Where do filmmakers find their stories? This shorts program of Canadian and International shorts was specially selected for our Ignite High School series, where we invite thousands of students to come to VIFF each year to learn from inspiring new films and ideas. We are pleased to also offer a second special screening of Short Fuse for all audiences to experience this special series of eye-opening stories on screen. Each short was selected for the ways they inspire new approaches for storytelling or animation. Charming, funny, and at times a bit scary, these filmmakers explore stories from the everyday, to ancient history and science; from Indigenous futurism, to the imaginary, and more. Together they offer a memorable collection for the next generation of filmmakers.
Q&A with director Amanda Strong
This short film program includes the following films:
Dokra Keu Bojhey Na
Sneha Das & Monjima Mullick, India (8 min)
An innovative animated documentary about the ancient bronze craft of Dokra sculptures in India told through the voices of Dokra artisans and sellers. They share some of the challenges they face as they endeavor to keep this art tradition alive.
Judy’s Garden
Evie Metz, USA (7 min)
In this enchanting animated short, a woman is confronted by death and taken on a journey through her past in a cosmic, and microcosmic, garden of life, death, and renewal.
The Everlasting Pea
Su Rynard, Canada (17 min)
Through the eyes of a scientist questioning plant consciousness, a pea plant dreaming of its past in Rome’s Colosseum, and a botanist unravelling a mystery, The Everlasting Pea invites a profound reimagining of our relationship with the vegetal world.
Beeps
Kirk Johnson, USA (15 min)
Sam can’t sleep. His bedroom is surrounded on all sides by chirping smoke alarms, the sign of a low battery. So he sets out on an odyssey to find the annoying beeps and in the process, learns about himself, his neighbors, and his place in the world.
Inkwo: For When the Starving Return
Amanda Strong, Canada (19 min)
Set two lifetimes in the future. Dove, a gender-shifting warrior, uses their Indigenous medicine (Inkwo) to protect their community from an unburied swarm of terrifying creatures.
Soap Box
Jimmy G. Pettigrew, Canada (17 min)
Hubert, 10, wants to win the annual soapbox race down the mountain to impress Anouk–who is also competing. Soap Box is a thrilling, wildly fun sports comedy, and a tribute to children’s incredible imaginations.
Supported by
Community Partner
Various
Various
2023-2024
Various with English subtitles
Graphic violence, animal cruelty, coarse language, may frighten young children
Open to youth!
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
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Franz
Veteran Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland takes the bull by the horns to craft a Kafka biopic that's Kafkaesque and then some, artfully layering scenes from Kafka's life and works along with ironic present-day footage for a truly surreal counterpoint.
90s Surprise Film
The 90s movie we have all been missing... Join us for a celebratory wake for this year's 90s, Baby series! What you will be seeing is top secret (no, not Top Secret!, that was 1984) but it will be at least 26 years old and it will be new to this series.
The Wind Will Carry Us
Kiarostami's dry comic masterpiece follows a Tehrani film team's thwarted attempts to document a traditional Kurdish funeral... Trouble being, there's no one to bury, and, worse, virtually no cell service...
Late Fame
Based on a novella by Arthur Schnitzler (Eyes Wide Shut) this is a sly, poignant comedy about vanity and art from director Kent Jones, starring Willem Dafoe as a mailman belatedly acclaimed for a book of poetry he wrote in his youth.
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai
Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is an assassin, but he's also an existential loner who adheres to his personal code. Despite the thriller trappings, this is really a lampoon of that genre, and a melancholy reverie for the cultural melting pot we call home.