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International Shorts: Not Your Everyday Drama

Image: Fairplay, VIFF 2023

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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

Director

Various

Country of Origin

Various

Year

2022-2023

Series

International Shorts

Language

Various with English subtitles

18+
107 min
Shorts

Book Tickets

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

Clubfoot
Clubfoot film image; three people at the end of an aisle in a library

Clubfoot

Dir. Nathan Donovan
70 min

An adopted teen and his friend coerce a younger adoptee to go for a drive out to the countryside — but things turn violent. With a fragmented structure and unresolved questions, Clubfoot reflects the uncertainty and isolation that often follow adoption.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Smudge the Blades
Smudge the Blades headshot; hockey players in a faceoff

Smudge the Blades

Dir. Cody Lightning
96 min

This rousing hockey drama centres on the Treaty 6 Blades, a team of Indigenous youth on a quest for redemption. Blessed with a terrific cast, this is a crowd-pleaser in which victory is about much more than winning the game.

International Village 9

Congo Boy

Dir. Rafiki Fariala
91 min

Congo Boy is a deeply moving coming-of-age drama about Robert, a 17-year-old Congolese refugee in the Central African Republic balancing school, odd jobs, and the care of his four younger siblings — while dreaming of success as a musician.

Image: © 2026 MAKONGO FILMS UNITÉ KIRIPIFILMS KARTA FILM CANAL

Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island

Sweet Milk Lake

Dir. Harvey Zielinski
94 min

In Sweet Milk Lake, a trans man is mistaken for his cisgender twin in a darkly comic thriller about deception, gender, and dangerous wish fulfilment.

Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only International Village 9

Ba's Book

Dir. Ashley Duong
102 min

A TIFF Docs world premiere and Cannes Docs award winner, Ba’s Book follows Vietnamese-Canadian filmmaker Ashley Duong as she brings her father’s memoir to Vietnam and recreates it with her family, blending documentary and staged scenes.

International Village 8

Family Fears Another Night of Terror

Dir. Cristian Ponce
83 min

Night after night, a family of four is tormented by an unseen presence inside their home — or so it seems. Family Fears Another Night of Terror transforms the aesthetics of a late-night television special into an analogue nightmare.

International Village 10