The camera eye knows no bounds in these stories that push the limits of gravity and grace.
Q&A Oct 3 & Oct 5
This short film program includes the following films:
Tidal
Chloe Van Landschoot, NS (10 min)
Examining the cyclical nature of workplace trauma and the relentlessness of health care work, the daily grind of a bedside nurse is embodied through movement, rhythm, and dance.
Chasing Birds
Una Lorenzen, QC/Iceland (8 min)
A hand-drawn animation of parallel universes in which strangers, unaware of each other’s presence, share the use of a long table as their worlds gradually merge.
Paco
Kent Donguines, BC (15 min)
While keeping a secret from his family overseas, Paco struggles to uphold his responsibilities and aspirations.
Hills and Mountains
Salar Pashtoonyar, ON (8 min)
Filmed on location in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, an Afghan woman recalls how the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan led to her forced displacement and marriage.
Dhulpa
Kunsang Kyirong, BC (18 min)
Narrative and documentary elements are woven together to tell the stories of a Tibetan immigrant community working at a local laundry facility.
Square Peg
Christian Bunea, ON (8 min)
The countdown is on as a freshman international student tries to print their essay before heading in to an exam.
Horse Brothers
Milos Mitrovic, Fabian Velasco, MB (8 min)
A tale of sibling betrayal and revenge as told by a ranch horse (voiced by Guy Maddin).
Terror/Forming
Rylan Friday, BC (24 min)
Parker and his boyfriend Darren make a disturbing discovery on their way to Parker’s late kokum’s cabin, setting the stage for how the night will unfold.
Supported by
Community Broadcast Partner
Community Partner
Various
Canada
2021-2022
Various with English subtitles
Animal Cruelty, Gender or Sexual Discrimination
Open to youth!
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Tangles
Based on the graphic memoir by Vancouver artist Sarah Leavitt, Tangles is a stunning, hand-drawn animated feature about a cartoonist coming to terms with her mom’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Nominated for the Caméra d’Or at Cannes 2026.
How We Stand
How We Stand follows three Indigenous sisters separated after their family relocates to Los Angeles under Native American Relocation Program in the 1950s. Twenty years later, they navigate identity, trauma, and very different lives.
Afterpiece
This wry, twisty theatrical farce stars Stephen Fung as a playwright, actor, and director who writes a play based on his own past. His rich ex-lover wants to co-star, but our hero has found a sexy new actress, and he’s got a plan to get her the part…
Whatcha Want
Whatcha Want, a hip-hop-infused drama from award-winning Vancouverite Mina Shum (Meditation Park), sees a restless trophy wife from Hong Kong rise above her wealthy husband’s infidelity by rekindling her passion for dance.
Nuisance Bear
Winner of the highly coveted Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Documentary, Nuisance Bear follows a polar bear through Churchill, Manitoba, where the town profits from bears as spectacle while treating their arrival as a problem.


