World Premiere
Timothy Yeung’s film is a story of big losses, small triumphs, and moments of grace amid the grind of capitalism — in other words, life itself. Four Hong Kong immigrants are living lives of desperation in Scarborough, Ontario: Dan (Patrick Tam) was a pop singer on the rise before his move to Canada, now he’s barely scraping by; Eva (Harriet Yeung) is a lonely woman whose commitment to her aging mother has held her back in life; Fan (Theresa Lee) is a part-time sex worker struggling to break into real estate; Tony (Anthony Wong) is an aging widower whose factory job is at risk.
Through these characters, Yeung explores diasporic alienation, economic hardship, and social isolation. His film is rich in cultural specificity, but that never obstructs his wider view. Building outwards from private hopes and personal pain, he creates a rich social document that cradles within it four precious human portraits. Tam, Yeung, Lee, and Wong are superb — their performances ring with commitment and authenticity.
Oct 5 & 6: Q&A
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Anthony Wong, Theresa Lee, Patrick Tam, Nina Paw, Harriet Yeung, Dmitry Chepovetsky
Canada/Hong Kong
2025
In Cantonese, Mandarin and English with English subtitles
Sexually suggestive scenes
Open to youth at International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Ridley Tsui, Annie Lee, Michael Mosca, Candy Tsui, Tracy Shum, Walter Yee, Phoebe Ho
Producer
Kim Yu
Screenwriter
Timothy Yeung
Cinematography
Jeff Wong
Editor
Victor C.H. Fan, Timothy Yeung
Production Design
Helen Kotsonis
Original Music
Matthew O’Halloran
Timothy Yeung 楊永光
Timothy Yeung is a Canadian-born Chinese filmmaker and NYU Tisch graduate whose work explores identity, diaspora, and emotional inheritance. His short film 90 Days (2013) premiered at VIFF and received Honourable Mention for Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film. The short screened at numerous festivals and was later acquired by Sundance Selects. A TIFF Filmmaker Lab alumnus, Yeung’s debut feature Finch & Midland is a co-production between Hong Kong and Canada.
Filmography: 90 Days (2013)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Köln 75
The true story behind the greatest solo concert in jazz history, this is Keith Jarrett's legendary 1975 Köln Concert — as organized by 18-year-old rebel music promoter Vera Brandes. Fun, inventive and feminist, it's the Bend It Like Beckham of jazz films.
Nollywood: Filmbusiness African Style
If you've wondered how one of the world's highest-producing film industries sustains itself, this documentary breaks down the inner workings of Nigeria's most lucrative creative economy, the second largest film industry in the world according to UNESCO.
Frankenstein
Frankenstein and Guillermo del Toro might have been made for each other. The movie does not disappoint, a ripping yarn of grand adventure, spectacle, hubris, passion and XXL body parts, a tale of the fantastic that rings the imagination. Screening in 35mm.
Train Dreams
A lovely, ruminative movie set in the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the last century. Robert (Joel Edgerton) is a lumberjack, a taciturn man who comes to appreciate the life slipping between his fingers.
