Now Playing
Promare
The Mad Burnish mean to set the world on fire -- it's down to Galo Thymos and "Burning Rescue" to save the day... Delirious action-fantasy, anime-style. "An exciting cacophony of flames, robots, chiselled torsos and ridiculous catchphrases." Little White Lies
Tautuktavuk (What We See)
In this palpably authentic slice of Inuit life, two sisters are able to speak up about their experience of trauma as they talk on Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic. It feels as real as a documentary, but in fact it's scripted by the actors/co-directors.
Goodbye Don Glees!
A bittersweet tale of childhood friendship and misadventure: after teen misfits Roma, Toto, and Drop are falsely accused of causing a forest fire, they set off into the woods to locate a missing drone which would prove their innocence.
Spring Break at VIFF Centre
Mar 18 – 30 | $8 Youth Tickets
VIFF Centre is offering families the opportunity to catch the best cinema for less this spring break, bringing exceptional films to all ages at Vancouver’s premiere independent theatre.
On-Gaku: Our Sound
Like many others before them, a bunch of hopeless teen slackers with no musical schooling or demonstrable talent decide to form a band and enter a local festival... Seven years in the making, this deadpan lo-fo indie gem hits all the right notes.
Promare
The Mad Burnish mean to set the world on fire -- it's down to Galo Thymos and "Burning Rescue" to save the day... Delirious action-fantasy, anime-style. "An exciting cacophony of flames, robots, chiselled torsos and ridiculous catchphrases." Little White Lies
Goodbye Don Glees!
A bittersweet tale of childhood friendship and misadventure: after teen misfits Roma, Toto, and Drop are falsely accused of causing a forest fire, they set off into the woods to locate a missing drone which would prove their innocence.
Belle
Shy Suzu finds she is able to express herself through song as her online persona, Belle, in the virtual world of U. Director Hosada draws on elements from Beauty and the Beast to create a rich, empowering musical about teen anguish and internet avatars.
The First Slam Dunk
Taking place entirely during a high school championship basketball game, interrupted by flashbacks which illuminate the players' lives, Inoue's film is a dazzling sports movie, and another example of how versatile and accomplished the anime world is.
The Great Bear Rainforest + Secrets of the Sea
Originally released exclusively to IMAX theatres, we are pleased to share two outstanding 40-minute nature documentaries for family audiences, including the BC-shot Great Bear Rainforest, narrated by Ryan Reynolds.
Suzume
The latest from the director of Your Name is a typically wacky mix of first love/coming-of-age tale, supernatural spectacle, environmental fable and adventure film, too complex to attempt to summarize, but never less than dazzling to look at.
Film Studies: Screwball Express
Monday Mornings Mar 18 – Apr 29
Put a spring in your step and get the week off to a flying start with VIFF’s new six-part Film Studies course, a celebration of a genuine American art form: Screwball Comedy. Film scholar Michael van den Bos unpacks the conventions of the genre and shines the spotlight on its artists.
Talks will last 25 minutes, followed by a film screening and an audience talk-back.
*VIFF+ members must log in first to receive their series pass discount.
The Daffy & The Dizzy: Screwball Dames
In the second Screwball Express Film Studies session, Michael van den Bos takes a look at the key actresses of the genre—such as Carole Lombard, Irene Dunne, and Jean Arthur— and then we savour Claudette Colbert in the sublime Cinderella story, Midnight.
Masters of Screwball: Frank Capra
Director Frank Capra virtually created the screwball genre with It Happened One Night (1934). Michael van den Bos discusses Capra's key contributions to the golden age of screwball, followed by You Can’t Take It With You, starring Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur.
Masters of Screwball: Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges created madcap movie magic with his dizzyingly deft blend of witty wordplay, slapstick schtick, kooky characters and risqué romances. Michael van den Bos probes Preston Sturges's sublime screwball style, followed by his film The Lady Eve.
Masters of Screwball: Howard Hawks & Cary Grant
The Screwball Express reaches its final destination with an appreciation of two giants of the genre: director/producer Howard Hawks and leading man Cary Grant, followed by a screening of one of the funniest films ever made, Bringing Up Baby.
…to glimpse: African Cinema Now!
Curated by Nigerian writer and storyteller Ogheneofegor Obuwoma, this monthly series showcases contemporary African cinema that draws inspiration from the continent’s oral and filmic history. Expect an exploration of alternate possibilities—and whispers of the unexpected. Stay tuned for more film announcements.
March Spotlight:
Inxeba
Mar 27, 29 & 31
In South Africa’s Xhosa culture, young men are brought to the mountains of the Eastern Cape to participate in an ancient coming-of-age ritual… but for Kwanda, his queer identity is at odds with social expectations.
Zones of Interest: The Films of Jonathan Glazer
Mar 29 – Apr 4
Mar 29 – Apr 4
Jonathan Glazer has only made four feature films across the past quarter century. But each one has been singular, a shock to the system, and each time you wonder how he got away with so much. Dive deeper into the work of The Zone of Interest director in this short series.
Sexy Beast
Glazer's first film is an outrageous black comedy about a retired gangster (Ray Winstone) on the Costa del Sol, fending off the unwanted advances of a scarily psychotic Ben Kingsley, who wants him back on the job and won't take no for an answer. Screening in 35mm.
Elective Affinities: The Scores of Mica Levi
Composer Cayne McKenzie (We Are the City; Big Kill) analyses the extraordinary sonic stylings of Jonathan Glazer-collaborator Mica Levi, whose scores include Under the Skin, The Zone of Interest, and Jackie. + Rare screenings of 2 Levi/Glazer shorts.
First Look Fridays
Enjoy $10 tickets + complimentary tea & coffee at the first Friday matinee screening of these films.
It's Raining Men
Reuniting writer-director Caroline Vignal and star Laure Calamy from 2020's My Donkey, My Lover and Me, It's Raining Men is the tale of a frustrated wife and mother, neglected by her workaholic husband, discovering the wondrous new world of dating apps.
Carol Doda Topless At the Condor
This engaging doc is at once a nostalgia trip to a singularly fecund time and place (San Francisco in the 1960s), an affectionate portrait of a forgotten performer, and a thoughtful reflection on the pros and cons of baring your boobs for bucks.
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