Now Playing
Mary Ancheta Plays Betty Davis Tribute
In this VIFF Live event, keyboardist Mary Ancheta and her band channel the phenomenal funk of 70s sensation Betty Davis, featuring Dawn Pemberton on vocals. The live music portion of the event will be followed by Phil Cox's invaluable 2017 documentary, They Say I'm Different.
Sabbath Queen
The dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Amichai Lau-Lavie is what you might call the black sheep of the family. His sexuality led him down a different path, but its destination is surprising...
Caught by the Tides
Over two decades, across China’s rapidly changing landscape, two lovers meet and part and meet again. In this magisterial film, Jia Zhangke refracts the 21st century through a reflexive, retrospective look at his era-defining filmography.
Magic Farm
In Amalia Ulman's playful slow burner, a Vice-like camera crew wash up in a sleepy South American village and cook up a story that isn't there with the help of cynical locals eager to take the gringos for every cent.
Queering Cinema
May 15 – Jun 12
Curated by Fay Nass, Queering Cinema features five features and two short films which have extended the scope of queer cinema, exploring the themes of masculinity, loneliness, belonging and desire.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Released in 2001, John Cameron Mitchell's flamboyant rock musical about a gender-queer punk rock singer from East Berlin pushed the boundaries of queer cinema. It's both heartbreaking and empowering. Screening with the short The Human Voice.
Moonlight
Three chapters in the life of Chiron, a young black man grappling with his identity and sexuality in a rough Miami neighborhood. Barry Jenkins' exploration of vulnerability and love offers a refreshing alternative to traditional portrayals of masculinity. Screening with the short Strange Way of Life.
Close-Knit
A young girl, Tomo, unexpectedly finds herself living with her uncle and his transgender partner, a woman named Tetsu. The unconventional family arrangement serves as a backdrop for exploring the challenges and joys of living authentically.
Compassionate Light:
Stories of Tibet by Pema Tseden
May 16 – 29
Tibetan director Pema Tseden became one of the most remarkable filmmakers of this century, revolutionizing the representation of Tibet and Tibetans and sharing his visions of authentic Tibetan life with the entire film-going world by reimagining how narrative cinematic fiction could operate within so-called “Chinese minority cinema”.
The Search
Shot in exquisite long takes, this brilliant film is a road movie wrapped around three love stories. A director and crew are looking for local cast to star in their film version of the classic Tibetan opera Prince Drime Kundun.
The Silent Holy Stones
In Pema Tseden's first feature, a very young Tibetan lama living in a monastery in Qinghai discovers the delights of binge-watching a Chinese TV serial, just one aspect of the contradictions he will have to navigate in a culture steeped in tradition.
Snow Leopard
The last film Pema Tseden finished before his death at age 53 is an enthralling, semi-mystical fable about the deep spiritual connection between a young Tibetan priest and a snow leopard responsible for killing livestock belonging to the priest's brother.
First Steps: Pema Tseden Short Films
Pema Tseden was the first Tibetan director to graduate from the Beijing Film Academy. The Silent Manistone (2002) and his graduation film, The Grassland (2004) are fascinating sketches for later works.
Old Dog
In what may be Pema Tseden's darkest film, a Tibetan mastiff is sold, recovered, re-sold, stolen, and recovered yet again, passing through the hands of an ethnic Chinese dealer, the local police, and Tibetan dog rustlers.
Balloon
The young sons of virile Tibetan shepherd Dargye mistake their parents' condoms for balloons. Meanwhile Dargye is looking for a ram to impregnate his flock. Balloon is fascinated with ideas of potency, pregnancy, and the possibilities for female autonomy.
The Sacred Arrow
A romantic, gorgeously shot, widescreen modern fable, this is a marked departure from Pema Tseden's usual stye. Handsome Nyima and brooding Dradon are ace archers from rival villages who vie in an annual contest for the ultimate prize, the Sacred Arrow.
Pantheon: The Greatest Films of All Time
Pantheon, presented by MUBI, is a monthly series showcasing a selection of the “greatest movies of all time,” inspired by the mother of all film lists, the critics’ poll that has run once a decade in the UK’s Sight & Sound magazine since 1952.
Presented by
Bicycle Thieves
May 18
De Sica’s film about a labourer desperate to track down the bike that has been stolen from him is a landmark in film history, the movie that cemented the impact of Italian neo-realism on world cinema.
The Genius of Gena Rowlands
Apr 25 – Jun 3
Dedicated to one of the most inspiring and influential American actresses of the past half century, this series showcases the versatility and star power that was Gena Rowlands.
Love Streams
The last movie Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes made together is an eccentrically beautiful, painful piece about a writer (Cassavetes) broken out of his self-imposed exile by the arrival of a son he doesn't know, and a sister he hasn't seen in years.
Mary Ancheta Plays Betty Davis Tribute
In this VIFF Live event, keyboardist Mary Ancheta and her band channel the phenomenal funk of 70s sensation Betty Davis, featuring Dawn Pemberton on vocals. The live music portion of the event will be followed by Phil Cox's invaluable 2017 documentary, They Say I'm Different.
Sabbath Queen
The dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Amichai Lau-Lavie is what you might call the black sheep of the family. His sexuality led him down a different path, but its destination is surprising...
Caught by the Tides
Over two decades, across China’s rapidly changing landscape, two lovers meet and part and meet again. In this magisterial film, Jia Zhangke refracts the 21st century through a reflexive, retrospective look at his era-defining filmography.
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.
Mary Ancheta Plays Betty Davis Tribute
May 14
In this VIFF Live event, keyboardist Mary Ancheta and her band channel the phenomenal funk of 70s sensation Betty Davis, featuring Dawn Pemberton on vocals. The live music portion of the event will be followed by Phil Cox’s invaluable 2017 documentary, They Say I’m Different.
BC's Blue Note Legacy Quartet
May 24
Four of Vancouver’s brilliant jazz musicians come together as BC’s Blue Note Legacy Quartet memorializing the iconic recording label (home to Monk, Coltrane, Wayne Shorter and so many others) followed by Sophie Huber’s acclaimed 2018 documentary, Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes.
Talking Pictures
Last Tuesday of the Month
Created for film lovers 55+, the Talking Pictures series offers films, refreshments and an open invitation to chat about our shared experience of the movie.
Karaoke
May 27
When a flashy and affluent new guy moves into their apartment building as their upstairs neighbour, elderly couple Meir and Tova expect the worst. But Itsik completely bowls them over with his charm and generosity…
Explore VIFF's Year-Round Series
Join VIFF News
Get the latest updates on our Festival, year-round programming and more – and get $5 off two VIFF Centre year-round film tickets.
