
World Premiere
Harvey (Benjamin Turnbull) is a middle-aged, overweight biologist. He lives a lonely life, often feeling invisible on his daily commute and starving for interaction. He spends his time photographing plants and visiting his comatose father in the hospital. While browsing an adult bookshop, he unearths a gay magazine called Cherub, “For big men and their admirers.” Curious and nervous, he submits a photo to the magazine’s Cherub of the Month contest.
Produced as his M.F.A. thesis at York University, Devin Shears’ debut feature (his previous film Grown in Darkness screened at the 2022 VIFF Short Forum) is a gentle, warmhearted character study featuring a deeply human performance from Turnbull. Harvey flourishes before our eyes as he overcomes the fear of being humiliated and experiences the highs and lows of feeling seen. Featuring richly textured cinematography, a shimmering score, and completely dialogue-free, Cherub is an ambient charmer that heralds the arrival of a bright, young talent in Shears.
Oct 3 & 4: Q&A with director Devin Shears and actor Benjamin Turnbull
Presented by
Media Partner
Benjamin Turnbull
Canada
2024
No Dialogue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits & Director
Producer
Mithila Majithia, Devin Shears
Screenwriter
Devin Shears
Cinematography
Nick Tiringer
Editor
Devin Shears
Production Design
Annette Wanjiku Wanjiru
Original Music
Anastasia Westcott
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Our Lady of the Nile
Veronica and Virginia are inseparable friends at an elite Catholic boarding school, Our Lady of the Nile, but what binds them together is the very thing that separates them forever. We are in Rwanda, 1973, and tribal tensions are simmering ominously.
Night Moves: Street Photography, Poetry and Music with Rodney DeCroo
To mark the publication of Night Moves, his first book of street photography (shot in and around Commercial Drive), singer-songwriter, poet and playwright Rodney DeCroo shares his images, stories and music, along with his band The Wise Blood.
Secret Mall Apartment
The stranger-than-fiction true story of a group of artists who built and furnished a hidden apartment inside a mall, remaining undetected for years. This is an absurdly fun and surprisingly profound film about gentrification and art.
The Teacher
In this potent thriller, English teacher Basem witnesses the murder of a teenager by a Israeli settler. While the subsequent investigation rolls slowly towards a foregone conclusion, the teacher is caught up in a parallel kidnapping case...
Bob Trevino Likes It
When her toxic, narcissistic dad cuts her out of his life, Lily Trevino looks him up on Facebook and happens across his namesake, Bob (John Leguizamo), a gentle, genial contractor who lives nearby, and who proves an altogether better dad...
The Encampments
When pro-Palestine protests took hold of Columbia last year, the filmmakers were there from the beginning. This documentary charts the mounting tensions between students and the administration, as the protests were picked up across North America.