Shorts from Canada, Finland, Japan, and the Netherlands.
Sept 28 & 29: Q&A with filmmakers
This short film program includes the following films:
You Can’t Get What You Want but You Can Get Me
Samira Elagoz & Z Walsh, Netherlands/Finland (13 min)
A slideshow of personal photographs and correspondence document two long-haired trans men falling in love.
Colors Under the Streetlights
Yoshimi Joya, Japan (23 min)
Late one night, two women who work at a hostess bar are approached by police.
Candle
Jérémi Roy, Canada (9 min)
David and Leonard are ex-lovers who reunite one autumn evening during a power outage.
Delta Dawn
Asia Youngman, Canada (26 min)
This documentary follows Dawn Murphy, or “Princess Delta Dawn”, who rose to fame in the 1980s and early 1990s and became the first Indigenous woman wrestler and the first Canadian woman wrestler to compete in Japan.
The Death of James
Sam Chou, Canada (14 min)
Two friends grapple with mortality as they are confronted with a dying pet ferret.
Pena’s Special Hauling
Anssi Kasitonni, Finland (12 min)
Perhaps he shouldn’t still be driving at his advanced age, but veteran truck driver Pena cannot help but get behind the wheel of his custom truck.
Salem on the Road
Étienne Galloy, Canada (20 min)
While experiencing a major depersonalization episode, Salem embarks on a solo cycling journey across the Gaspé Peninsula with the intent of ending her life.
Supported by
Community Partner
Various
Various
2023-2024
Various with English subtitles
Self harm
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
The 39 Steps
In our new film studies series, FRAMEWORK, film scholar Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock, across four monochrome masterworks. This week: The 39 Steps (1935), a witty and fast-moving spy thriller from Hitchcock's English period.
The Great McGinty
Preston Sturges' first film as writer-director is an omnivorous satire on endemic political corruption, the tale of a tramp who gets his entry into politics by casting 37 votes for mayor at $2 a pop. Eventually he'll be on the ticket himself...
To Be Or Not To Be
Strange but true: one of the greatest comedies of Hollywood's golden era was inspired by Hitler's annexation of Poland in 1938. Jack Benny is the renowned theatre actor whose performance of Hamlet is interrupted by the Germans.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
The Mad Dog of Europe
The story of an unmade screenplay from the writer of Citizen Kane. In 1932, Herman Mankiewicz wrote a film that foretold the persecution of the Jews and the war in Europe. But Hollywood wouldn't take the risk and The Mad Dog of Europe was never made.