Now Playing
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
A. Rimbaud
Patrick Wang (The Bread Factory) presents the life of French poet Arthur Rimbaud in this staggeringly adventurous and deeply considered movie, a three-hour, one-man show quite unlike anything we have seen before. "Poetic, audacious and singular."
The 39 Steps
In our new film studies series, FRAMEWORK, film scholar Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock, across four monochrome masterworks. This week: The 39 Steps (1935), a witty and fast-moving spy thriller from Hitchcock's English period.
Festival Encores
Whether you missed a movie at VIFF, or want to give a title a second look, here’s your chance. Catch these audience favourites as they return to the big screen.
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
NAZA
NAZA is a codeword euphemistically used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians it expects will be killed in an airstrike. This chilling documentary exposes the policy and process of state-sanctioned mass killings.
Queen at Sea
An academic is pitted against her stepfather in a moral crisis over the care of her mother, who lives with dementia. Winner of the Silver Bear Jury Prize and Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance at the 2026 Berlinale.
Image: © Seafaring
Yellow Letters
Derya and Aziz, a theatre couple based in Ankara, are celebrating the premiere of their latest play when they find themselves targeted by state investigations. Their lives change practically overnight, they find their political convictions put to the test.
Image: © EllaKnorz ifProductions Alamode Film
FRAMEWORK
Film Studies | Mondays, 11:00 am
Introducing a new type of Film Studies, FRAMEWORK brings the history of cinema to life with lighthearted but insightful introductions combined with classic film screenings.
Each series will be structured across a four-week period devoted to a key director in the advancement of the form. The inaugural series will dive into the one and only Alfred Hitchcock.
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.
Shrek Cabaret
+ Shrek Film Screening
Nov 1
Dig out your greenest glad rags to celebrate Shrek. Before the movie, enjoy the ale of your choice at the Shrek Cabaret: expect songs, gags, acrobat princesses, a juggling Pinocchio, maybe even a talking ass… uh, donkey. It’s a fairy tale come true!
African Cinema Now!
The Witch at the Edge of the Screen | Curated by Akojo Film Collective
“Women are by nature witches.” So claims the son of a town’s Chief, cementing the outdated mentality that women are inherently bad. But what happens when these women answer back cinematically? The films of this season of African Cinema Now! zero in on this mentality and satirize the concept, showcasing it for what it truly is: absurd.
The Bloodettes
In this early Afro-futurist shlocker from Cameroonian director Jean-Pierre Bekolo (made in 2005 and set in 2025), two sex workers try to dispose of the body of a high profile politician who's died on the job (theirs, not his).
I Am Not a Witch
Rungano Nyoni's acclaimed debut feature is a visually striking satire about a 9-year-old orphan accused of witchcraft in contemporary Zambia. Screening in the latest African Cinema Now! series, The Witch at the Edge of the Screen.
Xalé
This singular Senegalese melodrama charts the struggles of orphaned teenage twins Awa and her brother Adama. The latter dreams of a new life in Europe while Adama has to cope with the unwanted attentions of her uncle. Curated by Akojo Film Collective.
Andrzej Wajda 100: War & Peace
Nov 19 – Dec 27
The father of Polish cinema, Andrzej Wajda worked with, influenced, and mentored the likes of Krzysztof Kieslowski, Jerzy Skolimowski, Andrzej Zulawski, and Agnieszka Holland. Many of his movies are long-established art house classics; many more demand to be rediscovered, in sparkling 4K restorations, in this, his centennial year.
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