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
A Poet
When embittered poet Oscar Restrepo takes a job at a local high school, he meets Yurlady, a talented student from a poor background. Seeking to help her cultivate her art, he draws her into the poetry world — to disastrous and comedic results.
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.
Spring After Spring
Three daughters strive to live up to the standards set by their mother Marie Mimi Ho, and keep Vancouver Chinatown's Spring Parade going through thick and thin, in this enormously affectionate local documentary by Jon Chiang.
Seeds
Shot over nine years, Brittany Shyne’s Sundance-winning documentary is a tender portrait of Black farming families in the American South. A moving meditation on land, legacy, and the strength it takes to hold on.
Sound of Falling
A remote German farmhouse is the stage for the mundane and magical experiences of four girls who call the foreboding place home at various intervals over the course of a century. In turns delicate and devastating, this is cinema at its most experiential.
Image: © Fabian Gamper
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and Special Jury Prize Winner, Sundance, 2025, this exposé shot by a Russian primary teacher shows how the Putin propaganda machine works to militarize children.