Shorts from Canada, Hong Kong, Estonia, India, Japan, Mexico, and Spain.
Oct 4 & 5: Q&A with filmmakers
This short film program includes the following films:
Discoteque
Masashi Yamamoto, USA (5 min)
Two friends embark on a galactic journey towards the disco ball moon.
Sauna Day
Anna Hints & Tushar Prakash, Estonia (13 min)
An intimate portrait of Southern Estonian men enjoying a smoke sauna together after a hard day of work.
The Widow’s Son Turns Storyteller
Shikher Pal, India (11 min)
In the city of Kanpur, fables emanate from an ancient mound.
Save My Soul
Kam Fai Leung, Hong Kong (15 min)
What transpires when a mute and a blind man cross paths…
Almost the Dust
Léa Soler, Mexico (22 min)
From the upper branches of a tree, a land defender on a hunger strike is visited by people from his village.
The Moving Garden
Inês Lima, Portugal (19 min)
A group of hikers embark on a guided tour of the Arrábida Natural Park but observe a disturbing transformation.
Retracing Their Steps
Manuel Orhy Piron, Canada (21 min)
Boxes from the Montreal Archive Center reveal forgotten tales from the queer community.
Supported by
Community Partner
Various
Various
2023-2024
Various with English subtitles
Self harm
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
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.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
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.
Shadow of a Doubt
In our latest film studies series, FRAMEWORK, Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock across four monochrome masterworks. This week: smalltown US thriller Shadow of a Doubt (1943), one of the director's personal favourites.
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).