We are excited for VIFF audiences to experience this special program of innovative and eye-opening animated and experimental shorts from across Canada. These works were each selected for the ways they inspire new approaches to the moving image on screen, for their visually evocative storytelling, and in many cases for how they re-imagine compelling perspectives, histories, memories and formative life experiences. Together they offer a mesmerizing collection for the next generation of filmmakers.
October 7: Q&A with the film teams
This short film program includes the following films:
Two One Two
Shira Avni, QC (5 min)
Created by award winning filmmaker Shira Avni this deeply intimate, handcrafted experimental animated documentary explores neurodiversity, the loving bond between mother and child, and the process of (un)becoming a two-headed monster.
Sub Terra
Jeffrey Zablotny, ON (9 min)
A routine tree inspection unexpectedly gives way to a journey into the deep. Set in a hidden subterranean world, a mysterious perspective is created with constantly shifting, blending animation, photogrammetry, motion capture, and live-action material.
Swallow Flying to the South
Mochi Lin, BC (18 min)
During the Cultural Revolution in 1976, 5-year-old Swallow is abandoned at a public boarding preschool in central Beijing. When the persimmons are ripe, Swallow masters how to cry, but doesn’t forget how to fly. Inspired by the filmmaker’s mother’s story.
You Feel Soft
Cameron Kletke, BC (3 min)
An exploration of love and touch by Cameron Kletke, employing different forms of graphite that bring the screen to textural life.
Return to Hairy Hill
Daniel Gies, QC (18 min)
Over ten years in the making, Return to Hairy Hill is an atmospheric, fictional tale of family folklore, inspired by a collection of memories about a story passed down through filmmaker Daniel Gies’ family.
Where Rabbits Come From
Colin Ludvic Racicot, QC (15 min)
In a dystopian world, a widowed father rabbit challenges absolute authority by trying to infuse an ounce of wonder into his daughter’s life after the mysterious disappearance of her mother. A story of resilience, love and hope in the face of darkness.
Two Apples
Bahram Javahery, BC/Yukon (10 min)
When a young woman leaves her homeland in search of a different future, she brings with her a single memento from her past: a ripe apple studded with fragrant cloves. A true labour of love, a tender film delivered in a richly innovative animation style.
In the Wake of the Cedar Tree
Towustasin, BC (24 min)
Eclectically stylized, Haida poet & videographer Towustasin creates an experimental documentary short that incorporates animation, spoken word, intimate interviews and poetic narratives to explore trauma, hope, healing and connection to land.
Various
Various
Various
VIFF Short Forum
Various with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Sweetland
The government is ready to resettle the far-flung fishing community of Sweetland, Newfoundland with a healthy pay-out -- but only if the entire community signs up for the move. Retired fisherman Moses is one of the last hold-outs. He's lived here his entire life, and he's not ready to put his ghosts behind him.
La Chimera
Rohrwacher's first feature since Happy As Lazzaro is an exhilaratingly wild, mysterious, rough and tumble tale of a disheveled English tomb raider (Josh O'Connor) living with a roisterous group of Italian bohemians: singers, smugglers and petty thieves.
Evil Does Not Exist
After the international success of Drive My Car, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi quietly made this small-scale independent film, a work of simplicity and grace about a rural community and the developers who want to built a "glamping" retreat in the woods.
July Rhapsody
Ann Hui's newly restored 2002 film is a moving and sympathetic portrait of a 40-year-old school teacher (Jacky Cheung) going through a rocky patch with his wife (Anita Mui) while fending off a flirtatious student (Vancouver-born Karena Lam).
Wilfred Buck
Affectionately known as "the star guy", Wilfred Buck is our guide to the ancient astrology of the First Nations. Lisa Jackson's film brings his teachings to life, while also exploring how Buck transcended his troubled youth to become a beloved teacher.