Skip to main content
Big Day film image

International Shorts: Relational Baggage

Image: Big Day, VIFF 2023

This event has passed

The short films in this program illustrate some of the barriers or difficulties people run into with their personal relationships.

 

October 1 & 3: Q&A with the film teams

 

This short film program includes the following films:

Hedgehog
D. Mitry, USA (17 min)

As the war starts in Ukraine a young girl is taken to stay with her grandmother. In the shack outside, she discovers a badly wounded Russian soldier.

 


Nowhere
Garin Hovannisian, Armenia/USA (12 min)

A teacher and a young barista are too prudent to say anything about their mutual attraction, but after dark a world emerges where their shadows come alive.

 


Hide Your Crazy
Austin Kase, USA (14 min)

A young man’s surprise birthday dinner for his girlfriend is not met with the response he was expecting, which leads to the most frightful night of their lives.

 


Big Day
Chung Chieh Chiang, Taiwan (23 min)

An older couple take a walk to file their divorce papers and on the way reflect on how their lives came to this.

 


Snif & Snüf
Michael J Ruocco, USA (5 min)

Two characters discover an interesting new object that teaches them a lot about themselves and what it means to share.

 


Sushi
Iván Morales, Spain (22 min)

A young man goes out for sushi dinner with a community policeman who has never had sushi before, but the mystery of their connection takes a while to be revealed.

 


Pisko the Crab Child Is in Love
Makoto Nagahisa, Japan (17 min)

A young woman whose father was a crab takes us on a whirlwind tour of her struggle to find love and acceptance.

 

Community Partner

Director

Various

Country of Origin

Various

Year

2022-2023

Series

International Shorts

Language

Various with English subtitles

18+
110 min
Shorts

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

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

Heat

Dir. Jacqueline Zünd
85 min

Heat explores the unequal realities of a warming planet. Taking a sensory approach to its subject, director Jacqueline Zünd reveals how extreme heat intersects with labour rights, migration, and social inequality.

International Village 10

Elephants in the Fog

Dir. Abinash Bikram Shah
108 min

In a remote Nepalese village, Pirati takes charge in the search for a missing girl belonging to her family of third-gender Kinnar women. A densely atmospheric thriller and a moving portrait of an embattled but resilient community.

International Village 10 Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only

RADIOHEART: The Drive and Times of DJ Kevin Cole

Dir. Peter Hilgendorf, Andrew Franks
83 min

Featuring a scintillating soundtrack of tunes going back to the ‘70s, RADIOHEART is a heartwarming celebration of one of the greatest radio DJs, Kevin Cole, whose musical tastes and influence are still reverberating across the world’s soundwaves.

International Village 9

Nous, L'orchestre De Paris

Dir. Philippe Béziat
90 min

Philippe Béziat’s documentary offers an unprecedented look at the Orchestre de Paris and the camaraderie of its 120 members. A jubilant ode to the transcendence of classical music.

International Village 8
Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story
Man in Motion film image; man using wheelchair down a street in the rain

Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story

Dir. Adrian Buitenhuis
96 min

Twenty-six months, 40,075 kilometres, 34 countries traversed in a wheelchair, and more than $26 million raised for accessibility initiatives… Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story documents the staggering accomplishments of an iconic athlete and activist.

Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
Strong Son
Strong Son film image; two men flexing their arm muscles

Strong Son

Dir. Ian Bawa
88 min

A bodybuilder returns home to care for his ailing father in Ian Bawa's debut feature. A moving exploration of masculinity, filial duty, and the emotional distance between first-generation immigrant parents and their children.

International Village 10