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The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo film image; sassy group posing for a photo on a beach

Panorama

Image: The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

An array of remarkable narrative films from every corner of the globe

This year’s Panorama selection is customarily sprawling, with dozens of countries represented. Particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of accomplished work from several Latin American nations, as well as a rare feature film produced in Iraq. A number of these titles have been submitted by their nation for Oscar consideration, with more certain to follow. In addition to platforming a wealth of East Asian talent, Panorama also introduces audiences to some vital voices causing a clamour in the independent American filmmaking scene.

The President's Cake

Dir. Hasan Hadi
105 min

Winner of the Caméra d’Or and Director’s Fortnight Audience Award at Cannes, Hasan Hadi’s fable-like drama set in 1990s Iraq follows an impoverished child's quest into the city to scrounge up ingredients for birthday cake for Saddam Hussein.

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3:00 pm
Thu Oct 02
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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6:00 pm
Fri Oct 03
Granville Island Stage
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3:30 pm
Mon Oct 06
International Village 10
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Ma - Cry of Silence

Dir. The Maw Naing
74 min

This bracing political drama tells the story of female sweatshop workers in Myanmar and their courageous struggle for justice. It’s a dark, unflinching work, in which the depiction of oppression is meant to spark outrage and action.

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3:15 pm
Thu Oct 02
International Village 8
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9:30 pm
Thu Oct 09
International Village 9
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1:30 pm
Sat Oct 11
International Village 8
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If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Dir. Mary Bronstein
113 min

A harried mother (Rose Byrne) clings to an unhelpful therapist (Conan O’Brien) as she struggles to cope with her daughter's mysterious illness in Mary Bronstein’s darkly comedic psychological drama.

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5:45 pm
Thu Oct 02
The Rio Theatre
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1:15 pm
Sat Oct 04
International Village 9
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The Ivy

Dir. Ana Cristina Barragán
98 min

Azucena seeks to reconnect with her 18-year-old son, Julio, whom she abandoned at an orphanage after giving birth to him at age 13. The pull is undeniable as the two find their way back into each other's lives, but unresolved issues loom.

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6:00 pm
Thu Oct 02
International Village 7
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10:45 am
Sat Oct 04
International Village 8
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3:15 pm
Tue Oct 07
International Village 10
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The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

Dir. Diego Céspedes
104 min

Set in the Chilean desert, this 80s drama centers on a commune of queer outcasts, including 11-year-old Lidia and her mother. When her mom's abusive ex-lover reappears in their lives with tragic consequences, the group decides to fight back.

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6:00 pm
Thu Oct 02
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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9:00 pm
Fri Oct 10
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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A Poet

Dir. Simón Mesa Soto
120 min

When embittered poet Oscar Restrepo takes a job at a local high school, he meets Yurlady, a talented student from a poor background. Seeking to help her cultivate her art, he draws her into the poetry world — to disastrous and comedic results.

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6:15 pm
Thu Oct 02
International Village 10
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1:15 pm
Fri Oct 03
International Village 8
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12:15 pm
Tue Oct 07
International Village 9
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Late Shift

Dir. Petra Volpe
92 min

A nurse finds herself pushed to the brink as she attempts to maintain order over one high-pressure night in a Swiss hospital’s surgical ward. Petra Volpe’s drama unfolds at an exhilarating pace and instils a deep sense of admiration for its heroine.

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8:30 pm
Thu Oct 02
Granville Island Stage
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3:30 pm
Fri Oct 03
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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6:15 pm
Wed Oct 08
International Village 9
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Fantasy

Dir. Kukla
98 min

Sina, Jasna, and Mihrije are three best friends navigating the challenges of young adulthood in contemporary Ljubljana. Their world is blown wide open when they meet Fantasy, a mysterious trans woman with much feminine wisdom.

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8:30 pm
Thu Oct 02
International Village 8
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3:30 pm
Wed Oct 08
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)

Dir. Joel Alfonso Vargas
101 min

This gritty, Bronx-set romance follows two teenagers in love, an unplanned pregnancy, and the poverty that encumbers them. And yet, this is a vivacious, heartwarming work — funny without being frivolous and tender without being sentimental.

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8:45 pm
Thu Oct 02
International Village 9
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4:00 pm
Sat Oct 04
International Village 9
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2:45 pm
Fri Oct 10
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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The Ice Tower

Dir. Lucile Hadžihalilović
118 min

In Lucile Hadžihalilović’s spellbinding fantasy drama, an orphan (Clara Pacini) becomes enthralled by a movie star (Marion Cotillard) playing the Snow Queen in a fairy tale film adaptation. Winner of the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution.

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9:00 pm
Thu Oct 02
The Cinematheque
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Fri Oct 03
Alliance Francaise
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Broken Voices

Dir. Ondřej Provazník
106 min

When 13-year-old Karolina is chosen to be part of the main lineup of an acclaimed children’s choir, it draws unwanted attention. Broken Voices is a gutting account of a grave abuse of power based on a real-life story.

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12:45 pm
Fri Oct 03
International Village 7
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6:00 pm
Sat Oct 04
Granville Island Stage
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1:00 pm
Wed Oct 08
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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The Condor Daughter

Dir. Álvaro Olmos Torrico
103 min

In the Bolivian Andes, a teen raised by a midwife longs to trade ancestral birth songs for a spotlight in the city. Álvaro Olmos Torrico’s The Condor Daughter is a lyrical, tender story of inheritance, ambition, and the power to choose your own path.

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1:00 pm
Fri Oct 03
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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3:15 pm
Thu Oct 09
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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9:00 pm
Sat Oct 11
Granville Island Stage
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The Message

Dir. Iván Fund
91 min

A young girl’s gift for communicating with animals makes her a considerable asset to her guardians, who traverse the Argentinian countryside providing assistance to pet-owners in need. But as their travels roll on, the child gets restless.

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6:00 pm
Fri Oct 03
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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4:15 pm
Sat Oct 04
International Village 8
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Peak Everything

Dir. Anne Émond
100 min

Can love prevail when the world is falling apart? Adam is overwhelmed with climate despair until he falls in love with a customer service operator over the phone. Jagging from melancholia to slapstick, this quirky Canadian rom-com shoots for the moon.

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8:45 pm
Fri Oct 03
Granville Island Stage
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5:45 pm
Sat Oct 04
Alliance Francaise
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12:15 pm
Sun Oct 05
International Village 10
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The Last One for the Road

Dir. Francesco Sossai
100 min

Two middle-aged drunkards drive across the Veneto region on a freewheeling bender, taking a young college student along for the ride. A celebration of the spirit of drink and the kinds of stories told around a table of old friends and too much wine.

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8:45 pm
Fri Oct 03
International Village 9
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8:30 pm
Sat Oct 11
Alliance Francaise
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6:15 pm
Sun Oct 12
Granville Island Stage
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The Things You Kill

Dir. Alireza Khatami
113 min

Thirty-something professor Ali leads an apparently stable life. But when his ailing mother dies under ambiguous circumstances, he starts to unravel, resulting in an act that shatters our understanding of his person.

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9:15 pm
Fri Oct 03
International Village 10
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12:00 pm
Sat Oct 04
International Village 7
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8:45 pm
Fri Oct 10
Alliance Francaise
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Brand New Landscape

Dir. Yuiga Danzuka 団塚唯我
115 min

Yuiga Danzuka's poetic film tells the story of a fractured family in contemporary Tokyo. The city's concrete overpasses, bright lights, and sterile architecture are central figures in a landscape that embodies its characters' estrangement.

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6:00 pm
Sat Oct 04
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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5:45 pm
Sun Oct 05
International Village 8
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Meadowlarks

Dir. Tasha Hubbard
91 min

Fifty years after being separated during the Sixties Scoop, four Cree siblings reunite for the first time on a long weekend trip to Banff. Tasha Hubbard’s sensitive drama relates an emotional and life-affirming story of kinship and belonging.

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6:00 pm
Sat Oct 04
SFU Woodwards
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2:45 pm
Sun Oct 05
International Village 9
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6:15 pm
Sat Oct 11
Alliance Francaise
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Blood Lines

Dir. Gail Maurice
89 min

In this emotional second feature from filmmaker Gail Maurice (Rosie, VIFF 2022), a proud lesbian Métis journalist struggles to reconcile with her estranged mother, while a new entanglement with a captivating stranger threatens to upheave their lives.

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6:15 pm
Sat Oct 04
International Village 10
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12:00 pm
Sun Oct 05
International Village 8
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Train Dreams

Dir. Clint Bentley
102 min

A lovely, ruminative movie set in the Pacific Northwest during the first half of the last century. Robert (Joel Edgerton) plays a Robert Grenier, a taciturn lumberjack who comes to appreciate the life slipping between his fingers.

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8:45 pm
Sat Oct 04
Granville Island Stage
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3:00 pm
Fri Oct 10
The Rio Theatre
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Hysteria

Dir. Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay
104 min

When a burned Quran is found on the set of a film, tensions rise between the filmmaker and the refugees recruited as extras for the shoot. As the conflict escalates, a young assistant finds herself drawn into a widening web of paranoia and conspiracy.

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9:15 pm
Sun Oct 05
Granville Island Stage
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6:00 pm
Tue Oct 07
International Village 10
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4:15 pm
Sun Oct 12
International Village 9
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Idiotka

Dir. Nastasya Popov
82 min

An aspiring fashion designer’s dreams are put to the test when she lands a spot on a new competition reality show. An irreverent and heartwarming indie comedy that explores culture and identity in the world of reality TV.

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8:45 pm
Mon Oct 06
The Rio Theatre
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5:30 pm
Tue Oct 07
International Village 9
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Tape

Dir. Bizhan Tong
110 min

This razor-sharp drama mixes three characters, a secret from their past, and one small apartment into an explosive concoction. Tape is provocative in its #MeToo politics and stirs the heart with its depiction of personal pain.

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5:45 pm
Tue Oct 07
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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5:45 pm
Wed Oct 08
International Village 10
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6:00 pm
Fri Oct 10
Alliance Francaise
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Last Night in Taipei

Dir. Cheng-Chui Kuo 郭承衢
87 min

Cheng-Chui Kuo’s drama is a lively, bittersweet ode to love and friendship. Following four friends through a night of drinking, reminiscence, and revelation, the film explores love and its discontents while paying tribute to Taipei.

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6:15 pm
Wed Oct 08
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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3:15 pm
Thu Oct 09
International Village 10
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As the Water Flows

Dir. Zhuo Bian 卞灼
119 min

Wistful in tone and graceful in its direction, Zhuo Bian’s film stars Li Zhenping as Xie Shuwen, an elderly widower trying to find a measure of peace in his final years. While not without its sad moments, this is undoubtedly a life-affirming work.

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9:00 pm
Wed Oct 08
International Village 10
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3:30 pm
Fri Oct 10
International Village 9
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3:30 pm
Sat Oct 11
Alliance Francaise
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Human Resource

Dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
122 min

This haunting, meditative drama refracts global anxieties through the story of a white-collar worker and the pregnancy she's concealing from her macho husband. Deeply conflicted about her pregnancy, a twist of fate exposes the truth…

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3:45 pm
Thu Oct 09
International Village 8
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6:15 pm
Sat Oct 11
SFU Woodwards
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My Father's Son

Dir. Qiu Sheng
100 min

Blending sci-fi and family drama, My Father's Son takes us through the past, present, and future of a computer engineer. As a child, Qiao is bullied by his father; in the present, his father is laid to rest; and in the future, he’s resurrected via AI.

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6:00 pm
Thu Oct 09
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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1:00 pm
Sat Oct 11
International Village 9
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Saikai Paradise

Dir. Keiko Tsuruoka 鶴岡慧子
72 min

Keiko Tsuruoka’s film tells the story of an actor returning home to confess a sad secret. Filling the roles of writer, director, cinematographer, and editor, she has created a graceful work about the small moments that make up so much of our lives.

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6:15 pm
Thu Oct 09
Granville Island Stage
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3:30 pm
Sat Oct 11
International Village 8
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Middle Life

Dir. Pavan Moondi
84 min

Ryan (Peter Dreimanis) and Andie (Leah Fay Goldstein) meet in the aftermath of a car crash, forging a friendship that slowly cruises towards something deeper. The film succeeds both as a breezy romance and a poignant reflection on commitment and freedom.

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6:45 pm
Thu Oct 09
International Village 9
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Sat Oct 11
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Bidad

Dir. Soheil Beiraghi
104 min

In Tehran, Seti dreams of singing freely in the streets. Bidad, directed by Soheil, is a raw, urgent portrait of resistance, courage, and hope. A must-see film about one woman’s voice echoing a generation’s fight for freedom.

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9:00 pm
Thu Oct 09
International Village 10
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10:30 am
Fri Oct 10
International Village 9
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5:45 pm
Sun Oct 12
Alliance Francaise
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Skin of Youth

Dir. Ash Mayfair
122 min

Ash Mayfair’s romance gives us San (Trân Quân), a trans woman saving up for gender-affirming surgery, and Nam (Võ Diên Gia Huy), her macho lover. They fight for their freedom and dignity against a society in which the odds are stacked against them.

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5:30 pm
Fri Oct 10
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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3:45 pm
Sat Oct 11
International Village 10
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The Scout

Dir. Paula González-Nasser
89 min

This charming film presents a core sample from the life of a NYC location scout: leafletting, awkward interviews, and traffic trouble galore... The social interactions, which range from cozy to creepy, are portrayed with a casual, ingratiating naturalism.

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6:15 pm
Fri Oct 10
The Cinematheque
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3:30 pm
Sun Oct 12
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Solomamma

Dir. Janicke Askevold
99 min

When the identity of her sperm donor is revealed, a curiosity-driven journalist seeks him out under the false pretext of interviewing him about his company. What begins as a calculated encounter gradually deepens into a genuine connection.

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6:45 pm
Fri Oct 10
International Village 10
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12:45 pm
Sun Oct 12
Granville Island Stage
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Lucky Lu

Dir. Lloyd Lee Choi
103 min

Inhabiting the back alleys and dangerous streets of New York City, this gripping, deeply humane film stars Chang Chen as Lu, a delivery driver in a race against time to raise money for his family.

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8:30 pm
Fri Oct 10
SFU Woodwards
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12:00 pm
Sat Oct 11
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Kontinental ’25

Dir. Radu Jude
109 min

Radu Jude's Silver Bear winner is an anguished drama of conscience about a bailiff traumatized by an eviction that ends in tragedy. What more could she, or should she, have done?

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1:15 pm
Sat Oct 11
International Village 10
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9:00 pm
Sun Oct 12
International Village 9
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