This program of short films offers a range of LGBTQ2S+ lives and experience stories, from youthful romance to estranged seniors.
October 2 & 4: Q&A with the film teams
This short film program includes the following films:
Beyond the Sea
Hippolyte Leibovici, Belgium/France (25 min)
When older drag queen is about to go on stage at her cabaret for the last time her estranged son unexpectedly shows up threatening to derail the evening.
An Ordinary Day
Ju-yeon Gim, South Korea (20 min)
On a day when a comet is about to strike the Earth two young women who do not know each other well, one blind and one paraplegic, decide to spend their last hours together.
Almost Fall
Margot Pouppeville, France (23 min)
Love for the same woman tore a sister and brother apart, now in old age they reconnect but is reconciliation possible?
Headdress
Taietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire, USA (10 min)
When a Queer Native person sees a Non-Native person wearing a ceremonial headdress, they retreat into their mind to find the perfect response.
Youssou & Malek
Simon Frenay, France (28 min)
Two late teen boys are in love with each other and the utopian world they live in, but tomorrow heartbreak looms as one is leaving for university.
Community Partner
Various
Various
2022-2023
International Shorts
Various with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Round Midnight: Ardeshir Plays Dexter Gordon
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.
Montreal, ma belle
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.
Sirât
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.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
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.


