Canada
2022
In English and Spanish with English subtitles
Violence
Featured in:
VIFF Short Forum: Program 1
What kind of alchemy occurs to transform hardship into fortune? Here, the extraordinary burn brightly.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Holdovers
Destined to become a seasonal staple, this bittersweet comedy reunites Sideways director and star Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti in the portrait of a surly classics teacher forced to babysit five "orphans" at boarding school over the holidays.
Who by Fire
Jeff, a 17-year-old aspiring filmmaker, goes on vacation with his friend Max and his family to an isolated lodge. Philippe Lesage’s film is a tense, mesmerizing tour de force that is both agonizing and cathartic. A Berlinale award winner.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Aardman Animation's handcrafted mix of dad jokes, slapstick, mock dramatics and understated emotion makes this return for the claymation odd couple a constant delight. The villainous Feathers McGraw is back to no good, commandeering Norbot the robot. Rated: G
Gremlins (40th Anniversary)
The perfect last minute Xmas gift: give your special someone a cute ball of fur and don't worry about where it came from. Just don't put it under bright lights, don't get it wet, and whatever you do, please, please don't feed it after midnight... Rated: PG
Image: © 1984 WBEI
The Count of Monte Cristo
You can't beat this evergreen Alexandre Dumas tale for adventure, intrigue and romance. This lavish French blockbuster from the writers of the recent Three Musketeers movies pulls you in from the first scene and doesn't let off for the next three hours. Rated: PG
Credits
Producer
Sarah Shamash, Sonia Medel
Screenwriter
Sarah Shamash, Sonia Medel
Cinematography
Angie Rico
Editor
Sarah Shamash
Directors
Sonia Medel
Sonia Medel is currently a PhD Candidate in Education at the University of British Columbia and working as a lead on diverse curatorial and publishing projects. She has been promoting decolonial and intersectional feminist engagement with arts, culture, and education across the Americas for over a decade. A visibly racialized Indigenous-Afro-European descendant, Chilean-Peruvian Latina, Medel is grateful to the Coast Salish peoples and lands on which she was born and primarily develops her practices.
Sarah Shamash
Sarah Shamash is an artist, educator, and media scholar living and raising her son on unsurrendered Indigenous lands in Vancouver. Her works have been shown in curated exhibitions and film festivals internationally. She currently teaches film studies and studio-based practices at the University of British Columbia and Emily Carr University of Art + Design.