Moving through often uncharted (subaltern) territory, these works and their subjects carry the remnants of emotional and physical labour on their shoulders, both literally and figuratively.
This short film program includes the following films:
Samba Infinito
Leonardo Martinelli, Brazil/France (16 min)
Amid the revelry of Rio’s Carnival, a wandering boy chances upon a weary street sweeper whose long-repressed grief derails his humble obligations.
Force Times Displacement
Angel WU, Taiwan (12 min)
Along the endless arch of incessant work, workers ache for change.
L’mina
Randa Maroufi, Morocco/France/Italy/Qatar (26 min)
Although the practice of coal extraction was halted in 2001, a treacherous mine in Jerada, Morocco remains informally active and is manned by the town’s residents, who collaboratively act out a performance of their labour.
BOA
Alexandre Dostie, Canada/France (25 min)
When tragedy strikes the church, young Leonidas careens toward a brotherhood of an entirely different order, shedding the old ways to become something more intentional.
+10K
Gala Hernández López, Spain/France (32 min)
Pol lives in Miami with his grandmother, endlessly pursuing personal growth schemes and online coaching seminars to master Crypto investing. He is becoming the best version of himself, but he’s not sure when his labours will bear fruit.
Community Partner
Various
Various
2024 & 2025
Various
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Sirât
A desperate father (Sergi Lopez) searchers for his missing daughter through the spiritual wasteland of the Moroccan desert. An unforgettable sensory powerhouse, Sîrat will have you riveted and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.
2026 Oscar® Shorts (Documentary)
Don't come to the program of Oscar®-nominated documentary shorts for escapism. But let's talk about the Canadian contender, Perfectly a Strangeness, featuring an abandoned observatory and three donkeys. More of this, please.
Emergence: Women in the Storm
Stories of resistance and recovery, courage, creativity and community in the face of the climate emergency gleaned from women first responders and those impacted in Western Canada, particularly Lytton and the Fraser Valley.
