World Premiere
The howling of wild dogs through the windows of a summer evening… In the middle of the night, a man talks to his dead wife on a disconnected telephone… Airplanes are swallowed up in the sky.
In rural Canada in the 1990s, a Korean family – a widower, his teenage son, and young daughter – attempts to find footing in a new land while navigating the dark forests of grief. Sonny has been hired to eradicate the feral canines plaguing the town, while sensitive Hajoon figures out what it means to be a man. Finally, young Hana, missing her mother, dreams up ways to make her return.
Gorgeous and brilliantly structured, Jerome Yoo’s first feature film is a lyrical and gut-wrenching tale of immigrant survival and resilience in Canada. Dreamlike, surreal, and filled with raw emotion, Mongrels is a remarkable study of family, loss, and hope in the midst of profound uprooting.
Sept 28: Q&A with director Jerome Yoo; producers Nach Dudsdeemaytha & Tesh Guttikonda; DOP Jaryl Lim; and actors Da-Nu Nam & Sein Jin
Sept 30: Q&A with director Jerome Yoo; producer Nach Dudsdeemaytha; editor Lawrence Le Lam; and Derek Kwan
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Sein Jin, Jae-Hyun Kim, Da-Nu Nam, Candyce Weir, Jedd Sharp, Morgan Derera
Canada
2024
In English and Korean with English subtitles
Animal cruelty
At International Village
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Jerome Yoo, Nach Dudsdeemaytha, Matt Drake, David Tomiak, Martin Glegg
Producer
Nach Dudsdeemaytha, Tesh Guttikonda
Screenwriter
Jerome Yoo
Cinematography
Jaryl Lim
Editor
Lawrence Le Lam
Production Design
Adriana Marchand
Original Music
Jude Shih, Tae-Young Yu
Jerome Yoo
Jerome Yoo is a Seoul-born filmmaker based in Vancouver. Drawing from his diverse upbringing in Canada, his work often explores the complexities of cultural identity and relationships with surreal elements. His short films, Gong Ju (2018) and Idols Never Die (2019), have garnered critical acclaim and been featured at festivals globally, including the Cannes Short Film Corner and TIFF’s Summer of Seoul program. Mongrels is Jerome’s debut feature and was funded by Telefilm’s Talent to Watch initiative.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
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.
How to Divorce During the War
Screenwriter Vytus is left reeling when on successive days his wife demands a divorce and Russia invades Ukraine. Blazevicius' masterful feature emerges as an engrossing satire about virtue signaling, nationalism, good intentions, and survival modes.
Edie Arnold is a Loser + Q&A
Loaded with breakneck gags in the spirit of Scott Pilgrim, but with a distinctly female-centered point of view, Megan Rico and Kade Atwood's hilarious teen comedy hits VIFF Centre on its 16 city whistlestop North American tour. Filmmaker Q&A.
The Sun Never Sets
At the suggestion of her much older (divorced) boyfriend, Wendy (Dakota Fanning) takes a summer to reevaluate her life and date other people. She's reluctant at first, but then reconnects with an old flame... A gentle indie comedy from Joe Swanberg.
Hanging by a Wire
The Himalayas, Aug 22, 2023: a cable car bearing 8 passengers (six of them schoolkids) is left dangling 900 feet above the ground when two out of three cables snap. This nailbiting documentary recounts the increasingly frantic rescue attempts.