Shorts from: Canada, France, Lebanon, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Syria, USA.
Oct 4 & 5: Q&A
This short film program includes the following films:
One Duck Down
Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre, Canada (5 min)
Filmed on the tundra of the Canadian Arctic, place and personal histories are explored through memories embedded in the land.
Baadarane
Samah El Kadi, Lebanon (15 min)
In a small town on Mount Lebanon, a young boy tests God after his mother’s sudden death.
Water Girl
Sandra Desmazières, France/Netherlands/Portugal (15 min)
Anchored by her relationship to the sea as a freediver, Mia recalls her past.
Adieu Ugarit
Samy Benammar, Canada (16 min)
Benammar interviews Mohamed, who witnessed his best friend’s murder by armed militia on the outskirts of Damascus in 2012.
A Light That Doesn’t Dim
Colby Barrios, USA (19 min)
Sister Jones, a Mormon missionary stationed in Mexico, wants to go home.
Four Walls of Memory
Joanna Płatek, Poland (12 min)
A wild creature chases a girl into a cabin, slams into the wall, and dies. Why doesn’t she leave?
WASSUPKAYLEE
Pepi Ginsberg, France/USA (20 min)
Kaylee, a teenage influencer, struggles to find her groove as the latest member of a popular TikTok content house.
Supported by
Community Partner
Various
Various
2024 & 2025
Various
Animal cruelty, violence, murder
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
The 39 Steps
In our new film studies series, FRAMEWORK, film scholar Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock, across four monochrome masterworks. This week: The 39 Steps (1935), a witty and fast-moving spy thriller from Hitchcock's English period.
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
The Great McGinty
Preston Sturges' first film as writer-director is an omnivorous satire on endemic political corruption, the tale of a tramp who gets his entry into politics by casting 37 votes for mayor at $2 a pop. Eventually he'll be on the ticket himself...
To Be Or Not To Be
Strange but true: one of the greatest comedies of Hollywood's golden era was inspired by Hitler's annexation of Poland in 1938. Jack Benny is the renowned theatre actor whose performance of Hamlet is interrupted by the Germans.