In modern-day Berlin, Eva, a timid foley artist, moves around the world with both curiosity and caution. If quiet enough, she can be invisible to others, allowing her to explore parts of humanity most of us could never imagine. Her latest project, creating sound effects for a medication commercial starring a dark bay horse, releases Eva from her past inhibitions and transforms her physical form beyond the realm of possibility.
Described as an “erotic and sexual neo-Buñuelian pas de deux” (Clarisse Fabre, Le Monde), director Ann Oren fearlessly examines the extremes of the human sexual appetite and self-acceptance in this tale of magical realism. The film is the director’s adaptation of her own short film Passage (starring Colombian-German artist Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau, who appears in this film as Eva’s troubled sibling Zara) which explored similar themes in a condensed format. In Piaffe, actress Simone Bucio offers audiences a daring performance as a woman, who, by exploring her innermost desires, becomes undeniably visible.
Simone Bucio, Sebastian Rudolph, Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau, Bjørn Melhus, Sarah Nevada Grether, Lea Draeger
Germany
2022
In German and English with English subtitles
At International Village
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
There's Still Tomorrow
A critical and box office sensation in Italy, Paola Cortellesi's triumphant directorial debut is the tale of a Roman housewife in 1946, who stands up against the routine sexist abuse she suffers. Funny, heartbreaking and inspiring.
The Way, My Way
All manner of pilgrims flock to France and Spain to walk the 800 km Camino de Santiago. One such is Bill, a stroppy sexagenarian Australian filmmaker who's determined to do the Camino with minimal prep, a dickey leg, and no firm idea why.
The Stand
This rousing doc explores a 1985 dispute over logging in the Haida Gwaii. Taking us from canny retrospective commentary to the thick of the action, director Chris Auchter employs animation and a wealth of archival footage to riveting effect.
Resident Orca
Captured in Puget Sound in 1970, killer whale Lolita spent the next half century in a cramped tank in Seaquarium, Miami. The film follows a coalition of Lummi elders, animal lovers and philanthropists on a rescue mission to return her to the ocean.
No Other Land
Deemed by many critics one of the essential films of 2024, a multiple festival award winner and Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, No Other Land is a reminder that mass expulsion is by no means a new reality for Palestinians.
Misericordia
Edgy, eccentric, and unapologetically queer, this film goes from drama to comedy without putting a foot wrong. Sex and murder are the subjects, and writer-director Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake) mines them for suspense and outrageous laughs.
Credits
Producer
Kristof Gerega, Sophie Ahrens, Fabian Altenried
Screenwriter
Ann Oren, Thais Guisasola
Cinematography
Carlos Vasquez
Editor
Ann Oren, Haim Tabakman
Original Music
Munsha, äbvsd, VTSS
Director
Ann Oren
Born in Tel Aviv, Ann Oren is a visual artist and filmmaker. She studied film and fine arts at The School of Visual Arts in New York. Her artworks have been presented in institutions including The Moscow International Biennale for Young Art, Hammer Museum, Tel-Aviv Museum, Anthology Film Archives, apexart, and KINDL – Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst. After moving to Berlin in 2015, her artistic focus shifted from video art and installations to cinema. She directed Passage in 2020, a 16mm short film that serves as a prequel to Piaffe.