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
KAKU KAKU SHIKA JIKA fka Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey
Adapted from acclaimed manga artist Akiko Higashimura’s autobiographical manga is a funny and sharply observed coming-of-age story about the creative awakening of a master of manga.
A Sad and Beautiful World
This Lebanese love story chronicles the romance between a level-headed businesswoman and a romantic restauranteur across several decades in wartorn Beirut. It's funny, charming, melancholy and you'll feel it all.
Blue Boy Trial
Transgender filmmaker Kasho Iizuka revisits 1960s Japan and the sensational “Blue Boy Trial,” sparked by the arrest of a doctor performing sex reassignment surgeries. With trans actors in central roles, the film powerfully illuminates buried history, identity, dignity, and resilience.
Aruku - I Walk
This meditative documentary, captures the stories of four contemporary pilgrims on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage as they follow in the footsteps of master Kūkai, the monk who shaped Japanese Buddhism. Each is burdened, in different ways, by exhaustion, solitude, or quiet disillusionment.
How Dare You?
A bug-loving boy, a passionate classmate, and a troublemaker launch playful eco-protests against their town’s careless habits. As their missions escalate, they face real consequences in Director O’s witty, bittersweet Grand Jury Prize winner from the Toronto Japanese Film Festival.