VIFF Live is a series of live performances that push the boundaries of traditional film festival programming, intersecting cinema culture with music, comedy, podcasting, and performance in unique, cinema-infused live shows.
Witness the boundaries of what we commonly call cinema lovingly teased and toyed with at VIFF Live 2023. The spotlighted works and artists embrace a dizzying range of aesthetic and subject matter concerns. For many creators, the monocle ‘filmmaker’ or ‘image maker’ is the farthest from their sense of creative identity. Here, unfettered play is the goal. And play they do!
VIFF Live 2023 is for you the audience. Very much a live — together in the same room — moment. You’ll witness the interplay of image, voice, spoken and recorded text, narrative, sound and scored music, theatrical lighting, and headphones. All to bring about an experiential rediscovery of the moving image — in full dance, mind you, with a host of new partners. Enjoy the experience!
Norman Armour, VIFF Guest Live Curator
Community Partner
Featured Performances
32 Sounds
By Sam Green
October 5, 7:00 pm
An immersive documentary and profound sensory experience from filmmaker Sam Green that explores the elemental phenomenon of sound.
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Machine Folklore
By Software2050 & NAXS FUTURE
October 1, 7:00 pm
What does humanity look like to AI? Using a masterful combination of music and moving image, two of Taiwan’s foremost art collectives explore the future of digital culture, aesthetics, and the metaverse in a hypnotic performance.
The Ironworks Series
New to the Festival for 2023, The Ironworks Series invites four established resident artists to perform their innovative works in the exploratory and experimental framework of the iconic Ironworks venue, in Gastown. Don’t miss this remarkable series of boundary-defying performances which will dissolve the space between artist and audience.
Daniel Barrow
October 5, 9:00 pm
In the late 70s and 80s, Winnipeg experienced a golden age of public access television. Winnipeg Babysitter traces unique vignettes from a brief synapse in broadcasting history when Winnipeg cable companies were mandated to provide public access.
Cris Derksen
October 6, 10:00 pm
Juno-nominated Cris Derksen, an internationally respected Indigenous cellist and composer, introduces audiences to the unforgettable virtuosity that led to working with some of Canada’s finest – and her break-out solo career.
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Miwa Matreyek
& Sammy Chien
October 7, 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm
A unique opportunity to experience two performances. Miwa Matreyek creates a dreamlike meditation on climate catastrophe, whilst Sammy Chien uses the technologies of real-time performance software to create connections between image, sound and movement.
One ticket will grant admission to both performances
Past VIFF Live Events
An Evening with Michael Abels, VIFF 2022
NOSFERATU 100 by BIG KILL: A Symphony of Horror, VIFF 2022
Beverly Glenn-Copeland, online performance, VIFF 2020
Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin Plays Deep Red Live, VIFF 2019
On Cinema at the Cinema Live!, VIFF 2019
This is Spinal Tap: Anniversary Live Score, VIFF 2019
Song Exploder Live with Chuck D, VIFF 2019
Feminist Live Reads Some Like It Hot, VIFF 2019
RZA: Live From The 36th Chamber, VIFF 2018