There is high drama a plenty in this program of short films where uncommon scenarios turn into transformative life and death experiences.
October 4 & 6: Q&A with the film teams
This short film program includes the following films:
Cuarto de Hora
Nemo Arancibia, Chile/France (15 min)
A woman passing by a serious car accident becomes a French translator for a young Haitian man as he is taken by ambulance to a hospital.
Confessions
Stephanie Kaznocha, USA (12 min)
After the death of a friend two elderly nuns contemplate what the future holds, prompting them to embark on a journey of self discovery.
Fairplay
Zoel Aeschbacher, Switzerland/France (18 min)
Three males from different generations engage in dangerous, competitive and high risk situations in search of recognition.
Big Bang
Carlos Segundo, Brazil (14 min)
In Uberlandia, Brazil, a dwarf earns his living fixing ovens, which he easily fits into thanks to his small size.
A Lien
Sam Cutler-Kreutz, David Cutler-Kreutz, USA (15 min)
On the day of their green card interview a young couple confronts a twisted and dangerous immigration process.
Solo un Ensayo
Hugo Sanz, Spain (9 min)
Two sisters are hiding inside a wardrobe in an empty room, the younger one thinks it’s a game but it soon becomes apparent that a serious threat has appeared outside.
Jeong-Dong
Choi Woo Gene, South Korea (24 min)
On returning to Seoul a man moves into a cheap rental floor of a big house, but soon he starts to have strange experiences so his friends come to help investigate.
Community Partner
Various
Various
2022-2023
International Shorts
Various with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
No Other Land
Deemed by many critics one of the essential films of 2024, a multiple festival award winner and Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, No Other Land is a reminder that mass expulsion is by no means a new reality for Palestinians.
Misericordia
Edgy, eccentric, and unapologetically queer, this film goes from drama to comedy without putting a foot wrong. Sex and murder are the subjects, and writer-director Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake) mines them for suspense and outrageous laughs.
There's Still Tomorrow
A critical and box office sensation in Italy, Paola Cortellesi's triumphant directorial debut is the tale of a Roman housewife in 1946, who stands up against the routine sexist abuse she suffers. Funny, heartbreaking and inspiring.
The Way, My Way
All manner of pilgrims flock to France and Spain to walk the 800 km Camino de Santiago. One such is Bill, a stroppy sexagenarian Australian filmmaker who's determined to do the Camino with minimal prep, a dickey leg, and no firm idea why.
The Stand
This rousing doc explores a 1985 dispute over logging in the Haida Gwaii. Taking us from canny retrospective commentary to the thick of the action, director Chris Auchter employs animation and a wealth of archival footage to riveting effect.
Resident Orca
Captured in Puget Sound in 1970, killer whale Lolita spent the next half century in a cramped tank in Seaquarium, Miami. The film follows a coalition of Lummi elders, animal lovers and philanthropists on a rescue mission to return her to the ocean.