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Baba film image, co-directors Meran Ismailsoy and Anya Chirkova

Baba

World Premiere

All hell breaks loose when a depressed father calls in his son to help mediate an argument with the landlord.

 

Supported by

Community Broadcast Partner

Community Partner

Directors
Cast

Amir Zavosh, Maziyar Khatam, James Choy, Sina Djamshidiat

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2022

Language

In Farsi and English with English subtitles

Film Contact
Content Warning

Coarse language; violence

PG
14 min

Featured in:

N'xaxaitkw film image

VIFF Short Forum: Program 6

Cinematic form is given to life’s big mysteries: luck and fate, love and loss, and the spiritual supernatural.

 

More Info

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

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Animated)

Dir. Various
83 min

The nominees for Best Animated Short Film include The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a fable from Canadian filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, narrated by Colm Feore.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Round Midnight: Ardeshir Plays Dexter Gordon

Dir. Bertrand Tavernier
131 min

Loosely based on Bud Powell's time in Paris, Round Midnight (131 mins) is maybe the greatest of all films about jazz thanks to the towering performance of real-life jazz great Dexter Gordon. Saxophonist Ardeshir channels Gordon's vibe in his live set.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Montreal, ma belle

Dir. Xiaodan He
118 min

In this Valentine to discovering love later in life, the ever-elegant Joan Chen plays Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant and mother in Montreal whose world is turned upside down when she meets and falls in love with a young Quebecoise.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Live Action)

Dir. Various
119 min

This year's contenders in the Live Action category include comedies, drama, an experimental musical, and a dystopian fantasy; films from the UK and the US, France and Israel.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Sirât

Dir. Óliver Laxe
115 min

A desperate father (Sergi Lopez) searchers for his missing daughter through the spiritual wasteland of the Moroccan desert. An unforgettable sensory powerhouse, Sîrat will have you riveted and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Dir. David Borenstein & Pavel Talankin
90 min

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and Special Jury Prize Winner, Sundance, 2025, this exposé shot by a Russian primary teacher shows how the Putin propaganda machine works to militarize children.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Credits

Producer

Anya Chirkova, Maziyar Khatam

Screenwriter

Maziyar Khatam

Editor

Maziyar Khatam

Directors

Anya Chirkova headshot, Baba co-director

Anya Chirkova

Anya Chirkova is a Ukrainian-Russian film director/producer. In her work, she’s always looking to tell painful, yet cathartic stories that feel strikingly personal. She is the co-founder of Toronto-based production company Funny Bone Pictures and is a Humber College alumna. Chirkova is currently in pre-production for her first feature film.

Meran Ismailsoy headshot, Baba co-director

Meran Ismailsoy

Meran Ismailsoy is a Toronto-based Azerbaijani filmmaker with a directing and acting background. Ismailsoy approaches film as the art side of philosophy.