Shorts from: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Portugal.
Oct 7 & 8: Q&A
This short film program includes the following films:
The Light of Immortality
Mikołaj Janik, Poland (25 min)
A man’s obsession with collecting vintage lamps slowly unravels the shadow of what is real and what is not, as his family, for decades, has quietly supported and adapted to his ever-growing fantasy.
Tears Burn to Ash
Natalie Murao, Canada (15 min)
An encounter with a doppelganger in Japan cracks open the edges of reality, as a return to the homeland becomes a search through memory, absence, and the ghosts of identity.
My Dad is an Astronaut
Bianca Rose Cheung, Canada (14 min)
Through dreamy textures and thermal imaging, the film hums with quiet longing, lost signals, and the strange intimacy of distance.
Mother of Dawn
Clara Trevisan, Belgium/Brazil/Finland/Portugal (9 min)
In the dead of night, a hungry creature searches for food — until something breaks the cycle.
Bleat!
Ananth Subramaniam, Malaysia/Philippines/France (16 min)
An elderly couple faces a dilemma when their male goat, destined for ceremonial slaughter, turns out to be pregnant.
Muljil: Diving
Young Eun Yoo (Yooye), South Korea (26 min)
Yang Young-sam, a 77-year-old haenyeo (female freediver) battling dementia, prepares for a final ritual goodbye.
Supported by
Community Partner
Various
Various
2024 & 2025
Various
Animal cruelty, graphic violence
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.