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Panorama

Image: We Are All Strangers

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

Befitting its name, Panorama once again spotlights films hailing from dozens of different nations. And while all the perennial filmmaking powerhouses are present and accounted for, there are also noteworthy entries from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nepal, and Central African Republic. Running the gamut from historical recreations to social realist dramas to animated fables, each of these selections is a finely crafted, richly detailed encounter that you won’t soon forgot.

Árru

Dir. Elle Sofe Sara
95 min

Set against the mountains and fjords of northern Norway, Árru follows reindeer herder Maia as a proposed copper mine threatens her Sámi community, forcing her to fight to protect both her community and the land that sustains it.

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6:00 pm
Thu Oct 01
SFU Woodwards
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Fri Oct 02
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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Wed Oct 07
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Flies

Dir. Fernando Eimbcke
99 min

Flies is the story of elderly and embittered Olga, the father and son she accepts as tenants, and the spiritual reawakening they provoke in her. Director Eimbcke plots Olga’s shift from battle-axe to benevolent spirit with grace. A heartwarming gem.

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6:15 pm
Thu Oct 01
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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3:30 pm
Sat Oct 03
The Park Theatre
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Sun Oct 11
International Village 10
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Shame and Money

Dir. Visar Morina
129 min

Shaban and his wife make their living as dairy farmers in a rural Kosovan village, but when an act of betrayal upends their livelihood, they are forced to move to the capital to make ends meet. As pressures mount, Shaban is pushed to the brink.

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8:30 pm
Thu Oct 01
SFU Woodwards
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Sat Oct 03
International Village 10
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Frank & Louis

Dir. Petra Volpe
95 min

In a bid to increase his changes at parole, Frank joins an initiative where long-term inmates care for aging prisoners suffering from dementia. But when he meets the elderly Louis, it puts his own predicament into perspective.

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Thu Oct 01
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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Sat Oct 03
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Everytime

Dir. Sandra Wollner
123 min

Winner of this year’s prestigious Un Certain Regard award at Cannes, Sandra Wollner’s exquisite debut is a tender drama in which a mother is drawn closer to her youngest daughter and her late daughter’s boyfriend as they make sense of a shared tragedy.

Image: © The Barricades Panama Film, Gregory Oke

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Thu Oct 01
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Sat Oct 03
SFU Woodwards
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Sun Oct 04
Alliance Francaise
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Linka Linka

Dir. Kangdrun
100 min

Kangdrun's feature debut depicts a twentysomething filmmaker coming to grips with a shameful act she committed in childhood. Moving between past and present, with each main character played by two actors, this is a provocative and challenging work.

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Fri Oct 02
International Village 8
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Fri Oct 09
International Village 8
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Sun Oct 11
The Cinematheque
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La Gradiva

Dir. Marine Atlan
145 min

Winner of the Grand Prize at Cannes’ Critics’ Week, Marine Atlan's feature debut follows a class of French high-school students on a trip to Naples. While learning about the ruins of Pompeii by day, a different kind of education takes place at night.

Image: © Films du poisson, Bibi Film TV, Arte France Cinema

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11:45 am
Fri Oct 02
International Village 9
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Sat Oct 03
Alliance Francaise
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Fri Oct 09
International Village 9
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Heysel 85

Dir. Teodora Ana Mihai
91 min

This harrowing drama recreates the 1985 European Cup Final in Belgium, when rival football fans clashed before a ball had even been kicked. Teodora Mihal's film captures the hubris, incompetence, and politicking that compounded the escalating chaos.

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3:30 pm
Fri Oct 02
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Sat Oct 03
International Village 9
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Sat Oct 10
Alliance Francaise
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Elephants in the Fog

Dir. Abinash Bikram Shah
108 min

In a remote Nepalese village, Pirati takes charge in the search for a missing girl belonging to her family of third-gender Kinnar women. A densely atmospheric thriller and a moving portrait of an embattled but resilient community.

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Fri Oct 02
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Tue Oct 06
International Village 10
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Fri Oct 09
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The Quiet Applause

Dir. Byun Sung-bin
81 min

This gentle, lyrical film stars Yang Hae-bom as San, an adorable toddler living in the countryside. Her life is peaceful save for the aggressive outbursts of her brother, whose autism has created tension between the parents…

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6:00 pm
Fri Oct 02
SFU Woodwards
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Sat Oct 03
International Village 9
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Iron Boy

Dir. Louis Clichy
90 min

Iron Boy, a hand-painted animated feature, follows a hardworking preteen farm boy and his sublime flights of fancy as he faces the earthshaking upheavals of growing up in an iron back brace. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes 2026.

Image: © Eddy Cinema, Beside Productions, Regular Production, France 3 Cinema, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, RTBF

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6:30 pm
Fri Oct 02
Alliance Francaise
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Sat Oct 03
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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Sat Oct 10
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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Where the River Begins

Dir. Juan Andrés Arango
102 min

This immersive, hypnotic film follows an Indigenous mother and daughter on a journey from the slums of Bogotá to their true home in the jungle, joined by a young gang member with an especially urgent reason to flee.

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8:45 pm
Fri Oct 02
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Sun Oct 04
International Village 8
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Lali

Dir. Sarmad Sultan Khoosat
116 min

Lali explores the turbulent union of Zeba and Sajawal, two wounded souls bound by fate, through a compelling visual language, rich symbolism, and emotional depth. A distinctive and significant work of contemporary Pakistani cinema.

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Fri Oct 02
International Village 10
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Fri Oct 09
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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Flesh and Fuel

Dir. Pierre Le Gall
90 min

Étienne lives a solitary existence as a truck driver for French company, his love life consisting of anonymous sex with men in empty parking lots. But after a passionate encounter with a Polish truck driver, his steady routine is thrown out of gear.

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Fri Oct 02
Alliance Francaise
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Sat Oct 10
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Congo Boy

Dir. Rafiki Fariala
91 min

Congo Boy is a deeply moving coming-of-age drama about Robert, a 17-year-old Congolese refugee in the Central African Republic balancing school, odd jobs, and the care of his four younger siblings — while dreaming of success as a musician.

Image: © 2026 MAKONGO FILMS UNITÉ KIRIPIFILMS KARTA FILM CANAL

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Fri Oct 02
International Village 9
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Mon Oct 05
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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We Are All Strangers

Anthony Chen
157 min

Anthony Chen tells the soulful story of a father and son in contemporary Singapore, each of whom gets married for very different reasons. This is a film about the human cost of poverty — poignant, relatable, and profound.

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Sat Oct 03
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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Mon Oct 05
International Village 9
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Wed Oct 07
The Park Theatre
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Take Me Home

Dir. Liz Sargent
91 min

Liz Sargent’s film stars her sister Anna, who plays a woman quite like her real self: thirty something, cognitively disabled, and utterly vivacious. Exploring one unique family and the hardships it faces, this is a film of deep empathy and subtle beauty.

Image: © FarhadAhmedDehlvi

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Sat Oct 03
International Village 10
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Sun Oct 04
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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Wed Oct 07
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A Girl Unknown

Dir. Zou Jing
128 min

In this tender, compassionate drama, we see the hardships endured by a young girl adopted in the early 1980s during China’s one-child policy. As a teenager in the 90s, she’s still fighting to find a sense of belonging and assert her worth.

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Sat Oct 03
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Sun Oct 04
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Thu Oct 08
International Village 8
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Nina Roza

Dir. Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
103 min

Mihail, a contemporary art expert, has been living in Montreal since he left Bulgaria with his daughter almost thirty years ago. When he is commissioned to authenticate the work of an 8-year-old painting prodigy, he returns to Bulgaria for the first time.

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Sat Oct 03
International Village 10
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Sun Oct 04
International Village 10
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Sat Oct 10
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Roid

Dir. Mejbaur Rahman Sumon
109 min

Roid follows Sadhu, a solitary man who marries a mysterious young woman from a distant village. But when her behaviour disrupts the quiet rhythm of Sadhu's life, he decides to abandon her — only for her to reappear, again and again.

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Sun Oct 04
International Village 9
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Sun Oct 11
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Paris Paris

Dir. Isabelle Tollenaere
78 min

Three undocumented men from different backgrounds navigate Paris's luminous metropolis in this stirring drama of dislocation. Gorgeously composed and often humorous, Paris Paris questions what it means to truly belong.

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Sun Oct 04
Alliance Francaise
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Wed Oct 07
International Village 8
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Nobody's Violence

Dir. Denis Côté
118 min

In Denis Côté’s atmospheric dystopian drama, a taciturn woman facilitating euthanasia requests begins to question her purpose after crossing paths with an enigmatic man.

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8:30 pm
Sun Oct 04
The Cinematheque
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Mon Oct 05
The Cinematheque
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Light Pillar

Dir. Xu Zao
90 min

Xu Zao’s mellow, melancholy film follows a bottom-tier employee at a decaying film studio as he gets pulled into an online obsession. Mixing animation with live action, this is a whimsical satire and a lament for the pre-digital world.

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8:45 pm
Sun Oct 04
International Village 10
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Mon Oct 05
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Sun Oct 11
International Village 9
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What Remains

Dir. Yeşim Ustaoğlu
126 min

Stuck in a big city in a mind-numbing domestic routine, a young poetess finds herself at crossroads when her role as a mother and wife starts to overshadow her identity as an artist.

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Sun Oct 04
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Thu Oct 08
International Village 9
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Sweet Milk Lake

Dir. Harvey Zielinski
94 min

In Sweet Milk Lake, a trans man is mistaken for his cisgender twin in a darkly comic thriller about deception, gender, and dangerous wish fulfilment.

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Sun Oct 04
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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Mon Oct 05
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Sat Oct 10
International Village 9
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In Alaska

Dir. Jaap van Heusden, Vinnie Karetak
108 min

In Alaska follows Woody, an Inuk teen whose bullet pierces the Trans-Alaska Pipeline during a failed suicide attempt. Fleeing to Nunavut, he finds community and reconnects with the land and his Inuit roots, discovering what it means to be alive.

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Mon Oct 05
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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3:15 pm
Tue Oct 06
International Village 9
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Afterpiece

Dir. Keane T.K. Wong 王德健 王
112 min

This wry, twisty theatrical farce stars Stephen Fung as a playwright, actor, and director who writes a play based on his own past. His rich ex-lover wants to co-star, but our hero has found a sexy new actress, and he’s got a plan to get her the part…

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Tue Oct 06
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Wed Oct 07
International Village 9
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International Village 10
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17

Dir. Kosara Mitić
105 min

Seventeen-year-old Sara is hiding a big secret during her school trip, but when she witnesses the sexual assault of her best friend, her secret becomes impossible to hide. Kosara Mitić shines a light on the most volatile corners of the teenage experience.

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Tue Oct 06
International Village 10
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Thu Oct 08
International Village 10
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Fireflies in the Dark

Dir. Yogesh Lohan
85 min

Three interwoven stories explore survival, resilience, and the human cost of civil conflict against the ethnic violence that erupted in 2023 in Manipur, Northeast India. Yogesh Lohan offers an intimate portrait of lives caught in the strife.

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Tue Oct 06
International Village 9
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Wed Oct 07
International Village 9
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The Loneliest Man in Town

Dir. Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel
86 min

Vienna-based Al Cook plays a fictionalized version of himself in this poignant deadpan portrait of a bluesman at a crossroads. A beguiling minor-key medley of melancholy and nostalgia that draws you fully into its thrall.

Image: © Vento Film

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Wed Oct 07
International Village 10
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Fri Oct 09
International Village 10
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Fruit Gathering

Dir. Aung Phyoe
97 min

Achingly sensual and graced with fine performances, Fruit Gathering depicts embattled desire in a conservative society. Two working-class women fall into a romantic relationship in contemporary Myanmar — but is their love real, or borne of desperation?

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Wed Oct 07
SFU Woodwards
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Thu Oct 08
International Village 10
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The Difficult Bride

Dir. Rubaiyat Hossain
87 min

The Difficult Bride follows Zaineen, a young woman preparing for her marriage. Through a blend of feminist social commentary, psychological horror, and surreal imagery, the film explores female desire, fear, and the weight of societal expectations.

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3:15 pm
Thu Oct 08
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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Sat Oct 10
International Village 9
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Yasha

Dir. Naghi Nemati
88 min

Yasha follows Hana, a young teacher in desperate need of money for her son's life-saving operation. Sidestepping melodrama, Naghi Nemati offers a compelling portrait of a strong woman fighting against impossible odds.

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Fri Oct 09
Alliance Francaise
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Sat Oct 10
International Village 10
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Sun Oct 11
International Village 10
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Idda

Dir. Irene Dionisio
89 min

Childhood friends Adele and Sofia reconnect after years apart. Vowing to finally complete their long-planned climb to Mount Etna, the two set out on a strenuous journey up the Sicilian mountainside, where their friendship will be tested and redefined.

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6:30 pm
Fri Oct 09
International Village 10
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Sat Oct 10
SFU Woodwards
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9 Temples to Heaven

Dir. Sompot Chidgasornpongse
140 min

A middle-aged businessman leads his family on a one-day religious pilgrimage in the hopes of extending his sickly mother's life. Along the way, conflict brews, painful realizations unfold, and the film transforms into a meditation of faith, love, and duty.

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Fri Oct 09
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Sat Oct 10
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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No Good Men

Dir. Shahrbanoo Sadat
103 min

Naru, the sole camerawoman at a major Kabul newsroom, is convinced that there are “no good men” left in Afghanistan. But partnered with the station’s star reporter in the leadup to the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, her outlook starts to shift.

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Sat Oct 10
Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
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Sun Oct 11
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
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