Leading Lights

A celebrated Canadian filmmaker curates a selection of international films that influenced their artistic journey

My history with VIFF has had a significant impact on me as a filmmaker over the past decade. From creating a space for me to work the odd job in my early 20s supporting my irrational desire to become an independent filmmaker, to programming my early short films as I was beginning to find my cinematic voice, right up until last fall, when my first feature film had its emotional hometown premiere. It would be an understatement to say that it is rare to find another arts organization in Canada that seeks to improve the experience for its audiences and artists year after year in the way that VIFF has proved to do. With that said, it feels like a beautiful full-circle moment to have been asked to present four films that have had an impact on me as a filmmaker at the festival I can truly call home.

Inspiration that travels from one film into another can sometimes be difficult to synthesize into words. The three films I have chosen, although very different in form and content, feel deeply spiritually linked to my own film. Each brings a deep emotional ache right to the surface of its characters; an undeniable vulnerability that is something I strive to articulate in my own work through the marriage of form and content. In different ways, each film gave me a certain permission to apply to my own work, which I will try my best to articulate in the presentation of this program.

In chronological order, I will be presenting Close-Up, Vengeance Is Mine, and The Tree of Life.

— Sophy Romvari, Guest Programmer