Skip to main content
Caravaggio film image; man gripping the rope on a sailing boat

Caravaggio

This event has passed

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

Directors
Cast

Jack Bannell

Credits
Country of Origin

UK

Year

2025

Language

English

18+
100 min
Art, Music & Photography Award Winners Documentary LGBTQIA2S+

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits & Director

Producer

Phil Grabsky, Amanda Wilkie

Screenwriter

David Bickerstaff, Phil Grabsky

Editor

David Bickerstaff

Original Music

Simon Farmer

David Bickerstaff headshot

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 headshot

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

Honeyjoon

Dir. Lilian T. Mehrel
75 min

A mother and her 20-something daughter take a holiday together in the Azores to mark the anniversary of the loss of their husband and father -- but maybe the honeymoon package wasn't the best idea...

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Another World

Dir. Tommy Kai Chung Ng
112 min

This hit anime from Hong Kong gives us an unpredictable, sometimes darkly karmic tale taking place on either side of the afterlife involving a headstrong princess with bad karma and the spirit guide who tries to help her get on a better path.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Everybody to Kenmure Street

Dir. Felipe Bustos Sierra
95 min

This rousing documentary (100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) never puts a foot wrong as it recreates a tense, prolonged stand-off between the police and the citizens of Glasgow when an Immigration Enforcement squad attempt to arrest two men from their homes.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

My Own Private Idaho

Dir. Gus Van Sant
103 min

Gus Van Sant's poetic and whimsical portrait of two young gay hustlers on the streets of Portland (Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix) was a triumph of the emerging New Queer Cinema.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Thelma & Louise

Dir. Ridley Scott
129 min

In this iconic feminist road movie BFF Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon take off for a weekend getaway that turns violent when one of them is attacked. The stakes get higher as they flee the scene. Winner: Best Original Screenplay (Callie Khouri).

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Boyz n the Hood

Dir. John Singleton
112 min

Twenty-three-year-old writer-director John Singleton's groundbreaking portrait of three young men growing up in South Central is a film of integrity and compassion. It's a far richer portrait of Black lives than Hollywood's gangsta exploitation pics.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema