Canadian Premiere
Upon finding the rare Antarctic mineral Weddellite in her kidney stone, a retired nature documentary narrator is inspired to return to the field to tell one last story. She invites us to join her in exploring the hidden world of stones: where Palestinian granite quarry workers unearth ancient fish fossils, and geologists in the UK linger by roadcuts to examine meteorite pieces. In Cape Verde, Fogo islanders inhabit homes partially engulfed in volcanic rock, while along the beaches of Cornwall, an artist assumes the daily task of picking up shards of plastic waste to remold into sculptures.
Buoyed by Siân Phillips’ affably soothing voiceover performance, director Sophie Benoot’s quirky hybrid essay film offers up both a micro- and macroscopic view of the mesmerizing connections between geological structures and living beings. In turns thought-provoking, droll, and affecting, Apple Cider Vinegar gently nudges the viewer to contemplate ecological grief, while training our eyes to find beauty in unexpected places.
Apple Cider Vinegar is an essay film if there ever was one, at the intersection of Chris Marker and Patrício Guzman for its philosophical gravitas and Agnès Varda and Laurie Anderson for its playfulness.
Diego Semerene, Slant Magazine
Siân Phillips
Belgium/Netherlands
2024
In English, Arabic and Portuguese with English subtitles and open captions
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Peter Krüger
Producer
Peter Krüger
Screenwriter
Sofie Benoot
Cinematography
Jonathan Wannyn
Editor
Sofie Benoot, Liyo Gong
Original Music
Guillaume Graux
Sofie Benoot
Sofie Benoot (Bruges, 1985) lives and works in Brussels. Her films are patchworks of different stories, carefully assembled to reveal hidden connections. Fronterismo (2007), Blue Meridian (2010) and Desert Haze (2014) played at Visions du Réel (Switzerland), Camden International Film Festival (USA), Torino FD (Italy), and BAFICI (Argentina). Benoot teaches in the Film master’s programme at LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. She co-directed Victoria (2020), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and won the Caligari Prize.
Filmography: Fronterismo (2007); Blue Meridian (2010); Desert Haze (2014); Victoria (2020)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Secret Agent
Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name — but he’ll soon come to understand precisely how rampant the country’s corruption has become.
The Blue Star
In crisis, a popular singer quits Spain to backpack in Argentina. There he comes under the spell of a veteran musician, who teaches him the art of chacareras, zambas and vidalas. It's a journey of musical kinship and spiritual reawakening.
The Mother and the Bear
Johnny Ma’s film stars Kim Ho-jung as a Korean woman who flies to Winnipeg when her immigrant daughter is hospitalized there. This crowd-pleaser plays up cultural differences to hilarious effect and offers a touching take on mother-daughter tension.