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
Searching for Satyrus
Award-winning filmmaker and photographer Rena Effendi embarks on a quest to track down the very rare Satyrus Effendi, a butterfly discovered by her father in the mountains of Aberbaijain. But what she finds is altogether more personal, and more upsetting.
Naomi Osaka: The Second Set + Q&A
Kat Jayme, a VIFF audience favourite for The Grizzlie Truth, I'm Just Here for the Riot and Finding Big Country is back with another sports doc, a portrait of the Japanese tennis great Naomi Osaka as she returns to the court after becoming a mom.
Palimpsest: The Story of a Name
Drawing on home movies and diaries from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, Canadian filmmaker Mary Stephen (Eric Rohmer's editor for many years) investigates the origins of her surname. After all, she was born in Hong Kong to Chinese parents. Or were they... ?
Cookie Queens
A documentary about the annual Girl Scouts' cookie sale is probably not high on your list of must-sees, but don't be too sure — this movie is a delight, a rare celebration of girlhood, supportive family relations, and the art of salesmanship.