The Reel Youth Film Festival is a diverse collection of short films made by emerging filmmakers around the world. Chosen by an international youth jury from 1300+ submissions and 100 countries. Whether it is a writer fishing for her next idea, a Māori boy grieving his father’s absence, or a hilarious young Black man expressing frustration with pandemic lockdown, the Reel Youth Film Festival will show you the world through the eyes of its talented youth.
This short film program includes the following films:
A l’unisson (Paper talk)
Nathalie Dunselman, France, 6 min, French with English subtitles
Two divorced parents could stand to learn a lesson from their kids in this heartwarming tale of human connection.
Baile da Magia (Prom and Potions)
Ana Maria Teixeira Hora, Brazil, 3 min, without dialogue
Two roommates at the School of Magic are doing their hair for prom. What could possibly go wrong?
Trailblazer
Jenna Hammerlindl and Heather Addison, Canada, 6 min, English
Cowboy, actor, leather dyke, and artist—Vancouver resident SD Holman has done it all, and learned some important lessons about community and belonging along the way.
The Hill We Climb
Youth participants with Wide Angle Youth Media, USA, 2 min, English
A collaborative artistic video poem that represents what matters to young media artists.
Self
Gagan Kumar C, India, 5 min, English
A simple ice cream date is not so simple as we step inside the thoughts of two Indian teenagers who envy each other.
The White Rose
Ian Kim, USA, 3 min, English
The stop-motion story of the German students who resisted the Nazis by distributing incendiary leaflets.
Solitude
Fiyin Coker, Canada, 4 min, English
A meditation on modern-day loneliness, created in an all-Black space for youth of African descent.
For My Father
Waka Wikaire James, New Zealand, 5 min, English and Maori with English subtitles
A young Maori boy at a crossroads in his life seeks guidance from the ghost of his father.
Lonely Souls
Finn Morgan-Roberts, UK, 2 min, English
Dressed to impress but lost in the woods, a nameless man is approached by a mysterious light which takes him on an otherworldly journey he never expected.
Dear Karen
Mika Washington and Kaniel Jacob-Cross, Canada, 3 min, English
Two young people clash, causing racial tensions to heighten in this youth-made film exploring anti-Black violence.
Pasapalabra (Whisperer)
Andrea Testini, Spain, 5 min, Spanish with English subtitles
A Muslim boy suffers racism and bullying from his schoolmates. He can only save himself thanks to the love of his mother and to a little lie of a good friend.
Sound of Borders
Bahar Rezvanifar, Iran, 2 min, English
An Iranian girl imagines herself as someone else.
Patterns in Our Lives
Leili Hamidi, Canada, 3 min, English
Patterns are everywhere from what we see, feel, and experience, but some patterns need to change. How do we unlearn old patterns that hold us back and learn new patterns that can help us? A personal reflection from Vancouver artist Leili Hamidi.
Fishing
Andreas Duerr, Germany, 4 min, English
A writer dives into the sea of ideas to find a new idea for her book.
She Said, She Said
Fraser Hannay, Canada, 2 min, English
Two young women recall a party, and a secret emerges.
CITSALP
Jean A. Evangelista, Philippines, 2 min, English
One thoughtless purchase contributes to a tide of pollution, and a world that is changing for the worse.
Power
Hannah Gallant, Madison Jules George, Nona Marchand, and Danielle Taralson, Canada, 2 min, English
A youth-made short film and rallying call to action to protect Indigenous women and girls.
Through
Gaukhar Akzhol, Kazakhstan, 5 min, English and Russian
Through the many walls of an apartment building in Kazakhstan, we see how women’s lives go on despite the changing world.
Fireworks
Nicolas Leclerc, Canada, 2 min, English
Two boys, a revelation, fireworks, and friendship.
Not Quite Quarantine
Julian Lee, USA, 10 min, English
This hilarious spoof music video paints the experience of one teen as he navigates the loneliness and frustrations of pandemic living.
Community Partner
Various
Various
2022
Various
Coarse language; violence
Open to youth!
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Blue Trail
In a near-future Brazil, elderly citizens are forcibly relocated to live out their days in a senior housing colony. When 77-year-old Tereza learns that she will soon be taken away, she embarks on a fantastical odyssey into the Amazon.
Shifting Baselines
Towering rockets rise as wetlands vanish in this sly black-and-white documentary about SpaceX’s conquest of Boca Chica, Texas. With sci-fi aesthetics and observational calm, the film exposes how cosmic dreams begin with the quiet erasure of Earth.
A Poet
When embittered poet Oscar Restrepo takes a job at a local high school, he meets Yurlady, a talented student from a poor background. Seeking to help her cultivate her art, he draws her into the poetry world — to disastrous and comedic results.
La Salsa Vive
An exuberant celebration of salsa that traces the genre's evolution from New York City in the 1960s and 70s to Cali, Colombia — the salsa capital of the world. Carvajal’s documentary highlights the rich legacy of this musical form and the joy it inspires.
Memory of Princess Mumbi
Can a filmmaker depict the future without AI? Damien Hauser crafts a genre-blending Afro-speculative fable about love, war, and the future of storytelling in a resurrected African kingdom. A micro-budget epic fueled by digital invention and heart.
Winter Light
Da-bin has a broke mother, a runaway brother, and a sister who’s going deaf, but gets by thanks to his best friend and caring girlfriend. Poignant and poetic, this is a film that explores the pain of adolescence and the stress of competing loyalties.