
Isaiah Lehtinen, Kyle Bailey, Amanda Brugel
Canada
2023
English
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Josh Bowen, Iouri Stepanov, Artem Vasilyev
Producer
Courtney Wolfson
Screenwriter
Ellery Vandooyeweert
ANIM
Marina Patrakeeva
Production Design
Kristoffer Mikkelsen

Sam Chou
Sam Chou, a prominent series creator and animation filmmaker from Toronto, first gained acclaim with Crime: The Animated Series (2014) which won Best Series for Adults at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. His collaboration with Mattel led to First Snowfall, showcased at the 2017 Fantasia International Film Festival. VRDLK: Family of Vurdulak (2023) received multiple awards, and he was honored with the Kaj Pindal Award. His latest film, In the Heat (2023), premiered at Annecy and was featured at the Savannah Film Festival.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Stand
This rousing doc explores a 1985 dispute over logging in the Haida Gwaii. Taking us from canny retrospective commentary to the thick of the action, director Chris Auchter employs animation and a wealth of archival footage to riveting effect.
There's Still Tomorrow
A critical and box office sensation in Italy, Paola Cortellesi's triumphant directorial debut is the tale of a Roman housewife in 1946, who stands up against the routine sexist abuse she suffers. Funny, heartbreaking and inspiring.
Housewife of the Year
This gently mind-blowing doc revisits the glory days of the long-running Irish TV show Housewife of the Year, where women proudly showed off their capacity to keep multiple kiddies fed and clothed, usually with minimal help from their hubbies.
The Way, My Way
All manner of pilgrims flock to France and Spain to walk the 800 km Camino de Santiago. One such is Bill, a stroppy sexagenarian Australian filmmaker who's determined to do the Camino with minimal prep, a dickey leg, and no firm idea why.
Sugarcane
"Deeply impactful", Sugarcane is an important contribution to the ongoing process of Truth & Reconciliation in this country, a compassionate, sensitive account of the investigation into residential school abuse at Williams Lake, BC.