World Premiere
Two friends grapple with mortality as they are confronted with a dying pet ferret.
Supported by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Isaiah Lehtinen, Kyle Bailey, Amanda Brugel
Canada
2023
English
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
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
Streetwalker
Middle class and married, Elena (Miroslava Stern) has been seduced by an unscrupulous swindler, who turns out to be the pimp of Maria (Elda Peralta), a prostitute and Elena's estranged sister. But are they really so different under the skin?
A Magnificent Life
Animator Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville; The Illusionist) crafts a loving biopic of the revered French writer, playwright and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol (Jean de Florette; My Father's Glory)
Victims of Sin
This movie is a hot scramble of piety and passion, sentimentality and sleaze. Ninón Sevilla plays Violeta, a rumba sensation who oversteps when she rescues a newborn from the trash. This gets her fired and wins the enmity of the pimp who fathered the kid.
Salón México + Midnight Boogaloo Live!
To celebrate our Mexico Noir series we invited Midnight Boogaloo to get the party going with a mix of salsa, boogaloo and rock & roll. After their set enjoy the seminal dancehall melodrama Salón México, a classic from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.
Nika & Madison
Two young Indigenous women become fugitives following an act of self-defence and are forced to flee into the wilderness. Inspired by Thelma and Louise, this compelling story of unbreakable friendship sheds light on systemic injustices.