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Thelma & Louise
In this iconic feminist road movie BFF Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon take off for a weekend getaway that turns violent when one of them is attacked. The stakes get higher as they flee the scene. Winner: Best Original Screenplay (Callie Khouri).
Boyz n the Hood
Twenty-three-year-old writer-director John Singleton's groundbreaking portrait of three young men growing up in South Central is a film of integrity and compassion. It's a far richer portrait of Black lives than Hollywood's gangsta exploitation pics.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
In 2029, Earth has been ravaged by the war between the malevolent artificial intelligence Skynet and the human resistance. (Yep.) James Cameron's all too relevant action movie is in some ways unsurpassed. Linda Hamilton is the mom we all need right now.
Everybody to Kenmure Street
This rousing documentary (100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) never puts a foot wrong as it recreates a tense, prolonged stand-off between the police and the citizens of Glasgow when an Immigration Enforcement squad attempt to arrest two men from their homes.
90s, Baby!
Jun 19 – Aug 31
Ten years. 11 weeks. 90 films from the 1990s.
This summer VIFF takes a deep dive into a defining decade for the movies. The 1990s was a period of exciting innovation and increasing diversity. Our series proceeds chronologically through the summer — one week = one year.
90s, Baby! maps out the arc of the decade, hitting the most important cinematic landmarks, from blockbusters and milestone films to smaller cult films that continue to inspire and provoke.
Explore 90s, Baby! one year at a time.
African Cinema Now! | Portraits
What does it mean to know a person through cinema?
The latest installment of African Cinema Now! looks to understand contemporary Africa by revealing how people shape people and, in turn, how people shape systems.
These are people’s individual stories. These are their portraits.
One Woman One Bra
Jun 23 & 27
Kenyan filmmaker Vincho Nchogu impresses with her humorous account of one woman’s fight to keep her ancestral land. Winner: Best First Feature, London Film Festival
Milisuthando
Jun 30 & Jul 4
Milisithando uses the filmmaker’s life as a context to dive into the “independent” Transkei of apartheid South Africa, offering us a new reading of this history.
Talking Pictures
Created for film lovers 55+ (but open to anyone), the Talking Pictures series offers films, refreshments and an open invitation to chat about our shared experience of the movie.
Tickets are just $12. Bring a buddy and get two for $20!
Ali & Ava
Jun 30
Bradford, West Yorkshire. Ali (Adeel Akhtar) is a music nut, and the most sympathetic landlord you will meet in a movie this year. Ava (Claire Rushbrook) is a teacher, a widow, and a grandmother. Clio Barnard’s love story has music, humour and hope.
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.
Julio Avila Cuban Band Live + The Mambo Kings Film Screening
Feel the heat! Shake your booty as we combine a live set of exhilarating Cuban music followed by a rediscovered 90s barnstormer of a movie starring Latin heartthrobs Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas alongside the likes of Tito Puente and Celia Cruz.
Coastal Jazz & VIFF Present: Lina Nyberg Live Score: The Norrtull Gang
This collaboration with Coastal Jazz brings together a proto-feminist silent film from the early 1920s with a new live score written and performed by Swedish singer-composer Lina Nyberg with stellar local a string quartet.
Andrea Superstein Sings Burt Bacharach + Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Film Screening
Local hero and Anglophile Mike Myers scored a massive comedy hit with this spot-on spoof of James Bond and his many imitators. Before the yucks, Andrea Superstein treats us to a set of timeless Burt Bacharach tunes.
Laura Crema + Jazz on a Summer's Day
Laura Crema celebrates the enduring influence of Anita O'Day with a performance that captures the wit, swing, and rhythmic daring that made O'Day a standout in jazz history — followed by one of the all-time great jazz concert films.
VIFF Collection
The VIFF Collection is a unique and essential initiative that features early work by the next wave of leading Western Canadian storytellers. This permanent exhibition presents a unique opportunity for the public to enjoy free access to these works and enhance their appreciation of short forum storytelling.
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