Shorts from Canada, Hungary, Iran, Japan, Macau, Taiwan, and USA.
Sept 29 & 30: Q&A with filmmakers
This short film program includes the following films:
Jane’s in the Freezer
Caleb Joye, USA (13 min)
A day in the life of Jane, a single middle-aged woman who searches for connection while hiding from the past.
My Dog is Dead
Tasuku Matsunaga & Takehiro Senda, Japan (9 min)
Riko and her boyfriend Yoshiki go visit her mom after the death of their family dog.
Shoes and Hooves
Viktória Traub, Hungary (15 min)
Paula the centaur-girl falls in love with Arnold the crocodile man.
Nemo 1
Albéric Aurtenèche, Canada (12 min)
On the coastline of Chittagong, Bangladesh, cargo ships wait to be recycled.
Tayal Forest Club
Laha Mebow, Taiwan (19 min)
Two teens lose their way during a hike in the dense and mountainous Atayal homelands, crossing paths with a man who at first appears to be the town drunk.
Chuff Chuff Chuff
Chao Koi Wang, Taiwan (7 min)
Asleep on a train, a man awakes in a dream inside his apartment.
Nietzschean Suicide
Payam Kurdistani, Iran (18 min)
A pharmacy owner attempts to delay the suicide of the only midwife in town until after his pregnant wife gives birth.
Darker
Matazi Weathers, USA (19 min)
In a dystopian Los Angeles, a coalition of Black insurgents, trans hackers, and their POC allies prepare for an uprising.
Supported by
Community Partner
Various
Various
2023-2024
Various with English subtitles
Sexual violence
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
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and Special Jury Prize Winner, Sundance, 2025, this exposé shot by a Russian primary teacher shows how the Putin propaganda machine works to militarize children.
Sirât
A desperate father (Sergi Lopez) searchers for his missing daughter through the spiritual wasteland of the Moroccan desert. An unforgettable sensory powerhouse, Sîrat will have you riveted and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.
2026 Oscar® Shorts (Documentary)
Don't come to the program of Oscar®-nominated documentary shorts for escapism. But let's talk about the Canadian contender, Perfectly a Strangeness, featuring an abandoned observatory and three donkeys. More of this, please.
Round Midnight: Ardeshir Plays Dexter Gordon
Loosely based on Bud Powell's time in Paris, Round Midnight (131 mins) is maybe the greatest of all films about jazz thanks to the towering performance of real-life jazz great Dexter Gordon. Saxophonist Ardeshir channels Gordon's vibe in his live set.
The Love That Remains
Anna and Magnús have separated, leaving her to raise their three children as he spends long stretches at sea, working as a fisherman. As the seasons pass, their emotions ebb and flow. A richly conceived story with unexpected delight and humour.
