Shorts from Brazil, Kenya, Martinique, Mexico, Taiwan, and USA.
Sept 30 & Oct 1: Q&A with filmmakers
This short film program includes the following films:
Minus Plus Multiply
Chu-Chieh Lee, UK (5 min)
Experiments with drawing, stop motion, and ceramics exploring one’s relationship to emotions through space.
Creatures of Light
Sylvie Weber, Mexico (12 min)
Through her connection with the natural world, Valeria brings comfort and lightness to her family.
When the Wind Rises
Hung Chen, Taiwan (18 min)
An elderly activist rallies his community against the expansion of an oil refinery in their tiny fishing village.
The Return
Laissa Malih, Kenya (16 min)
Malih returns to her community as the first Maasai filmmaker—both an insider and an outsider, a woman amongst men—so that she may carry on the sacred tradition of storytelling.
Mermaids
Sarah Malléon, Martinique (16 min)
On the island of Martinique, a young girl attempts to summon mermaids through calls from a conch shell.
Dadá
Luisa Arraes, Brazil (19 min)
In this comedy of manners, chaos ensues at a dinner party when the help does not arrive.
Fishmonger
Neil Ferron, USA (26 min)
A pathetic fishmonger must survive a sex pact with an ancient fish creature in order to save his mother’s soul.
Supported by
Community Partner
Various
Various
2023-2024
Various with English subtitles
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
NAZA
NAZA is a codeword euphemistically used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians it expects will be killed in an airstrike. This chilling documentary exposes the policy and process of state-sanctioned mass killings.
The Best Years of Our Lives
One of the finest films to come out of WWII, The Best Years of Our Lives sympathetically conveys the difficulties returning veterans faced in readjusting to life at home. It won 7 of the top Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director and Actor.
Ray Gunn (Special Advance Screening with Brad Bird)
In an alternate future as seen from 1939, a private eye (Sam Rockwell) is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star (Scarlett Johansson). Followed by a moderated discussion with director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille).
The Bloodettes
In this early Afro-futurist shlocker from Cameroonian director Jean-Pierre Bekolo (made in 2005 and set in 2025), two sex workers try to dispose of the body of a high profile politician who's died on the job (theirs, not his).
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.
Akashi
In Mayumi Yoshida’s tender drama, struggling artist Kana journeys to Tokyo to attend her grandmother’s funeral. While there, she reconnects with her childhood love and stumbles across a family secret that prompts her to reconsider her place in the world.


