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All the Lovers in the Night film image; man and woman touching the backs of their hands together

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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 45th Vancouver International Film Festival, October 1 – 11. Over 160 films, 85 shorts, VIFF Live performances, VIFF 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

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.

Tickets will become available online only at 12:00 pm.

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!

Fireflies in the Dark

Dir. Yogesh Lohan
85 min

Three interwoven stories explore survival, resilience, and the human cost of civil conflict against the ethnic violence that erupted in 2023 in Manipur, Northeast India. Yogesh Lohan offers an intimate portrait of lives caught in the strife.

International Village 9

Forest High

Dir. Manon Coubia
106 min

High in the northern Alps, three women take turns caring for a mountain lodge as hikers come and go. Divided into three sections, we follow each caretaker as they settle in for their respective season and have their lives touched in different ways.

Image: © The Blue raincoat

The Cinematheque VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Heat

Dir. Jacqueline Zünd
85 min

Heat explores the unequal realities of a warming planet. Taking a sensory approach to its subject, director Jacqueline Zünd reveals how extreme heat intersects with labour rights, migration, and social inequality.

International Village 10

Now Playing

Clubfoot
Clubfoot film image; three people at the end of an aisle in a library

Clubfoot

Dir. Nathan Donovan
70 min

An adopted teen and his friend coerce a younger adoptee to go for a drive out to the countryside — but things turn violent. With a fragmented structure and unresolved questions, Clubfoot reflects the uncertainty and isolation that often follow adoption.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Smudge the Blades
Smudge the Blades headshot; hockey players in a faceoff

Smudge the Blades

Dir. Cody Lightning
96 min

This rousing hockey drama centres on the Treaty 6 Blades, a team of Indigenous youth on a quest for redemption. Blessed with a terrific cast, this is a crowd-pleaser in which victory is about much more than winning the game.

International Village 9

Congo Boy

Dir. Rafiki Fariala
91 min

Congo Boy is a deeply moving coming-of-age drama about Robert, a 17-year-old Congolese refugee in the Central African Republic balancing school, odd jobs, and the care of his four younger siblings — while dreaming of success as a musician.

Image: © 2026 MAKONGO FILMS UNITÉ KIRIPIFILMS KARTA FILM CANAL

Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island

Sweet Milk Lake

Dir. Harvey Zielinski
94 min

In Sweet Milk Lake, a trans man is mistaken for his cisgender twin in a darkly comic thriller about deception, gender, and dangerous wish fulfilment.

Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only International Village 9

Ba's Book

Dir. Ashley Duong
102 min

A TIFF Docs world premiere and Cannes Docs award winner, Ba’s Book follows Vietnamese-Canadian filmmaker Ashley Duong as she brings her father’s memoir to Vietnam and recreates it with her family, blending documentary and staged scenes.

International Village 8

Family Fears Another Night of Terror

Dir. Cristian Ponce
83 min

Night after night, a family of four is tormented by an unseen presence inside their home — or so it seems. Family Fears Another Night of Terror transforms the aesthetics of a late-night television special into an analogue nightmare.

International Village 10

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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.

An Evening with Cristóbal Tapia de Veer

90 min

Join multiple Emmy- and BAFTA-winning composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer (Smile, The White Lotus) for a rare masterclass exploring his creative process and unique compositional practice.

Image: © Invision AP

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Los Thuthanaka

90 min

VIFF is honoured to present the Canadian debut of experimental music duo Los Thuthanaka, whose spiraling Aymara rhythms, ceremonial textures, and psychedelic sounds combine into a transcendent live AV experience.

The Pearl

ERASERHEAD XIU XIU

90 min

The Canadian premiere of ERASERHEAD XIU XIU — American experimental rock band Xiu Xiu’s live exploration of the sonic and visual universe of David Lynch’s iconic cult film Eraserhead. A hallucinatory take on the most singular of midnight masterpieces.

The Rio Theatre
Derrick Gee's Radio Hour
man getting out of a car

Derrick Gee's Radio Hour

90 min

Fresh from sold-out tours across Europe and Australia, experience the Canadian premiere of cult music tastemaker Derrick Gee's eclectic Radio Hour, where his on-stage living room welcomes community conversations, special guests, and shared listening.

Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
An Evening with Mark Mothersbaugh
man singing into a microphone

An Evening with Mark Mothersbaugh

75 min

Experience a one-night-only live performance with legendary composer and DEVO founder Mark Mothersbaugh, joined by an 11-piece ensemble, celebrating music from The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, Thor: Ragnarok, The LEGO Movie, A Minecraft Movie, and more.

Image: © Randall Michelson

Vancouver Playhouse

Talks

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

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