What's On
One to One: John and Yoko
Both a concert film (Madison Square Gardens, August 1972) and a time machine, dropping us into the dizzying political kaleidoscope of the early 1970s, Kevin Macdonald's latest documentary is a rewarding addition to Lennon Studies.
Thom Yorke's Tall Tales
Be among the first to experience Tall Tales, a collaboration between Thom Yorke, producer Mark Pritchard and visual artist Jonathan Zawada at 12:01 am at VIFF Centre.
Marcella
Marcella Hazan taught North Americans that there was more to Italian food than pizza and meatballs. She wrote what remains the definitive book on the subject (Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking). This is her story.
Sabbath Queen
The dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Amichai Lau-Lavie is what you might call the black sheep of the family. His sexuality led him down a different path, but its destination is surprising...
Caught by the Tides
Over two decades, across China’s rapidly changing landscape, two lovers meet and part and meet again. In this magisterial film, Jia Zhangke refracts the 21st century through a reflexive, retrospective look at his era-defining filmography.
The Penguin Lessons
Steve Coogan nails a juicy role in the true story of an English teacher in 70s Argentina who reluctantly p-p-picks up a penguin from an oil-slicked beach but finds his new friend is stickier than he looks.
Sweet Summer Pow Wow
After the local hit The Great Salish Heist, writer-director Darrell Dennis proves his versatility with this charming love story about two young people who meet cute on BC's Pow Wow circuit. Her mom wants her to become a lawyer, but Jinny loves to dance...
Kryptic
Oozing psycho-sexual anxiety, Kourtney Roy's fascinating feminist horror movie feints toward creature-feature quirk, but morphs into something much stranger. Chloe Pirrie plays a double role, or maybe Everywoman, adrift in a world of men and monsters.
Kryptic Live will feature a one-time-only screening of the film live scored by composer Cayne Mackenzie + Q&A with director Kourtney Roy.
Are We Done Now?
Down River director Ben Immanuel returns with a wry, self-aware Covid comedy in which a socially distant Vancouver documentarian checks in with a stressed-out therapist (Gabrielle Miller) and several of her patients over the course of the pandemic.
Universal Language
In a wintery, Farsi-speaking city that’s equal measures Winnipeg and Tehran, storylines entangle and the concepts of space, time, and identity grow increasingly opaque. Inventive and absurd, Rankin's poetic fable reminds us that Winnipeg is a wonderland. Rated: G
Secret Mall Apartment
The stranger-than-fiction true story of a group of artists who built and furnished a hidden apartment inside a mall, remaining undetected for years. This is an absurdly fun and surprisingly profound film about gentrification and art.
Steel Magnolias
Celebrate Mother's Day with Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Darryl Hannah (not forgetting Dylan McDermott, Tom Skerritt and Sam Shepard). Real moms optional.