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Palestine Islands film image; two people in a deserted sandy street

VIFF Short Forum 6

VIFF Short Forum

Image: Palestine Islands

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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

Director

Various

Country of Origin

Various

Year

2023-2024

Language

Various with English subtitles

Content Warning

Self harm, dug & alcohol abuse

18+
117 min
Animation Art, Music & Photography Award Winners Comedy Documentary Drama Experimental & Avant Garde Human Rights & Social Justice Shorts Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

The Quiet Applause

Dir. Byun Sung-bin
81 min

This gentle, lyrical film stars Yang Hae-bom as San, an adorable toddler living in the countryside. Her life is peaceful save for the aggressive outbursts of her brother, whose autism has created tension between the parents…

International Village 9 VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Short Forum 2: Anthropomaxx
The End film image; stop motion anthropomorphic animals ordering from a cafe counter

Short Forum 2: Anthropomaxx

112 min

Dogs, frogs, hogs, and more!

International Village 8

Flies

Dir. Fernando Eimbcke
99 min

Flies is the story of elderly and embittered Olga, the father and son she accepts as tenants, and the spiritual reawakening they provoke in her. Director Eimbcke plots Olga’s shift from battle-axe to benevolent spirit with grace. A heartwarming gem.

The Park Theatre International Village 10

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

Dir. William Greaves, David Greaves
100 min

Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.

The Rio Theatre Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only

I Understand Your Displeasure

Dir. Kilian Armando Friedrich
93 min

This intense realist drama stars Sabine Thalau as Heike, the underpaid, stressed-out manager of a cleaning crew. The non-professional actor portrays the hardship of labour so well that every breath, every arduous movement registers its cost on her soul.

Image: © Wenn Dann Film

The Cinematheque Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only

Birds of War

Dir. Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak
85 min

Told through phone videos, voice notes, texts, and news footage, Birds of War documents the love story of Lebanese journalist Janay Boulos and Syrian activist Abd Alkader Habak as their connection deepens and their communications grow in urgency.

Alliance Francaise Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only