Skip to main content
Sweetland film image; man lying in tall grass

Sweetland

This event has passed

The government is ready to resettle the far-flung fishing community of Sweetland, Newfoundland with a healthy pay-out — but only if the entire community signs up for the move. Retired fisherman Moses (Mark Lewis Jones) is one of the last hold-outs. He’s lived here his entire life, and he’s not ready to put his ghosts behind him. Reminiscent of Gordon Pinsent’s classic John and the Missus, this adaptation of a novel by Michael Crummey is distinguished by its beautiful cinematography and a formidable central performance from Mark Lewis Jones. Director Christian Sparkes (Cast No Shadow) also has The King Tide on release this year; he’s emerging as an important figure in Canadian filmmaking.

Director

Christian Sparkes

Cast

Mark Lewis Jones, Sara Canning, Mary Walsh

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2023

Language

English

19+
105 min

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Screenwriter

Christian Sparkes

Cinematography

Jordan Kennington

Editor

Jorge Weisz

Original Music

Andrew Staniland

Also Playing

The Return

Dir. Uberto Pasolini
116 min

Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche are reunited in this probing, somber take on Homer's Odyssey.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Oscar® Shorts 2025: Live Action

104 min

This year's live action shorts include films from India, South Africa, the USA, the Netherlands, and Croatia about rhinos, robots, and testing times.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Mongrels

Dir. Jerome Yoo
111 min

Like Riceboy Sleeps, Jerome Yoo's debut feature is a beguiling, introspective film looking back on the Korean immigrant experience in the Canadian hinterland, here split across three chapters, each with a distinct visual aesthetic.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Doctor Zhivago

Dir. David Lean
197 min

This Valentine Day, wrap yourself in David Lean's epic, all-star love story, set against the tumult of the Russian Revolution. With Maurice Jarre's haunting score, Omar Sharif as the soulful doctor/poet, and Julie Christie as his soul-mate Lara.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema