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
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
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
Devin Shears
Devin Shears is a filmmaker from St. John’s, Newfoundland, currently living in Toronto. His past work has played at VIFF, Atlantic Film Festival, and Antimatter, among others. Cherub is his first feature film, made as part of his MFA thesis at York University.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Librarians
Dispatches from the front line of America's culture wars (and ours too): librarians speak out about the war against ideas, history, freedom of expression and sexual identity, a campaign in which an open mind is the ultimate enemy.
Jay Kelly
In Noah Baumbach's wise and witty comedy, George Clooney plays Jay Kelly, a world-famous movie star touring Europe with his friend and manager, Ron (Adam Sandler). Faced with nagging dissatisfaction, Jay starts to ask himself some tough questions.
Orwell: 2+2=5
Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck reimagines 1984 in this urgent essay on power, language, and control. With narration by Damian Lewis, it’s a chilling portrait of how Orwell’s warnings became our reality.
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.
Meadowlarks
Fifty years after being separated during the Sixties Scoop, four Cree siblings reunite for the first time on a long weekend trip to Banff. Tasha Hubbard’s sensitive drama relates an emotional and life-affirming story of kinship and belonging.