Skip to main content
Piaffe film image, director Ann Oren

Piaffe

This event has passed

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.

Director
Cast

Simone Bucio, Sebastian Rudolph, Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau, Bjørn Melhus, Sarah Nevada Grether, Lea Draeger

Credits
Country of Origin

Germany

Year

2022

Language

In German and English with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
18+

At International Village

19+

At The Rio

86 min
Award Winners Experimental & Avant Garde Women Directors

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

Dir. Sasha Waters
91 min

Sasha Waters' documentary takes us through the life of America's best-selling late twentieth century poet, a private woman who shared her innermost thoughts and made them indispensable.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Mistura

Dir. Ricardo de Montreuil
97 min

This foodie film from Peru tells the story of a newly single socialite reinventing herself — and the local cuisine — after her husband has left her for a younger woman. Along the way, she finds support from unexpected places...

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Andrea Superstein Sings Burt Bacharach + Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Film Screening

155 min

Local hero and Anglophile Mike Myers scored a massive comedy hit with this spot-on spoof of James Bond and his many imitators. Before the yucks, Andrea Superstein treats us to a set of timeless Burt Bacharach tunes.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Another World

Dir. Tommy Kai Chung Ng
112 min

This hit anime from Hong Kong gives us an unpredictable, sometimes darkly karmic tale taking place on either side of the afterlife involving a headstrong princess with bad karma and the spirit guide who tries to help her get on a better path.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Vivaldi and Me

Dir. Damiano Michieletto
111 min

Venice, 1716. Composer Antonio Vivaldi teaches at an orphanage for abandoned girls, and establishes a deep rapport with violinist Cecelia — but their collaboration is threatened by her impending arranged marriage.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Amadou & Mariam: The Blind Couple From Mali

Dir. Ryan Marley
87 min

This lovely portrait of the irresistible Malian musicians traces how the blind couple met in Bamako and instantly connected, their triumphs on the world stage and collaborations with the likes of Chris Martin, Damon Albarn and Manu Chao.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

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 headshot, Piaffe 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.