Now Playing
The Nutcracker at Wethersfield
Back in the long, dark Covid winter of 2020, there was no way the New York City Ballet could mount their traditional Christmas production of Tchaikovsky's fairytale. But choreographer Troy Schumacher had a dream to save the show -- reimagining a classic.
Pictures of Ghosts
A companion piece to Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent, Pictures of Ghosts is a lovely, relaxed, ruminative riff on movies, memory, the imaginative space conferred by that place we call Cinema, seasoned with love and boundless anecdotes.
North of Ourselves
In the depths of winter, two adventurers set out to cross Quebec from one end to the other on bike and skis, exploring its staggering geography and meeting its inhabitants (human and otherwise) along the way.
The Secret Agent
Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name — but he’ll soon come to understand precisely how rampant the country’s corruption has become.
Cutting Through Rocks
Winner of Sundance's World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize, Cutting Through Rocks follows Sara Shahverdi — motorcyclist, midwife, and first-ever councilwoman elected in her Iranian village. A vérité triumph by Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni.
Best of 2025
Dec 26 – Jan 8
Our year in cinema. Catch up on the ones that got away. Review your favourites.
Check out the most critically-acclaimed films of 2025, and take a chance on one or two smaller films that didn’t get the hype but we’re convinced will stand the test of time.
Trouble & Desire: 3 by Hal Hartley
Jan 2 – Jan 8
To mark the release of Hal Hartley’s first film in a decade, Where to Land, we’re showing his 1994 cult favourite Simple Men (his third film) as well as Ned Rifle, from 2014.
Where to Land
Hal Hartley's first new film in a decade is a melancholy farce about mortality and what we'll call "late middle-age". Bill Sage is a semi-retired filmmaker who isn't dying faster than the rest of us but who behaves like he might be.
Ned Rifle
Hal Hartley's 2014 feature is a spirited indie about a young Christian tracking down his father, who believes he might be the devil. He's joined by Aubrey Plaza's grad student, Susan, who has her own bone to pick with the notorious Henry Fool...
Holiday Programming at VIFF Centre
The Nutcracker at Wethersfield
Back in the long, dark Covid winter of 2020, there was no way the New York City Ballet could mount their traditional Christmas production of Tchaikovsky's fairytale. But choreographer Troy Schumacher had a dream to save the show -- reimagining a classic.
It's a Wonderful Life
Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings. This Christmas classic is whimsical, sure, but it has the depth to stand up to multiple watches, and it really should be a communal experience, because that is what it's about.
Hundreds of Beavers: A Northwoods Christmas
The funniest, and certainly the furriest movie you will see this year, Hundreds of Beavers channels the zany slapstick shtick of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Bugs Bunny through a videogame quest narrative to retell the eternal saga of Man v Nature.
Tokyo Godfathers
Shinjuku, Tokyo, Christmas Eve. Middle-aged has-been Gin, aging drag artist Hana, and teenage runaway Miyuki are three homeless friends who stumble across an abandoned baby and do their best to care for the infant over the course of a long and perilous night.
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.
Dean Thiessen Plays Vince Guaraldi + Charlie Brown
In 1965 jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi created the perfect soundtrack to Charles Schultz's beloved Peanuts. Dean Thiessen's 5-tet pays tributes to Guaraldi's catchy tunes, followed by a screening of the first Charlie Brown feature film.
Coffee House Folk + Inside Llewyn Davis
The Coens' catty portrait of the 60s Greenwich Village scene is the best movie about folk music, bar none. Before the movie, enjoy solo sets from four local singer-songwriters: Rodney DeCroo, Tim Readman, LJ Mounteney and Andy Hillhouse.
The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés + Por Derecho (On Their Own Right) Live
Winner of the Goya Award for Best Documentary, this is an exquisite and surprisingly intimate portrait of the brilliant young guitarist Yerai Cortés, preceded by an hour of passionate flamenco music, song and dance performed by Por Derecho.
Vince Mai Plays Mancini
Local trumpeter and film composer Vince Mai returns to the VIFF Centre with his quintet to play selected hits of celebrated film composer Henry Mancini prior to a screening of the beloved Pink Panther movie A Shot in the Dark.
Laura Crema Sings Lorenz Hart
For this unique show, leading jazz vocalist Laura Crema has put together a set of some of Lorenz Hart's most memorable songs. Afterwards, enjoy Ethan Hawke's portrait of the legendary lyricist in Richard Linklater's new movie, Blue Moon.
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