Shorts from Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Lebanon, Palestine, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Oct 2 & 3: Q&A with filmmakers
This short film program includes the following films:
Gate 3 to 14
Karen Abou Jaoudeh, Lebanon (7 min)
Following the Beirut disaster of August 2020, two filmmakers assist with search and rescue efforts.
If the Sun Drowned into an Ocean of Clouds
Wissam Charaf, France/Lebanon (20 min)
Along a waterfront construction site, a security guard must prevent passersby from accessing the seaside.
Bright White Light
Henna Välkky & Eesu Lehtola, Finland (14 min)
Five near-death experiences are recalled through audio interviews and experimental visuals.
Dark Matter
Leo Berkeley, Australia (11 min)
Now in the later stages of multiple sclerosis, the director ponders existence, disability, and quantum mechanics.
Explosions Near the Museum
Roman Khimei & Yarema Malashchuk, Ukraine (14 min)
The camera moves through the Kherson Museum of Local Lore, which held Southern Ukraine’s largest and oldest collection of antiquities until it was looted by Russian occupational forces in 2022.
Three Birds
Zarja Menart, Slovenia/Croatia (8 min)
A sad girl seeks guidance from a wise bird woman.
Losing Your Home
Emmanuel Rioux, Canada (20 min)
Two women battle eviction notices from their respective homes.
Palestine Islands
Nour Ben Salem & Julien Menanteau, France/Jordan (23 min)
Living as a refugee at Balata camp in the northern West Bank, Maha choreographs a scenario to fulfill the unrealized goal of Palestinian sovereignty for her ailing blind grandfather.
Supported by
Community Partner
Various
Various
2023-2024
Various with English subtitles
Self harm, dug & alcohol abuse
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
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.
Agatha's Almanac
Shot over six years on vibrant 16mm film, Agatha’s Almanac is an artful documentary portrait of filmmaker Amalie Atkin’s octogenarian aunt, who has fashioned herself an endearingly simple and self-sustaining lifestyle on her Manitoba farm.
The Art of Adventure
The unbelievable adventure story of how painter Robert Bateman and ecologist Bristol Foster drove a Land Rover from Africa to Australia in 1957, developing a love of nature to last a lifetime. An inspirational love letter to the adventure of life itself.
Intimate Moments: Short Films by Brendan Prost
Vignettes of loneliness, desire and fleeting connection, immerse yourself in the short, bittersweet films of Brendan Prost — who will also be filming proceedings for potential inclusion in his self-reflexive doc, The Performance of a Lifetime.
Winter Kept Us Warm
Often described as the first LGBTQ+ film ever to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, David Secter's lovingly observed portrait of a burgeoning queer romance came at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in the country