Canadian Premiere
Known for their innovative use of light and shadow while imbuing psychological realism into classical scenes of intense religious and violent drama, Caravaggio’s paintings still feel as fresh and vivid today as they did four hundred years ago. In the latest from Exhibition on Screen (Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers), co-directors David Bickerstaff and Phil Grabsky shed light not only on Caravaggio’s paintings, but his life, often kept half-hidden in the same chiaroscuro tones he shaded his masterpieces with.
An immersive biography chronologically following Caravaggio’s volatile life, Caravaggio seeks to understand the depth of the artist’s work by intertwining his artistic and personal development. We’re guided not only by art historians, critics, and curators, but by a delightfully dramatized Caravaggio who narrates the film. This blend of thoughtful analysis with realized version of the famously violent and mercurial artist provides an imaginary window into his inner world, emphasizing the sheer power of his life and art through the ages.
Oct 3 & 4: Q&A
Missed it at VIFF? Catch it at the VIFF Centre after the festival.
Presented by
Media Partner
Jack Bannell
UK
2025
English
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Producer
Phil Grabsky, Amanda Wilkie
Screenwriter
David Bickerstaff, Phil Grabsky
Editor
David Bickerstaff
Original Music
Simon Farmer
David Bickerstaff
David Bickerstaff is an award-winning filmmaker and artist, and founder of Atomictv — a platform for digital art and collaborations. His documentaries and installations have screened internationally at MoMA, Vitra Museum, and others. He directs artist films for Art360 Foundation (since 2016) and Exhibition on Screen (since 2011). He is also Creative Director at NewAngle Productions.
Filmography: Heavy Water: A Film for Chernobyl (2006); Making War Horse (2009); Vincent Van Gogh – A New Way of Seeing (2015); Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse (2016); The Curious World of Hieronymus Bosch (2016); Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers (2024)
Phil Grabsky
Filmography: In Search of Beethoven (2009); Vincent Van Gogh – A New Way of Seeing (2015); The Impressionists (2015); Renoir: Revered and Reviled (2016); Leonardo: The Works (2019); Easter in Art (2020)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Clubfoot
An adopted teen and his friend coerce a younger adoptee to go for a drive out to the countryside — but things turn violent. With a fragmented structure and unresolved questions, Clubfoot reflects the uncertainty and isolation that often follow adoption.
Smudge the Blades
This rousing hockey drama centres on the Treaty 6 Blades, a team of Indigenous youth on a quest for redemption. Blessed with a terrific cast, this is a crowd-pleaser in which victory is about much more than winning the game.
Congo Boy
Congo Boy is a deeply moving coming-of-age drama about Robert, a 17-year-old Congolese refugee in the Central African Republic balancing school, odd jobs, and the care of his four younger siblings — while dreaming of success as a musician.
Image: © 2026 MAKONGO FILMS UNITÉ KIRIPIFILMS KARTA FILM CANAL
Family Fears Another Night of Terror
Night after night, a family of four is tormented by an unseen presence inside their home — or so it seems. Family Fears Another Night of Terror transforms the aesthetics of a late-night television special into an analogue nightmare.