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Heartbeat of a Nation film image, director Eric Janvier

Heartbeat of a Nation

Honouring the Dene Drum, this documentary celebrates the healing of a community and nation through the reclamation and passing down of traditional teachings within a Dene family.

 

Supported by

Community Broadcast Partner

Community Partner

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2022

Language

English

Film Contact
G
20 min

Featured in:

Heartbeat of a Nation film image

VIFF Short Forum: Program 5

Growing up is hard to do, often harder as we get older.

 

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VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Happy Holidays

Dir. Scandar Copti
123 min

Happy Holidays (the title is ironic) is an expansive, acutely observed sociopolitical family saga which thoughtfully considers the myriad intricacies of Israeli Arab life.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

The Track

Dir. Ryan Sidhoo
91 min

In the middle of a mountain forest above Sarajevo, three boys train for the Olympics in a bullet-ridden luge track abandoned since the 1984 Winter Games. An ambitious, hopeful look at the next generation striving to overcome the sins of their fathers.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

The Mother and the Bear

Dir. Johnny Ma
100 min

Johnny Ma’s film stars Kim Ho-jung as a Korean woman who flies to Winnipeg when her immigrant daughter is hospitalized there. This crowd-pleaser plays up cultural differences to hilarious effect and offers a touching take on mother-daughter tension.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

It Was Just an Accident

Dir. Jafar Panahi
105 min

Having offered some late-night assistance to a stranger in the wake of an auto accident, a mechanic grows convinced that he recognizes the supposed stranger’s voice as that of his torturer during a grueling prison spell.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Breaking the Waves

Dir. Lars von Trier
158 min

Kicking off our 2026 Pantheon series of the greatest films ever made, Lars von Trier's 1996 masterpiece is a devastating melodrama featuring an indelible performance from Emily Watson as the woman whose love for her husband knows no bounds.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Credits

Executive Producer

David Christensen

Producer

Coty Savard

Screenwriter

Eric Janvier

Cinematography

Holly Mazur

Editor

Sarah Taylor

Director

Eric Janvier headshot, Heartbeat of a Nation director

Eric Janvier

Eric Janvier is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker who has found space in both the narrative and documentary fields. He trained at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, California. He wrote and directed Reserved (2019), which was broadcast on the CBC’s Short Film Face Off. He most recently produced the upcoming feature film Hey, Viktor!