Skip to main content
Ellie film image, director Fernando Bonelli

Ellie

Canadian Premiere

The daughter from a man’s first marriage feels left out and misunderstood at a birthday celebration for her younger stepsister. This is a beautifully made family relations story about a child’s insecurities and a father’s failure to recognize his daughter’s needs in a difficult situation. Reminiscent of Catherine Breillat’s emotionally rich works minus the sexual identity aspects, the film captures the mood and feelings of awkward belonging and frustration the daughter is overwhelmed by. Baby stems directly from the director’s experience growing up and exposes the difficulties and confusion children may have when parental relationships change.

 

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Verónika Moral, Jorge Kent, Liz Lobato, María Zuheros, Bernabé Fernández, Montse Pla

Credits
Country of Origin

Spain

Year

2022

Language

In Spanish with English subtitles

Film Contact
20 min

Featured in:

Mumu film image

International Shorts: Family Ties

The bonds of family form the basis of this program of short films. Bonds with history and responsibility—sometimes close, sometimes strained—now and for the future.

 

MORE INFO

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

Gabriel Figueroa & Alex Phillips: Painting It Black
Painting It Black film image; collage of black and white film imagery

Gabriel Figueroa & Alex Phillips: Painting It Black

30 min

In this free talk, educator and filmmaker Devan Scott (himself a professional cinematographer) will introduce you to the artistry of two giants of Mexican cinematography, Gabriel Figueroa and Canadian Alex Phillips.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

The Things You Kill

Dir. Alireza Khatami
113 min

Thirty-something professor Ali leads an apparently stable life. But when his ailing mother dies under ambiguous circumstances, he starts to unravel, resulting in an act that shatters our understanding of his person.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Él (This Strange Passion)

Dir. Luis Buñuel
93 min

A seemingly genteel and highly reputable gentleman reveals his true nature on his wedding night in this searing melodrama from surrealist Luis Buñuel, one of the most shocking films from his Mexican period.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

La Otra

Dir. Roberto Gavaldón
98 min

Dolores del Rio plays twins on different sides of the wealth divide in this fiendish Mexican Noir thriller. Maria decides to murder Magdelana and step into her high heels. But can she carry it off?

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

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 - VIFF Cinema

Women Talking

104 min

Sarah Polley's adaptation of Miriam Toews' novel is the most compelling movie to come out of the #MeToo movement to date, with stellar performances from Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, and Claire Foy, as Mennonite women confronting a terrible truth.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Credits

Producer

Elena Zabía, Miguel Ángel Larraya, Fernando Bonelli

Screenwriter

Fernando Bonelli

Cinematography

Enrique Silguero, Carlos Garcés

Editor

Ascen Marchena

Original Music

Juan Antonio Simarro, Fernando Bonelli

Art Director

Isi G. San Martín

Director

Fernando Bonelli headshot, Ellie director

Fernando Bonelli

Fernando Bonelli began his career leading Globo Media’s artistic department. In 2003, he founded Bonelli & Asociados, a company specializing in advice and legal support in the artistic field, and a few years later, Consuelo Films and Mayfield Pictures.