Ari Kinarthy’s existence is marked by worry and vigilance around his health, as he struggles with spinal muscular atrophy which has progressively weakened his muscles and left him vulnerable to infection and sickness. Yet he was born with the soul of an artist and a passion for music and remains curious and eager to collaborate with other musicians despite his limited physical strength. Anticipating the end of his life, Ari has an ambitious goal: to create music that will capture his experiences and memories and to leave a legacy through which people will remember him.
This documentary is a rare gem, borne of profound contemplation and insight. Intimate, honest, and inspiring, Ari eloquently narrates his own story and shares his artistic process. Ari’s Theme is visually captivating, incorporating animation, dramatic recreations, and imaginative dream sequences. Thoroughly engaging and beautifully made, this film demonstrates what a determined soul can achieve. It will make you weep and smile, all the while appreciating life’s tender workings and the constant movement of time.
The September 30 screening of Ari’s Theme is a Relaxed Screening. Relaxed Screenings are open to ANYONE who would benefit from a less restrictive and sensory-friendly experience. Learn more about Relaxed Screenings here.
Sept 28: Q&A with directors Nathan Drillot & Jeff Lee Petry and Ari Kinarthy
Opening Gala Screening – September 26, 6:30 pm – Standby Tickets
Standby tickets will be available to the Opening Gala screening of Ari’s Theme on September 26 at 6:30 pm at the Vancouver Playhouse. At the Opening Gala screening, members of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will live score key passages within the film and lend Ari’s compositions even greater resonance.
In Partnership with
Supported by
Media Partner
Ari Kinarthy, Allan Slade BMT MTA, Johannes Winkler, Leah Kinarthy, Elior Kinarthy
Canada
2024
In English with open captions
May frighten young children
Open to youth!
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Directors
Producer
Nathan Drillot, Jeff Lee Petry
Screenwriter
Nathan Drillot, Jeff Lee Petry, Ari Kinarthy
Cinematography
Nathan Drillot, Jeff Lee Petry
ANIM
Scott Lougheed
Editor
Benjamin Schuetze, Graham Fortin
Nathan Drillot
Jeff Lee Petry
Nathan Drillot and Jeff Lee Petry have been working under the moniker SALAZAR for over a decade producing and directing award-winning documentaries. Highlights include their feature documentary Wizard Mode premiering at Hot Docs and being acquired by Netflix US, showrunning a ten-episode docu-series, The Wrestlers, premiering on Viceland, and a Juno and Grammy nomination for best full-length music documentary with Tegan and Sara. Their short documentary Handsome and Majestic (2016) was included in the BFI Flare Film Festival’s 5 Films for Freedom campaign.
Filmography: Wizard Mode (2016)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
Baby Amelie believes herself to be a god. Her parents (Belgian diplomats in 60s Japan) can barely cope -- but find the perfect nanny to restore order in this delightful animated feature.
Train Dreams
A lovely, ruminative movie set in the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the last century. Robert (Joel Edgerton) is a lumberjack, a taciturn man who comes to appreciate the life slipping between his fingers.
Wisdom of Happiness
An audience with the Dalia Lama, who, at 90, looks back on his life and shares the tenets of Buddhism as a practical guide to surviving the 21st Century with joy and compassion.
Caravaggio
In the latest from Exhibition on Screen, co-directors David Bickerstaff and Phil Grabsky shed light not only on Caravaggio's paintings, but his life, often kept half-hidden in the same chiaroscuro tones he shaded his masterpieces with.
Left-Handed Girl
Co-written and edited by Sean Baker (Anora), Shi-Ching Tsou's heartwarming solo feature debut follows a single mom in Taipei who is too consumed with her noodle stand to keep tabs on her five-year-old daughter's burgeoning shoplifting habit.
Dawn Pemberton Sings Aretha + Amazing Grace Film Screening
These dates are going to knock your socks off: one of the all-time great concert films, Aretha Franklin performing at the New Bethel Baptist Church in 1972, and Canada's own Queen of Soul, Dawn Pemberton, performing live in Aretha's honour.