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Let the Festival Begin!

The wait is over! We are excited to share with you the stellar line-up for the 44th Vancouver International Film Festival, October 2 – 12. Over 170 films, 80 shorts, VIFF Live performances, Talks and special events will light up the screens and stages across Vancouver. Take a moment, explore the program and get ready to VIFF!

Today's Highlights

Ticket Release

More tickets will be releasing at noon today for these popular films:*

 

*Tickets will be available online or by phone only.

Special Tip

Is the movie you want to see on Standby? Check the VIFF Daily emails or this page every morning for seats to your most-wanted films! More tickets may become available throughout the Festival.

Add These Films to Your Watchlist!

See something you’re interested in? Log into your VIFF account and click the heart icon to add it to your personal watchlist!

The Golden Spurtle

Dir. Constantine Costi
75 min

Each year the sleepy highland village of Carrbridge awakens with excitement as locals and competitors from around the globe vie for the honour of winning The Golden Spurtle in the World Porridge Making Championships.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema International Village 10 SFU Woodwards
Magellan

Magellan

Dir. Lav Diaz
160 min

Magellan (Gael García Bernal) undertakes a bold expedition to the fabled lands of the East. Upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, he becomes obsessed with conquest and conversion, which sparks violent uprisings beyond his control.

The Cinematheque SFU Woodwards
Levers
Levers film image; three men in suits speaking to a crowd

Levers

Dir. Rhayne Vermette
95 min

After the world is plunged into darkness, an intrepid civil servant undertakes an odyssey into a world shrouded in mystery. An ominous story conveyed through a potent mixture of bewitching fantasy and the idleness of the everyday.

The Cinematheque VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Now Playing

Factory
Factory film image; people working at a factory production line

Factory

Dir. Hao Zhou 周浩
148 min

Shot inside a Lenovo factory in Wuhan, Factory is a chilling study of life under global capitalism. Hao Zhou captures a world of control, exhaustion, and quiet revolt. where employees work under surveillance and time itself becomes a mechanism of power.

International Village 7 International Village 8
The Blue Trail
The Blue Trail film image; woman admiring a giant garden sculpture of a human face

The Blue Trail

Dir. Gabriel Mascaro
86 min

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 will soon be taken away, she embarks on a fantastical odyssey into the Amazon.

International Village 9 Alliance Francaise VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema Granville Island Stage
Orwell: 2+2=5
Orwell: 2+2=5 film image; overhead view of people mulling through a shopping mall

Orwell: 2+2=5

Dir. Raoul Peck
119 min

Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck reimagines 1984 in this urgent essay on power, language, and control. With narration by Damian Lewis, it’s a chilling portrait of how Orwell’s warnings became our reality.

International Village 10 SFU Woodwards
The President's Cake
The President's Cake film image; girl holding a rooster while talking to a man sitting across from her

The President's Cake

Dir. Hasan Hadi
105 min

Winner of the Caméra d’Or and Director’s Fortnight Audience Award at Cannes, Hasan Hadi’s fable-like drama set in 1990s Iraq follows an impoverished child's quest into the city to scrounge up ingredients for birthday cake for Saddam Hussein.

Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only Granville Island Stage International Village 10

Ma - Cry of Silence

Dir. The Maw Naing
74 min

This bracing political drama tells the story of female sweatshop workers in Myanmar and their courageous struggle for justice. It’s a dark, unflinching work, in which the depiction of oppression is meant to spark outrage and action.

International Village 8 International Village 9

A Useful Ghost

Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
130 min

Wacky, whimsical, and always engaging, this tale about Thailand’s bloody modern history starts with a ghost in a vacuum cleaner and ends with a guerilla attack on an orgy. In between there’s romance, deadpan comedy, and subversive historical excavation.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema International Village 9 The Rio Theatre

Film Spotlights

VIFF Live

Live performances that push the boundaries of traditional film programming, intersecting cinema culture with music, comedy, podcasting, and performance in unique, cinema-infused live shows.

Mad Professor: Live AV in Dub
cartoon of a giant man leaning over city skyscrapers

Mad Professor: Live AV in Dub

90 min

Dub legend Mad Professor performs a rare live set celebrating his No Protection Massive Attack remix album’s 30th anniversary – a hypnotic trip into the psychedelic worlds of dub and trip-hop with live visuals from Vancouver artist Saghi Ehteshamzadeh.

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
claire rousay, The Bloody Lady (Live Score) and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe
headshot collage of a man and woman

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

150 min

An evening of haunted sound and cinema with claire rousay performing her live score of the animated classic The Bloody Lady and composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe presenting a performance tethered to his cinematic sound worlds (Candyman; Seeds; After Life).

The Rio Theatre
Julianna Barwick and loscil
collage of two headshots

Julianna Barwick and loscil

135 min

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.

The Rio Theatre

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

90 min

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, narrated live by Buck, and in conversation with co-director Lisa Jackson.

Image: Courtesy of Door Number 3 Productions

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre

Closing Gala: Köln 75 With Live Performance by Chris Gestrin

Dir. Ido Fluk
155 min

Experience the transcendent power of music: Vancouver pianist Chris Gestrin performs a set of Keith Jarrett-inspired music to accompany Köln 75, which tells the story of Jarrett’s iconic concert, which became the best-selling solo album in jazz history.

Vancouver Playhouse

VIFF Talks

The world’s leading creators share expertise on their craft.

Breaking the Rules: Janicza Bravo on Unconventional Narratives and Fearless Filmmaking
two women staring intently at one another under colourful lights

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

90 min

From her Sundance winner Gregory Go Boom to the acclaimed Zola, Janicza Bravo transforms chaos into surrealist cinema gold. Her bold vision has elevated episodes of Atlanta, The Bear, and Poker Face. Join us for a talk with this fearless storyteller.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Visual Architect: Frederick Elmes on Four Decades of Cinematic Collaboration
Father Mother Sister Brother film image; man standing with hands clasped by a house front porch

Visual Architect: Frederick Elmes on Four Decades of Cinematic Collaboration

90 min

Legendary cinematographer Frederick Elmes has spent decades helping to define the visual language of directors like David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch. Don't miss this opportunity to hear about the craft behind some of cinema’s most unforgettable moments.

Image: © Vague Notion

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

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

90 min

Employing collaboration and a shared vision, Ramon and Silvan Zürcher create meticulously observed, drolly absurd dramas that transform domestic spaces into surreal landscapes.

Image: © Iris Janke

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
From Intimate to Infinite With Writer, Creator Jenny Lumet
people in sci-fi starship uniforms walking across an alien planet

From Intimate to Infinite With Writer, Creator Jenny Lumet

90 min

From Rachel Getting Married to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Jenny Lumet is a master storyteller. She's forged a unique path, building a career that champions diverse voices and crafts deeply human stories. Join us as she shares her journey.

The Rio Theatre
Making It Happen With Jeremy Dawson, Producer: From Aronofsky to Anderson
The Grand Budapest Hotel film image; 4 people in a bright red elevator

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

90

From title designer to award-winning producer, Jeremy Dawson has played a role in some of your favourite movies. Join us to hear about his journey through cinema and his collaborations with filmmaking giants like Wes Anderson and Darren Aronofsky.

Annex
Bringing Monsters to Life With VFX Supervisor Dennis Berardi, Frankenstein
underwater monster holding a woman

Bringing Monsters to Life With VFX Supervisor Dennis Berardi, Frankenstein

90 min

While classic creatures remain timeless, modern audiences demand something that feels authentically alive. VFX supervisor Dennis Berardi (Frankenstein, The Shape of Water) is a master of balancing practical artistry with digital innovation.

Annex

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