Skip to main content
The Golden Spurtle film image; man lifting his sleeve to show off his bicep/tattoo

The Golden Spurtle

This event has passed

Canadian Premiere

Dating back to neolithic times, few culinary traditions have survived as long as the hearty bowl of morning porridge. Despite its simple recipe of oats, salt and water, there is a lot that can vary. Each year the sleepy highland village of Carrbridge awakens with excitement as locals and competitors from around the globe vie for the honour of winning The Golden Spurtle in the World Porridge Making Championships. For aging, charismatic, and soon-to-retire Charlie Miller, this competition means so much more than just a bowl of steaming oats. With ailing health but a responsibility to his fellow porridge committee members, Charlie is on a mission to secure the future of the championships — and his own legacy.

Against the backdrop of the breathtaking Scottish Highlands and infused with whimsical humour of an eclectic cast, Constantine Costi’s warm-hearted documentary captures the humanity of village life and those who visit with spurtle in hand. The Golden Spurtle is an ode to finding the greatest meaning in the smallest things.

 

Media Partner

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

UK/Australia

Year

2025

Language

English

18+
75 min
Comedy Documentary
Hopscotch Films UK, Hytra Films, Screen Australia

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits & Director

Producer

Rebecca Lamond, John Archer

Cinematography

Dimitri Zaunders

Editor

James Alcock

VIFF Logo

Constantine Costi

Constantine Costi is an award-winning director and writer working across film and opera. His 2025 feature documentary The Golden Spurtle was selected to premiere in Copenhagen’s CPH:DOX. His film A Delicate Fire for Pinchgut Opera, based on the madrigals of Barbara Strozzi, was awarded Best Australian Feature Film at the Sydney Women’s Film Festival, and the ATOM Award’s Best Experimental Film. He is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Animated)

Dir. Various
83 min

The nominees for Best Animated Short Film include The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a fable from Canadian filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, narrated by Colm Feore.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Round Midnight: Ardeshir Plays Dexter Gordon

Dir. Bertrand Tavernier
131 min

Loosely based on Bud Powell's time in Paris, Round Midnight (131 mins) is maybe the greatest of all films about jazz thanks to the towering performance of real-life jazz great Dexter Gordon. Saxophonist Ardeshir channels Gordon's vibe in his live set.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Montreal, ma belle

Dir. Xiaodan He
118 min

In this Valentine to discovering love later in life, the ever-elegant Joan Chen plays Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant and mother in Montreal whose world is turned upside down when she meets and falls in love with a young Quebecoise.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Live Action)

Dir. Various
119 min

This year's contenders in the Live Action category include comedies, drama, an experimental musical, and a dystopian fantasy; films from the UK and the US, France and Israel.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Sirât

Dir. Óliver Laxe
115 min

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.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Dir. David Borenstein & Pavel Talankin
90 min

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and Special Jury Prize Winner, Sundance, 2025, this exposé shot by a Russian primary teacher shows how the Putin propaganda machine works to militarize children.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema