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How to Build a Library
In Nairobi, two women strive to transform a colonial-era library into a cultural hub by and for Kenyans. Along the way, they navigate local politics, raise funds, and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial past.
In the Room
In the Room centers compelling stories of Afghan women who refuse to become silent victims. A film about resilience, reclaiming cultural identity, and what’s at stake for women’s rights and human rights around the world.
Nouvelle Vague
Linklater’s love letter to cinema, Paris in 1959, and the difficult creation of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, channels the auteur’s unwavering self confidence and the making of a film that would change everything. It’s the next best thing to being there.
Remaining Native
Teenage runner Ku Stevens chases his dream of college athletics while confronting his family’s history, including memories of his great-grandfather’s escape from an Indian boarding school. Slowly, a plan to bring healing begins to take shape.
The Shadow Scholars
An Oxford professor uncovers Kenya’s hidden essay-writing industry, where underemployed academics create papers for Western students. The film questions global education inequality and the human cost of this billion-dollar underground economy.
Short Fuse
An eye-opening collection of shorts exploring memories, experiences and relationships between friends, family, and across generations. From powwows in North America, to the rivers of Ethiopia and beyond, these shorts offer memorable stories on screen.
The Track
Three teens chase Olympic dreams on Sarajevo’s war-damaged luge track. Amid hardships in postwar Bosnia, the friends’ dedication and perseverance guide them to a brighter future beyond the lingering shadow of conflict.
Treasure of the Rice Terraces
Filipino Canadian filmmaker Kent Donguines returns to the Philippines to explore Indigenous Kalinga tattoos. Guided by 107-year-old artist Apo Whang-od, he discovers the strong role it has come to symbolize for Filippino cultural identity worldwide.
Youngblood
Youngblood is a heart-racing hockey drama by Hubert Davis, director of the hit VIFF 2022 film Black Ice. A thoughtful, nuanced exploration of race, complex father-and-son relationships, and masculinity in sports.