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
Emergence: Women in the Storm
Stories of resistance and recovery, courage, creativity and community in the face of the climate emergency gleaned from women first responders and those impacted in Western Canada, particularly Lytton and the Fraser Valley.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
In Eliza Hittman's powerful slice of social realism, 17-year-old Autum is unable to get an abortion without parental consent in Pennsylvania. She persuades her bff Skylar (Talia Ryder) to come with her to New York where she hopes it will be easier...
Muzizi
From the director of the award-winning film Union Street, Jamila Pomeroy, Muzizi embarks on a great culinary adventure through Vancouver’s African diasporic culinary scene. Muzizi explores powerful stories of immigration, resilience, and joy.
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.
The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes
A beautiful portrait of E.J. Hughes, who quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia in the 20th century. This extraordinary documentary explores Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist, but as a devoted, humble human being.