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VIFF 2023 Program – See It Now!

The wait is over! We are excited to share with you the stellar line-up for the 42nd Vancouver International Film Festival, September 28 – October 8. Over 140 films, 100 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!

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VIFF 2023 Program Revealed

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Snow in Midsummer

Drama

Haunting, mysterious, and mournful, Chong Keat Aun’s powerful film explores the legacy of May 13, 1969, when mob violence in Kuala Lumpur led to many killings--mostly of Chinese Malaysians.

International Village 8 The Cinematheque

Robert Irwin: A Desert of Pure Feeling

Art, Music & Photography Documentary

No artist instills a sense of sublime awe like the legendary Robert Irwin, Elusive yet down to earth, Irwin is a true original. His extraordinary work is honored in this stunning portrait of one of the most influential contemporary artists of our age.

International Village 9 International Village 8

Kidnapped

Veteran director Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor) returns with a passionate historical drama about a Jewish child abducted by Pope Pius IX in 1865 on the grounds that he had been secretly baptized. This is a rich, operatic film that resonates strongly.

Park Theatre Vancouver Playhouse

The Mother of All Lies

Award Winners Documentary Women Directors

As her parents and grandmother prepare to leave the Casablanca home they have lived in for decades, Asmae El Moudir takes the opportunity to probe the past, unraveling repressed truths buried within her own family and Moroccan political history.

International Village 10

A Cooler Climate

Documentary LGBTQIA2S+

In a recollection of veteran filmmaker James Ivory's unfinished film about Afghanistan. Old footage provides a pronounced air of mystery to compliment its rough beauty, setting the scene for a look back into Ivory's life.

Vancity Theatre International Village 9

Tiger Stripes

Action & Suspense Award Winners Drama Women Directors

Winner of Cannes Critics' Week Grand Prix, Tiger Stripes is a coming-of-age body horror film set in a Malaysian girls' school. 12-year-old Zaffan’s body starts to change before everyone else’s, and she becomes convinced she's turning into a monster.

International Village 8 The Rio Theatre

VIFF Live

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

Machine Folklore by Software2050 & NAXS Future
Machine Folklore VIFF Live performance

Machine Folklore by Software2050 & NAXS Future

What does humanity look like to AI? Using a masterful combination of music and moving image, two of Taiwan’s foremost art collectives explore the future of digital culture, aesthetics, and the metaverse in a hypnotic performance.

Roundhouse

Sam Green: 32 Sounds

An immersive documentary and profound sensory experience from filmmaker Sam Green that explores the elemental phenomenon of sound.

Vancouver Playhouse
The Ironworks Series: Daniel Barrow
Winnipeg Babysitter image

The Ironworks Series: Daniel Barrow

In the late 70s and 80s, Winnipeg experienced a golden age of public access television. Winnipeg Babysitter traces unique vignettes from a brief synapse in broadcasting history when Winnipeg cable companies were mandated to provide public access.

Ironworks
The Ironworks Series: Cris Derksen
Cris Derksen image

The Ironworks Series: Cris Derksen

Juno-nominated Cris Derksen, an internationally respected Indigenous cellist and composer, introduces audiences to the unforgettable virtuosity that led to working with some of Canada’s finest - and her break-out solo career.

Ironworks
The Ironworks Series: Miwa Matreyek & Sammy Chien
Miwa Matreyek & Sammy Chien Ironworks Live series

The Ironworks Series: Miwa Matreyek & Sammy Chien

A unique opportunity to experience two performances. Miwa Matreyek creates a dreamlike meditation on climate catastrophe, whilst Sammy Chien uses the technologies of real-time performance software to create connections between image, sound and movement.

Ironworks

VIFF Talks

VIFF Talks connect fans of film culture with the brilliant minds behind the work they love. The 2023 lineup features expertly moderated conversations with a wide range of experts from creators to showrunners, directors, writers, producers, and craftspeople celebrated for their outstanding contributions to groundbreaking film and television.

Welcome to Barbie Land
Barbie film image

Welcome to Barbie Land

Close collaborators for over 25 years, Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spence were tapped by Greta Gerwig to bring Barbie Land to life in the record-beating, hottest film of the year. Join us as the duo offer a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes magic.

SFU Woodwards

In Conversation with Deepa Mehta, Director of I Am Sirat

Join us in conversation with the Oscar-nominated director Deepa Mehta as she delves into many aspects of her internationally celebrated career including her new documentary film I Am Sirat.

Annex
Building the Closet of Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer film image

Building the Closet of Oppenheimer

In Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick channels the iconic style of the "father of the atomic bomb". Discover her insights on designing for drama and period pieces, emphasizing research and creative collaboration.

Annex
Canadaland Presents: The Backbench Live!
Canadaland Presents: The Backbench Live! VIFF Talk graphic

Canadaland Presents: The Backbench Live!

Policy and the arts? They’re more related than you think. Join our discussion on the nuances of art funding, local filmmaking, and the contentious Bill C-11. You won’t want to miss it.

The Rio Theatre

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