What's On
Love
This warm, thoughtful piece offers shrewd comic observations on modern dating as it trains a quizzical eye on the trysts of a female doctor, Marianne (Andrea Bræin Hovig), and her colleague, a gay male nurse, Tor (Tayo Cittadella Jacobsen).
Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day
In this powerful period drama, a Yugoslav filmmaker falls out of favour with the Communist regime in the 1950s. Suspected of homosexuality and ideological impurity, he has enemies in high places, but refuses to concede his human rights.
April
A doggedly mysterious and haunting account of an investigation into the professionalism of a Georgian Ob-Gyn, Nina, accused of negligance, Dea Kulumbegashvili's film has been compared to the work of masters like Haneke, Glazer and Reygadas.
Lust, Caution
Each month we showcase a movie selected by one of our VIFF+ Premium members. This month, Shanwen Yan chooses Ang Lee's erotic WWII spy 2007 thriller, starring Tany Wei, Tony Leung and Joan Chen.
Two Women
In this light-hearted, emancipatory take on a classic sex farce, two neglected married women discover the joys of casual sex and get their plumbing fixed.
Close-Knit
A young girl, Tomo, unexpectedly finds herself living with her uncle and his transgender partner, a woman named Tetsu. The unconventional family arrangement serves as a backdrop for exploring the challenges and joys of living authentically.
Shall We Dance?
Masayuki Suô's delightful and charming 1996 film was a box office smash and won 14 Japanese Academy Awards including Best Film. It's the story of a married salaryman who falls in love with... dance.
Fancy Dance
Shall we meditate? Masayuki Suô's second film is a comedy about a punk rock star (Masahiro Motoki) who agrees to become a Buddhist monk for a year in order to inherit his family's lucrative temple.
Chen Baker Play J-Pop
Jeffery's Chen Baker band is back (and bigger than ever) to present a set of city pop and jazzy J-pop by the likes of Miki Matsubara, Taeko Ohnuki, Lamp, before the screening of Masayuki Suô's hilarious underdog comedy Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992).
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
RW Fassbinder's lop-sided love story (60 year old German widow and a Moroccan twenty years her junior) shines an unflattering light on social hypocrisies.
The Second Mother
Humane, humorous and critically astute, this firm festival favourite from 2015 features a wonderful performance from Regina Casé as a nanny and housekeeper in São Paolo who begins to reevaluate her life when she's reunited with her teen daughter.