North American Premiere
Subjected to loud noises, violent abrasions, water dousing, and unpredictable conditions, the horses of an Israeli police unit face harsh conditioning in the West Bank. With a semi-documentary approach, including the use of treated archival footage, newcomer Alina Orlov visualizes the desensitization process used for controlling these majestic animals, begging questions of how and why certain tactics are enacted and enforced beyond training.
Community Partner
Canada/USA/Israel
2024
In Hebrew with English subtitles
Animal cruelty
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Cinematography
Alina Orlov
Editor
Alina Orlov
ANIM
Alina Orlov
Music
Patrick O’Shea
Alina Orlov
Alina Orlov, born in 1990, is an artist and filmmaker. She earned her MFA from the school of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2020 and a BFA with honors from Bezalel Academy in 2015. Her Work has been showcased internationally, including at the Locarno Film Festival, Galerie Historischer Keller in Berlin and YARAT in Baku. The Cavalry (2024) is her first film.
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
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.
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).
The Bloodettes
In this early Afro-futurist shlocker from Cameroonian director Jean-Pierre Bekolo (made in 2005 and set in 2025), two sex workers try to dispose of the body of a high profile politician who's died on the job (theirs, not his).
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.
Akashi
In Mayumi Yoshida’s tender drama, struggling artist Kana journeys to Tokyo to attend her grandmother’s funeral. While there, she reconnects with her childhood love and stumbles across a family secret that prompts her to reconsider her place in the world.