCT 2 5:45 PM SFU

MON O CT 6 3:00 PM IN09

WED OCT 8 12:00 PM FAV3

Chie Hayakawa (Plan 75, VIFF 2022) returns with a beguiling, bravely personal portrait of childhood. It’s 1987, and Fuki is 11 years old. As the film progresses, Yuki develops an interest in the occult, calls an adult dating line, and acquires a portrait by the titular French painter. The storytelling is episodic, but the suspense is constant. Hayakawa’s direction is positively serene, and young Suzuki is superb in the lead role.

Miroirs No. 3

CHRISTIAN PETZOLD, GERMANY, 2025, 86 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 1:00 PM FAV3

FRI OCT 10 6:00 PM SFU SUN O CT 12 12:45 PM FAV3

Following a fatal car crash, piano student Laura is physically unhurt but emotionally distraught. Laura finds solace with a local woman who takes her in, but when she meets the woman’s husband and son, an increasingly strange family situation soon emerges. In his fourth collaboration with actress Paula Beer, German director Christian Petzold (Phoenix, Transit) delivers an eerie, enigmatic psychodrama that is a masterful study of grief and the unusual things we do to cope with it.

Cast Paula Beer, Barbara Auer, Matthias Brandt, Enno Trebs Prod Florian Koerner von Gustorf, Michael Weber, Anton Kaiser

Romería

CARLA SIMÓN, SPAIN/GERMANY, 2025, 112 MIN. SAT OCT 11 9:15 PM IN09 SUN O CT 12 1:00 PM IN10

An orphan from a young age, Marina has just turned 18 and intends to pursue a university scholarship. The application, however, requires the signatures of her paternal grandparents, which means that she must travel to Spain’s Atlantic coast and seek out the family she has never met. A remarkable film about the vicissitudes of time and memory, Spanish auteur Carla Simón’s latest film deftly renders Marina’s coming-of-age journey through a sensuous array of textures and modes.

Cast Llúcia Garcia, Mitch, Tristán Ulloa, Alberto Gracia, Miryam Gallego, Janet Novás Prod María Zamora

Orwell: 2+2=5

RAOUL PECK, USA/FRANCE, 2025, 119 MIN. THU OCT 2 3:00 PM IN10 SUN O CT 5 8:30 PM SFU

Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) returns with a gripping portrait of George Orwell in his final years. Orwell: 2+2=5 reconsiders 1984 not as distant fiction, but as prophecy unfolding before our eyes. With narration by Damian Lewis and a bold visual collage, Peck traces Orwell’s legacy through empire, surveillance, propaganda, and the rise of AI—revealing how the writer’s warnings still reverberate through the world we live in.

Featuring Damien Lewis Prod Alex Gibney, Raoul Peck, George Chignell, Nick Shumaker

Silent Friend

ILDIKÓ ENYEDI, GEMANY/FRANCE/HUNGARY, 2025, 147 MIN.

THU OCT 9 3:30 PM IN09 SAT OCT 11 9:15 PM SFU

On the grounds of a medieval German university town looms an imposing Ginkgo biloba, a tree whose longevity stands in contrast to three intimate, human-scaled stories. In Hungarian writer-director Ildikó Enyedi’s unclassifiable film, the rhythms of non-human life supersede any human-centered drama. Formally audacious and texturally varied, Silent Friend is a moving meditation on how we connect to the natural world, and to each other.

Cast Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm, Sylvester Groth, Martin Wuttke, Léa Seydoux Prod Reinhard Brundig, Mónika Mécs, Nicolas Elghozi, Meng Xie

Showcase

Pillion

HARRY LIGHTON, UK, 2025, 106 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 8:30 PM RIO SUN O CT 12 8:45 PM FAV3

Canadian Premiere. Colin (Harry Melling) is a timid, young gay man who lives with his parents and sings in a barbershop quartet. He meets Ray (Alexander Skarsgard), a leather-clad, hypermasculine biker straight out of a Tom of Finland drawing, who makes Colin his submissive. Seductive, horny, and wickedly funny, Harry Lighton’s debut feature is a sincere examination of the highs and lows of dominance and submission. An orgy of sex and kink that playfully examines themes of power, autonomy, compromise, but most importantly, love.

Cast Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling Prod Emma Norton, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Lee Groombridge

Tuner

DANIEL ROHER, USA, 2025, 109 MIN. SAT OCT 11 6:15PM RIO SUN O CT 12 6:00PM FAV3

A talented piano tuner (The White Lotus’ Leo Woodall in a breakout role) discovers that the patience and precision that allow him to excel at his day job are even more valuable when moonlighting as a safe cracker. Having scored an Oscar for Navalny, Daniel Roher shifts seamlessly into narrative filmmaking with this jazzinfused crime drama about love, loss, and the lengths we’ll go to for the people who matter most to us.

Cast Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, Jean Reno Prod JoAnne Sellar, Lila Yacoub, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler

Cast Yui Suzuki, Lily Franky, Hikari Ishida, Ayumi Nakajima, Yuumi Kawai, Ryota Bando Prod Eiko Mizuno-Gray, Jason Gray, Keisuke Konishi, Christophe Bruncher, Fran Borgia

Sex

© Schramm Film A4 Kopie

Two Prosecutors

SERGEI LOZNITSA, FRANCE/GERMANY/ NETHERLANDS/LATVIA/ROMANIA/LITHUANIA, 2025, 119 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 3:00 PM GIS

TUE OCT 7 8:45 PM IN10

1937: Stalin’s purges were filling gulags with political prisoners—burning their letters, and denying them due process. When one prisoner’s declaration of innocence slips through the censors and reaches the desk of naïve prosecutor Alexander Kornev, the legal representative sets out to investigate, unaware of the labyrinthine bureaucracy awaiting him. Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa crafts a Kafkaesque procedural thriller about the nature of truth and pursuit of justice in the face of a corrupt state.

Cast Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Alexander Filippenko, Anatoli Beliy Prod Kevin Chneiweiss

What Does That Nature Say to You

Geu jayeoni nege mworago hani HONG SANGSOO, SOUTH KOREA, 2025, 108 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 6:15 PM GIS SUN O CT 12 3:15 PM FAV3

Canadian Premiere. VIFF mainstay Hong Sangsoo is back with his 33rd feature, and it’s a gem: wry, subtle, and simmering with social tension. Dropping his girlfriend off at her home, thirtysomething poet Donghwa (Ha Seongguk) meets her father, Oryeong (Kwon Haehyo), and gets roped into an extended family visit. As the hours pass and the booze flows, Donghwa edges closer and closer to embarrassment. Symmetrical in design, casual in appearance, and radiant with intelligence, this is a deceptively modest delight.

Cast Ha Seongguk, Kwon Haehyo, Cho Yunhee, Kang Soyi, Park Miso Prod Hong Sangsoo

Wrong Husband

Uiksaringitara

ZACHARIAS KUNUK, CANADA, 2025, 100 MIN.

WED OCT 8 9:00 PM SFU

FRI O CT 10 3:00 PM SFU

In a remote Arctic village circa 2000 BCE, two young lovers, Kaujak and Sapa, are promised to each other from birth. When Kaujak’s father suddenly dies, her mother remarries a man from another camp, splitting up the couple and upsetting the delicate balance of their lives. Both a wrenching narrative of young love and a detailed recreation of cultural custom, Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk’s latest feature reimagines centuries-old traditions into a singular work of contemporary cinema.

Cast Theresia Kappianaq, Haiden Angutimarik, Leah Panimera, Mark Taqqaugaq, Karen Ivalu, Emma Quassa Prod Zacharias Kunuk, Jonathan Frantz, Sam Cohn-Cousineau, Carol Kunnuk

Showcase

Youngblood

After his impassioned outbursts on the ice ruin his chances of playing pro hockey, Dean Youngblood gets one last shot, but the 18-year-old will have to reconcile his father’s overbearing influence with his coach’s expectations. Director Hubert Davis’s loose remake of the 1986 Rob Lowe film balances high-octane hockey with nuanced explorations of race and gender. A rousing film about overcoming adversity and facing your inner demons, Youngblood could be a new Canadian classic.

Cast Ashton James, Blair Underwood, Henri Picard, Shawn Doyle, Tamara Podemski, Donald MacLean Jr. Prod Anthony Leo, Andrew Rosen

© SBS Productions

Panorama

As the Water Flows

Cui Hu

ZHUO BIAN, CHINA, 2025, 119 MIN.

WED OCT 8 9:00 PM IN10

FRI O CT 10 3:30 PM IN09

SAT OCT 11 3:30 PM AFT

North American Premiere. Zhuo Bian’s elegiac film stars Li Zhenping as Xie Shuwen, an elderly widower trying to find some measure of peace despite failing lungs, tension with his grown children, and the general malaise of old age. Wistful in tone, rich in characterization, and graceful in its direction, this is a melancholy but life-affirming work. Li shines in the lead role, skillfully depicting the conflict between emotion and restraint.

Cast Li Zhenping, Wang Juan, Li Hongmei, Liu Lei, Li Keer, Fu Bin, Zu Shangbinhao Prod Zhang Jie, Guan Nan, Wang Zixuan

Bidad

SOHEIL BEIRAGHI, IRAN, 2025, 104 MIN.

THU OCT 9 9:00 PM IN10

FRI O CT 10 10:30 AM IN09

SUN O CT 12 5:45 PM AFT

Canadian Premiere. Set in Tehran, Bidad follows Seti (Sarvin Zabetian, Terrestrial Verses), a young woman who dreams of singing freely in the streets. In a country where women are forced to veil and banned from public performance, her voice becomes an act of resistance. Directed by Soheil Beiraghi, this raw, intimate, and urgent narrative film captures a generation’s fight for freedom. A must-see story of courage, hope, and defiance.

Cast Sarvin Zabetian, Amir Jadidi, Leili Rashidi Prod Soheil Beiraghi

This year’s Panorama selection is customarily sprawling, with dozens of countries represented. Particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of accomplished work from several Latin American nations, as well as a rare feature film produced in Iraq. A number of these titles have been submitted by their nation for Oscar consideration, with more certain to follow. In addition to platforming a wealth of East Asian talent, Panorama also introduces audiences to some vital voices causing a clamour in the independent American filmmaking scene.

Blood Lines

GAIL MAURICE, CANADA, 2025, 89 MIN. SAT OCT 4 6:15 PM IN10 SUN O CT 5 12:00 PM IN08

As a reporter for the local newspaper, Beatrice (Dana Solomon) is used to being the supplier of gossip in her rural Métis village of Wapamon Sipi—but when her estranged mother (Gail Maurice, who also writes and directs) returns home newly sober, their broken relationship becomes the talk of the town. As she struggles to overcome the pain of her mother’s departure, Beatrice finds solace in a burgeoning romance with newcomer Chani (Derica Lafrance), a soulful ranch-hand in search of her birth family.

Cast Dana Solomon, Derica Lafrance, Mélanie Bray, Bertha Durocher,

Maggie Maurice, Mary Burnouf Prod Gail Maurice, Paula Devonshire, Jamie Manning

The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

Brand New Landscape

Miharashi Sedai

YUIGA DANZUKA, JAPAN, 2025, 115 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 6:00 PM FAV3

SUN OCT 5 5:45 PM IN08

North American Premiere. Yuiga Danzuka’s feature debut is a hushed, evocative exploration of family and the contemporary city. Against a backdrop of concrete overpasses, bright lights, and sterile architecture, we follow the awkward reunion of feckless architect Hajime and the children he left behind in a Tokyo that embodies the patriarch’s indifference. Amid the silence, confusion, and alienation, catharsis slowly unfolds, and moments of its release are powerful and poetic.

Cast Kodai Kurosaki, Kenichi Endo, Haruka Igawa,

Human Resource

NAWAPOL THAMRONGRATTANARIT, THAILAND, 2025, 122 MIN.

THU OCT 9 3:45 PM IN08

SAT OCT 11 6:15 PM SFU

North American Premiere. This haunting, meditative drama explores the question of bringing a child into an uncertain world. Prapamonton Eiamchan plays Fren, a white-collar worker with a baby on the way. Deeply ambivalent about her pregnancy, she conceals it from her macho husband Thame (Paopetch Charoensook), until a twist of fate exposes the truth. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s film refracts global anxieties through its intimate story, growing more affecting with every scene.

Cast Prapamonton Eiamchan, Paopetch Charoensook, Chanakan Rattana-Udom, Pimmada Chaisaksoen Prod Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Pacharin Surawatanapongs

Broken Voices

Sbormistr

ONDŘEJ PROVAZNÍK, CZECH REPUBLIC/SLOVAKIA, 2025, 106 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 12:45 PM IN07

SAT OCT 4 6:00 PM GIS

WED OCT 8 1:00 PM VC

When 13-year-old Karolina is chosen to be part of the main lineup of an acclaimed children’s choir—quickly becoming the choirmaster’s favourite—it draws unwanted attention and envy from the other pupils, including her sister. Based on a real-life story that took the Czech Republic by storm, this gutting account of a grave abuse of power delves deep into the sinister tactics used by predators.

Cast Kateřina Falbrová, Juraj Loj, Maya Kintera, Zuzana Šulajová, Marek Cisovský, Ivana Wojtylová Prod Jiří Konečný, Ivan Ostrochovský

Hysteria

MEHMET AKIF BÜYÜKATALAY, GERMANY, 2025, 104 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 9:15 PM GIS

TUE OCT 7 6:00 PM IN10

SUN O CT 12 4:15 PM IN09

Canadian Premiere. Thirty years after a racially motivated arson kills five immigrants in Germany, a filmmaker decides to reenact a staged version of the incident for his latest project. However, when a burned Quran is found on set, tensions rise between the filmmaker and the refugees recruited as extras for the shoot. Written and directed by Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay, this genre-bending effort is both a tightly wound mystery-thriller and a dark study in the dynamics of social power.

Cast Devrim Lingnau, Mehdi Meskar, Serkan Kaya, Nicolette Krebitz, Aziz Çapkurt, Nazmi Kırık Prod Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay, Claus Herzog-Reichel

The Condor Daughter

La Hija Cóndor

ÁLVARO OLMOS TORRICO, BOLIVIA/PERU/URUGUAY, 2025, 103 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 1:00 PM VC

THU OCT 9 3:15 PM FAV3 SAT OCT 11 9:00 PM GIS

A teenager raised in the Bolivian Andes by a Quechua midwife inherits the sacred songs of childbirth, but dreams of city lights and singing on stage. In The Condor Daughter, director Álvaro Olmos Torrico offers a moving, atmospheric debut that glides between the rural and the urban, the ancestral and the imagined. A story of longing, lineage, and choosing your own way.

Cast María Magdalena Sanizo, Marisol Vallejos Montaño, Nelly Huayta, Alisson Jimenez, Gregoria Maldonado Prod Álvaro Olmos Torrico, Cecilia Sueiro Mosquera, Diego Sarmiento Pagan, Federico Moreira

The Ice Tower

La Tour de Glace LUCILE HADŽIHALILOVIĆ, FRANCE/GERMANY, 2025, 118 MIN.

THU OCT 2 9:00 PM CINE

FRI O CT 3 9:00 PM AFT

Canadian Premiere. Set in the High Alps during the 1970s, Lucile Hadžihalilović’s spellbinding fantasy drama follows Jeanne (Clara Pacini), a 15-year-old orphan who becomes enthralled by a movie star (Marion Cotillard) playing the Snow Queen in a film adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale. When Jeanne is mistaken for an extra on set, the diva takes a shine to her, but the Snow Queen demands sacrifices from those who love her. Winner of the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at Berlinale.

Cast Marion Cotillard, Clara Pacini, August Diehl, Gaspar Noé, Marine Gesbert Prod Muriel Merlin

Panorama

Fantasy

KUKLA, SLOVENIA/NORTH MACEDONIA, 2025, 98 MIN.

THU OCT 2 8:30 PM IN08

WED OCT 8 3:30 PM VC

Canadian Premiere. Sina, Jasna, and Mihrije are three best friends navigating the challenges of young adulthood in contemporary Ljubljana. While they’re each already defying familial and societal expectations to some degree, their world is blown wide open when they meet Fantasy, a mysterious trans woman with much feminine wisdom. Her appearance triggers a deep transformation in the girls, ultimately causing them to part ways as they explore different facets of themselves.

Cast Alina Juhart, Sarah Al Saleh, Mia Skrbinac, Mina Milovanović Prod Lija Pogačnik, Barbara Daljavec, Vlado Bulajić

Idiotka

NASTASYA POPOV, USA, 2025, 82 MIN.

MON OCT 6 8:45 PM RIO TUE OCT 7 5:30 PM IN09

Canadian Premiere. Margarita (Anna Baryshnikov) is an aspiring fashion designer living with her immigrant family in West Hollywood. She catches her big break and lands a spot on a new competition show, but when the producers show more interest in her familial struggle than her talent, she must decide between chasing her dreams and protecting her family’s privacy. Channeling the cynical world of reality TV, Nastasya Popov’s debut is a heartwarming and irreverent indie comedy for the Gen Z crowd.

Cast Anna Baryshnikov, Camila Mendes, Mark Ivanir, Galina Jovovich, Nerses Stamos, Owen Thiele Prod Tess Cohen, Nastasya Popov, Camila Mendes, Rachel Matthews, Saba Zerehi

Mai Kiryu Prod Kenji Yamagami

Castoro de Oro Estate Winery

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

MARY BRONSTEIN, USA, 2025, 113 MIN.

THU OCT 2 5:45 PM RIO

SAT OCT 4 1:15 PM IN09

For Linda (Rose Byrne), life is a series of surreal catastrophes pointing to her failure as a working mother, and even her therapist (Conan O’Brien) is getting sick of her. In the absence of her husband (Christian Slater), Linda turns to weed, wine, and holotropic breathing to cope with the bottomless void of need that is her daughter’s mysterious illness. Shot on 35mm, Mary Bronstein’s darkly humorous psychological drama immerses us in Linda’s unraveling mental state as her heightened world implodes.

Cast Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, A$AP Rocky, Danielle Macdonald Prod Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Conor Hannon, Richie Doyle

The Last One for the Road

Le città di pianura

FRANCESCO SOSSAI, ITALY/GERMANY, 2025, 100 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 8:45 PM IN09

SAT OCT 11 8:30 PM AFT

SUN OCT 12 6:15 PM GIS

Carlobianchi and Doriano are a pair of middle-aged drunks driving across Veneto, bar hopping and reminiscing about days past. Joined by Giulio, a young architecture student who tags along to hear their stories, the group slosh their way through the city on the seemingly endless search for that one final drink. Equal parts Aki Kaurismäki and Alice Rohrwacher, The Last One for the Road is a celebration of the spirit of drink and the kinds of stories told around a table of old friends and too much wine.

Cast Filippo

The Ivy

Hiedra

ANA CRISTINA BARRAGÁN, ECUADOR/MEXICO/ FRANCE/SPAIN, 2025, 98 MIN.

THU OCT 2 6:00 PM IN07

SAT OCT 4 10:45 AM IN08

TUE OCT 7 3:15 PM IN10

North American Premiere. Azucena seeks to reconnect with her 18-year-old son, Julio, whom she abandoned at an orphanage when she was only 13. The two find their way back into each other's lives, but unresolved issues loom. Ana Cristina Barragán returns to VIFF with this haunting follow up to her sophomore feature Octopus Skin (VIFF 2023), continuing to push the boundaries of parental attachment and familial intimacy.

Cast Simone Bucio, Francis Eddú Llumiquinga Prod Joe Houlberg Silva, Alex de Icaza, Gabriela Maldonado, Montse Pujol Solà, Thierry Leunovel

Late Shift

Heldin

PETRA VOLPE, SWITZERLAND/GERMANY, 2025, 92 MIN.

THU OCT 2 8:30 PM GIS

FRI O CT 3 3:30 PM FAV3

WED OCT 8 6:15 PM IN09

North American Premiere. As nurse Floria patrols a surgical ward, her preternatural composure is rivalled only by her devotion to her patients. But when a colleague fails to show for work, the demands on Floria leave her careening between demanding patients, pushing her ever closer to a breaking point. Petra Volpe’s drama unfolds at an exhilarating pace and instils a deep sense of admiration for selfless souls like Floria.

Leonie Benesch, Sonja Riesen, Alireza Bayram,

Kontinental ‘25

RADU JUDE, ROMANIA, 2025, 109 MIN. SAT OCT 11 1:15 PM IN10 SUN O CT 12 9:00 PM IN09

Canadian Premiere. Orsolya (Eszter Tompa) is a bailiff whose primary function is to oversee evictions at the behest of international developers. When one such assignment ends in tragedy, she’s consumed with guilt. In a corrupt and immoral system, where does individual responsibility begin? It’s a question she returns to with family, friends, and even a priest—each proffering condolences Orsolya cannot accept. Radu Jude’s drama of conscience is alert to the grievous ethical and spiritual sicknesses of our age.

Cast Eszter Tompa, Gabriel Spahiu, Adonis Tanța, Oana Mardare, Șerban Pavlu Prod Alex Teodorescu, Rodrigo Teixeira

Lucky Lu

LLOYD LEE CHOI, USA/CANADA, 2025, 103 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 8:30 PM SFU SAT OCT 11 12:00 PM FAV3

New York delivery driver Lu Jia Cheng (Chang Chen) is in trouble: His wife and daughter are due to arrive from China, and he’s just been swindled out of the $3000 he needs for their new apartment. It’s a race against time to raise funds, and things just keep getting worse—from thieves to pawnbrokers and much more.

Lloyd Lee Choi’s gripping film addresses poverty and moral compromises in the back alleys, hidden gambling spots, and dangerous streets where money is scarce but the stakes are high.

Cast Chang Chen, Fala Chen, Carabelle Manna Wei

Prod Destin Daniel Cretton, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Asher Goldstein, Tony Yang, Ron Najor, Jeyun Munford

Last Night in Taipei

CHENG-CHUI KUO, TAIWAN/FRANCE, 2025, 87 MIN. WED OCT 8 6:15 PM FAV3 THU OCT 9 3:15 PM IN10

World Premiere. Set in the pulsing heart of Taipei, Cheng-Chui Kuo’s film is a lively, bittersweet ode to love and friendship that follows four friends through a night of drinking, reminiscence, and revelation. As the night progresses and old passions bubble to the surface, Kuo explores the gulf between desire and life circumstances. This is a distinctly mature work—one that could only have come from someone who has lived through heartbreak and gained grace and wisdom from it.

Ma - Cry of Silence

THE MAW NAING, MYANMAR/SOUTH KOREA/ SINGAPORE/FRANCE/NORWAY/QATAR, 2024, 74 MIN. THU OCT 2 3:15 PM IN08

THU OCT 9 9:30 PM IN09

SAT OCT 11 1:30 PM IN08

Canadian Premiere. This bracing political drama tells the story of female sweatshop workers in Myanmar and their struggle for justice in the workplace. Director The Maw Naing uses sound, lighting, and production design to evoke the harshness of sweatshop labour, and the women’s cramped, shadowy living quarters make for a strong dramatic contrast. This is a dark, unflinching film, but it’s anything but cynical: Naing’s depiction of injustice is meant not to dampen hope but to spark outrage and action.

Prod The Maw Naing, Oh Young Jeong

Cast Yu Chen, Phil Hou, Jeff Kuo, Chi Yun Mao, Yu Lin Prod Cheng Chou, Cheng-Chui Kuo, Ethan Zheng

Scotti, Pierpaolo Capovilla Prod Marta Donzelli, Gregorio Paonessa

Cast

Selma Aldin, Urs Bihler, Margherita Schoch Prod Reto Schaerli, Lukas Hobi

Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)

JOEL ALFONSO VARGAS, USA, 2025, 101 MIN.

THU OCT 2 8:45 PM IN09

SAT OCT 4 4:00 PM IN09

FRI O CT 10 2:45 PM FAV3

In this gritty, Bronx-set romance, 19-yearold Rico (Juan Collado) and 16-year-old Destiny (Destiny Checo) are expecting a baby and determined to make a go of parenthood. What ensues is a crash course in maturity for the cocky, naïve Rico, who has to turn his life around in order to keep his relationship intact. Joel Alfonso Vargas’s film glows with sincerity—it’s funny without being frivolous, tough-minded without being cynical, and tender without being sentimental.

Meadowlarks

TASHA HUBBARD, CANADA, 2025, 91 MIN.

OCT 4 6:00 PM SFU

O CT 5 2:45 PM IN09 SAT OCT 11 6:15 PM AFT

Fifty years after being separated during the Sixties Scoop, four Cree siblings reunite on a long weekend trip to Banff. Over scenic backdrops of forest trails, snow-capped mountains, and crystalline lakewater, Connie, Marianne, Gwen, and Anthony tend to their wounded family history as they seek to connect with their Indigenous culture and one another. Based on her 2017 documentary Birth of a Family, Tasha Hubbard’s sensitive family drama relates a life-affirming story of kinship and belonging.

The Message

El Mensaje

IVÁN FUND, ARGENTINA/SPAIN/URUGUAY, 2025, 91 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 6:00 PM FAV3

SAT OCT 4 4:15 PM IN08

Canadian Premiere. A young girl’s gift for communicating with animals makes her a considerable asset to her guardians, who traverse the Argentinian countryside providing assistance to pet-owners in need. But despite their best efforts to keep her happy and comfortable on their travels, the child gets restless. Winner of the Silver Bear Jury Prize at this year’s Berlinale, Iván Fund’s quietly moving road drama is as pointed as it is improvisational in its observation of the trio’s mundane rhythms and moments of camaraderie.

Cast Mara Bestelli, Marcelo Subiotto, Anika Bootz, Betania Cappato Prod Iván Fund, Laura Mara Tablón, Gustavo Schiaffino

Middle Life

PAVAN MOONDI, CANADA/USA, 2025, 84 MIN.

THU OCT 9 6:45 PM IN09

SAT OCT 11 3:00 PM FAV3

After meeting in the aftermath of a car crash, Ryan and Andie (Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay Goldstein, lead singers of July Talk) forge a quick friendship that cruises towards romance, despite domestic complications. Ryan is impulsive and free-spirited, and his sense of fun is a magnet for the more inhibited Andie. As the two shift from platonic to romantic, Pavan Moondi’s film dives deeper into ideas of commitment, freedom, and love, while always remaining grounded in the charms of its charismatic leads.

Cast Leah Fay Goldstein, Peter Dreimanis, Luke Lalonde, Norah Sadava, Colin Burgess Prod Peter Dreimanis, Pavan Moondi, Jared Raab, Leah Fay Goldstein, Dean Perlmutter

Cast Juan Collado, Destiny Checo, Yohanna Florentino, Nathaly Navarro Prod Paolo Maria Pedullà

Cast Michael Greyeyes, Michelle Thrush, Carmen Moore, Alex Rice Prod Tyler Hagan, Julia Rosenberg

Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)

My Father’s Son

QIU SHENG, CHINA/FRANCE, 2025, 100 MIN.

THU OCT 9 6:00 PM FAV3

SAT OCT 11 1:00 PM IN09

Canadian Premiere. Qiu Sheng’s film takes place in the past, present, and future, combining the visionary ethos of science fiction with the intimacy of a family drama. As the film begins, Qiao (Sun Ning) is an 18-year-old whose father Jiantang (Song Yang), a failed boxer, has just died. Soon, the film will explore both Qiao’s life as a young boy and his life in the future. Moving from scenes of domestic strife to VR boxing matches, Qiu maintains a hushed, contemplative tone and shows a talent for beautiful imagery.

Cast Song Yang, Sun Ning, Tong Chenjie, Alice Ko, Sun Anke, Zhao Jiali Prod Zhang Yuxuan, Jia Ruocheng, Charles Gillibert

The President’s Cake

Mamlaket al-Qasab

HASAN HADI, IRAQ/USA/QATAR, 2025, 105 MIN.

THU OCT 2 3:00 PM FAV3

FRI OCT 3 6:00 PM GIS MON O CT 6 3:30 PM IN10

Iraq, 1990s. In the midst of a food shortage, impoverished nine-year-old Lamia is forced to scrounge up a cake for her school’s mandatory celebration of Saddam Hussein’s birthday—or face punishment. With her pet rooster and pickpocketing friend Saeed in tow, Lamia ventures into the city to barter for ingredients. Winner of the Caméra d’Or and Director’s Fortnight Audience Award at Cannes, Hasan Hadi’s empathetic debut feature blends the ingredients of a fairy tale with gutting social realism.

Baneen

The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

La Misteriosa Mirada Del Flamenco DIEGO CÉSPEDES, CHILE/FRANCE/GERMANY/SPAIN/ BELGIUM, 2025, 104 MIN.

THU OCT 2 6:00 PM FAV3 FRI OCT 10 9:00 PM VC

Set in a remote mining town in the Chilean desert in the 1980s, this neo-western centers on a commune of queer outcasts, including 11-year-old Lidia. When Lidia’s mother's abusive ex-lover reappears in their lives and robs the little girl of her closest confidante, the rest of the group bands around her to guide her through grief and anger. Diego Céspedes’s exquisite film artfully threads surrealist touches into its singularly eccentric narrative.

Cast Tamara Cortés, Matías Catalán, Paula Dinamarca, Claudia Cabezas, Luis Dubó Prod Giancarlo Nasi, Justin Pechberty, Damien Megherbi

Saikai Paradise

Saikai Rakuen KEIKO TSURUOKA, JAPAN, 2025, 72 MIN.

THU OCT 9 6:15 PM GIS SAT OCT 11 3:30 PM IN08

World Premiere. Keiko Tsuruoka’s charming, wistful film features Kazunari Yanagitani as Kazu, an actor returning to his hometown to see his family and confess an uncomfortable secret. Serving quadruple duty as writer, director, cinematographer, and editor, Tsuruoka (Tsugaru Lacquer Girl, VIFF 2023) shows equal skill at creating imagery and directing performers. Saikai Paradise is a graceful, winning film about the small, quiet moments that make up so much of our lives.

Cast Kazunari Yanagitani, Misaki Kinoshita, Hiroki Uehara, Hiroyuki Nagami, Shota Tashima, Mayumi Yanagitani

Peak Everything

Amour Apocalypse

ANNE ÉMOND, CANADA, 2025, 100 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 8:45 PM GIS

SAT OCT 4 5:45 PM AFT

SUN OCT 5 12:15 PM IN10

Can love prevail when the world is falling apart? That’s the question Québécois filmmaker Anne Émond poses in this oddball climate crisis rom-com. Adam (Patrick Hivon) is overwhelmed by despair, until the purchase of a therapeutic lamp brings him into contact with customer service operator (Piper Perabo) who shakes him out of his depression. Jagging from melancholia to slapstick, Peak Everything keeps us as dizzy as the two unsuspecting soulmates at its centre.

Cast Patrick Hivon, Piper Perabo, Connor Jessup, Gilles Renaud, Élizabeth Mageren, Éric K. Boulianne Prod Sylvain Corbeil

The Scout

PAULA GONZÁLEZ-NASSER, USA, 2025, 89 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 6:15 PM CINE SUN O CT 12 3:30 PM VC

International Premiere. Paula GonzálezNasser’s film gives a window into the working life of a NYC location scout. Sofia (Mimi Davila) spends her days leafletting, conducting awkward interviews with homeowners, and running constantly behind schedule. Despite a casualness to the proceedings, stress begins to mount, and the awkwardness of conversations with so many strangers is palpable. But each encounter has the feel of real social interaction—captured from life and then released to flutter unsteadily before us.

Cast Mimi Davila, Rutanya Alda, Max Rosen, Ikechukwu Ufomadu, Sarah Herrman, Alex Goldberg

Prod Ryan Martin Brown, Matthew Romanski, Paula González-Nasser

A Poet

Un poeta

SIMÓN MESA SOTO, COLOMBIA/GERMANY/SWEDEN, 2025, 120 MIN.

THU OCT 2 6:15 PM IN10

FRI O CT 3 1:15 PM IN08

TUE OCT 7 12:15 PM IN09

Once a promising young poet, Oscar Restrepo is now an aging alcoholic who hasn’t written anything worthwhile in decades. When he meets Yurlady, a talented student from a poor background, he agrees to help her cultivate her art, but drawing her into the poetry world soon leads to disastrous consequences. The latest from Colombian director Simón Mesa Soto is at once a wry character study and a biting art-world satire.

Cast Ubeimar Rios, Rebeca Andrade, Guillermo Cardona, Allison Correa, Margarita Soto, Humberto Restrepo Prod Juan Sarmiento G., Manuel Ruiz Montealegre, Simón Mesa Soto

Skin of Youth

VIETNAM/SINGAPORE/JAPAN, 2025, 122 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 5:30 PM FAV3 SAT OCT 11 3:45 PM IN10

Canadian Premiere. Ash Mayfair’s romance tells the story of San, a dancer saving up for gender-affirming surgery, and her boyfriend Nam, a professional fighter with a quick temper. Together they negotiate financial need, transphobia, and mortal danger, doing their utmost to succeed in a society in which the odds are stacked against them. Simmering, sexy, and fiercely moral, Skin of Youth succeeds both as a love story and a work of social protest.

Cast Trân Quân,

Võ Diên Gia Huy, Phan Thi Kim Ngân, Hajime Inoue Prod Trần Thị Bích Ngọc, Ash Mayfair, Fran Borgia

Cast

Ahmed Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheeda Thabet Khreibat, Rahim AlHaj Prod Leah Chen Baker

My Father’s Son

2025 VIFF Gold Media Partner

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Solomamma

JANICKE ASKEVOLD, NORWAY/LATVIA/LITHUANIA/ DENMARK/FINLAND, 2025, 99 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 6:45 PM IN10

SUN O CT 12 12:45 PM GIS

North American Premiere. Edith (Force Majeure’s Lisa Loven Kongsli) is a curiosity-driven journalist and single mother. Solo parenting proves to be complicated, and when the identity of her sperm donor is revealed to be a successful game developer (The Worst Person in the World’s Herbert Nordrum), she seeks him out under the false pretext of interviewing him about his company. Janicke Askevold’s well-observed, wryly entertaining debut feature deftly explores the emotional minefield of modern motherhood.

Cast Lisa Loven Kongsli, Herbert Nordrum Prod Rebekka Rognøy, Gary Cranner, Magnus Nygaard Albertsen

Tape

BIZHAN TONG, HONG KONG/UK, 2024, 110 MIN.

The Things You Kill

ALIREZA KHATAMI, FRANCE/POLAND/CANADA/ TURKEY, 2025, 113 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 9:15 PM IN10

SAT OCT 4 12:00 PM IN07 FRI O CT 10 8:45 PM AFT

Train Dreams

Canadian Premiere. Bizhan Tong’s razorsharp drama mixes three characters, a secret from their past, and one small apartment into an explosive concoction. Fifteen years after graduating high school, filmmaker Jon (Kenny Kwan) and lawyer Amy (Selena Lee) are brought together by their mutual friend Wing (Adam Pak), who has very specific plans for the evening. A reimagining of Stephen Belber’s play and Richard Linklater’s film adaptation, Tape is provocative in its #MeToo politics and moving in its depiction of personal pain.

Cast Kenny Kwan, Selena Lee, Adam Pak, Mason Fung, Summer Chan Prod Bizhan Tong, Selena Lee

Thirty-something Ali, an adjunct professor at a university in Ankara, leads an apparently stable life. But when his ailing mother dies under ambiguous circumstances, he starts to unravel, resulting in an act that shatters our understanding of his person. An unsparing look at generational cycles of violence and corruption, the latest from Iranian writer-director Alireza Khatami melds the shadowy ambiance of classic noir with a bold twist on the vagaries of personal identity.

Cast Selen Kurtaran, Idil Engindeniz, Güliz Şirinyan, Aysan Sümercan Ölmez Prod Elisa SepulvedaRuddoff, Cyriac Auriol, Mariusz Włodarski, Alireza Khatami, Michael Salomon

Based on the novella by Denis Johnson and set in the Pacific Northwest during the first half of the last century, Clint Bentley’s American pastoral stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grenier, a lumberjack returning to the logging camps season after season. As the years roll on, he finds a wife (Felicity Jones), as well as hardship and tragedy. This is a lovely, ruminative film about the passing of the years, superbly acted. Cascadia has rarely looked so luminous on screen.

Cast Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr. Prod Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, William Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, Michael Heimler

Saikai Paradise

Photo: Stephen Morgan

Vanguard

Introducing a new wave of gifted storytellers to Canadian audiences, the films in this series reflect the well of ingenuity and cinematic prowess emerging from all corners of the world. Form, style and genre either blur, bend or extend in these works, weaving regional flourishes and breathing fresh air into familiar narratives. Or inventing entirely new ones. This is the place to surrender expectations and discover a hidden gem.

Gazelle

NADIR SARIBACAK, SAMY PIONEER (SELMAN), USA/TURKEY, 2025, 103 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 8:30 PM

SUN OCT 5 1:15 PM

SUN OCT 12 9:15 PM

World Premiere. Yakup, a Turkish music teacher seeking political asylum in New York, is trying to keep his head above water as he navigates the US immigration system. Working illegally in a restaurant kitchen, he is laser focused on laying the groundwork to bring his wife and daughter abroad. In a desperate attempt to expedite the process, he seeks help from a group of shady fellow countrymen, but things quickly go sideways and chances to reunite with his loved ones deteriorate by the minute.

Dance of the Living

La Lucha JOSÉ ALAYÓN, SPAIN/COLOMBIA, 2025, 92 MIN. SAT OCT 4 3:15 PM

International Premiere. An ode to the wrestling tradition practiced by the indigenous Canarians of Fuerteventura island, this elegant and layered father-daughter drama takes us into the heart of a family crisis brought on by the untimely passing of their matriarch. Adding to the fresh wound is the pressure of fast-approaching finals, and teenage Mariana grapples with growing anger while her father Miguel contends with a knee injury that foreshadows the twilight of his career.

Cast Nadir Sarıbacak, Salem Hadeed, Faysal Ahmed, Abraham Taylor, Ayhan Hulagu, Ziad Alezabi Prod Mehmet Tözün, Kenan Baysal, Ender Zirekoğlu

Cast Yazmina Estupiñán, Tomasín Padrón, Inés Cano, Sara Cano, Aridany Pérez Prod Jose Alayón, José M. Viña, Jamie Weiss, Jairo López, Carlos E. García

Eel

The Bora

Sardbad

MOHAMMAD ESMAEILI, IRAN, 2024, 85 MIN.

WED OCT 8 8:45 PM VC

SUN OCT 12 1:30 PM CINE

North American Premiere. The discovery of a dead body during a mountain expedition unravels a 15-year-old murder mystery linked to the victim’s friend. What starts as a seemingly straightforward investigation into a mountaineering accident soon becomes a tale of unrequited love, revenge, bitter family feuds, and broken friendships. This sharply scripted, elliptical crime drama styled as an arthouse procedural marks a sophisticated spin on the endlessly popular true crime trope.

Cast Mehran Nael, Maysam Damanzeh, Mehrdad Ziaie, Majid Agha-Karimi, Khosro Ahmadi, Hamed Komeili Prod Arash Shojaie, Bijan Mirbagheri

Thus Spoke the Wind

MARIA RIGEL, ARMENIA, 2025, 92 MIN.

THU OCT 9 8:45 PM VC

FRI OCT 10 1:00 PM VC

Canadian Premiere. Set in the remote plains of rural Armenia, Maria Rigel’s sharp sophomore feature takes us into the lives of young Hayk and his aunt Narine, who takes care of the quiet boy in the absence of his troubled mother. Isolated and often bullied by local punks, Hayk finds comfort in the horses he helps care for at his aunt’s farm. When his mother suddenly reappears in their lives, things are thrown off balance as the rebellious young woman refuses to observe the social customs of the conservative community.

Cast Albert Babajanyan, Lusine Avanesyan, Annika Abrahamyan Prod Ernest Bagdasaryan, Maria Rigel, Gala Minasova

Eel

Hé mán

CHU CHUN-TENG, TAIWAN, 2025, 102 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 6:15 PM VC

SAT OCT 11 1:00 PM CINE

North American Premiere. A young man leads a solitary existence, living and working in a landfill zone on an island just outside of Taipei. His world shifts when, one day, a mysterious, almost feral young woman floats into his life. The two are instantly drawn to each other, almost by an otherworldly force. But in the scorching heat, surrounded by waste, their budding intimacy takes some twists and turns as buried demons come to the fore. Ultimately, the primal takes hold and their bond deepens.

Cast Devin Pan, Misi Ke, Chin-Yu Pan, Bella Chen, Mei-Hou Wu Prod Susan Huang

Wind, Talk to Me

Vetre, pričaj sa mnom STEFAN DJORDJEVIC, SERBIA/SLOVENIA/CROATIA, 2025, 100 MIN.

SAT OCT 11 12:30 PM VC

SUN OCT 12 8:30 PM CINE

North American Premiere. In this quietly affecting, deeply personal debut, Stefan Djordjevic subtly but notably occupies both sides of the camera, painting a delicate portrait of a young man processing the loss of his mother. On his way to reunite with family at their shared lake house to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday, he hits a dog with his car. As he nurtures the wounded animal back to health, his own heart begins to mend.

Cast Negrica Djordjevic, Stefan Djordjevic, Bosko Djordjevic, Djordje Davidovic, Budimir Jovanovic, Ljiljana Jovanovic Prod Dragana Jovovic, Stefan Ivancic, Ognjen Glavonic, Stefan Djordjevic

God Will Not Help

Bog neće pomoći HANA JUŠIĆ, CROATIA/ITALY/ROMANIA/GREECE/ FRANCE/SLOVENIA, 2025, 137 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 9:15 PM VC MON OCT 6 1:00 PM VC

North American Premiere. At the turn of the 20th century, a Chilean woman shows up in a remote Croatian community of shepherds, claiming to be the widow of the family’s eldest son. While her appearance is at first exciting, her otherness quickly sows discord among the clan, bringing deeply buried tensions to a boil. Manuela Martelli and Ana Marija Veselčić are riveting in their defiant turn as the two outcasts who form an unlikely bond in the face of social rejection.

Cast Manuela Martelli, Ana Marija Veselčić, Filip Đurić, Mauro Ercegović Gracin, Nikša Butijer Prod Ankica Jurić Tilić

Little Trouble Girls

Kaj ti je deklica URŠKA DJUKIĆ, SLOVENIA/ITALY/CROATIA/SERBIA, 2025, 90 MIN.

THU OCT 2 6:15 PM VC

SAT OCT 4 3:30 PM AFT

TUE OCT 7 3:15

Canadian Premiere. A remote Slovenian convent is the backdrop of Urška Djukić’s seductive debut that sees an all-girl choir decamp for a weekend retreat. Surrounded by a group of hormonal girls eager to push her buttons, 16-year-old Lucija finds herself both intrigued and resistant to the pressure to claim her sexual power. While she doesn't return from the excursion the same doe-eyed maiden, she blossoms on her own terms.

Cast Jara Sofija Ostan, Mina Švajger, Saša Tabaković, Nataša Burger, Staša Popović, Mateja Strle Prod Jozko Rutar, Miha Cernec

© Kinorama

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My VIFF 2025 Watchlist

Use this page to pick out your 2025 festival highlights!

My Must-See Films

Q&As

Premiere Picks

Plan Your Schedule With My VIFF

Get ready to VIFF and plan your festival with our new What’s On Calendar at viff.org/whats-on-calendar

Browse screenings and events by day and save your favourites to your personalized My VIFF tool. Just click 'My VIFF' in the top right corner of the website and sign in with your VIFF account (the same one you use to buy tickets!).

Homegrown Talent

Special Events

To keep track of the films you're excited about add them to your Watchlist by clicking the heart icon on any event in our What's On List. You can view your watchlist at viff.org/watchlist.

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This year we’ve created a fun challenge for all our dedicated festival fans.

As you attend events throughout VIFF 2025, complete squares and play along with VIFF Bingo for your chance to win a prize!

HOW

TO ENTER

Watched a film that made you cry

Watched a film by a female director

Watched a documentary

Attended a VIFF Talk

Watched a film at the Cinematheque

Attended a World Premiere

Watched a film by an Indigenous director

Got my photo taken by a

Wore VIFF merch to a screening

Heard, “We only have time for one more question” at a Q&A

PRIZES

Share a picture of your completed row or card on your Instagram stories and tag @viffest for a chance to win.

* Contests closes on October 12 at 11:59pm. Winner will be announced on October 15.

Got interviewed by the VIFF Social Media Team

Attended two Q&As

One Row—Vertical, Horizontal or Diagonal

Enter to win:

• VIFF Tote Bag

• VIFF T-Shirt

Saw the Shorts at Science World

Watched a film that made the whole room laugh

Bingogram

Entire Card

Enter to win:

• VIFF Tote Bag

• VIFF T-Shirt

• VIFF+ Membership

Watched three films back-to-back-to-back FILMS

Watched a MODES program

Write your own VIFF experience!

Watched a Canadian feature film

Attended a VIFF Live event

Watched a film with friends

Watched a film with an ambiguous ending

Tried on a VR headset at Signals

Said “Thank you” to a VIFF Volunteer

Watched a film in every series

Northern Lights

Hosting seven world premieres and welcoming several films that have already earned considerable acclaim on the festival circuit, Northern Lights once again serves notice that Canadian and Indigenous filmmakers are a force to be reckoned with. Many of the films found here take the form of journeys, be they across oceans or into the depths of memory. Elsewhere, there are accounts of indoctrination, incarceration, and fumbling bids for sexual liberation.

Akashi

MAYUMI YOSHIDA, CANADA, 2025, 105 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 6:00 PM PLAY

THU OCT 9 3:00 PM GIS World Premiere. Ten years after moving to Vancouver, struggling artist Kana returns to Tokyo to attend her grandmother’s funeral, where she rekindles a tentative flame with her bashful ex-boyfriend, Hiro. As Kana digs deeper into her beloved grandmother’s past, she uncovers a family secret that prompts her to rethink everything she thought she knew about love, duty, and belonging. Mayumi Yoshida’s tender drama bridges the past and present to explore contrasting tales of star-crossed love.

Blue Heron

SOPHY ROMVARI, CANADA/HUNGARY, 2025, 90 MIN. SAT OCT 4 6:00 PM CINE SUN O CT 5 3:30 PM FAV3

In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha (Eyul Guven) and her Hungarian immigrant family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island. As they settle in, Jeremy (Edik Beddoes), the oldest child, grows increasingly withdrawn, and as his erratic behaviour escalates, his family are gripped by a sense of powerlessness. Sophy Romvari helms a captivating debut feature that’s richly detailed, sophisticatedly designed, and deeply felt. Blue Heron’s haunting heartache ensures an indelible viewing experience.

Cast Eylul Guven, Iringó Réti, Ádám Tompa, Edik Beddoes, Liam Serg, Preston Drabble

Cast Mayumi Yoshida, Hana Kino, Ryo Tajima, Sayaka Kunisada, Bun Kimura, Yuriko Onuma Prod Nach Dudsdeemaytha, Tyler Hagan

Prod Ryan Bobkin, Sara Wylie, Sophy Romvari, Gábor Osváth

The Track

100 Sunset

KUNSANG KYIRONG, CANADA, 2025, 99 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 6:15 PM CINE

SUN O CT 5 3:30 PM IN07

Kunsel is an introverted young woman living in the Tibetan immigrant community of west Toronto, where she commits petty theft and spies on her neighbours through a camcorder. However, when newcomer Passang moves into the neighbourhood, Kunsel is gradually drawn out of her solitary, watchful existence. Reminiscent of the icy postHitchcockian thrillers of Claude Chabrol, Kunsang Kyirong’s auspicious debut is the rare film whose enigmas only deepen as it unfolds.

Cast

Hemela

PIROUZ NEMATI, CANADA/IRAN, 2025, 72 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 8:45 PM IN08

WED OCT 8 3:00 PM IN08

World Premiere. Hemela is a tender portrait of its subject, who left Iran as a young woman and built a vibrant life in Montreal. Beloved for her food, humour, and radiant presence, Hemela embodies resilience and cultural memory. Celebrating elders in the diasporic community, Pirouz Nemati’s film finds beauty in everyday moments—family gatherings, shared meals, laughter with friends—offering an intimate, heartfelt tribute to ordinary lives lived with extraordinary warmth. (Preceded by Ryan McKenna’s Solitudes.) Feat Hemela Pourafzal Prod Pirouz Nemati

Clan of the Painted Lady

JENNIFER CHIU, CANADA, 2025, 101 MIN.

MON OCT 6 6:00 PM FAV3

THU OCT 9 3:30 PM VC

World Premiere. In this bravely personal documentary, Jennifer Chiu reaches into her family’s history to explore the Hakka— a people, a language, and a culture that have been obscured for far too long. Chiu explores Hakka history, particularly the nomadic drift from China to India, Mauritius, Jamaica, and her home country of Canada. She addresses family secrecy, the costs of assimilation, and more in this engrossing, congenial work full of candid conversation and sharp insights. Prod Jennifer Chiu

Modern Whore

NICOLE BAZUIN, CANADA, 2025, 80 MIN.

THU OCT 9 8:30 PM GIS SAT OCT 11 4:00 PM IN09

In director Nicole Bazuin’s riotously entertaining documentary, performer and Modern Whore–memoirist Andrea Werhun (a standout in Sook Yin-Lee’s Paying for It, VIFF 2024) recounts her experiences as an escort and stripper in Toronto, debunking misconceptions. Through cheeky reenactments, stylized animated sequences, and interviews with a diverse community of sex workers, Werhun delves deep into the topics of shame, stigma, risk, and reward, reconceptualizing the archetype of the Modern Whore.

Feat Andrea Werhun Prod Lauren Grant, Nicole Bazuin, Andrea Werhun

Northern Lights

Finch & Midland

TIMOTHY YEUNG, CANADA/HONG KONG, 2025, 110 MIN. SUN OCT 5 6:15 PM FAV3 MON OCT 6 6:00 PM IN10

World Premiere. Timothy Yeung’s film tells the story four Hong Kong immigrants living lives of desperation in Scarborough, Ontario. Diving headfirst into economic hardship and social isolation, the writerdirector portrays an expansive view of life under late capitalism built on four great character studies. This is a film rich in specificity and wide-ranging in its relevance, and veteran actors Patrick Tam, Harriet Yeung, Theresa Lee, and Anthony Wong give terrific lead performances.

Cast Anthony Wong, Theresa Lee, Patrick Tam, Nina Paw, Harriet Yeung, Dmitry Chepovetsky Prod Kim Yu

Nesting

Peau à Peau

CHLOÉ CINQ-MARS, CANADA, 2025, 101 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 6:15 PM IN08

SUN O CT 12 3:00 PM AFT

Adjusting to her new life as a mother after the traumatic birth of her son, Pénélope witnesses a violent robbery that triggers repressed memories of her sister’s death. Feeling trapped by motherhood, Pénélope acts erratically as her grasp on reality begins to waver. Chloé CinqMars’s debut feature is a tense psychological thriller anchored by an electric lead performance. Its unsettling atmosphere crackles with sublimated desire and subtle body horror as it unflinchingly explores postpartum depression.

Cast Rose-Marie Perreault, Simon Landry-Désy, Saladin Fellers Prod Nicolas Comeau, Jean-marc Fröhle

Follies

Folichonneries

ERIC K. BOULIANNE, CANADA, 2025, 101 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 9:15 PM IN09

SAT OCT 11 3:15 PM RIO

After 16 years of marriage and two children, François and Julie have lost their spark in the bedroom. They decide to open up their relationship in a bid to save their sex life, but polyamory isn’t as easy as they hoped. The feature-length directorial debut of Québécois screenwriter Eric K. Boulianne (who also stars), Follies is a surprisingly touching and painfully hilarious depiction of love, sex, and intimacy that pays homage to marital classics like Eyes Wide Shut and Scenes From a Marriage.

Cast Eric K. Boulianne, Catherine Chabot, Florence Blain Mbaye, Étienne Galloy, Sarah Chouinard Poirier, Simone Bellemare-Ledoux Prod Hany Ouichou, Laurie Pominville

Nika & Madison

EVA THOMAS, CANADA, 2025, 87 MIN. MON OCT 6 9:00 PM IN10 TUE OCT 7 5:45 PM IN08

Following an act of self-defence that leaves them wanted for attempted murder, Nika (Ellyn Jade) and Madison (Star Slade) are forced to flee into the wilderness—with a pair of detectives hot on their heels. Impeccably cast, tightly paced, and propelled by a lively Indigenous pop soundtrack, Eva Thomas’s compelling new take on Thelma and Louise delivers an authentic tale of Indigenous resilience and sisterhood, shedding light on systemic biases in the legal system.

Cast Ellyn Jade, Star Slade, Amanda Brugel, Shawn Doyle Prod Tyler Levine, Eva Thomas

Tenzin Kunsel, Sonam Choekyi, Tsering Bawa, Lobsang Tenzin, Tsering Gyatso, Tsering Dolma Prod Joaquin Cardoner, Kristina Wong, Kunsang Kyirong

Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants

BRYCE HODGSON, CANADA, 2024, 91 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 8:45 PM SFU

SUN O CT 5 1:00 PM IN07

World Premiere. High on LSD and eager to break from confinement, two teenage boys steal a van and make their escape from the youth treatment centre that has kept them under lock and key. Four-hundred kilometres later, broken down in the parking lot of a Valu-Mart and wracked with PTSD, the next stage of their trip begins. Bryce Hodgson’s film attacks the multi-billion-dollar “troubled teen” industry, which preys on helpless parents and vulnerable youth. An emotionally potent rendering of young minds lost to trauma.

Cast Kevin Nguyen, Hunter Dillon, Fred Nguyen Khan Prod Caitlyn Sponheimer, Katia Shannon

The Track

RYAN SIDHOO, CANADA/BOSNIA, 2025, 91 MIN.

In a forest above Sarajevo, an Olympic luge track lies abandoned since the 1984 Winter Games, riddled with bullet holes from the Yugoslav Wars. Three teenage boys—Hamza, Mirza, and Zlatan—dream of competing in luge as a way to a better life, but a lack of institutional and financial support and sociopolitical issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina challenge their Olympic dreams. Ryan Sidhoo’s documentary offers an ambitious, hopeful look at the next generation striving to overcome the sins of their fathers.

Feat Mirza Nikolajev, Zlatan Jakić, Hamza Pleho, Coach Senad Omanović Prod Ryan Sidhoo

Treasure of the Rice Terraces

KENT DONGUINES, CANADA/PHILIPPINES, 2025, 75 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 8:30 PM IN09

MON O CT 6 3:30 PM GIS

World Premiere. Filipino Canadian filmmaker Kent Donguines travels back to the Philippines to reconnect with his roots and learn about the revival of Indigenous Kalinga tattoos, a centuries-old tradition once banned by colonizers. Guided by 107-year-old master artist Apo Whangod, he explores how the revival of this body art tradition offers a way to preserve culture and strengthen identity, showing how traditions can survive, evolve, and inspire both local communities and cultural identity around the world.

Feat Maria “Apo-Whang-Od” Oggay, Kent Donguines, Grace Palicas, Lars Krutak, Kim Atienza, Michelle Marquez Dee Prod Jacob Crawford, Bailey Wood, Kent Donguines

A Welcome Distraction

BRIAN DANIEL JOHNSON, CANADA, 2025, 97 MIN.

THU OCT 9 6:00 PM CINE

SUN O CT 12 12:45 PM VC

World Premiere. Ernest (Simon Farrell) is a wayward twentysomething living in Vancouver. Stuck in a rut after a breakup and grieving a recent family tragedy, he does whatever he can to avoid reconnecting with his family. Vancouver plays itself in this sprawling character study that unfolds over the course of one calendar year in the Pacific Northwest. Director Brian Daniel Johnson’s debut feature is an ambient ode to our city, and a sensitive and relatable portrait of life within it.

Cast Simon Farrell, Madison Isolina, Adriana Marchand, Liam McCulley Prod Maddy Chang, Dide Su Bilgin

Modern Whore

Awards

SUMMIT Award

Presented to the director of an outstanding narrative feature by an established Canadian or Indigenous filmmaker.

$15,000 award presented by

ARBUTUS Award

Presented to the director of an outstanding feature film produced in British Columbia.

$10,000 award presented by $15,000 in post-production services credit provided by

HORIZON Award

Presented to the director of an outstanding first or second narrative feature by a Canadian or Indigenous filmmaker.

$3,000 award presented by

SHORT FORUM Award

All official selections in the Short Forum are eligible for this award.

$5,000 award presented by

TIDES Award

Presented to the director of an outstanding documentary feature by a Canadian or Indigenous filmmaker.

$15,000 award presented by

VANGUARD Award

All feature films in our competitive Vanguard section are eligible for this award.

$5,000 award presented by

Gillian McKercher Melanie Miller Amar Wala

JURY

Karen Chapman Mike Johnston Sung Moon

JURY Anja Block Igor Drljača Asia Youngman

JURY

Leading Lights

Divine Intervention

Yadon Ilaheyya

ELIA SULEIMAN, FRANCE/PALESTINE, 2002, 92 MIN.

MON OCT 6 8:45 PM VC

SUN OCT 12 3:45 PM CINE

Palestinian comic visionary Elia Suleiman is at the height of his powers with this series of deadpan, interconnected, absurdist vignettes about two Palestinian lovers on either side of an Israeli military checkpoint. Surreal, satirical, and biting in its political criticism without ever surrendering its poetry, Divine Intervention is sad in its vision of the world but deeply warm in its humour.

Cast Elia Suleiman, Manal Khader, Nayef Fahoum Daher Prod Humbert Balsan

Lights in the Dusk

Laitakaupungin Valot

AKI KAURISMÄKI, FINLAND/GERMANY/FRANCE, 2006, 77 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 4:00 PM CINE

SAT OCT 11 3:45 PM CINE

Koistinen—a preternaturally unlucky and systematically denigrated security guard—sees his life spiral into chaos as he gets involved with the wrong company. To advance the interests of their voracious greed, a gang of kleptocratic thugs move in to exploit Koistinen’s central weakness: his loneliness and longing to connect. Lights in the Dusk repurposes the cinematic language of film noir and gangster films to create a stinging indictment from Finland’s greatest living ironist.

Cast Janne Hyytiäinen, Maria Järvenhelmi, Maria Heiskanen, Ilkka Koivula Prod Aki Kaurismäki

Across some 50 years of time and multiple border walls, these films—with poetry and with humour—explore themes of lonesomeness, alienation, political turmoil, the manufacturing of contempt, and the artificiality of image-making. In brief: our world today! But these films also contain something very precious, and that something is tenderness. These films all ask us a question that preoccupies me greatly as both a filmmaker and as a person, a question that is as vital as it is absurd: In this most cruel of all possible worlds, how do we build spaces of love?

MATTHEW RANKIN GUEST PROGRAMMER

A Moment of Innocence

Noon-O-Goldoon

MOHSEN MAKHMALBAF, IRAN, 1996, 80 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 3:45 PM CINE

SAT OCT 11 10:30 AM VC

As a 17-year-old activist in Tehran, Mohsen Makhmalbaf attacked and injured a policeman in a politically motivated bank robbery. Twenty years later, Makhmalbaf—now a celebrated film director—receives an unexpected visit from the very same policeman, leading to a collaboration in which the two erstwhile enemies will film a reenactment of the incident that first brought them together. However, the young actors cast to play their younger selves have their own ideas of what that incident means.

Cast Mirhadi Tayyebi, Ali Bakhshi, Ammar Tafti, Maryam Mohamadamini, Moharram Zeinalzadeh, Moshen Makhmalbaf Prod Mohsen Makmalbaf

News From Home

CHANTAL AKERMAN, FRANCE/USA, 1976, 89 MIN.

MON OCT 6 3:45 PM VC

SUN OCT 12 10:30 AM VC

A structuralist masterwork by Belgium’s dearly departed genius of contemplation, Chantal Akerman. Following a minimalist, metaphysical narrative depicting Akerman’s earliest life as a filmmaker in New York in 1971, News from Home is composed entirely of lingering, meditative 16mm plates of the urban landscape, as Akerman reads a series of mundane letters from her loving mother, most of them pleading for a reply.

Lights in the Dusk

Focus Edges of Belonging: Tales of Grit and Grace from India

Prominent themes among this year’s Indian submissions include migration, displacement, and the complexities of womanhood within a patriarchal society, all converging on the pivotal question of belonging—how it is defined, constructed, denied, and reclaimed. In this program, I wanted to focus on lives on the edges of belonging, specifically

CycleMahesh

SUHEL BANERJEE, INDIA, 2024, 61 MIN.

WED OCT 8 8:45 PM CINE

THU OCT 9 11:00 AM IN08

Canadian Premiere. When a nationwide lockdown is imposed in India during the COVID-19 pandemic—shutting down all forms of transportation—22-year-old migrant labourer Mahesh decides to cycle 1,700 kilometres to return home. Blending realism and reconstruction, director Suhel Banerjee crafts a poignant hybrid documentary that examines one of India’s most significant yet often overlooked social issues: migration. The film premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam where it won Best First Feature.

those of transgender individuals, migrant labourers, climatedisplaced people, and women navigating patriarchal structures. The program aims to amplify these voices and explore the complexities of its subjects’ experiences.

DEEPIKA SUSEELAN GUEST PROGRAMMER

Hidden Tremors

Bhoothalam

SREEKANTH PANGAPATTU, INDIA, 2025, 81 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 8:45 PM CINE

SAT OCT 11 11:15 AM IN08

World Premiere. Set against the serene yet fragile landscape of Kanjirappally, Hidden Tremors is a deeply personal and emotionally resonant portrait of a community in transition. As frequent landslides and subtle seismic shifts threaten both land and life, a quieter crisis unfolds within a family struggling to hold on—to land, to memory, and to each other. Director Sreekanth Pangapattu’s film doesn’t just depict the physical instability of the land, but the invisible quakes that stir within the human spirit.

Cast Indrans, N.S. Thara, Kalabhavan Rahman

I Am Revathi

Njaan Revathi

P. ABHIJITH, INDIA, 2025, 115 MIN.

TUE OCT 7 8:30 PM CINE

WED OCT 8 12:00 PM IN08

International Premiere. I Am Revathi traces the journey of trans woman, writer, activist, and theater artist A. Revathi, exploring her transformation into a prominent voice for trans rights in India. The film depicts the lived experiences of transgender people, shedding light on their struggles, power, and ongoing fight for visibility, dignity, and inclusion. Through the documentary, director P. Abhijith aims to highlight the broader realities of transgender lives in India.

Feat A. Revathi Prod A. Shobhila

Bad Girl

VARSHA BHARATH, INDIA, 2025, 111 MIN.

SAT OCT 11 8:15 PM CINE

SUN O CT 12 11:00 AM IN08

This deeply personal and widely resonant coming-of-age comedy follows Ramya from her teens and through her thirties as she seeks answers to the questions: “What is wrong with me?” “How can I make him love me?” “Who am I if I don’t love him anymore?” “What is home?” In Ramya’s journey we see the inner turmoil of a young Indian woman caught between a desire for self-determination and the pressure to conform. A celebration of the chaos, complexity, and courage of growing up—and growing into oneself.

Prod Vetri Maaran

Secrets of a Mountain Serpent

NIDHI SAXENA, INDIA/ITALY/SRI LANKA, 2025, 108 MIN.

THU OCT 9 8:45 PM CINE

FRI O CT 10 10:45 AM IN08

North American Premiere. Set in a remote Himalayan town in India during the Kargil War, Secrets of a Mountain Serpent is a haunting tale where absence and silence set the rhythm of daily life. When a mysterious outsider arrives in the village, his presence stirs buried feelings among its women—including Barkha, a school teacher whose husband is stationed at the border. The film weaves together personal desire with ancient folklore to ask a pertinent question: Can you belong to someone and still belong to yourself?

Cast Adil Hussain, Trimala Adhikari, Pushpendra Singh Prod Vimukthi Jayasundara

Bad Girl

Cast Anjali Sivaraman, Shanthi Priya, Hridhu Haroon, TeeJay Arunasalam, Sashank Bommireddipalli, Saranya Ravichandran

Feat Mahesh Jena, Mamta Pared, Muktak Kanjilal, Rajan Vaidya, Nitin Gupta, Kailash Kumar Prod Teesta Setalvad

Spotlight on Korea: The New Breed

As one of the first North American festivals to introduce audiences to Bong Joon-ho, Lee Changdong, and Hong Sangsoo, VIFF is thrilled to continue our rich tradition of platforming the exciting new filmmakers emerging from South Korea. Part of our multifaceted Spotlight on Korea, The New Breed highlights six debut features (three of them world premieres) by rising talents who are at the precipice of international recognition.

Spotlight on Korea also includes Edhi Alice: Take (p 65), No Other Choice (p 22), and What Does That Nature Say to You (p 31).

Savon

Binu

LEE JUN SUP, SOUTH KOREA, 2025, 121 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 8:15 PM VC

SUN OCT 5 3:15 PM IN10

World Premiere. From writer-director Lee Jun Sup comes a jet-black—or rather, blood-red—comedy about crime, consumerism, and the price people will pay to get ahead. After a close call with her sleazy new boyfriend, Jae-in (Jung Yi Ju) discovers a prominent soap company is offering a service to clean up more than just your average mess. Sleek, polished, and perfectly plotted, Savon shows its maker to be a sharp satirist and a born entertainer.

Kim Do-Young Prod Kim JuHyoun, Lee Geun-Ho

Sua’s Home

Kaerieoreul kkeuneun sonyeo

YUN SIMKYOUNG, SOUTH KOREA, 2025, 108 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 4:00 PM VC

MON OCT 6 8:45 PM IN09

North American Premiere. Starring in Yun Simkyong’s film, Choi Myeong-bin plays Young-sun, an orphaned tennis player forced to be as competitive at home as she is on the court. Selected to be the live-in trainer of Sua (Moon Seunga), a girl from a wealthy family, Young-sun soon finds herself caught up in a web of malice and deceit… Subtly suspenseful and shot with moral ambiguity, this is a film of psychological combat—a darkly compelling drama.

Cast Choi Myeong-bin, Moon Seung-a, Kim Tae-hun, Yoo Da-in Prod Yoo Jae-kyung, Kim Dong-woo

3670

The Nonsense

Canadian Premiere. From Park Joon Ho comes a fascinating, deeply poignant coming-of-age story. An escapee from North Korea, Cheol-jun (Cho Youhyun) is having trouble adjusting to life in Seoul. Shy, socially awkward, and deep in the closet, Cheol-jun is advised to join a social group for young gay men, but the subculture of open homosexuality is defined by customs he struggles to understand. Park’s film walks a fine line: the writer-director is humane enough to avoid cynicism and honest enough to reject false uplift.

Cast Cho Youhyun, Kim Hyeonmok Prod Lee Hyein

Winter Light

Gyeourui bit

CHO HYUN-SUH, SOUTH KOREA, 2025, 90 MIN. SUN OCT 5 6:45 PM VC TUE OCT 7 1:00 PM VC

International Premiere. Cho Hyun-suh’s film is attuned to the poetry in silences, the tension in talk, and the stress of conflicting responsibilities. Teen Da-bin (Sung Yu-been) is saddled with a broke mother, a runaway brother, and a little sister who’s going deaf. He nonetheless finds moments of happiness with his thuggish best friend and his sweetnatured girlfriend… Cho gets strong performances from his cast and his visual style is clean, concise, and seasonally evocative.

World Premiere. Lee Je-hui’s film questions the supernatural and the rational in roughly equal measure, resulting in a provocative, compelling mystery. Oh Ah-yeon plays Kim Yoo-na, an insurance investigator working on a case of death by drowning. Her company claims suicide, but what really happened is unclear. The named beneficiary, Kang Soon-Kyu (Park Yong-woo), an eccentric charmer with frightening powers of persuasion, and Yoo-na soon finds herself in a fog of doubt and suspicion. A tense blend of comedy and menace.

Cast Oh Ah-yeon, Park Yong-woo, Oh Min-ae Prod Jo Jang-hwan

Wrangler

Hunryeonsa SEO EUN-SUN, SOUTH KOREA, 2025, 107 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 5:45 PM VC SAT OCT 4 1:00 PM IN08

World Premiere. Two sisters face each other down over the course of this tense psychological thriller. Hayoung (Choi Seung-yoon) is a trainer who domesticates rescue dogs; it’s a job she loves, in part because it lets her dominate. Her sister Sora (Kim Seung-hwa) is fresh out of prison, and the reacquaintance of the two will lead to a violent, cathartic climax. This is a film about the mystery of character— on the surface are envy, fear, and wrath; further below lie darker motivations.

Cast Choi Seung-yoon, Kim Seung-hwa, Jung Hwan Prod Son Bit-na

Cast Sung Yu-been, Cha Jun-hui, Lee Seung-yeon Prod Jeong Young-joon

Cast Jung Yi Ju, Kwak Minkyu, Park Jong-Hwan, Bang Jae-Min, Oh Gi-Gwang,

Savon

Reflections: Ramon and Silvan Zürcher

VIFF is honoured to welcome Ramon and Silvan Zürcher as our inaugural Reflections guests. Beyond simply presenting past work from some of world cinema’s most celebrated practitioners, this initiative also ensures that the artists are present to delve into their motivations and methodologies. Ramon and Silvan will introduce each instalment of their Animal Trilogy (all of which have screened at past editions of the festival), and cap off their first visit to Vancouver with a VIFF Talk that takes a deep dive into their distinctive dramas that embrace absurdity and play loose with reality.

The Strange Little Cat

Das merkwürdige Kätzchen

RAMON ZÜRCHER, GERMANY, 2013, 72 MIN. MON OCT 6 6:30 PM CINE

This droll, perfectly executed comedy chronicles a day in the life of a multigenerational family prepping a celebratory dinner in their cramped Berlin apartment. The first joke to quickly surface is the irony of the title—compared with siblings Karin and Simon, their parents and their little sister Clara (especially Clara), the cat is a paragon of normalcy. Putting the absurdities of daily life on display, Ramon Zürcher’s debut feature assembles an exciting choreography of the quotidian.

Cast Jenny Schily, Anjorka Strechel, Mia Kasalo, Luk Pfaff, Matthias Dittmer

Choreographed Chaos: Ramon and Silvan Zürcher on Domestic Surrealism and Cinematic Precision

THU OCT 9 6:30 PM VC

Employing collaboration and a shared vision, Ramon and Silvan Zürcher create meticulously observed, drolly absurd dramas that transform domestic spaces into surreal landscapes. Ramon describes their approach as a “disaster film as psychological chamber play,” excavating emotional complexity from ordinary interactions. Join us as we explore their shared fascination with finding profound mystery within mundane spaces, creating cinema that feels both hyperreal and dreamlike.

The Girl and the Spider

Das Mädchen und die Spinne

RAMON ZÜRCHER, SYLVAN ZÜRCHER, SWITZERLAND, 2021, 98 MIN.

TUE OCT 7 6:00 PM CINE

Ramon and Silvan Zürcher’s The Girl and the Spider is set in a spacious bohemian apartment, as tenant Mara (Henriette Confurius) and friends help Mara’s roommate Lisa (Liliane Amuat) move out. Mise-en-scène is everything here: this often-funny film choreographs the characters and camera movements with the precision of a ballet, while the heightened stylization of the characters’ interactions gives the film a tangible erotic edge. Pure cinematic pleasure.

Cast Henriette Confurius, Liliane Amuat, Ursina Lardi, Flurin Giger, André M. Hennicke, Ivan Georgiev Prod Aline Schmid, Adrian Blaser

The Sparrow in the Chimney

Der Spatz im Kamin

RAMON ZÜRCHER, SWITZERLAND, 2024, 117 MIN. WED OCT 8 6:00 PM CINE

In a spacious ancestral home, preparations are afoot for an extravagant celebration. But as the house fills up, tensions mount and it becomes a veritable pressure cooker of familial strife. Ramon Zürcher delivers precise formal play and acute psychological mystery. An entropic symphony of domestic existence, this is a film whose luminous surfaces yield only deeper enigmas.

Cast Maren Eggert, Britta Hammelstein, Luise Heyer, Andreas Döhler, Milan Zerzawy, Lea Zoe Voss Prod Silvan Zürcher

© Iris Janke

Supported by

Insights

There’s an art to communication, and documentaries help capture it. Insights gathers films that confront power, displacement, and environmental collapse through acts of witnessing, listening, and resistance. From Kenya to Iran, Turtle Island to Gaza, these stories examine Indigenous sovereignty, ecological crises, archival memory, and radical pedagogy. Whether rebuilding libraries, protecting land, or challenging state violence, these documentaries move with clarity and conviction. They don’t just inform—they expose, ignite, and offer blueprints for survival and futures that are yet to be written.

Cover-Up

LAURA POITRAS, MARK OBENHAUS, USA, 2025, 117 MIN.

SAT OCT 11 5:45 PM FAV3

SUN OCT 12 3:45 PM IN10

Oscar-winner Laura Poitras and Emmywinner Mark Obenhaus turn the camera on legendary journalist Seymour Hersh. Known for uncovering stories governments wanted buried—from My Lai to Abu Ghraib—Hersh refuses to play into a nostalgic biography, challenging the filmmakers as they dig into his decadeslong pursuit of truth. What unfolds is not a tribute but an urgent reflection on the price of reporting, the paranoia of power, and the fragility of trust.

Feat Seymour Hersh Prod Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, Olivia Streisand

Cutting Through Rocks

SARA KHAKI, MOHAMMADREZA EYNI, IRAN/ NETHERLANDS/USA/GERMANY/QATAR/CHILE/ CANADA, 2025, 95 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 11:00 AM IN08

SAT OCT 4 9:30 PM IN09

WED OCT 8 3:45 PM IN09

Winner of Sundance’s World Cinema

Documentary Grand Jury Prize, Cutting Through Rocks follows Sara Shahverdi: motorcyclist, midwife, and first-ever councilwoman elected in her village in northwestern Iran. Fighting for women’s freedoms, Sara sparks a fire that stirs admiration—but also opposition. Codirected by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, this vérité triumph captures one woman’s fierce pursuit of freedom as well as the response it provokes.

Prod Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki

Everest Dark

JEREME WATT, CANADA, 2025, 90 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 3:15 PM SFU SUN O CT 5 6:30 PM GIS

Directed by Jereme Watt, Everest Dark is a visually stunning film about legendary climber Mingma Tsiri Sherpa’s daring return to Mount Everest. On a mission to retrieve fallen climbers and restore harmony to the mountain, Mingma reflects on the dark side of Everest, where tourists lose their lives and imperil the Sherpas who guide them. This harrowing documentary reframes Everest through a lens of spiritual devotion, ancestral stewardship, and Indigenous resistance.

Feat Mingma Tsiri Sherpa, Chhiring Futi Sherpa, Pasang Tenzing Sherpa Prod Merit Jensen Carr, Jereme Watt, Michael Bodnarchuk

Factory

Gong Chang HAO ZHOU, CHINA, 2025, 148 MIN.

THU OCT 2 2:30 PM IN07 MON O CT 6 8:30 PM IN08

North American Premiere. Inside a Lenovo factory in Wuhan, Factory captures the eerie logic of global capitalism, where employees live, eat, and work under constant surveillance. Directed by acclaimed Chinese documentarian Hao Zhou, the film offers an unflinching portrait of labour stratification, corporate control, and the quiet violence of repetition. A durational study of human behavior, Factory immerses viewers in a world where efficiency overrides empathy and time becomes a tool of compliance.

Prod Coral He

Free Leonard Peltier

JESSE SHORT BULL, DAVID FRANCE, USA, 2025, 110 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 6:00 PM IN09

MON O CT 6 2:45 PM IN08

Canadian Premiere. Sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of two FBI agents, Leonard Peltier has become one of the longest-held political prisoners in U.S. history. This gripping, award-winning documentary revisits his case with rare footage and piercing testimony, connecting it to a legacy of Indigenous resistance, government repression, and the long road to justice.

Prod David France, Jhane Myers, Paul Mcguire, Bird Runningwater

Life After

REID DAVENPORT, USA, 2025, 99 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 6:45 PM IN08

SUN O CT 5 11:30 AM IN09

In 1983, Elizabeth Bouvia made headlines for seeking the right to die, sparking a national debate about autonomy, dignity, and the perceived value of disabled lives. Then, she vanished from public view. In Life After, disabled filmmaker Reid Davenport investigates Bouvia’s story and the broader implications of assisted-dying laws. Winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance, this is an unflinching look at autonomy, ableism, and the right to live with dignity.

Feat Michal Kaliszan, Ash Kelly, Teresa Castner, Rebecca Castner, Melissa Hickson, Dr.

How to Build a Library

MAIA LEKOW, CHRISTOPHER KING, KENYA, 2025, 101 MIN.

MON OCT 6 12:15 PM IN09 SAT OCT 11 6:30 PM IN09

Two fearless women attempt to restore Nairobi’s McMillan Memorial Library and reclaim it from its colonial past. Wifeand-husband directors Maia Lekow and Christopher King follow Angela Wachuka and Wanjiru Koinange as they attempt to overcome the bureaucracy, donor politics, and segregationist legacies that hinder this civic space. How to Build a Library is a stirring portrait of friendship, frustration, and radical imagination in the face of formidable odds.

Prod Maia Lekow, Christopher King

Marriage Cops

SHASHWATI TALUKDAR, CHERYL HESS, INDIA/USA, 2025, 80 MIN.

THU OCT 2 5:45 PM IN09

FRI O CT 3 3:45 PM IN10

In a crowded police station in northern India, an all-woman unit mediates domestic disputes, serving as both legal enforcers and marriage counsellors across class and caste. Co-directed by Cheryl Hess and Shashwati Talukdar, Marriage Cops captures the contradictions of a system where tradition and survival collide. With access and care, the documentary depicts a fragile and improvisational form of justice built by women to compensate for a system that falls short.

Prod Diana Chiawen Lee

I Died

Li Cham

ANA TS’UYEB, MEXICO, 2024, 74 MIN.

SAT OCT 11 5:45 PM IN08

SUN O CT 12 1:30 PM IN08

Set in the highlands of Chiapas, I Died follows three Indigenous women as they rebuild their lives following devastating personal loss. Told in the Tsotsil language, Ana Ts’uyeb’s lyrical debut shows how daily life, memory, and the subtle influence of Zapatismo help chart a path toward healing. With intimate narration and poetic imagery, the film is a tribute to ancestral resilience and the quiet strength of women who reclaim their land, voice, and future.

Feat Juana Vázquez Gómez, Margarita Hernández Hernández, Faustina Cruz Ruíz Prod Benjamin Fash, Ana Ts’uyeb

Remaining Native

PAIGE BETHMANN, USA, 2025, 87 MIN.

TUE OCT 7 8:15 PM IN09

WED OCT 8 3:30 PM GIS

Winner of the Audience Award and Special Jury Award at SXSW 2025, Remaining Native follows 17-year-old Ku Stevens as he trains for college recruitment while retracing his great-grandfather’s escape from an “Indian boarding school” through the Nevada desert. Directed by Haudenosaunee filmmaker Paige Bethmann, this deeply intimate and utterly absorbing documentary links athletic ambition with historical reckoning, charting a powerful path through intergenerational memory, trauma, and Indigenous resistance.

Feat Kutoven “Ku” Stevens Prod Jessica Epstein, Paige Bethmann, Judd Ehrlich

Insights

Landmarks

Nuestra Tierra

LUCRECIA MARTEL, ARGENTINA/USA/MEXICO/ FRANCE/NETHERLANDS/DENMARK, 2025, 122 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 3:15 PM IN10

TUE OCT 7 8:45 PM FAV3

In her first documentary, acclaimed Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel (Zama; The Headless Woman) revisits the 2009 murder of Indigenous leader Javier Chocobar. Weaving courtroom footage with intimate moments from the Chuschagasta community, Landmarks traces the enduring legacy of land theft and colonial violence in Argentina with poetic rigour.

Feat Comunidad Chuschagasta Prod Benjamin Domenech, Santiago Gallelli, Matías Roveda, Joslyn Barnes, Julio Chavezmontes, Javier Leoz, Sandrine Dumas, Marie-Pierre Macia, Claire Gadéa, Leontine Petit, Erik Glijnis, Katrin Pors, Mikkel Jersin

Seeds

BRITTANY SHYNE, USA, 2025, 123 MIN.

WED OCT 8 9:15 PM IN09

THU OCT 9 12:15 PM IN10

Canadian Premiere. Filmed over nine years, Seeds is a patient, poetic portrait of three generations of Black farmers in the American South. Director Brittany Shyne’s documentary captures daily rituals and deep-rooted struggles, from harvesting and caretaking to systemic barriers and land loss. Winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, this remarkable debut reflects on legacy, labour, and the quiet strength it takes to stay rooted.

Feat Belle Williams, Carlie Williams, Ben F. Burkett, Walter Williams, Margaret Williams, Lois Williams Prod Danielle Varga, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, Brittany Shyne

Ramona Coelho

Prod Colleen Cassingham

Wilfred Buck Star Stories, Lisa Jackson

The Shadow Scholars

ELOÏSE KING, UK, 2024, 98 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 3:45 PM IN10

SUN O CT 12 7:00 PM IN10

Canadian Premiere. Directed by Eloïse King and executive produced by Steve McQueen, The Shadow Scholars reveals the hidden economy of academic ghostwriting in Kenya. With identity-concealed testimonies and bold storytelling, the film follows underemployed scholars writing for elite Global North students. Guided by Oxford professor Patricia Kingori, this urgent documentary challenges the ethics of education, digital labor, and whose brilliance gets credited—and whose remain in the shadows.

Prod Eloïse King, Anna Smith Tenser, Bona Orakwue, Tabs Breese

Shifting Baselines

JULIEN ELIE, CANADA, 2025, 100 MIN.

MON OCT 6 5:30 PM IN08

TUE OCT 7 12:00 PM IN08

In Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX’s towering rockets cast long shadows over a fragile coastline. Filmed in black and white and shaped by retro sci-fi aesthetics, Shifting Baselines reveals how techno-utopian dreams are rewriting the Earth’s most vulnerable terrains. With subtle irony and sharp observations, Julien Elie’s latest documentary captures the ecological, political, and psychological stakes of the new space race—and the mythologies that fuel it.

Prod Andreas Mendritzki, Aonan Yang, Julien Elie

Walls – Akinni Inuk

SOFIE RØRDAM, NINA PANINNGUAQ SKYDSBJERG, GREENLAND, 2025, 75 MIN.

THU OCT 9 6:30 PM IN08

FRI O CT 10 4:00 PM IN08

In Walls – Akinni Inuk, directors Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg and Sofie Rørdam capture a radical friendship between Ruth, a Greenlandic woman trapped in indefinite detention, and Nina, the filmmaker who becomes both co-author and co-survivor. Filmed over eight years, the documentary sidesteps sensationalism in favour of raw honesty, poetic imagery, and a layered meditation on colonialism, justice, and the fragile possibility of healing. A powerful portrait of two women tethered by trauma and quiet hope.

Feat Ruth Mikaelsen Jeremiassen, Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg Prod Emile Hertling Péronard

With Hasan in Gaza

Ma’ Hasan Fi Ghazza

KAMAL ALJAFARI, PALESTINE/GERMANY/FRANCE/ QATAR, 2025, 106 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 3:30 PM VC SUN OCT 12 6:30 PM IN08

Rediscovered MiniDV tapes from 2001 capture a road trip across Gaza, led by Hasan, a local guide whose fate— like many of those featured—remains unknown. In With Hasan in Gaza, acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker Kamal Aljafari turns forgotten footage into a moving time capsule of everyday life before devastation. A rare street-level portrait of Gaza, the film is a poetic, quietly defiant act of remembering.

Love Cinema?

The Shadow Scholars

Spectrum

Spectrum is the festival’s most expansive space for boundary-breaking nonfiction— where form ruptures and futures flicker. These films rewire documentary grammar through mythic conjurings, archival remixes, and radical aesthetics. From media uprisings and protest movements to quiet reckonings with grief, memory, and belonging, this program spans the globe—from the Black diaspora in the Global North to intimate, place-rooted visions from Sri Lanka, Kenya, China, and South Korea. Together, these works speak in cinematic frequencies tuned to risk, reinvention, and revelation.

Agatha’s Almanac

AMALIE ATKINS, CANADA, 2025, 86 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 6:30 PM IN08

SUN O CT 5 1:00 PM GIS

THU OCT 9 10:45 AM IN09

Single but never lonely, octogenarian Agatha Bock has fashioned herself a self-sufficient lifestyle on her 54-acre Manitoba farm. Her tools are held together with duct tape, her green thumb plastered in a cast, but neither advanced age nor doctors’ orders will hold her back from the satisfaction of tending to her crops. Shot over six years on vibrant 16mm film and featuring a gentle soundtrack by Green-House, Amalie Atkin’s debut feature documentary draws an endearing portrait of simple, sustainable living.

Feat Agatha Bock Prod Amalie Atkins

Always

DEMING CHEN, USA/FRANCE/TAIWAN/CHINA, 2025, 84 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 1:00 PM FAV3 TUE OCT 7 8:45 PM VC

Dreamy, austere, and full of rustic beauty, Deming Chen’s stunning debut presents Youbin Gong, an adolescent boy living in Sangzhi County. The director’s primary aim is to document Gong’s coming of age, but his lens captures the boy’s family and rich natural surroundings as well. Working in both colour and monochrome, Always is a work of vivid human portraiture laced with provocative hints of the metaphysical. This is a gentle, serene work, but it’s no less impactful for that.

Feat Youbin Gong Prod Hansen Lin

Ancestral Visions of the Future

LEMOHANG JEREMIAH MOSESE, FRANCE/LESOTHO/GERMANY/QATAR/ SAUDI ARABIA, 2025, 90 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 4:00 PM IN08

SAT OCT 11 8:30 PM IN08

North American Premiere. In his follow-up to This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection (2019), filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese crafts a poetic meditation on loss, exile, and memory. Set between his homeland in the southern African country of Lesotho and his life in Berlin, Ancestral Visions of the Future blends myth, autobiography, and dreamlike imagery into a powerful reflection on survival, grief, and the enduring presence of those we carry with us.

Feat Siphiwe Nzima, Sobo Bernard, Mochesane Kotsoane, Rehauhetsoe Kotsoane Prod Marie Balducchi, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions

KAHLIL JOSEPH, USA, 2025, 113 MIN.

SAT OCT 11 6:00 PM VC

SUN OCT 12 3:30 PM IN08

BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions is Kahlil Joseph’s genre-defying feature debut, spanning 247 years of Black diasporic memory. Set aboard a transatlantic cruise ship, a journalist’s investigation into a radical exhibition fractures into a multilayered journey through history, media, and imagination. Blending fiction, archive, and digital culture, this 21-track cinematic odyssey pulses with ancestral memory and speculative vision.

Cast Arthur Jafa, Kaneza Schaal, Garrett Bradley, Raven Jackson, Dionne Brand Prod Kahlil Joseph, Onye Anyanwu

Khartoum

ANAS SAEED, RAWIA ALHAG, IBRAHIM SNOOPY, TIMEEA MOHAMED AHMED, PHIL COX, UK/SUDAN/ GERMANY/QATAR, 2025, 80 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 3:30 PM VC

TUE OCT 7 8:30 PM IN08

SAT OCT 11 8:45 PM VC

Forced into exile by the civil war, five residents flee Sudan’s capital and embark on a meaningful work of collective expression. Conceived by a collective of Sudanese filmmakers with British collaborator Phil Cox, Khartoum blends green-screen reenactments, animation, and vérité into a hybrid documentary that honours its subjects’ interrupted lives while paying tribute to the soul of a city in fragments. Winner of the Peace Film Prize at Berlinale and the FIFDH Gilda Vieira de Mello Award.

Prod Giovanna Stopponi, Talal Afifi

Edhi Alice: Take

KIM ILRHAN, SOUTH KOREA, 2024, 130 MIN. SAT OCT 4 12:00 PM VC SUN OCT 5 2:30 PM IN08

Canadian Premiere. Kim Ilrhan’s documentary takes an unconventional form, as befits a work about two brave souls defying convention. The first section focuses on Alice, a trans woman who works as a lighting director on films (including this one) while pursuing her dream of becoming a dancer. Next, the focus switches to Edhi, a counsellor preparing for genderaffirming surgery. Kim shows a superb attention to detail, both physical and psychological, and she explores trans identity with curiosity and deep respect.

Feat Park Seoyeon Edhi, Lee Jungmin Alice Prod Jo Sona

Memory of Princess Mumbi

DAMIEN HAUSER, KENYA/SWITZERLAND, 2025, 80 MIN.

TUE OCT 7 1:00 PM FAV3

FRI OCT 10 6:30 PM IN09

In 2093, a filmmaker arrives in the fictional African village of Umata, where he meets Princess Mumbi, a woman torn between love, legacy, and the future of storytelling. Damien Hauser’s feature is a genreblending, AI-assisted fable about memory, invention, and cinematic resistance.

Cast Shandra Apondi, Ibraham Joseph, Samson Waithaka, Michael Garama, Damien Hauser, Newton Ronnoh Prod Damien Hauser

Fiume o Morte!

IGOR BEZINOVIĆ, CROATIA/ITALY/SLOVENIA, 2025, 112 MIN.

WED OCT 8 6:00 PM VC

THU OCT 9 1:00 PM IN08

Canadian Premiere. The Croatian city of Rijeka rediscovers its own past in this delightfully unconventional hybrid documentary about Italian poet and proto-fascist Gabriele D’Annunzio, who seized the city known in Italian as Fiume in 1919. Igor Bezinović’s shifting, protean film moves from whimsical sight gags to sobering examinations of fascism, blending absurdist re-enactments with documented record and inviting viewers in on the joke. Endlessly inventive, Fiume o Morte! brings a forgotten piece of history to life.

Feat Izet Medošević, Ćenan Beljulji, Albano Vučetić, Tihomir Buterin, Andrea Marsanich, Massimo Ronzani Prod Vanja Jambrović, Tibor Keser

WTO/99

IAN BELL, USA, 2025, 100 MIN.

TUE OCT 7 6:30 PM VC

WED OCT 8 6:00 PM IN08

International Premiere. An immersive account of 1999’s Battle of Seattle, where peaceful protests opposing economic globalization were met with severe pushback. Painstakingly arranged from thousands of hours of found footage, director Ian Bell’s film offers a panoramic view of the conflict from countless perspectives, revealing how narratives were constructed and manipulated in real time along ideological lines. It’s breathtakingly prescient, anticipating present-day American politics, injustice, and the consolidation of power.

Prod Laura Tatham, Alex Megaro, Ian Bell

Spectrum

The Great North

Canadian Premiere. In her bold debut feature, British artist Jenn Nkiru transforms Manchester into a sonic and architectural archive of diasporic memory. Moving through red-brick corridors shaped by empire and industry, The Great North channels the spirits of Black, Asian, and Irish communities whose histories pulse beneath the city’s surface. Rooted in Afro-surrealism and cosmic archaeology, this is a cinematic invocation of labour, sound, and resistance.

Prod Aya Kaido, Nkem Nwaneri, Mikal Habteab

Your Touch Makes Others Invisible

RAJEE SAMARASINGHE, SRI LANKA/USA, 2025, 70 MIN.

THU OCT 9 1:15 PM IN09

SUN O CT 12 6:15 PM CINE

Canadian Premiere. In Your Touch Makes Others Invisible, Rajee Samarasinghe collaborates with Tamil women in northern Sri Lanka to explore the trauma of enforced disappearances. At its center is a Tamil woman whose son has vanished, possibly taken by a supernatural force haunting her war-torn community. Blending magical realism with firsthand testimony, this haunting, hybrid debut confronts war, grief, and the politics of memory under military occupation.

Feat Lajantha Kuna Prod Maggie Corona-Goldstein, Tabs Breese, Solomon Turner, DaManuel Richardson, Rajee Samarasinghe

Memory of Princess Mumbi

Portraits

Are We Good?

STEVEN FEINARTZ, USA, 2025, 97 MIN. THU OCT 9 9:15 PM IN08

International Premiere. Affable curmudgeon Marc Maron jokes his way through grief, struggling to make sense of the world and his comedy following the death of his partner, filmmaker Lynn Shelton. Featuring the same energy as a Maron live-show or episode of his podcast WTF, director Steven Feinartz shifts seamlessly between off-the-cuff jokes and candid vulnerability, ironic anecdotes and sharp social commentary. A cantankerously poignant, wryly funny cri de coeur from one of the most genuine comedians in the business.

See page 83 for the special event.

The Art of Adventure

ALISON REID, CANADA, 2025, 90 MIN. SUN OCT 5 3:00 PM PLAY TUE OCT 7 6:00 PM GIS

World Premiere. Between 1957 and 1958, Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster undertook the adventure of a lifetime— driving a Land Rover from Africa to Australia. More than a simple adventure story, Alison Reid’s film charts a course across the pair’s lives, exploring how Bateman became a beloved wildlife painter and Foster a prominent ecologist. Interweaving 16mm archival footage with in-depth interviews following their careers and passion for nature, this is an inspirational love letter to the adventure of life itself.

Feat Robert Bateman, Bristol Foster Prod Alison Reid

Chosen with the “big screen and sound” experience in mind, Portraits offers a diverse selection of documentary features about music, art, and design. From salsa and Sun Ra to Caravaggio, Kengo Kuma, and Kinan Azmeh, Portraits tours the world, providing access to great artists in intimate settings—and even some voguing AI! The home team is represented by Robert Bateman and E.J. Hughes.

Assembly

RASHAAD NEWSOME, JOHNNY SYMONS, USA, 2025, 99 MIN.

SAT OCT 11 10:30 AM IN10

SUN O CT 12 1:45 PM IN09

In 2022, interdisciplinary artist Rashaad Newsome created his most groundbreaking and visionary exhibition yet with Assembly, a multimedia extravaganza of sculpture, dance, collage, spoken word, artificial intelligence, and participatory workshops exploring Black and Queer cultures. This vibrant documentary explores the inner workings of Newsome’s imagination as he took the project from a simple idea to a profound collaboration with dozens of other artists to create an immersive space of empowerment.

Prod Rashaad Newsome, Johnny Symons

Caravaggio

DAVID BICKERSTAFF, PHIL GRABSKY, UK, 2025, 100 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 6:15 PM IN10

SAT OCT 4 12:45 PM GIS

Canadian Premiere. Known for their innovative use of light and shadow while imbuing psychological realism into classical scenes of intense religious and violent drama, Caravaggio’s paintings still feel as fresh and vivid today as they did four hundred years ago. In the latest from Exhibition on Screen (Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers), co-directors David Bickerstaff and Phil Grabsky shed light not only on Caravaggio’s paintings, but his life, often kept half-hidden in the same chiaroscuro tones he shaded his masterpieces with. Feat Jack Bannell Prod Phil Grabsky, Amanda Wilkie

Feat Marc Maron, Lynn Shelton, John Mulaney, Nate Bargatze, David Cross, W. Kamau Bell Prod Steven Feinartz, Julie Seabaugh, Ethan Goldman

Assembly

The Essence of Eva

ALEX FEGAN, MALCOLM WILLIS, IRELAND, 2025, 85 MIN.

MON OCT 6 6:00 PM GIS

TUE OCT 7 3:00 PM IN09

International Premiere. Singer Eva Cassidy has one of the most tragic success stories in contemporary music, rising to global fame and multi-platinum sales years after her death from melanoma at 33 years old. A self-effacing, shy woman who valued her independence and artistic vision, Eva weathered internal and external pressures while staying true to herself. With never-before-heard recordings and footage, this intimate portrait traces her life from childhood to uncompromising artist, capturing the person behind the legend.

Prod Malcolm Willis, Alex Fegan, Brendan Byrne

La Salsa Vive

JUAN CARVAJAL, COLOMBIA/USA, 2025, 103 MIN.

THU OCT 2 5:30 PM IN08

SUN O CT 5 5:30 PM IN09

Cali, Colombia: salsa capital of the world, where the streets are alive with the vibrant sounds of music and dancing. Untangling salsa’s cultural roots, director Juan Carvajal traces the hybrid genre’s dynamic evolution in New York City as an emergent blend of Afro-Cuban styles and American jazz in the 1960s and 70s to Cali, where the tradition endures today, livelier than ever. Carvajal’s documentary highlights the rich legacy of the genre as it reaches new heights with each generation.

Half Moon: Kinan Azmeh

FRANK SCHEFFER, NETHERLANDS, 2025, 92 MIN.

MON OCT 6 12:00 PM IN08 SAT OCT 11 6:00 PM CINE

North American Premiere. This introspective documentary traces Syrian clarinettist and composer Kinan Azmeh’s journey as he questions what role he can play as an artist and musician confronted with the tragedy of war in his home country. Visiting New York, Amsterdam, and Palestine, Azmeh’s soulful music and collaborative performances enrapture audiences, resonating across cultures and identities. Frank Scheffer’s film is a profound and celebratory meditation on how art can reshape a sense of solidarity, community, and hope in the world, even in dark times.

Feat Kinan Azmeh, Dima Orsho, Basilius Arawad, Yo-Yo Ma, Eric Vloeimans Prod Niek Koppen, Jan de Ruiter, Jia Zhao

The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes

JENN STROM, CANADA, 2025, 82 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 6:00 PM SFU TUE OCT 7 3:15 PM GIS

World Premiere. Since his death in 2007, the renown of Canadian painter E.J. Hughes has only continued to grow. For decades his extraordinary works highlighting the landscapes of British Columbia have captivated the public, but his personal life is less well known. Through absorbing explorations into Canadian history and a look at Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist but as a person, Jenn Strom crafts a beautiful portrait of a gentle soul who helped to reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia.

Feat E.J. Hughes, Robert Amos, Ian Thom, Charlie Hill Prod Kevin Eastwood, Jenn Strom

I Want It All. Hildegard Knef

Ich will alles. Hildegard Knef

LUZIA SCHMID, GERMANY, 2025, 98 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 3:15 PM IN09

SAT OCT 11 10:45 AM IN09

North American Premiere. A glamorous icon full of poise and style, Hildegard Knef was one of the 20th century’s true film stars. Fiercely independent, Knef was also surprisingly vulnerable and self-conscious about her public perception. Moving back and forth through her life—from her childhood in Nazi Germany and rise to fame amidst the fallout of the war, to her various scandals and reinventions—director Luzia Schmid reveals the multi-faceted layers beneath Knef’s larger-than-life persona, piercing the masks she hid behind.

Feat Christina Palastanga, Paul von Schell, Nina Kunzendorf (narrator) Prod Thomas Kufus

particle dance

ryushi no dance

HIROMOTO OKA, JAPAN, 2025, 145 MIN.

WED OCT 8 8:45 PM IN08

THU OCT 9 12:00 PM VC

North American Premiere. A poetic tribute to the artistic innovations of one of Japan’s greatest contemporary architects, Kengo Kuma. Whether focusing on reconstruction efforts following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Kuma’s contribution to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, or his work with students using sustainable building resources, particle dance captures the humility and beauty of Kuma’s balancing act between tradition and experimentation, showcasing an architecture that seeks to reconnect humans with their natural environment.

Feat Kengo Kuma Prod Hiromoto Oka

Portraits

John Candy: I Like Me

COLIN HANKS, USA, 2025, 113 MIN. SAT OCT 4 12:00 PM PLAY MON OCT 6 8:30 PM GIS

A Canadian icon who defined a generation of comedy, John Candy’s presence still looms large in the hearts of fans. Director Colin Hanks balances the laughs with genuine emotional depth while revisiting Candy’s life and career. Alongside intimate reflections from friends and family, an endless roster of actors and comedians share stories, shaping a portrait of John Candy as a man who treated the world like his family. A hilarious, heartwarming celebration of Candy’s generous spirit and singular talent.

Cast Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Catherine O’Hara Prod Colin Hanks, Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper, Ryan Reynolds, George Dewey, Johnny Pariseau, Shane Reid

Sun Ra: Do the Impossible

CHRISTINE TURNER, USA,

Canadian Premiere. Whether he was just a man or, as he claims, an angel sent from Saturn to spread peace and love through his music, Sun Ra was one of the unique visionaries of the 20th century—a creator who turned his life into a work of art. Seamlessly blending archival footage, in-depth interviews with scholars and musicians, live performances, and kaleidoscopic imagery, Christine Turner’s documentary explores the legacy of one of the most iconoclastic artists of the modern age.

Feat Sun Ra Prod Christine Turner

Feat Rubén Blades, Henry Fiol, Willie Rosario, Angel Lebron, Johnny Rodriguez, Luis Eduardo Mulato Prod Diego Ramirez, Kevin Lopez, Juan Carvajal

I Want It All. Hildegard Knef

Altered States

Don’t let all that talk of death in the film titles get you down. Rest assured, Altered States is as rowdy as ever. This time around, it even boasts a romantic streak (as long as you’re permissive with your definition of romance). It’s here that you’ll find the festival’s pulpiest and trashiest fare in the forms of Night Stage and Fucktoys Elsewhere, Canadian indie icons Grace Glowicki and Ben Petrie star in two tales of weird science and strange love (with Grace directing one of them). And while Radu Jude skewers AI with his wantonly ridiculous Dracula, the endearing OBEX is an ode to simpler technological times.

Dead Lover

GRACE GLOWICKI, CANADA, 2025, 83 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 9:15 PM IN08

SUN O CT 12 8:45 PM IN07

A lonely, foul-smelling gravedigger (Grace Glowicki) meets the man of her dreams— a poet (Ben Petrie) who is infatuated with her putrid odour. When her lover perishes at sea, she attempts to resurrect him... to mixed results. Dead Lover is a campy, romantic horror with a DIY aesthetic that combines Lynchian terror, Looney Tunes zaniness, and the surreal eroticism of Kenneth Anger. Glowicki shines in her fluorescent, oddball second feature that zaps fresh life into Mary Shelley’s classic.

Cast Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Leah Doz, Lowen Morrow

Death Does Not Exist

La mort n’existe pas FÉLIX DUFOUR-LAPERRIÈRE, CANADA/FRANCE, 2025, 72 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 6:00 PM IN07

SUN O CT 5 8:30 PM AFT

Following a failed armed attack on the compound of a wealthy landowner, Hélène abandons her activist comrades and retreats into the woods. When a ghost appears and offers her a second chance, Hélène must be willing to make good on her convictions. Animated in painstaking detail (over six years!) with a muted colour palette, hand-painted textures, and raw, kinetic energy, Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s feature is a breathtaking, metaphysical journey into the afterlife.

Cast Zeneb Blanchet, Karelle Tremblay, Mattis Savard-Verhoeven, Barbara Ulrich, Félix Dufour-Laperrière Prod Nicolas Dufour-Laperrière, Félix DufourLaperrière, Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron

Deathstalker

STEVEN KOSTANSKI, USA/CANADA, 2025, 102 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 9:00 PM RIO

SUN O CT 5 6:15 PM IN10

The Kingdom of Abraxeon has fallen under siege by the Dreadites, a scourge of bloodthirsty demonic warriors said to herald the return of the ancient sorcerer Nekromemnon. The titular Deathstalker (legendary stuntman Daniel Bernhardt) recovers a mysterious amulet and becomes cursed by an arcane magick, sending him on a quest to remove the curse and rid the realm of evil. Practical effects take center stage in FX wizard Steven Kostanski’s thrilling reboot of the 80s cult classic sword-and-sorcery film series.

Cast Daniel Bernhardt, Christina Orjalo, Paul Lazenby, Nicholas Rice, Patton Oswalt Prod Pasha Patriki, Michael Paszt, James Fler, Peter Kuplowsky, Andrew Hunt

Dracula

RADU JUDE, ROMANIA/AUSTRIA/LUXEMBOURG/ BRAZIL, 2025, 170 MIN.

THU OCT 2 8:30 PM VC

SAT OCT 4 11:00 AM IN10

Canadian Premiere. Radu Jude’s fourth feature in two years purports to be the work of an uninspired hack director who turns to AI for ideas. Issuing prompts based on the Count’s storied cinematic legacy, Jude’s on-screen alter ego more than fulfills his mandate to include “sex, nudity, emotion, violence, chases, jokes,” without remotely delivering the “supercommercial” movie he promised. Rather, it’s a bawdy, comic deconstruction of Romania’s most potent IP from Eastern Europe’s last refusenik.

Cast Adonis Tanța, Gabriel Spahiu, Oana Maria Zaharia, Andrada Balea, Ilinca Manolache, Șerban Pavlu Prod Alex Teodorescu, Rodrigo Teixeira

Prod Yona Strauss, Ben Petrie, Grace Glowicki

Death Does Not Exist

© Silviu-Gheție

Foreigner

AVA MARIA SAFAI, CANADA, 2025, 83 MIN.

MON OCT 6 6:00 PM RIO

SAT OCT 11 7:00 PM IN10

Yasamin (Rose Deghan) is an Iranian teenager who recently immigrated to Canada. Desperate to fit in, she’s pressured by a trio of popular girls to dye her hair blonde—unleashing a powerful demonic force in the process. Cultural roots hold strong against a culture of whitewashing in Ava Maria Safai’s humourous and relatable coming-of-age horror that feels like Mean Girls possessed by Carrie. A vengeful power fantasy that should prove satisfying for anyone who’s been told to go back to where they came from.

Rose Dehgan, Chloë Macleod Prod Nicco Graham, Ava Maria Safai

OBEX

ALBERT BIRNEY, USA, 2025, 90 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 3:30 PM IN07

SAT OCT 4 9:00 PM IN10

It’s 1987, and Conor Marsh—a shut-in computer nerd—orders a mysterious, state-of-the-art videogame called OBEX from an ad in Personal Computing magazine. When his real-life dog is taken by the in-game demon Ixaroth, Conor is transported into the game and must overcome his fears to save his pet in this analog horror that combines uncanny Lynchian chills with pixelated 8-bit nostalgia. A creepy and endearing lo-fi adventure from the endlessly creative mind of Albert Birney (Strawberry Mansion, Sylvio).

Cast Albert Birney, Callie Hernandez,

Fucktoys

ANNAPURNA SRIRAM, USA, 2025, 106 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 8:45 PM RIO

FRI O CT 10 9:30 PM IN10

AP (writer-director Annapurna Sriram) is a young sex worker who finds out she’s cursed, and the only way to lift it is to sacrifice a baby lamb and come up with a grand in cash. A bubblegum femme punk odyssey into the underbelly of Trashtown, USA, shot in glowing 16mm and buzzing with the irreverent energy of John Waters and Gregg Araki. More than just pastiche, Fucktoys is reclaiming power, changing the rules, and giving the middle finger to a patriarchal system built on exploitation and labour.

Cast Annapurna Sriram, Sadie Scott, Francois Arnaud, Big Freedia, Brandon Flynn, Damian Young Prod Timothy Petryni

Our Hero, Balthazar

OSCAR BOYSON, USA, 2025, 91 MIN. WED OCT 8 6:00 PM RIO SAT OCT 11 9:30 PM IN10

Balthazar (Jaeden Martell) is a wealthy student who films performative online videos, mostly in the hopes of impressing his crush. But when he receives alarming messages from an online troll, he becomes convinced he’s chatting with a potential mass murderer and travels to Texas to take action. Oscar Boyson, who produced Good Time and Uncut Gems, directs this incendiary dark comedy—a searing examination of a divide in America and a divergent youth, disaffected by the internet and driven to destruction.

Cast Jaeden Martell, Asa Butterfield, Noah Centineo, Jennifer Ehle, Becky Ann Baker, Chris Bauer Prod Oscar Boyson, Ricky Camilleri, Jon Wroblewski, David DuqueEstrada, Alex Hughes, Jaeden Martell, Miles Skinner

Honey Bunch

MADELEINE SIMS-FEWER, DUSTY MANCINELLI, CANADA, 2025, 113 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 9:15 PM FAV3

SUN OCT 12 2:45 PM RIO

After waking from a coma with amnesia and a hobbled leg, Diane (Grace Glowicki) is taken to an experimental treatment centre in the wilderness by her husband, Homer (Ben Petrie). As Diane’s memories begin to return, disturbing visions appear and dark truths about her marriage emerge. The less you know, the better, and directors Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli construct a puzzle box of a thriller with twists and turns that build to a confounding and poignant finale.

Cast Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Kate Dickie, Jason Isaacs, India Brown Prod Becky Yeboah, Dusty Mancinelli, Madeline Sims-Fewer

Altered States

Night Stage

Ato Noturno FILIPE MATZEMBACHER, MARCIO

THU OCT 2 8:45 PM RIO FRI O CT 10 9:00 PM IN08

Canadian Premiere. Matias (Gabriel Faryas) is a queer Black actor on the rise. When he enters into an intensely physical relationship with Rafael (Cirillo Luna) — a wealthy, white mayoral candidate — the pair discover a mutual fetish for public sex, putting their professional lives in jeopardy. A steamy, slow-burn erotic thriller about queer love, bursting out of the nightclubs and into the neon-soaked streets of Porto Alegre.

Cast

The Plague

CHARLIE POLINGER, USA, 2025, 95 MIN.

SAT OCT 11 9:00 PM RIO

SUN O CT 12 6:45 PM IN09

At an all-boys water polo camp, 12-yearold Ben (Everett Blunck) is plunged into the deep end of toxic peer pressure. Terrified of incurring the wrath of his feral campmates’ pint-sized ringleader (Kayo Martin), Ben joins the braying pack in tormenting Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), an awkward kid whose unsightly skin rash has been branded “the plague”. Exquisitely lensed and propulsively edited, Charlie Polinger’s bully drama amplifies all-too-familiar adolescent anxieties into the stuff of nerve-fraying horror.

Cast Everett Blunck, Joel Edgerton, Kayo Martin Prod Joel Edgerton, Lizzie Shapiro, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, Roy Lee, Derek Dauchy

A Useful Ghost

Pee Chai Dai Ka

RATCHAPOOM BOONBUNCHACHOKE, THAILAND/ FRANCE/SINGAPORE/GERMANY, 2025, 130 MIN.

THU OCT 2 3:15 PM VC SAT OCT 4 10:30 AM IN09 WED OCT 8 8:30 PM RIO

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s film is a wacky, whimsical take on Thai history that starts with a ghost-inhabited vacuum cleaner and ends with a violent raid on an orgy; in between there’s touching romance, deadpan comedy, and subversive historical excavation. The story, told mostly through flashbacks, is delightfully zany and radical to the core. Ratchapoom seeks sometimes to amuse and sometimes to galvanize—but always to entertain.

Cast Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjad, Wisarut

Prod Cattleya Paosrijaroen, Soros Sukhum

REOLON, BRAZIL, 2025, 117 MIN.

Gabriel Faryas, Cirillo Luna, Henrique Barreira, Ivo Müller, Kaya Rodrigues, Larissa Sanguiné Prod Jessica Luz, Paola Wink, Filipe Matzembacher, Marcio Reolon

Cast

Homhuan

Frank Mosley

Prod James Belfor, Albert Birney, Emma Hannaway, Pete Ohs

Short Forum

1: Call your mother

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 108 MIN.

OCT 3 8:30 PM IN07 SAT OCT 4 3:00 PM IN07

Le Tour De Canada

JOHN HOLLANDS, CANADA, 2025, 6 MIN.

Rivals go head to head in a cross-country cycling race.

Weekend One

MYKEA FAIRWEATHER PERRY, UK, 2024, 15 MIN.

After his divorce, a father’s first weekend with his sons proves challenging.

No Matter the Weather

FLORENCE LAFOND, CANADA, 2025, 15 MIN.

Lafond documents her relationship with her grandmother Renée, who is recovering from a broken ankle.

Paradaïz

MATEA RADIC, CANADA, 2025, 10 MIN.

Through absurdist animation and archival images, a young woman visits her slippery and surreal homeland.

A Soft Touch

HEATHER YOUNG, CANADA, 2025, 21 MIN.

As the chaos and heaviness of the world crisscross our circuits, filmmakers process our collective urgency by way of metaphor and poetics, using the short form to provide much needed grace. Difficult subjects are padded by recurring themes of kinship, faith, and the body, as we grasp for solidarity and resistance. The cozy compositions found in this year’s Short Forum offer a humble embrace through which to recharge our spirit.

After a friend stops replying to her messages, 81-year-old Ellen must find a way to recover the money she loaned them.

No One Knows I Disappeared

HANXIONG BO, CHINA, 2025, 17 MIN.

Systemic issues of state surveillance and migrant labour exploitation collide when the sudden disappearance of an elderly woman sends her caregiver, Lin, on a relentless search.

Winkie

DANIEL DURANLEAU, CANADA, 2024, 24 MIN.

Upon discovering a young orphaned girl, a caring monster decides to raise the child as his own.

2: Memory & mediation

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 102 MIN. SAT OCT 4 8:30 PM IN07 SUN O CT 5 6:15 PM IN07

One Duck Down

LINDSAY AKSARNIQ MCINTYRE, CANADA, 2025, 5 MIN.

Filmed on the tundra of the Canadian Arctic, place and personal histories are explored through memories embedded in the land.

Baadarane

SAMAH EL KADI, LEBANON, 2025, 15 MIN.

In a small town on Mount Lebanon, a young boy tests God after his mother’s sudden death.

Water Girl

SANDRA DESMAZIÈRES, FRANCE/NETHERLANDS/ PORTUGAL, 2025, 15 MIN.

Anchored by her relationship to the sea as a freediver, Mia recalls her past.

Adieu Ugarit

SAMY BENAMMAR, CANADA, 2024, 16 MIN. Benammar interviews Mohamed, who witnessed his best friend’s murder by armed militia on the outskirts of Damascus in 2012.

A Light That Doesn’t Dim

COLBY BARRIOS, USA, 2024, 19 MIN.

Sister Jones, a Mormon missionary stationed in Mexico, wants to go home.

Four Walls of Memory

JOANNA PŁATEK, POLAND, 2024, 12 MIN.

A wild creature chases a girl into a cabin, slams into the wall, and dies. Why doesn’t she leave?

WASSUPKAYLEE

PEPI GINSBERG, FRANCE/USA, 2025, 20 MIN.

Kaylee, a teenage influencer, struggles to find her groove as the latest member of a popular TikTok content house.

3: The peripheral core

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 112 MIN.

SUN OCT 5 9:15 PM IN07 MON O CT 6 3:15 PM IN07

Resistance Meditation

SARA WYLIE, CANADA, 2024, 5 MIN.

Wylie posits disability as ‘crip time’: a site of resistance to capitalism.

A Very Straight Neck

NEO SORA, JAPAN, 2025, 11 MIN.

After waking from a haunting dream with horrible neck pain, a woman struggles to maintain her routine in a crumbling world.

Not Enough for the Love Inside

MARCELO MATOS DE OLIVEIRA, WALLACE NOGUEIRA, BRAZIL, 2024, 18 MIN.

For Cássio and Otto, the challenge of losing their sight is also a challenge to stay together.

The Sphinx

JESSE PADVEEN, CANADA/USA, 2024, 17 MIN.

A man without a nose goes on a date.

Confluence

CHARLENE R MOORE, OLIVER DARRIUS MERRICK KING, CANADA, 2025, 11 MIN.

Made for the Winnipeg Film Group’s 50th anniversary, Indigenous members of the collective meditate on the future of filmmaking.

In My Hand

MARJA HELANDER, LISELOTTE WAJSTEDT, NORWAY, 2025, 24 MIN.

The historical struggles of the Sámi people can be seen through the extraordinary life of Indigenous activist Niillas Somby.

Cocotte Coulombe, Filmmaker

CHARLES-FRANÇOIS ASSELIN, CANADA, 2024, 11 MIN.

Upon discovering a family archive of Super 8 reels taken by his late great-aunt, Asselin reflects on her practice, and his own.

We Were the Scenery

CHRISTOPHER RADCLIFF, USA, 2025, 15 MIN. Hoa Thị Lê and Huệ Nguyên Chế recall their experiences as extras in Apocalypse Now after fleeing Vietnam in 1975.

One Duck Down In My Hand

Le Tour De Canada

4: Um, womanhood

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 108 MIN.

MON OCT 6 6:30 PM IN07

TUE OCT 7 3:15 PM IN07

Pidikwe (Rumble)

CAROLINE MONNET, CANADA, 2025, 11 MIN.

Indigenous women of various generations deconstruct the western gaze through traditional and contemporary dance.

Healer

CHELSEA MCMULLAN, CANADA, 2025, 17 MIN.

A young woman attends a healer’s booksigning event with her sick mom.

Origin

MARION CHUNIAUD-LACAU, CANADA/COLOMBIA, 2024, 18 MIN.

Recalling memories of a violent Colombia in the 1990s, a choreographer explores the body as a site for creation, process, and vulnerability.

Our Pantheons

ROSALIE CHARRIER, FRANCE, 2025, 11 MIN.

A growing number of onlookers disrupt an archeologist as she tries to work.

Nine Times Better

LORENZO FOLLARI, EMMA DOCK, SWEDEN, 2025, 9 MIN. Costume design drives this story about one woman’s thirst for romance.

Ripe

SOLARA THANH BÌNH ĐẶNG, CANADA, 2025, 20 MIN. Lệ must decide if she will enter an arranged marriage in order to support her family of struggling durian farmers.

Extra Life (And Decay)

STÉPHANIE LAGARDE, NETHERLANDS/FRANCE, 2025, 22 MIN.

In an ode to the multitude, a polyphonic cast of animals, minerals, and vegetables declare their collective resistance against labour exploitation.

5:

The absurd & spiritual

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 105 MIN.

TUE OCT 7 6:15 PM IN07

WED OCT 8 3:30 PM IN07

The Light of Immortality

MIKOŁAJ JANIK, POLAND, 2025, 25 MIN.

A man’s obsession with collecting vintage lamps slowly unravels. For decades, his family has quietly supported and adapted to his ever-growing fantasy, blurring the lines between care, complicity, and imagination.

Tears Burn to Ash

NATALIE MURAO, CANADA, 2025, 15 MIN.

An encounter with a doppelganger in Japan cracks open the edges of reality, as a return to the homeland becomes a search through memory, absence, and the ghosts of identity.

My Dad is an Astronaut

BIANCA ROSE CHEUNG, CANADA, 2025, 14 MIN.

Through dreamy textures and thermal imaging, the film hums with quiet longing, lost signals, and the strange intimacy of distance.

Mother of Dawn

CLARA TREVISAN, BELGIUM/BRAZIL/FINLAND/ PORTUGAL, 2024, 9 MIN.

In the dead of night, a hungry creature searches for food—until something breaks the cycle.

Bleat!

ANANTH SUBRAMANIAM, MALAYSIA/PHILIPPINES, 2025, 16 MIN.

An elderly couple faces a dilemma when their male goat, destined for ceremonial slaughter, turns out to be pregnant.

Muljil: Diving

YOUNG EUN YOO (YOOYE), SOUTH KOREA, 2024, 26 MIN.

Yang Young-sam, a 77-year-old haenyeo (female freediver) battling dementia, prepares for a final ritual goodbye.

6: City slickin’

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 113 MIN.

WED OCT 8 6:30 PM IN07

THU OCT 9 3:00 PM IN07

Budget Paradise

LATAJH SIMMONS-WEAVER, USA, 2025, 14 MIN. Chester, a non-binary artist, wanders the streets of Oakland in search of a spot to paint in peace.

Our Room

JAUME CLARET MUXART, SPAIN, 2025, 28 MIN.

Envisioning a fusion of classical and electronic music, Gal-la and Paul start a new radio show.

Father Alphonse and the Fight Between Carnival and Lent

DIANA THORNEYCROFT, CANADA, 2025, 10 MIN.

A new priest must walk from his apartment to the town church during the last hour of Mardi Gras.

Ambush

YASSMINA KARAJAH, CANADA/JORDAN, 2025, 21 MIN. An after-hours rooftop party puts self-control, desire, and participation to the test.

There’s a Devil Inside Me

KARINA LOMELIN RIPPER, USA, 2024, 16 MIN.

Following a Catholic confirmation class, Teresa snoops in the church’s sacristy and puts on a nun habit. Mistaken for a real sister, an altar boy gives her a collection basket full of cash.

No Skate!

GUIL SELA, FRANCE, 2025, 24 MIN.

A friendship forms between Isaac and Cleo over their shared disdain of skaters.

Short Forum

Santa Clara. Birth in Three

Phases

ARTURO FRANCO, TONO MEJUTO, SPAIN, 2024, 9 MIN.

Amidst the ruins of the Monastery of Santa Clara, workers clean, weed, and drill.

The Foreigner

WEN-SHUO HSUEH, TAIWAN, 2024, 16 MIN.

A night in the life of A-bang, a Taiwanese patrol guard amidst a factory of migrant workers.

Canada in the 12th Century

JACK PARKER, CANADA, 2025, 10 MIN.

Two Canadas from the 12th century: one real, one imaginary.

How to Live Together

TIM NICHOLAS, USA, 2025, 18 MIN.

Six people living in a cramped four-bedroom apartment seek a new roommate.

To Look, and to Look Again

MONICA CHEEMA, CANADA, 2025, 6 MIN.

A meditation on labour and land via a blueberry farm in Surrey, BC.

The Housekeeper

SURYA BALAKRISHNAN, INDIA, 2024, 24 MIN. Over time, the routines of Abhi, a young urbanite living in Mumbai, and Deepa, his housekeeper, intertwine.

Paradise Heights

KARL KAI, ROBERT MENTOV, CANADA, 2025, 23 MIN. Lah, a narcoleptic seven-year old, discovers an otherworldly bond to her late mother’s past within dreams of the Burmese jungle.

Muljil: Diving

Tears Burn to Ash

Nine Times Better No Skate!

8: Love and despair

THU OCT 9 8:45 PM IN07 SAT OCT 11 12:00 PM IN07

The Death of the Fish

EVA LUSBARONIAN, FRANCE, 2025, 14 MIN.

Through the mimicry and embodiment of dance, a girl tries to save her mother from depression.

Orlo with Karma

KANGDRUN, CHINA, 2025, 23 MIN.

Romance blossoms at cram school between Orlo, an independent tomboy, and Karma, a new student with attitude.

Arguments in Favor of Love

GABRIEL ABRANTES, PORTUGAL, 2025, 10 MIN.

As the world ends, two ghosts enact the death throes of a relationship.

Two People Exchanging Saliva

ALEXANDRE SINGH, NATALIE MUSTEATA, FRANCE/ USA, 2024, 36 MIN.

Angine, a rich housewife, and Malaise, a shop girl, begin to form a bond in a repressive society where kissing is punishable by death.

Skin on Skin

SIMON SCHNECKENBURGER, GERMANY, 2024, 30 MIN.

Against the backdrop of a fomenting revolt, two workers in a German slaughterhouse find one another.

9: The scary one

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 118 MIN.

FRI OCT 10 8:30 PM IN07

SAT OCT 11 3:00 PM IN07

The Littles

ANDREW DUPLESSIE, USA/CANADA, 2025, 7 MIN.

When Juliet stubs her toe on a loose floorboard, she discovers that hers is not the only family living in the house.

Living Grounds

EMILE LAVOIE, CANADA, 2025, 20 MIN.

Luc, a weathered corpse mover, is called upon to the scene of a suicide.

Bread Will Walk

ALEX BOYA, CANADA, 2025, 12 MIN.

The planet is starving and people resort to eating bread, which turns them into bread themselves. A sister tries to save her bread-brother as he is chased by a hungry mob.

Inanna

DRAGOS BADITA, ROMANIA/CANADA, 2025, 24 MIN.

“Uncanny” is an understatement in this AI-processed dream-poem inspired by the ancient Sumerian goddess of death and rebirth.

Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts

SHERVIN KERMANI, CANADA, 2025, 8 MIN.

In the aftermath of a devastating eruption, Ramón walks the island of La Palma with his microphone, listening for ghosts.

Jeff

JULIA HEBNER, USA, 2025, 25 MIN.

A phone sex operator gets into it with a caller who makes a disturbing confession.

Dinner

HYEJIN YOO, SOUTH KOREA, 2025, 22 MIN.

When a woman is bitten by a zombie, her husband uses a delay patch that extends the duration of her transformation by an hour so they can have one more meal together.

Short Forum & Short Fuse

10: The new socialism; ceasefire now!

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 114 MIN.

SAT OCT 11 9:00 PM IN07

SUN O CT 12 3:00 PM IN07

Good Luck to You All

CORDELL BARKER, CANADA, 2025, 8 MIN.

Audio interviews with AI experts form the basis of this animated envisioning of what the future may bring.

The Glass Essays

RIVER YUHAO CAO, UK/CHINA, 2024, 17 MIN.

Unable to sleep, a young man follows a mysterious sound across the river and through the forest.

My Comrade

TATHAGATA GHOSH, INDIA, 2024, 25 MIN.

A romantic spark between a villager and a wounded Naxalite insurgent emboldens their solidarity and threatens their safety.

A Metamorphosis

LIN HTET AUNG, MYANMAR, 2024, 17 MIN. Repurposed government propaganda footage and haunting folk lullabies are used to deconstruct Myanmar’s dictatorship and examine the suffering and resilience of the Burmese people.

Thanks to Meet You!

RICHARD HUNTER, UK, 2025, 14 MIN. Five business people walk into a room...

Loynes

DORIAN JESPERS, BELGIUM, 2025, 25 MIN.

Set in 19th-century Liverpool, a corpse with neither name nor past is on trial.

The 12 Inch Pianist

LUCAS ANSEL, USA, 2025, 8 MIN.

Just a typical night at a NYC bar, where a genie with a hearing problem is granting wishes in the bathroom.

Short Fuse

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 75 MIN.

SUN OCT 12 11:30 AM IN07

Shorts exploring memories, experiences and relationships across generations.

Wednesdays With Gramps

CHRIS COPELAND, JUSTIN COPELAND, USA, 2024, 9 MIN. When a teenage boy visits his grandfather at a mundane assisted living facility, they have much more in common than he thought.

Pow!

JOEY CLIFT, USA, 2025, 9 MIN.

A heartfelt tribute to the director’s Tulalip community through the comedic journey of young Jake, trying to charge his video game console at a bustling powwow.

Ball Lightning

CATRIONA TRINA BAKER, USA, 2024, 12 MIN. Gusta was a refugee who fled East Germany for the United States. This story is told through the eyes of the surrogate daughter that she raised after she was forced to give away her own infant daughter as the iron curtain rose.

Yves et Ses Bonsaïs

OPHELIA SPINOSA, CANADA, 2025, 14 MIN.

At 87-years-old, Yves maintains his joie de vivre by surrounding himself with his 70+ bonsai trees, reflecting on the beauty and complexities of life imitating art.

Tiger

LOREN WATERS, USA, 2024, 13 MIN.

In memory of legendary Muscogee Creek artist Jerome Tiger, Dana Tiger’s family started a booming art t-shirt printing business. For nearly 30 years, Dana has worked to revitalize the iconic brand.

The River

HERRANA ADDISU, USA, 2024, 18 MIN.

A poetic and beautiful homage to culture and the experiences of girls and women in Ethiopia. A artfully crafted film inspirated by the director’s childhood home, Kebena.

Inanna

Arguments in Favor of Love Jeff

My Comrade

The River

MODES

International short works that explore how far the form of cinema is capable of bending. MODES is a place for video art, experimentation, the avant-garde, and exciting interpretations of screen-based work.

MODES 1

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 108 MIN.

THU OCT 2 6:00 PM CINE FRI O CT 10 5:45 PM IN07

From the indoctrination of youth to increasing surveillance, populist ethno-nationalist and fascist ideologies continue to take root, yet dissent remains at the fore.

Anatomy of a Lost Sound

ZUKO GARAGIĆ, BOSNIA/HERZEGOVINA/CZECH REPUBLIC/USA, 2025, 20 MIN.

A cast of non-actors depict a Czech paramilitary youth camp while an incendiary recording metastasizes antisemitic rhetoric across Europe.

The Uniformed

TIMON OTT, GERMANY, 2025, 17 MIN.

After committing to 17 years of service, an 18-year-old discovers that things are not as uniform in the military as he thought.

Monument

JEREMY DRUMMOND, USA, 2025, 18 MIN.

Treated and multilayered Super 8 images are juxtaposed, illuminating tensions that bridge protest and reclamation with the perils of nationalism.

Sixty-Seven Milliseconds

FLEURYFONTAINE, FRANCE, 2025, 15 MIN.

Blending chronophotography and CGI, French surveillance footage raises questions about policing and institutional violence.

Blind, Into the Eye

ATEFEH KHEIRABADI, MEHRAD SEPAHNIA, IRAN/ GERMANY, 2025, 20 MIN.

Ammunition fired deliberately at Iranian protesters points to a particularly insidious form of state repression.

happiness

FIRAT YÜCEL, NETHERLANDS/TURKEY, 2025, 18 MIN.

As the unfolding genocide in Gaza is streamed around the world, resistence persists for a group of activists and immigrants in Amsterdam sabotaged by insomnia.

MODES 2

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 109 MIN.

FRI OCT 3 9:00 PM CINE SAT OCT 11 6:15 PM IN07

Intimate and unapologetic stories of women and queer lives are uncovered through provocative and deeply personal accounts that examine memory, identity, and dignity.

Rezbotanik

PEDRO GONÇALVES RIBEIRO, PORTUGAL/BRAZIL/ SPAIN, 2025, 19 MIN.

After a night partying, Rezmorah sobers up in the botanical gardens of Lisbon, pondering what the plants can teach us about queerness.

Abortion Party

JULIA MELLEN, SPAIN, 2025, 14 MIN. Director Julia Mellen animates and celebrates the termination of her pregnancy with an unexpected array of guests.

It Must Be Because I Decided to Leave

ZHUOYUN CHEN, CHINA/USA, 2025, 19 MIN. A young woman’s drifting consciousness traces the mystery of an elusive red car.

Daria’s Night Flower

MARYAM TAFAKORY, IRAN/UK/FRANCE, 2025, 16 MIN. Daria has written her first manuscript about falling in love with a mysterious girl called Blue. The night flowers in her garden hide the secrets of a country that has turned love stories into routine crime scenes.

Goodbye, Fishies

JONATHAN ZHANG, AUSTRALIA, 2025, 12 MIN. Personal stories reinterpreted by the actors and director, depict a Thai mother consumed with deep regret for missing her grandmother’s last moments.

Lloyd Wong, Unfinished

LESLEY LOKSI CHAN, CANADA, 2024, 29 MIN. Thirty years after his passing, filmmaker Lesley Chan re-examines Lloyd Wong’s uncompleted video art project about living with HIV.

MODES 3

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 111 MIN.

SAT OCT 4 8:45 PM CINE SUN O CT 12 6:00 PM IN07

Moving through often uncharted (subaltern) territory, these works and their subjects carry the remnants of emotional and physical labour on their shoulders, both literally and figuratively.

Samba Infinito

LEONARDO MARTINELLI, BRAZIL/FRANCE, 2025, 16 MIN.

Amid the revelry of Rio’s Carnival, a wandering boy chances upon a weary street sweeper whose long-repressed grief derails his humble obligations.

Force Times Displacement

ANGEL WU, TAIWAN, 2025, 12 MIN.

Along the endless arch of incessant work, workers ache for change.

L’mina

RANDA MAROUFI, MOROCCO/FRANCE/ITALY/QATAR, 2025, 26 MIN.

Although the practice of coal extraction was halted in 2001, a treacherous mine in Jerada, Morocco remains informally active and is manned by the town’s residents, who collaboratively act out a performance of their labour.

BOA

ALEXANDRE DOSTIE, CANADA/FRANCE, 2025, 25 MIN. When tragedy strikes the church, young Leonidas careens toward a brotherhood of an entirely different order, shedding the old ways to become something more intentional.

+10K

GALA HERNÁNDEZ LÓPEZ, SPAIN/FRANCE, 2025, 32 MIN. Pol lives in Miami with his grandmother, endlessly pursuing personal growth schemes and online coaching seminars to master Crypto investing. He is becoming the best version of himself, but he’s not sure when his labours will bear fruit.

Sixty-Seven Milliseconds

Blind, Into the Eye

Force Times Displacement

Rezbotanik

Youth Programming

Ignite High School Program

Each year, VIFF welcomes thousands of high school students to experience exceptional international cinema at the festival. From stories of imagined worlds and compelling journeys to films that capture historic events as they’re unfolding, great world cinema expands our understanding. Films promote student inquiry, help develop critical thinking skills, and ignite imaginations. Be they set in Canada, the United States, Kenya, the Philippines, or Bosnia and Herzogovina, this year’s Ignite selections connect youth with powerful stories that explore diverse experiences, perspectives, and new ways of understanding our world.

Exclusive Dialogue and Q&A with Filmmakers

After most screenings, students will have the rare opportunity to take part in a talkback session with the film’s directors or producers.

Family Shorts at Science World

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 25 MIN.

OCT 2-12 10:30 AM, 1:30 PM

SCIENCE WORLD

Catch great VIFF programming for families at Science World with a special selection of animal-themed shorts: Lord of the Sky and Loon Dreaming—perfect for all ages! These two family friendly shorts are included with your Science World admission, no separate festival ticket needed. Come for the films, stay for the wonder, make your VIFF family outing unforgettable at Science World! For more details, visit www.scienceworld.ca

Education Resources

We have selected these films for their bold approach to storytelling, timely social, historical, and human interest themes, and for their thought-provoking connections to multiple subjects across the BC curriculum. Before the screenings, teachers will receive our educational film guides to facilitate discussion and learning, connecting the cinema with the classroom.

How to Book

Free for all school groups! Book online through our Ignite program homepage. All Ignite film screenings will take place at International Village. Some select films may also be available to stream on VIFF Connect. Capacity for all films is limited. For our Booking form, full film details, and resource materials, visit viff.org/ignite

For questions or help with booking, please email us at education@viff.org

Kids Club Shorts

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 65 MIN. SAT OCT 4 10:00AM VC

Here comes a heartwarming and eye-opening collection of shorts for all ages. Each short was selected for its visual style and heartfelt storytelling, with many of the films exploring teachings, experiences, and intergenerational relationships between friends and family. Be they dialogue-free or subtitled, these selections are all suitable for children, even those who may not yet be reading. Charming, funny, and visually rich, these shorts take viewers from powwows in North America to the rivers of Ethiopia, into a toy store in China and on a galactic adventure set in a world of pigs. Together, they offer a memorable collection for the next generation or VIFF audience members.

Supported by

Nouvelle Vague

Lord of the Sky © 1991 National Film Board of Canada. All-rights-reserved.

Asian Focus Canadian Perspective

Events

Every year, VIFF celebrates artists and their craft with a lineup of unique live events that go beyond the screen. Through live scores that ignite the senses, talks with bold storytellers, showcases of creative technology, and stirring performances by visionary composers, these moments shine a light on the artistry shaping today’s film culture. Created with and for artists, each event is one-of-a-kind, impossible to replicate, and designed to inspire.

Signals is an interactive and immersive expo showcasing bold and innovative storytelling in video games, XR, virtual production, and AI— all with a focus on world-class Canadian and Indigenous works.

Signals Creative Tech Expo: Lightening Stories & Collective Dreams

Oct 3–12, 2025

DigiBC Creative Tech Studio

Co-presented by DigiBC and VIFF, this expanded exhibition presents 30+ groundbreaking projects spanning XR installations, AI-driven art, interactive performances, speculative futures, and playful worlds. Visitors explore works that prioritize healing over extraction, connection over isolation, and human agency over algorithmic control.

Stories Woven in Light

Celebrate Indigenous innovation and knowledge with storytellers from across Turtle Island who are weaving light to tell their stories and imagine the past, present, and future.

360 Cinema

October 4 & 5, 2025

The Dome H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Free for all ages.

Book tickets at viff.org or included with your Space Centre admission.

Step into immersive Indigenous cinema experiences, featuring: Ełeghàà; All At Once, a film by Casey Koyczan, inspired by legends and climate, that asks what our world was, is, and might become; Ways of Knowing, by Kayla Briët, exploring the Navajo Nation's encounter with uranium mining; and Wilfred Buck: Star Stories, by Lisa Jackson and The Macronauts, which illuminates four star stories from renowned Ininew astronomer Wilfred Buck.

IM4 Day

October 7

DigiBC Creative Tech Studio

Hosted by IM4 Media Lab, Indigenous innovators from around the world explore building technologies rooted in cultural values that include safeguarding sovereignty, protecting the planet, and ensuring that stories endure. Visionaries share how traditional teachings become tools for environmental stewardship and digital self-determination.

For full details of Signals programming, visit signals.digibc.org

There is also a VIFF Live event for Wilfred Buck: Star Stories. Visit viff.org for details.

For more information, visit im4lab.com

“From reimaginings and hauntings to resonances, cosmologies, and improvisations, this year’s VIFF Live series flows through a range of thematics, sonics, and live visual presentations across five unmissable shows. I hope you can join us for these remarkable evenings of sound, cinema, and immersive live performance.” JARRETT MARTINEAU, VIFF LIVE CURATOR

Mad Professor: Live AV in Dub

Sunday October 5, 2025 – 7:30pm Chan Centre for the Performing Arts • $54 / GA

For this special VIFF Live and Chan EXP event, and for the first time in Vancouver, Mad Professor will perform a rare live dub set in celebration of No Protection’s 30th anniversary, which will feature music drawing from his Massive Attack remixes accompanied by live dub visuals from Vancouver interdisciplinary artist Saghi Ehteshamzadeh. Join us for a hypnotic, audio-visual trip into the psychedelic worlds of dub, bass, and trip hop from one of the best to ever do it.

Co-presented with

Thursday, October 9, 2025 – 8:30pm

The Rio Theatre • $45 / GA

Acclaimed ambient, experimental musicians Julianna Barwick and loscil share the stage for the first time to immerse audiences in their ethereal soundscapes and hypnotic new live AV performances. Barwick’s music has been praised as a “ravishing … balm for the soul” by The Guardian, and Vancouver ambient legend loscil’s latest album Lake Fire has been hailed as a “profoundly dense and beautiful, contemplative work that offers both solace and insight in turbulent times” (Igloo Magazine).

claire rousay, The Bloody Lady (Live Score) and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 – 8:00pm

The Rio Theatre • $45 / GA

An evening of haunted and bewitching sound at the edge of human perception. Los Angeles–based composer and musician claire rousay performs a live score of the 1981 Slovakian animated classic The Bloody Lady

New York-based multidisciplinary artist and composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe presents a performance of an improvisatory window into his cinematic sound worlds and scores to such films as Candyman, The Man in My Basement, Grasshopper Republic, UNION, Power, Seeds, and Life After

Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories Live With Wilfred Buck and Lisa Jackson

Friday, October 10, 2025 – 6:30pm

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre

$35 / GA

Join renowned Ininew (Cree) astronomer, star knowledge keeper, and author Wilfred Buck for Star Stories: a cosmic journey into teachings and tellings of the northern night sky. For this special VIFF Live event, this stunning XR work will be projected on the dome of the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre and narrated live by Buck, followed by a Q&A with him and Anishinaabe codirector Lisa Jackson.

Julianna Barwick and loscil

Photo: Clara Marshall

Photo: Desdemona Dallas

STANDING UP FOR CANADIAN STORIES

The Canada Media Fund is here to uplift bold, courageous voices across the audiovisual industry— from television and web series to documentaries, video games, IDM and immersive projects. Wherever there’s a vision and a desire, we’re there to light the spark.

“VIFF Talks connects film enthusiasts with the creative minds behind their favourite works. Join cinematic visionaries for candid conversations that illuminate their craft and inspire both fans and future creators alike. This year's expertly moderated discussions feature an exceptional lineup of industry talent sharing insights from their outstanding contributions to cinema.”

KINGA BINKOWSKA, VIFF TALKS CURATOR

Breaking the Rules: Janicza Bravo on Unconventional Narratives and Fearless Filmmaking

SAT OCT 4 6:00 PM VC

One of contemporary storytelling’s most versatile voices, Janicza Bravo pushes creative boundaries across film, television, and acting. From critically acclaimed Zola to Atlanta, Poker Face, and The Bear, she masterfully blends wit with incisive observations on race and identity. Join us for a deep dive into her cinematic world of electric energy and astute social commentary.

Making It Happen With Jeremy Dawson, Producer: From Aronofsky to Anderson

FRI OCT 10 6:00 PM ANEX

Vancouver-born producer Jeremy Dawson has likely produced one of your favorite films, collaborating with visionary directors like Wes Anderson and Darren Aronofsky on Requiem for a Dream, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and recent Cannes hit The Phoenician Scheme. Explore this local hero's remarkable journey from title designer to award-winning producer.

An Evening With Marc Maron

An Evening With Marc Maron features the international premiere screening of Are We Good? (Steven Feinartz), a candid, funny, and deeply personal portrait of the comedian navigating loss with his signature wit. After the film, Marc takes the stage for a live talk and audience Q&A, blending sharp humor with unflinching honesty and no-nonsense insight in a one-of-a-kind event.

Visual Architect: Frederick Elmes on Four Decades of Cinematic Collaboration

WED OCT 8 6:30 PM SFU

Legendary cinematographer Frederick Elmes transforms light into cinema magic, creating iconic visuals for David Lynch (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet) and Jim Jarmusch (Night on Earth, Paterson). His collaboration with Jarmusch continues at VIFF with Father, Mother, Sister, Brother. Don't miss hearing from this master about crafting unforgettable cinematic moments.

Reshaping Storytelling With Zacharias Kunuk, Director

Legendary filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk, the first Inuk to produce a feature film, created the masterpiece Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, which won Cannes' Caméra d'Or and became Canada's highestgrossing 2002 film. His company Isuma revolutionized Indigenous storytelling. Explore groundbreaking filmmaking, cultural preservation, and authentic storytelling with this visionary artist.

Building the Extraordinary With Marcus Rowland, Production Designer, The Running Man

SAT OCT 11 4:00 PM ANEX

Acclaimed production designer Marcus Rowland (Last Night in Soho; Rocketman) reunites with director Edgar Wright later this year for an adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man He’ll reveal how he builds unforgettable worlds and navigates the collaborative art of bringing impossible visions to life on screen.

From Intimate to Infinite With Writer, Creator Jenny Lumet

THU OCT 9 5:30 PM RIO

Jenny Lumet is a compelling voice in film and television, from her Academy Award–nominated Rachel Getting Married screenplay to co-creating Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and The Man Who Fell to Earth. She moves fluidly between film, television, and franchise storytelling. Discover her remarkable body of work.

Bringing Monsters to Life With VFX Supervisor Dennis Berardi, Frankenstein

SAT OCT 11 6:30 PM

The art of monster-making has evolved dramatically over the past century. VFX supervisor Dennis Berardi masterfully balances practical artistry with digital innovation, having brought life to Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein. Join us as Berardi reveals how modern VFX honours the practical effects' legacy while creating new storytelling possibilities.

© Vague Notion

Artist & Industry Development

Festivals are not only platforms to showcase the fascinating work of filmmakers from around the world, but also spaces for creatives to meet, engage, and collaborate. Today, more than ever, BC’s artists need room to experiment and to learn from one another. Supporting their work is not only fulfilling, but also a vital investment in the future of our industry. When festivals nurture these connections within a thriving local film community, they become powerful spaces for growth and transformation—celebrating the richness of our cinema on a global stage and embracing film as a shared art form shaped by diversity and collective visions.

VIFF Industry

This year, Industry Days embraces the theme ‘Create. Connect. Transform.’

We focus on revolutionary filmmaking methods and universal connections, opening doors to lasting opportunities through curated conversations, masterclasses, case studies, and networking sessions. More than ever, artists—and the stories they create—need space to grow. These sessions provide a unique opportunity for accredited filmmakers and industry professionals to connect behind the scenes and engage in mutual learning, recognizing cinema as a collective art form enriched by cultural diversity and shared visions.

Highlights this year

Co-Producing Across the Pacific: Bridging Canadian and Korean Stories

As part of our Spotlight on Korea, we will explore treaty mechanisms, financing strategies, and creative collaboration, guiding participants through the opportunities and challenges of co-productions between Canada and Korea.

New Documentary Frontiers: Tech, Poetics & Politics

Addressing urgent questions in documentary today, we will focus on how emerging technologies intersect with bold nonfiction storytelling. Filmmakers, funders, technologists, and curators will discuss evolving forms shaping the future of the genre.

The Future is Drawn: Independent Animation as Auteur Cinema

Independent animation is pushing the boundaries of narrative and form. Animators, curators, and producers discuss how bold visual storytelling and risk-taking redefine what animated cinema can be.

Embodied Futures: Acting, Identity, and AI on Screen

This session will explore global performance practices, emphasizing diverse acting methods and their role in fostering international collaboration. It will also examine how AI is reshaping performance, voice-over, authorship, and embodiment across film and video games, within an evolving expressive landscape.

Decolonizing the Frame: New Voices, New Structures

This conversation centers BIPOC creators and industry allies who are dismantling dominant film languages and rebuilding storytelling systems, grounded in equity, imagination, and collective power.

Crafting the Cut: Post-Production as Creative Authorship

Post-production is more than polish, it's authorship. Editors, colorists, and directors unpack the creative power of editing, sound, and color, and explore how AI is reshaping the post workflow.

Join us to celebrate the filmmakers, actors, writers, and directors behind the work you love. Visit viff.org/industry for the full program.

Cinema reveals hidden truths, sparks dialogue, and unites us. I envision a space where creative freedom meets opportunity—supporting filmmakers’ craft and guiding them through an evolving storytelling landscape. This year’s expansion into documentary, animation, and creative business fosters community, growth, and technological integration. Rooted in international collaboration, we nurture bold, diverse voices, building a film ecosystem where innovation, equity, and imagination thrive.

ANA BELÉN ASFURA, DIRECTOR OF ARTIST AND INDUSTRY PROGRAMS

Sarah Race Photography

viff.org/amp

VIFF Amp

October 6 – 11

Nurturing Careers in Music for Media

VIFF Amp’s Music in Media Summit nurtures, educates, and champions emerging and established composers, songwriters, and music entrepreneurs, with a strong emphasis on supporting marginalized and underrepresented communities through mentorship, career development, and connections with international industry experts.

This Year’s Highlights

The Art of Music Supervision in Documentary

Music supervision involves unique challenges when it comes to documentary filmmaking. This lively conversation will explore how music supervisors like Burt Blackarach (Stamped From The Beginning, Netflix) and Paty Carrera (President of ASM) work with directors and composers to shape narratives while navigating tight budgets and the unique demands of the documentary form.

Pixar’s ONWARD: The Story Behind the Score with the Danna Brothers

Presented by SOCAN, Academy-Award winning composer Mychael Danna, and Jeff Danna explain the strange symmetry between the plot of Onward (2020) and their own lives, while exhibiting the techniques of thematic composition and how powerful it can be to help tell a story, especially in animation.

Ten years on, VIFF Amp continues to foster creativity, collaboration, and careers while championing underrepresented voices. In expanding to include directors, writers, and producers, this year’s program offers panels, workshops, performances, and networking— connecting storytellers from music and visual media with industry leaders in a singular, dynamic gathering.

Building Music Experiences that Players Remember

The relationship between music and video games has evolved beyond ‘in-game radio.’ Moderator Daniel Turcotte (Monstercat) will lead a discussion with Mike Ault (Riot Games), Heather Johnson (Sub Pop), and Ryan Clark (Brace Yourself Games) on co-branded activations and integrated player experiences that push past traditional sync.

Stages-to-Screens

Presented by Music BC, this edition focuses on musical artists who have made the transition to allied entertainment roles—studio executives, actors, showrunners, and so on. Moderated by Dante Berardi Jr. (Anthem Music Group), this conversation will explore how the experience of working in music can help lay the foundation for a broader career in media.

Composer Filmmaker Accelerator

Three-time Emmy-nominated composer Miriam Cutler curates this intensive program pairing 12 composers with four filmmakers, culminating in recording and mixing at Vancouver’s Warehouse Studios with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

[there was] this feeling that anything is possible. We got to work with amazing musicians from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and we recorded our music at The Warehouse Studio, owned by Bryan Adams, what a dream!

ROB CALDER & TONY SCUDELLARI VIFF AMP PROGRAM CURATORS

MARÍA EUGENIA LEÓN 2024 VIFF CFA COHORT MEMBER

Sarah Race Photography

viff.org/labs

VIFF Labs is an intimate, invitation-only series that empowers emerging local filmmakers through meaningful, direct dialogues with global talent.

As the curator of VIFF Labs, it remains a privilege to extend invitations that bring global industry experts to participate in dialogues at VIFF. Our Labs cover a range of diverse and relevant topics, aimed to spark meaningful conversation and ideas between international talent and Vancouver’s local filmmaking community.

Designing Dystopia: The Production Design of Civil War

with Caty Maxey, Production Designer

Last year’s Labs included: I got so much out of it—the intimate discussion format you’ve created is amazing. I am really grateful to have been a part of it.

ALIX BUCK, LABS PARTICIPANT

viff.org/catalyst

VIFF Catalyst is an intimate, cohort-based program designed to support the growth of local emerging filmmakers. Each year, a committee selects 15 directors for placement in the cohort, giving them access to peer-to-peer and peer-to-mentor conversations. Catalyst seeks to create spaces free of barriers and hierarchies where participants leave the program with a new network of collaborators and a stronger connection to the local film community.

VIFF welcomes to the 2025 cohort:

The Anatomy of Challengers

with Marco Costa, Editor

As an alumni turned programmer, it’s a joy to curate sessions for the Catalyst cohort to connect. This year’s participants stem from a wide range of creative practices, each with an impressive fluency in visual storytelling. Catalyst is special because of its values, as both a home for local talent within our festival and a launchpad for careers to ignite.

MARIAM BARRY, CATALYST PROGRAM CURATOR AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATE PROGRAMMER

Supported by

Audrey Kerridge Bianca Cheung Dustin McGladrey

Felicia Simone Jacob Alcala

Joshua Brad-Lee Garrido Khánh Nguyễn Leen Issa Malka MartzOberlander

Mimi Dejene

Omar Gonzalez Bustos Parmis Rouhina

Rachel Kwan Soo Min Park Tibet Karayazgan

KEN TSUI, VIFF LABS CURATOR

Index of Directors

A

Abrantes, Gabriel................................73

Addisu, Herrana 73, 77

Ahmed, Brishkay 27

Ahmed, Timeea Mohamed 64

Akerman, Chantal...............................56

Alayón, José 40

Alhag, Rawia 64

Aljafari, Kamal 63

Ansel, Lucas 73

Askevold, Janicke 39

Asselin, Charles-François 70

Atkins, Amalie ......................................65

Aung, Lin Htet 73

B

Badita, Dragos .....................................73

Baker, Catriona Trina 73

Balakrishnan, Surya 71

Banerjee, Suhel 57

Barker, Cordell 73

Barragán, Ana Cristina .....................35

Barrios, Colby 70

Baumbach, Noah................................19

Bazuin, Nicole 53

Beiraghi, Soheil ...................................32

Bell, Ian 64

Benammar, Samy ...............................70

Bentley, Clint 39

Bethmann, Paige ................................61

Bezinović, Igor 65

Bharath, Varsha 57

Bi Gan 26

Bickerstaff, David 66

Bienvenu, Ugo 27

Birney, Albert 69 Bo, Hanxiong 70

Boonbunchachoke, Ratchapoom 69

Boulianne, Eric K. 53

Boya, Alex 73

Boyson, Oscar......................................69

Bronstein, Mary 35

Büyükatalay, Mehmet Akif...............33

C

Cao, River Yuhao 73

Carvajal, Juan 67

Céspedes, Diego 37

Chan, Lesley Loksi 75

Charrier, Rosalie 71

Cheema, Monica 71

Chen, Deming......................................65

Chen, Zhuoyun 75

Cheung, Bianca Rose 71

Chewanish, Lindsay 77

Chiu, Jennifer 53

Cho Hyun-suh 58

Choi, Lloyd Lee 35

Chu Chun-Teng 41

Chuniaud-Lacau, Marion 71

Cinq-Mars, Chloé 53

Claret Muxart, Jaume 71

Clift, Joey 73, 77

Cooper, Scott ............................................

Copeland, Chris 73, 77

Copeland, Justin ......................... 73, 77

Cox, Phil 64

D

Đặng, Solara Thanh Bình 71

Danzuka, Yuiga 33

Dardenne, Jean-Pierre 25

Dardenne, Luc 25

Davenport, Reid 61

Davis, Hubert 31

Desmazières, Sandra 70

Djordjevic, Stefan 41

Djukić, Urška 41

Dock, Emma 71

Donguines, Kent 54

Dostie, Alexandre 75

Drummond, Jeremy 75

Ducournau, Julia

Dufour-Laperrière, Félix ...................68

Duplessie, Andrew 73

Duranleau, Daniel...............................70

E

El Kadi, Samah 70

Elie, Julien 63

Émond, Anne 37

Enyedi, Ildikó 30

Esmaeili, Mohammad 41

Eyni, Mohammadreza 60

F

Fairweather Perry, Mykea ...............70

Falardeau, Philippe 30

Fegan, Alex ...........................................67

Feinartz, Steven 66

Fleuryfontaine .....................................75

Fluk, Ido 17

Follari, Lorenzo ....................................71

France, David 61

Franco, Arturo .....................................71

Fund, Iván 36

G

Garagić, Zuko 75

Ghosh, Tathagata 73

Ginsberg, Pepi 70

Glowicki, Grace 68

Gonçalves Ribeiro, Pedro 75

González-Nasser, Paula 37

Grabsky, Phil 66

Guadagnino, Luca 18

H

Hadi, Hasan 37

Hadžihalilović, Lucile ........................33

Hanks, Colin 67

Hannam, Bretten .....................................

Hauser, Damien 65

Hayakawa, Chie...................................30

Hebner, Julia 73

Helander, Marja 70

Hernández López, Gala 75

Herzi, Hafsia 29

Hess, Cheryl 61

HIKARI 22

Hodgson, Bryce 54

Holland, Agnieszka 19

Hollands, John 70

Hong Sangsoo.....................................31

Hsueh, Wen-Shuo 71

Hubbard, Tasha 36

Hunter, Richard 73 Huo Meng 29

J

Jacir, Annemarie 22

Jackson, Lisa ........................................80

Janik, Mikołaj 71

Jarmusch, Jim ......................................19

Jespers, Dorian....................................73

Johnson, Brian Daniel .......................54

Johnson, Matt 21

Johnson, Rian.......................................25

Joseph, Kahlil 64

Jude, Radu 35, 68

Jušić, Hana 41

KKai, Karl 71

Kangdrun 73

Karajah, Yassmina 71

Kaurismäki, Aki 56

Kermani, Shervin 73

Khaki, Sara 60

Khatami, Alireza 39

Kheirabadi, Atefeh 75

Kim Ilrhan 65

King, Christopher 61

King, Eloïse 63

King, Oliver Darrius Merrick 70

Kostanski, Steven ...............................68

Koyczan, Casey 80

Kukla........................................................33

Kunuk, Zacharias 31

Kuo, Cheng-Chui ................................35

Kyirong, Kunsang................................53

LLafond, Florence 70

Lagarde, Stéphanie 71

Lavoie, Emile 73

Laxe, Óliver 23

Lee Je-hui 58

Lee Jun Sup 58

Lee, Sang-il 21

Lekow, Maia 61

Levack, Chandler 21

Lighton, Harry 30

Linklater, Richard 16, 27

Loznitsa, Sergei...................................31

Lusbaronian, Eva 73

MMakhmalbaf, Mohsen 56

Mancinelli, Dusty................................69

Maroufi, Randa 75

Martel, Lucrecia 61

Martinelli, Leonardo 75

Mascaro, Gabriel 27

Matos de Oliveira, Marcelo 70

Matzembacher, Filipe 69

Maurice, Gail 32

Maw Naing, The 35

Mayfair, Ash 37

McIntyre, Lindsay Aksarniq 70

McKenna, Ryan 53

McMullan, Chelsea 71

Mejuto, Tono 71

Mellen, Julia 75

Mendonça Filho, Kleber 23

Mentov, Robert 71

Mesa Soto, Simón 37

Moll, Dominik 27

Monnet, Caroline................................71

Moondi, Pavan.....................................36

Moore, Charlene R. 70

Mosese, Lemohang Jeremiah 65

Murao, Natalie 71 Musteata, Natalie 73

NNemati, Pirouz 53

Nemes, László 26

Newsome, Rashaad 66

Nicholas, Tim 71 Nkiru, Jenn 65

Nogueira, Wallace 70

Nvotová, Tereza 27

OObenhaus, Mark 60

Oka, Hiromoto 67

Olmos Torrico, Álvaro 33

Ott, Timon .............................................75

PP. Abhijith 57

Padveen, Jesse 70

Pálmason, Hlynur ...............................29

Panahi, Jafar 19

Pangapattu, Sreekanth.....................57

Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg, Nina 63

Park Chan-wook .................................22

Park Joon Ho 58

Parker, Jack ...........................................71

Peck, Raoul 30

Petzold, Christian ...............................30

Pioneer (Selman), Samy 40

Płatek, Joanna......................................70

Poitras, Laura 60

Polinger, Charlie..................................69

Popov, Nastasya 33

Provazník, Ondřej 33

Q

Qiu Sheng 37

R

Radcliff, Christopher..........................70

Radic, Matea 70

Reichardt, Kelly....................................21

Reid, Alison 66

Reolon, Marcio ....................................69

Rigel, Maria...........................................41

Ripper, Karina Lomelin .....................71

Romvari, Sophy 52

Rørdam, Sofie 63 S

Saeed, Anas 64

Safai, Ava Maria 69

Samarasinghe, Rajee 65

San, Eric

Saribacak, Nadir 40

Saxena, Nidhi 57

Scheffer, Frank 67

Schilinski, Mascha 26

Schmid, Luzia 67

Schneckenburger, Simon 73

Sela, Guil................................................71

Seo Eun-sun 58

Sepahnia, Mehrad..............................75

Short Bull, Jesse 61

Shyne, Brittany ....................................61

Sidhoo, Ryan 54

Simmons-Weaver, LaTajh ................71

Simón, Carla 30

Sims-Fewer, Madeleine 69

Singh, Alexandre 73

Snoopy, Ibrahim 64

Sora, Neo 70

Sorrentino, Paolo 27

Sossai, Francesco 35

Spinosa, Ophelia 73

Sriram, Annapurna.............................69

Strom, Jenn 67

Subramaniam, Ananth 71

Suleiman, Elia 56

Symons, Johnny 66 T

Tafakory, Maryam ...............................75

Talukdar, Shashwati 61

Thamrongrattanarit, Nawapol .......33

The Macronauts 80

Thomas, Eva 53

Thorneycroft, Diana 71

Tong, Bizhan 39

Touzani, Maryam 27

Trevisan, Clara 71

Trier, Joachim 23

Ts’uyeb, Ana 61

Tsou, Shih-Ching 29

Tsuruoka, Keiko 37

Turner, Christine 67

V

Vargas, Joel Alfonso 36 Vine, Jean-Philippe.............................77

Virgo, Clement .....................................23

Volpe, Petra...........................................35

W

Wajstedt, Liselotte 70 Wangbin 77

Waters, Loren 73

Watt, Jereme 60

Willis, Malcolm 67

Wu, Angel 75

Wylie, Sara 70

Y

Yeung, Timothy 53

Yoo, Hyejin 73

Yoshida, Mayumi 52

Young Eun Yoo (Yooye).....................71

Young, Heather 70

Yücel, Fırat 75

Yun Simkyoung ...................................58

Z

Zhang, Jonathan 75

Zhou, Hao 60

Zhuo Bian 32

Zlotowski, Rebecca............................22

Zürcher, Ramon 59

Zürcher, Silvan 59

Index of Films and Programs

O

Staff List

Board of Directors

Chair Am Johal

Vice Chair

Jennifer Roe Emery, Juggy Sihota

Treasurer Valerie Prodanuk

Secretary Doreen Manuel

Board Members

William Azaroff, Brian Chan, Vicki Corker, Kevin Eastwood, Ross Gentleman, Tina House, Barry MacDonald, Brian McBay, Natasha Tony

Philanthropic Advisory Council

Colin Browne, Eileen Mate, Lucille Pacey, Terry Whitehead, Michelle Yung

Chair Emeritus

Michael Francis, David Hewitt, Lucille Pacey

Festival Founder Leonard Schein

Indigenous Advisory Council

Members

Jessie Anthony, Rhiannon Bennett, Rachelle George, Marion Jacobs, Allan Lindley, Melanie Molloy, Jada-Gabrielle Pape, Jeremy Ratt, Colin Van Loon (Lyttle)

Executive

Executive Director

Kyle Fostner

Programming

Director of Programming

Curtis Woloschuk

Programmer & Program Lead

Sonja Baksa

Program Administration Manager

Jeraldine Chong

Feature Film Coordinator & Consultant Natalie Murao

Short Forum Programmer

Casey Wei

Short Film Coordinator & Consultant

Jaewoo Kang

Documentary Programmer

Ruun Nuur

Asian Cinema Programmer

PoChu AuYeung

Portraits Programmer & Festival

Director Emeritus Alan Franey

MODES Curator

T Bannister

Youth Engagement Programmer

Jessa Alston-O’Connor

Live Curator

Jarrett Martineau

Talks Curator

Kinga Binkowska

Associate Programmers

Cole Forrest, Tristin Greyeyes

Guest Programmers

Matthew Rankin, Deepika Suseelan

Program Coordinator

Jasmin Ghorbani

Programming Consultants

Taylor Bishop, Selwyn Jacob, Fay Nass

Screening Committee

Tania Alekson, David Avelino, Sarah Bakke, William Banks, Janet Baron, Michelle Bjornson, Anja Block, Sasha Bondartchouk, Alison Cartan, Jennifer Chen, Lauren Crawford, Rhys Edwards, Matthew Forchione, Darren Gay, Jack Godwin, Ali Grant, Ariane Hachem, Josh Hamm, Liisa Hannus, Annie Rae Huston, Michael Ioannou, Russell Janzen, Sam Jira, Jaewoo Kang, Yani Kang, Melanie Kwan, Rai Lai, Abigail Markowitz, Ian Merkel, Sam Mohseni, Stephen Morgan, Evan Morien, Eve O’Dea, Isabelle Rowe-Codner, Alec Shashaty, Jonathan Stonehouse, Lori Strong, Ruby Strong, Nural Sumbultepe, Arash Taheri, Duygu Unal, Mary Ungerleider, Shan Yam Wai, Joel Warhaft, Donna Welstein, Qiuli Wu, Keith Yoshida, Nilay Yuce

Artist & Industry Programs

Director of Artist and Industry Programs

Ana Belén Asfura

Artist and Industry Events Manager

Brittney Bilesky

Industry and Labs Coordinator

Rame Ibrahim

Amp and Catalyst Coordinator

Ashley Sugimoto

Amp CFA Coordinator & Artist and Industry Outreach Coordinator

Gabrielle Rutman

Amp Curators

Rob Calder, Tony Scudellari

Amp CFA Founder and Program Curator

Miriam Cutler

Catalyst Curator & Industry Associate Programmer

Mariam Barry

Amp CFA Scoring Session Producer

Michelle Sudduth

Amp CFA Recording Engineer and Scoring Mixer

Damon Tedesco

Amp CFA Copyest and Librarian

Alex Clark

Catalyst Consultant

Laura Arboleda

Labs Curator

Ken Tsui

Technical Producer

EventLAB

Technical Director

James Ong, Eduardo Ottoni

Sponsorship

Director of Corporate Partnerships

Colin Jarvis

Partnerships Manager

Epiphany Cooper

Government Relations Manager

Marla Penner

Partnerships Coordinator

Maura McDowell

Philanthropy

Director of Philanthropy

Shahriar Pedram

Philanthropy Coordinator

Emma Leck

Philanthropy Assistant Luis Aul

Marketing

Director of Marketing

Lainé Slater

Marketing Manager Rowan Keith

Digital Communications Manager

Samara Malkin

Email Marketing Coordinator Shelbie Jarvis

Community Outreach Coordinator Hannâ Banian

Video Content Creators

Candelario Andrade, Julian La Brooy

Senior Graphic Designer

Steve Chow

Graphic Designers

Lee Abbott, Lillian Pham

Creative Agency

ZAK: Zia Somjee, Arvin Paelmo, Kristian Hay, Brett Boivin, Bella Sanchez

Production Support

PostPro: Randy Egan, Kylie Kumar, Matthew Hayashi, Mohammad Dastan, Don Macdonell, Julia Hostetler

Social Media Team

Loose Lips Media: Brittany Tiplady, Angela Vannatter, Genevieve Cheng

Publicity & Digital Marketing

Media Relations and Publicity

Murray Paterson Marketing Group (MPMG)

Digital Marketing Support

Murray Paterson Marketing Group (MPMG)

Festival Publications

Content Manager

Jeraldine Chong

Graphic Designer

Steve Chow

Editor Patrick Geraghty

Contributing Writers

Mike Archibald, Jessa Alston-O’Connor, Mikaela Asfour, Sonja Baksa, T Bannister, Taylor Bishop, Tom Charity, Lawrence Garcia, Josh Hamm, Jaewoo Kang, Fay Nass, Ruun Nuur, Matthew Rankin, Deepika Suseelan, Casey Wei, Curtis Woloschuk

Business Office

Director of Finance

Linda Gorrie

Senior Accountant

Jason Kang

Business Administrative Coordinator

Ruthie Tabata

VIFF Centre Operations

VIFF Centre Senior Operations Manager

Sean Wilson

Year-Round Programmer

Tom Charity

VIFF Centre Rental Logistics Manager

J Bradford

VIFF Centre Projection Manager

Ron Lacheur

VIFF Centre Operations Coordinator Aliya Breen

VIFF Centre Operations Assistant

Jan Fischbach

VIFF Centre Technicians

Jurgen Beerwald, Bruno Benedetto, Ryan Ermacora, Tory Ip, Eirinn McHattie

VIFF Centre Maintenance

Shawn Brazeau, Ruben Fiodelmondo, Howie Rabey

Junior Information Systems

Administrator

Yanan Liu

VIFF Centre Venue Managers

Prudence Baker, Giovana Birck, Zoe BT, Jason Deline, David C Jones, Adam Karolewski, James Narvey, Lilah Orkin, Parv Sachdeva, Janice Walter, Kelly Zhou

VIFF Centre Cashiers

Lora Haber, Savannah Kemp, Austin Neaves, James Narvey, Joy McDerment, Noor ul ain Zaib

VIFF Centre Concession Attendants

Andrew Taillon, Dennis Tokarsky, Jessica Kim, Wendy Louie

HR & Festival Operations

Senior Operations Manager

Brie Koniczek

Venue Operations

Festival Venue Operations Manager

Christina Marie Adams

Festival Venue Operations Assistant Manager

Juan Saa

Festival Technical Support

Jeffrey Lee

Venue Supervisors

Zachary Starko, Tamika Tallio, Jenny Tennant, Sunny Tse, Jonathan Stonehouse

Venue Captains

Maleekah Ar-ahiman, Yousef Sadat, Annika Rambo

Venue Managers

Brittany Ayton, Ola Chorążka, Paul Denis, Rilee German-Martinez, Elizabeth Glancy, Janet Glassford, Michael Gorlick, River Huckleberry Kero, Ellen Kibble, Kinchy, Megan Mitchell, Richard Mudge, Yasuhito Nakasato, Anne Marie Paquin, Alina Quarin, Kai Rajala, Preston Schwartz, Riaan Smit, Rodney Stewart, Zoey Stienstra, Mariela Shuley, Mustafa Syed, Trey Truong, Fabian Uribe,

Fernando Vargas, Elise Vout, Eden Zinchik, Rana Zokai

Box Office Cashiers

Aya Alvarez, Allan Bishop, Isabelle Bottin, Saydie Bubniw, Prudence Kelly-Andrews, Niki Muir, Wade Nott, Cristian Camilo Ramírez Martínez, Sarvin Seif, Lela Turner, Robert Tanikawa, Jasmine Wang, Graham Wong

Ticketing & Customer Service

Ticketing and Customer Service Manager

Abigail Bueno

Festival Ticketing Coordinator Giovana Birck

Customer Service Coordinator

Aliya Breen

Customer Service Assistant

Nae Hirota

Technical Crew

Jesse August, Jurgen Beerwald, Bruno Benedetto, Francisco Bonilla, Andreas Dracopol, Rich Eiboff, Ryan Ermacora, Tim Fernandes, Marshall Freund, Tory Ip, Jessica Johnson, Dave Jones, Matt Kunau, Ron Lacheur, Ingrid Lae, Benjamin Lavoie, Franklin Leung, James Neves, Ciara O’Donnell, Dave Page, Shana Schiopu, Graeme Scott, Garth Wiens, Colin Williscroft, Sarah Worden

Print Logistics

Print Logistics Manager

Eirinn McHattie

Print Logistics Coordinator

Jana Rankov

Volunteer Program

Volunteer and Community Engagement Manager

Nate Johnson

Festival Volunteer and Accessibility Coordinator

Ruth Ormiston

Volunteer Assistants

Viktoria Heitmann, Alberto Iglesias, Alex Macaulay

Guest & Hospitality

Guest and Hospitality Manager

Jenny Lee Craig

Guest Travel Coordinator

Jackie Hoffart, May Yi Then

VIP Host

Kristina Lao

Gala Producer

Taryn Stephenson

Transportation

Transportion Manager

Diva Macdonald

Dispatcher

Sam Jira

Driver Steve McNeil

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