Action & Suspense
Brief History of a Family
Gripping, poetic, and darkly beautiful, Lin Jianjie’s domestic thriller tells of a high school slacker whose mysterious new friend slowly captures the hearts of his parents. This is a terrific debut from a director with a very bright future in cinema.
Ghost Trail
In this crisp, psychological thriller, a Syrian refugee in Strasbourg zeroes in on the man he suspects tortured him and countless others in prison during the civil war. Proof remains elusive, but Hamad (Adam Bessa) will see justice served...
Balomania
In the labyrinthine underworld of São Paulo, Sissell Morell Dargis spent a decade documenting the story of illegal baloeiros, hot air balloonists, and guerilla artists, who risk their lives crafting and releasing huge, lavishly decorated paper balloons.
To a Land Unknown
In this outstanding crime drama, two Palestinian cousins are exiled in Athens and in dire need of funds for fake passports to move their family to Germany. A slippery slope of moral compromise awaits as they resort to human smuggling and hostage-taking.
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
A police chief murders his mistress, in an effort to prove that his position in society makes it impossible for him to be caught. Petri’s Cannes and Oscar-winning 1970 film is part pitch-black satire, part police-procedural, part psychological thriller.
VIFF Short Forum 3
Shorts from Canada, Hungary, Iran, Japan, Macau, Taiwan, and USA.
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
In the deserted hills of an Indonesian island, a young widow is raped and robbed. In defending herself, Marlina kills several of the attacking gang, then sets out to find justice. Surya's spectacular revenge movie coopts western tropes to feminist ends.
VIFF Short Forum 4
Shorts from Brazil, Kenya, Martinique, Mexico, Taiwan, and USA.